Niwot Rental and Feed 'Rolling' with times for 40 years

There aren't many places where you can pick up a bag of birdseed, a bale of alfalfa, rent a Bobcat, buy a plush dog toy and goat's milk soap, check the community bulletin board to see who has chickens for sale, and be recognized by a familiar face at the counter who rings you up.

"Most of the people call you by your first name when they come in. They know us," said Tim Rollman whose parents, Steve and Kay Rollman, started Niwot Rental and Feed Jan. 1, 1981. The store's 40th anniversary is already old news to owner Steve Rollman. "We're shooting for our 50th now," said the 74-year-old.

The bells on the door jingle when you walk in. Reeces, Tim's brown and black dog is curious to see who's here. One of the two cats, Al, the big, gray fluffy one, lounges behind the counter beneath the giant chalkboard that displays handwritten product names and prices for different kinds of animal feed.

Earthworm chow isn't listed on the board, but Tim said it's one of the more unusual special orders they used to get for a customer who raised worms. He said they will do what they can to accommodate requests while consistently providing extra touches like offering your dog a free biscuit and loading out bags and cases of food. "Most people's feed is in their trunk before they ever make it back out to their car," Tim said.

Providing personal service has helped the Rollman's survive competition from big box stores and online retailers, Tim said. "The one thing you can do is provide customer service in small business."

In 1980, Steve needed a new career. He worked in steel shops and as a firefighter before a back injury forced him out. At the same time, an empty building in Niwot needed a new owner. The two collided. "Back then everybody wanted to be self-employed. It worked, but there sure wasn't a lot of income," Steve said, adding, "I was too stubborn to quit."

His wife, Kay, had been a teacher, but joined the business about six months later, taking over the books, checking folks out or doing whatever was needed.

The concrete block building with the chain-link fence lot started with truck, tractor, engine hoists, and other equipment rentals. The feed part came later. Adapting to change has been a big part of their success. These days, they sell less cattle feed and more grain-free dog food. And rentals have diminished as fewer people work on their own cars and homes.

Niwot has changed too. 2nd Avenue didn't have concrete sidewalks when Steve started and there was a bushy field across the street. "Brush - gorgeous when it snowed. You could walk into that brush and disappear. Lots of birds. Had corn fields across from Conoco," Steve said.

Tim remembers that time well, "Heck, I grew up here. I started when I was eight. Worked on Saturdays and in the summer. I was always here."

"It was fun having him around here," Steve said. "Sometimes when he got sick, we'd put him in the back room. But you do what you gotta do, right?"

By age ten, Tim was writing up invoices. He drove U-Hauls and hay trucks at an early age. Now in his 40s, he's taken over the ordering and other computer tasks that his parents aren't too keen on. But some things are still low tech like the handwritten, customer invoices. "The nice thing is that if the power is out, I can still sell you a bag of cat food," Tim said.

Handwritten invoices are one thing that hasn't changed since day 1. "When we first started, people helped out, wrote their own invoices, helped answer the phone for me when I was busy. Looked up on the board for prices," Steve said. "Good community. It's still been a nice community even though it's changed a lot."

Being part of the community has meant going above and beyond at times. Steve remembers a time when his two sons drove the store's truck to rescue a customer whose horse trailer broke down on I-25, "It was like 100 degrees. Towed her horse with our truck, then went back and got her truck and put a fuel pump in it. That was a good customer. I think the boys took care of her."

One of those boys works in the airline industry now while Tim is slowly taking over the family business that has been central to their lives. His parents are still in the store four days a week or more. "I offered to give him (Steve) less time but I don't think he's ready yet. In fact, he's supposed to be off today and he's here. He kind of does what he wants to do," Tim said.

Steve is glad that Tim wants to keep the business going. "When he's ready, he'll take over and I'll go away. If I stick around until Tim retires, I'll be 93," he said. "I probably won't make it that long. Not many people make it to 93 handling feed bags.

"A lot of customers tell us never to go away. Someday we have to. We're both going to get old. But I'll probably be around here forever. A little bit anyway."

That's alright with Tim, who credits his parents for creating a special business that anchors Niwot's small-town feel, "They developed something. This place is part of the community. People like to come in here."