Coastal Farm & Ranch growing to offer new products, services

By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press

From its humble beginnings in Albany, Ore., in 1963, Coastal Farm & Ranch has grown to 19 locations in Oregon and Washington, all while keeping in sight its mission to retain that hometown feel.

“Even though we’ve stretched out and expanded quite a bit in the last couple years it still has a small local feeling,” Brand and Culture Coordinator Meg Walker said. “We also pride ourselves on having something for everyone.”

Coastal Farm & Ranch is a major sponsor of the Northwest Ag Show again this year. Also, visitors who sign up for the ag show online will be entered in a drawing for a $500 Coastal gift card.

Coastal’s newest stores are in Monroe, Wash., and Salem, Ore.

“Even before we opened our store in Monroe, we were already making connections in the community,” Walker said. “We’re always looking for ways to get plugged in, including 4-H, FFA and local humane societies.”

Coastal’s new flagship store in Salem is large and offers an array of new products and services.

“It’s an experience on a whole new level,” Walker said. “For the first time we have an entire setup where people can bathe their dogs — tubs, shampoo, grooming tables, blowers, a pet vacuum — everything you need for only $10.”

Coastal already partners with Good Neighbor Vet to offer mobile vet care at many of its stores, but Good Neighbor has installed a location in the Salem store where the services include diagnostic testing and other procedures not possible in a visiting van.

Coastal’s new Salem store also brings the heat.

“People are surprised that we have a fantastic stove department,” Walker said. “Our Salem location has over 20 working stoves — wood, gas, pellet, electricity — as well as all the grills.

“A lot of people think ‘farm and ranch’ and assume we just sell cattle feed, panels and livestock handling equipment,” Walker said. “We’ve got everything from clothing for work or Western fashion for going to the rodeo all the way to hunting and fishing supplies.

“Most customers don’t expect our large sporting goods section,” she said, “but we have realized that many people who live the lifestyle we serve like to relax that way.”

Hunting, fishing or camping is often what they do to unplug and recharge, she said.

“The virtual show will enable us to showcase a larger sampling of our products vs. just the space of a physical booth,” she said. “It will be really interesting to experience the ag show on a whole new level and reach a lot more people, and the fact that the show will still be available even beyond that weekend will be huge to people.”

All of the features of the show will remain available online for a year.