Lee’s Feed & Country Store
I have implicit faith in feed stores that sell roasted peanuts out of bushel baskets.
When the weather gets just a little too cold, and the winter starts to feel just a little too long, I find myself driving across town to Lee’s Feed & Country Store, 19015 E. 11th St., with visions of fluffy chicks and flats of tomato seedlings dancing in my head.
Garden hats, boots, and gloves are available all year.
You won’t find either of those commodities at Lee’s during the “bleak December,” but somehow the friendly staff and colorful array of items both useful and frivolous help to drive away the winter chill on a cold afternoon.
Dog owners will find plenty of supplies and equipment for their pooches.
Situated on Route 66 at the far eastern edge of town, just west of the turn from 193rd that takes you from Catoosa into rural Tulsa, Lee’s offers the practical (dog biscuits, lead ropes, chicken feed), the impractical (scented candles, costume jewelry, pecan pie in a jar), and everything in between (wide-brimmed straw garden hats, hummingbird feeders, turquoise rainboots splashed with vivid paisleys).
If you’re in the market for a gift, you can find locally produced items such as honey, sorghum, jellies, jams, and flavoring extracts, along with soy and beeswax candles, birdfeeders, and a variety of purses, jewelry, garden decorations, and other pretties.
Animal owners will find livestock feed, pet supplies and equipment, tank de-icers, animal medications, bedding, buckets, fly spray, stock tanks, and a wide assortment of cages, while gardeners will appreciate the cabinet full of bulk vegetable seeds and the greenhouse full of flat after flat of flowers, vegetables, and herbs that make their appearance every spring.
I want a pair of those rainboots.
If you have kids, take them to Lee’s in late February or early March, when the baby chicks come in. Buy a pound or two of roasted peanuts (available salted or unsalted, and sold warm from bushel baskets) and dream of the berm at OneOK Field while the kids squeal over the little balls of yellow fluff peeping under a heat lamp in a horse tank nearby.
Don't tell Walter or the dogs, but sometimes I go out to Lee's just to pet this guy.
Prices are competitive, and everything you buy comes with a helping of free advice and friendly service that the big-box joints simply can’t match. We did some Christmas shopping out there a few weeks ago, and the owner gave us a nice supply of free gift bags and bandanna-print tissue paper for wrapping our treasures, which came in very handy when I was trying to pack things up to deliver to distant relatives.
Bonus: Lee’s is a strong supporter of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, which means you’re doing business with people who care about history and want to preserve it for the next generation.
Lee’s is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, please call (918) 266-2860 or visit www.leesfeedtulsa.com.
Grades:
Product: A
Service: A+
Value: A
Overall: A
NOTE: Indie Tulsa is not affiliated with any of the businesses listed here. You are welcome to post comments about your experiences, but questions or complaints about specific businesses should be directed to the businesses themselves.
