Now gone, old feed store on U.S. 281 in Marble Falls conjures memories of rural legacy
MARBLE FALLS — As heavy equipment recently toppled the empty barn and former barracks at Second Street and U.S. 281, the sight prompted many residents to share their memories of the "old feed store" — a landmark since 1946.
And as nostalgia for a fading way of life rose into the air with the dust from the crumbling walls, the machines razed the building to make way for more parking at the adjacent Blue Bonnet Cafe.
"I have lots of memories of those stores. My family grew maize and sold it at the feed store," said Spicewood resident Tina Wall, whose family settled the area in the early 1900s. "We ran 400 head of cattle and our feed came from there ... I also bought my first bridle there; boots, too. All my animal husbandry tools came from there."
Most recently, Crownover Feed Barn operated on the property for almost a decade, then relocated in April to 1810 RR 1431 West.
PHOTO 1: The Burnam Feed & Supply store stood for many years at Second Street and U.S.281, then later became Crownover Feed Barn. The buildings recently were demolished to make room for more parking. Crownover has moved to a new location. Courtesy photo
PHOTO 2: Brothers Sam (left) and Bobby Burnam in 1985 sold the family ranching feed and supply store, which eventually became known as Crownover Feed Barn, and went to work full-time on their historic family cattle ranch in southeast Burnet County. Staff photo by Connie Swinney
But Crownover wasn't the first occupant, and for six decades the buildings have served as a reminder of Marble Falls' ranching and rural roots.
The business was first started by R.M. Burnam in 1946 as RMB Truck & Feed. The original structure was an old military barracks purchased by Burnam and moved from Camp Swift in Bastrop County.
"It was a big part of the community. It was a big business, especially when we had all the milling and the mohair, the big ranches," said 82-year-old Robert "Bobby" M. Burnam Jr., who lives on the historic Burnam Ranch in southeast Burnet County.
He described how the early stages of the family business involved supplying feed and transporting cattle, sheep, goats and hogs to Fort Worth and San Antonio. In 1953, the family sold the trucks and changed the name to Burnam Feed & Supply.
In 1960, the business added wool, mohair and pecans. In 1970, milling equipment for bulk feed became a part of the enterprise.
In the 1980s, the Burnams noticed ominous signs of change in the area's cattle and ranching industries.
"The ranches got smaller and the feed business changed to metro-type trade," said Bobby Burnam, who by then was handling operations of the feed store with his younger brother, Sam.
Sam Burnam, who now is 68, recalled how the store defined the community.
"My memories start in the late 1950s. We were a rural area. So many people would come on Saturday from Spicewood, Smithwick and the old Kingsland area," he said. "It was a place to kill time and talk about the markets; what the sheep, the mohair and the pecans were doing."
As youngsters, the Burnam boys watched residents purchase milk-cow feed, chicken feed and animal health products.
"They came through and made a one-stop shop," Sam Burnam said.
In 1985, the Burnams decided to dedicate their time to the family ranch (which was settled in 1852) and sold the feed store to Dick Barkley. The store name changed to Barkley Feed. For the next several years, new operations and new owners, which included a Houston businessman, tried their hand at the business until the Crownovers bought it in 2000.
During the past decade, Crownover Feed Barn expanded and opened a second store, Triple C Feed at 1100 U.S. 281 in Burnet.
The Crownovers, who leased the Marble Falls landmark before they moved last spring to the new 1431 locale, say diversification was the key to survival.
"Marble Falls is changing. It's grown away from more agricultural-based, so there are not very many large farms and ranches anymore," Laurie Crownover said. She manages the new location, which now includes a lawn and landscaping equipment shop as well as Western boots, accessories and jewelry along with feed, hay and ranching products.
"You can't make a living off plain, old feed anymore. There's too much competition out there," she added.
After the move, the old feed store building sat empty while the property owners, the Kemper family, attempted to refurbish it. But repairs and upgrades became too costly, according to John Kemper.
He decided to demolish the building and clear the way for much-needed parking at his adjacent business, the Blue Bonnet Cafe.
"We went and had a nice visit with John and had one last walk through," Sam Burnam said.
Clint Crownover, Laurie Crownover's husband, is 43 and primarily handles the operation of the feed store in Burnet. The demolition of the store at 281 and Second conjured memories of his own experiences growing up in the community.
"It had a nostalgia effect on people," he said. "It reminded a lot of people my age and older about their younger years, spending time with their parents or grandparents. That feed store used to mix feed for people. There are just not any stores like it now."
For the Burnams, perhaps one of the remaining handful of Burnet County families still largely living off the land, the demolition signaled the end of an era.
"It was a landmark, been there for a long-time," Bobby Burnam said. "I hated to see it be demolished, but that's history. Life goes on."
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