Odessa Feed and Pet Store - Odessa, MO

123 W. Main Street, Odessa, MO 64076

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odessafeedandpet/

Ask store owner Ray McCollum how long he’s been in business and he’ll tell you, “a whole lotta years.” For as long as he can remember, he’s been around horses. He used to travel all over Arizona and Texas going from rodeo to rodeo and selling tack out of a trailer. He finally settled down in Odessa, Missouri, a small town located approximately 45 minutes east of Kansas City.

Odessa once had a little feed store that, as McCollum explains, converted into a hardware store and then, unfortunately, went out of business. Seeing the need for local residents, McCollum and his girlfriend opened their own feed store in January 2014.

This metal structure with cement floors may not be a lot to look at, but inside a customer can get lost in all their offerings: feed, pet supplies, tack and custom metal work. Whether you’ve got a large animal like a horse or mule or something small like dogs and chickens, McCollum has food in stock. Of course, in keeping with his past business, there is also enough tack (bridles, halters, pads, bits and breastplates) for a herd of horses. An array of beautiful, custom-made saddles are also available.

In many ways, his place comes full circle because not only does he have chicken coop supplies and feed, when the hens lay eggs, owners bring them in to sell at the store. As of October 1, McCollum had 19 dozen fresh farm eggs available.

With a population of approximately 5,300, McCollum says he knows, “about 90 percent of my customers. And, if I don’t know ‘em, I get to know ‘em.” Business is good. Locals come here instead of driving the 30 minutes or more into Kansas City. “We have a lot of dog food,” McCollum adds, “we have it here because there are a lot of pets [in Odessa] and people would [otherwise] have to drive to the city.”

McCollum didn’t think much about the novel numbers on his business when opening except to acknowledge, “it’s an easy address.” McCollum’s focus seems to be on his clientele. “We have hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. But I’m here at 7:30 a.m. I tell people, if I’m here, I’m open. Sometimes they’ll call and say they can’t make it until after 6 p.m., so I stay.”