Frontier Ranch Supply Relocates To Olive Branch, Miss. by Nancy Brannon Frontier Ranch Supply in the Capleville area of Memphis, Tenn. has been a stopping place for horse people for 40 years. Things have changed a lot in Capleville since the store moved there in 1980 and now the store must move with the times. The good news is that owner Jay Gay, Jr. found an ideal location to move his store which will allow him to expand his business. Frontier Ranch Supply is moving from its current location at Lamar (Highway. 78) and Shelby Drive a few miles down the road to the former Old Mill at 5880 Goodman Road in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Gay, Jr. explained the reason for the move. “The Burlington-Northern Santa Fe railroad is expanding their container handling capability. They have acquired all the land along [the east side of] Highway 78 from Shelby Drive to Perkins Road for their expansion. Frontier Ranch Supply is right in the middle of their expansion area.” The time was also right for a Frontier move because of the changing nature of the Capleville community. “When we first moved here in 1980, there were saddle clubs and horse farms and pastures all around us,” Gay, Jr. said. Now it’s all industrial, warehouses, trucking firms and lots of truck traffic. As a part of Memphis’ growing to be America’s distribution center, Highway 78 has turned into a hub of distribution.” Gay, Jr. is excited about the move and said he had been looking for a place in Mississippi for some time. “We were fortunate to acquire the Old Mill,” both the property and the business itself, he said. He was leasing the Lamar location, The new property “is nice, the location is perfect,” and the facility has amenities the other building didn’t have, like “a covered loading dock and customer loading area.” Frontier Ranch Supply was founded by Gay, Jr.’s father Jay Gay and its original location was at 5715 Highway 78 on the Tennessee/Mississippi state line. Asked how he got into the feed and western store business, Gay, Jr. said, “My dad liked horses and western riding and clothing.” Gay, Jr. doesn’t have a lot of horses any more, just one. “We used to show a lot. We had Quarter Horses and showed in local shows, western pleasure, barrels, and the speed events.” Gay, Jr.’s father was involved in starting several saddle clubs in the area. “He founded Frontier Saddle Club and started Circle G Showplace Arena at Goodman Road and Center Hill Road. We have since sold that property, but we have been active in promoting the local horse show and rodeo community.” Gay, Jr. has been helping with the business since he was a small child. “I’ve been working at the store since I was nine years old. I started managing the store when I was 16 and I took over the day-to-day operation when I was 21.” He worked alongside his dad, “we always worked together” until he passed away in September 1999. Now his son Jay Gay III helps run the store, along with General Manager Bob Reaves, who has been with him for over 20 years. Jay, Jr. is combining many lines that Old Mill offered, “like premium dog food, Red Wing and LaCrosse boots, and Carhartt work clothing” with their “full line of Nutrena feed, five to six brands of western boots, a full line of western wear and saddlery.” He will consolidate both stores, do some redecorating, and rename the store Frontier Western Store. “We are one of the largest Nutrena feed centers in the mid-South.” Frontier is also well-known for “Cowboy Bob” Reaves, the hat shaper. “He’s better known than I am,” Gay, Jr. said. Bob has been shaping hats since 1976 and people come from all over to have him shape their western hats. “They come to Graceland and then here,” Bob said. Asked what is the farthest people have traveled to get their hats shaped, he answered, “From overseas. They come from Germany, Finland, Sweden - all over there.” Future plans are to have a full on-line store at their web site: http://www.frontierranchsupply.com. Jay Gay III is a web master and is expanding the web site to include all items sold in the store on-line. But you can’t get your hat shaped on line. You’ll still have to come in the store for that service. To contact the store call 662-895-4877 or e-mail jay@frontierranchsupply.com.