Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
When it comes to the new owners of the Prattville Farm Center and Produce, the future of the beloved business is about blessings, God’s timing and persistence.
A landmark and longtime business to Prattville, Prattville Farm Center changed hands in February when the Burkhalter family decided it was time to sell.
Enter Lindsey and Bud Bounds, a young couple with young children, but a love for things agricultural, outdoors, hunting, fishing and flowers.
Lindsey is originally from the Atlanta, Ga., area. Bud is a lifetime resident of the Prattville area. They met and it was love at first sight for Bud. Lindsey said she must give credit to his persistence, and today their marriage is a blessing. Add two young children, ages seven and one, and you know their life is already busy.
When it came to purchasing an established business with a comfortable customer base, it was a string of events that Lindsey said “cannot be fully explained. It was just God.”
Prayer and faith are a big part of the Bounds family. They are members of the First Baptist Church of Prattville.
It was a regular visit by Bud to the Prattville Farm Center to purchase a sprayer for his tractor that started this new adventure.
“Randy (Burkhalter) mentioned to Bud that he seemed very knowledgeable about the business. That led to the question, ‘Have you considered buying it?’”
Over the next few weeks, the decision was made, but there were some lingering doubts and fears. A young couple, young children, already busy lives, and now a new business?
“I guess you could say we decided we didn’t need much sleep,” Lindsey said with a laugh.
When the couple purchased the business, many of the former employees stayed on. “And that is something I really want to emphasize,” Lindsey said. “We have been so blessed with the staff that was here. We have some new people as well, and I am so amazed at them. Our staff are just amazing, and so much more than employees. We really are like a family. They just go above and beyond to work with us.”
Lindsey has a background in accounting, a handy talent to have when running a family business. Bud is knowledgeable in agriculture, feed, care of animals, and is a mechanically inclined person. The two both draw from their own talents to merge them into their hopes for the future and building a solid business.
“I love flowers, so I really enjoy working with customers who are trying to decide what they would like to grow,” Lindsey said.
As for their customers, especially those who have been visiting the center over the past 40 years, Lindsey and Bud want to continue offering them the service they have come to love and expect. But there will be some improvements, such as a new floor and a desire to present a clean store throughout. They have modernized the way to conduct inventory.
“A lot of people do not like change, so we discussed that as we began,” she said. “We are definitely making some improvements and adding new products. But we want to keep the things our customers feel are integral to the business they already love.”
Bud is a big hunter and both he and Lindsey love to fish. They are incorporating some new items that will give something more to their customers in those areas.
But the old standards remain, including feed for livestock as well as domestic animals; plants and seed for both the garden or food plots; tools, fertilizer, chemicals, farm equipment, and sprayers.
There are jams and jellies, saddles, deer stands, clothing and an array of items for a backyard hobby garden at home, or for farmers with 100 acres.
Living in a city the size of Prattville but surrounded by a very rural county requires some forward thinking, and making sure they have offerings for a diverse customer base.
There has been a large learning curve over the past five months since the business changed hands, but it has been a great experience, both agree.
“We want people to come in and forget about life for a while,” Lindsey said. “We want this to be a place for the community, for prayer when it is needed, for learning and teaching.”
A lot of time has gone into training new staff, and to emphasize that if you do not have an answer, find an answer. If the specific item requested is not available, is there another option that will work, or can be ordered?
Lindsey said she wants the business to be more than brick and mortar, but a place where the community feels at home.
She credits a lot of their customers, who have been a big help in the process, offering their knowledge and advice along the way. “They have truly been wonderful,” she said.
It is an adventure, but Lindsey and Bud are taking God on the journey, and remembering persistence is key.
The hours of the Prattville Farm Center are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon.
They are located at 1154 South Memorial Drive in Prattville. The phone number is (334) 365-5400.
On Aug. 15 Prattville Farm Center will host a Hunter’s Night Out beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be food trucks, vendors onsite and the public is invited to come out.
