King Feed’s Short Canyon Lake History
King Feed Canyon Lake is the sister store to our first retail store called King Feed and Hardware in Wimberley, Texas. These stores have indoor and outdoor garden sections, pet supplies, farm supplies, and ranch supplies. The Canyon Lake store has only been around since 2021, but it has made a positive impact on the community. We do our best to support the Comal ISD and The Canyon Lake Hawks! Plus, we love to support the Canyon Lake FFA, local pet shelters, and local garden groups. People love to visit our store because we’re friendly and knowledgeable about our products. If you need gardening advice, then our garden experts are happy to help. Are you in need of some pet advice? Our team is happy to help because most of them have pets or live on farm and ranches.
King Feed Back In The 50’s
King Feed In The 70’s
The King Feed store started to sell products way back in the day! The original store was a cedar yard and sawmill, which later featured a small store front. This store sold feed, ranch supplies, nuts, bolts, and hardware. The idea behind the store was to save people a trip to the big city. This still remains true for the store that we opened in Canyon Lake.
In 1973, the Spornhauers hired Chris Nichols to help run the store so one of the family members could return to his job as a journeyman carpenter. Ross King bought the store later that year and asked Chris to stay on and help with the hardware sales. Ross remodeled the store, expanding once more to provide the hardware business the space it needed. As the community and business grew, Ross added on again in 1977.
When Ross decided to sell the store in 1984, Chris Nichols bought the business from him. In the late 1980s, Chris decided to focus on expansion into lawn and garden supplies. He met Tim Thompson at the Johnson soccer fields, where their small children played on teams together. Chris hired Tim, who already had over 20 years of experience in horticulture, to help begin a nursery and gradually build it into the showplace garden center that it is today.
Old King Feed Newspaper Ads
New Owners At King Feed
In January 4, 2019, King feed was bought by two new owners. Both of these owners have been in the Canyon Lake and Wimberley area for over 20 years. Laurie Ward and Bryan Toifl, both prior employees of the store, took over ownership of the store from Chris Nichols. They are well-qualified and passionate about keeping the traditions of King Feed alive and well while incorporating some streamlined practices intended to make your shopping experience at King Feed even better! Laurie Ward runs the store in Canyon Lake, Texas.
Laurie Ward started working at King Feed in 2006. Since she was a little girl, Laurie has wanted to work with animals and plants, which makes owning King Feed a dream come true. She went to (Southwest Texas) Texas State and graduated with a degree in Agriculture and a major in Horticulture. In 2021, Laurie opened up a brand new King Feed location in Canyon Lake, Texas! She runs the store in Canyon Lake, and her husband Bill works at both stores.
Bryan Toifl grew up in Wimberley and went to high school here too. He played football, baseball, and participated in FFA. With all of that history, Bryan loves to support the Wimberley school system or Wimberley FFA chapter any way he can. Bryan’s wife Ashley also runs the Pet Grooming at the store.