Jim Ramsey never envisioned himself a business-owner, least of all the proprietor of a feed store.
But after tiring of driving out of town to purchase quality feed for his own pets, that’s exactly where the career cybersecurity tech is.
Ramsey opened the doors to his new feed store, Critters Feed & Supply Co., just before Christmas. It’s located just up the sidewalk from Walmart in Oneida Plaza, and carries a wide variety of feed and supplies — focused primarily on dogs, cats and chickens, but also stocking or with access to just about anything else you could imagine … including frozen mice for pet snakes.
Originally from California, Ramsey spent a career in IT, dating back to the earliest days of the internet in the late 1980s.
“I built some of the first dot-coms,” he said. “I was one of the first people to put real estate on the internet. I’ve ridden the waves, I’ve gone through it all, and I was just tired. I was burnt out. So this (owning a retail store) is a great change.”
It was mostly by chance that Ramsey wound up in Scott County. When he decided to leave California, he began considering three states: Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.
“I couldn’t find anything that I liked in Wyoming,” he said. “Texas, I figured out, was too hot. So I started looking seriously at Tennessee, and East Tennessee just seemed to fit me more.”
Ramsey finally found a home he liked on the internet. That home just happened to be in Scott County. He completed the move in December 2022.
Like many transplants who now call this area home, Ramsey places a priority on shopping local. But he soon figured out that he was going to have trouble finding the quality of food he wanted for his animals.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be sitting here,” he said. “But I got tired of driving to Knoxville for decent dog food and chicken feed.”
After talking to a representative of the company that manufactures his favorite chicken feed, he discovered there wasn’t a vendor within a 50-mile radius of Scott County that carries the brand.
“And I knew that I could get better quality dog food for the price I was paying,” he said. “So it was, do I want to keep driving an hour and 20 to get food in Knoxville a couple of times a month? If I was tired of it, others had to be tired of it. So I decided let’s give people options.”
After months of research and several discussions with Scott County Chamber of Commerce executive director Stacey Swann, Ramsey decided to take a leap of faith. He leased the space in the shopping center, and Critters opened its doors in December.
“I can get food for pretty much anything — dogs, cats, snakes, lizards, ferrets, chickens, cows … you name it, I can get it,” Ramsey said. “I focus on dogs, cats and chickens.”
If he doesn’t have it in stock, there’s a good chance Ramsey can get it. Special orders take about a week for delivery.
“I was able to set up a network (of suppliers) where I can ask questions and get answers,” he said. “I know very little about the livestock side, but I know I can go to my supplier and ask questions and he’ll pull in the vets and nutritionists to answer the questions for me.”
Ramsey has bigger plans, too. He’s already working on a self-grooming station for pets, and although he can’t fit it in his current retail space he’d like to someday include daycare and boarding for pets.
“I just keep looking and saying this is where I’m going, here’s something new and cool so let’s figure out where to put it,” he said.
Critters is open every day but Wednesday — from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. If you’re in the store, you’ll probably be greeted by Ramsey as soon as you walk through the door … and you’ll just as likely be visited by the store’s mascot, Panda. She’s a retired racing greyhound who spends her days lounging behind the counter but also enjoys meeting customers and the treats that some loyal shoppers bring her.
Ramsey is part of a resurgence of small businesses inside Oneida Plaza, the shopping center that long stood half-empty before being acquired by new owners last year. The most recent store to open was Factory Connection, a discount clothing chain store, just two doors down. Because success helps everyone thrive, Ramsey said he’s seen foot traffic inside his store go up since Factory Connection opened.
“Most of the time it is the wives going shopping over there and the husbands coming to see what this place is,” he said.
It’s not always easy to get a new retail store up and running, especially a niche store like a pet and livestock feed supplier. Slowly but surely, Critters is finding its footing.
“Thanks to my customers,” Ramsey said. “I’m growing a little every month and it’s all because of them.”
The Business Spotlight is presented each month by the Scott County Chamber of Commerce.
