Former Frizelle Enos store plans reopening under new name and owners

When an arsonist set fire to stacks of hay bales outside the Frizelle Enos store 18 months ago, burning the landmark feed retailer down to its cinder-block walls and concrete floor, it ended what had been 75 years of continuous operation - the longest of any commercial entity in Sebastopol.

But like the proverbial phoenix, the pet and livestock emporium once reduced to ashes is about to begin life anew, with a different name and new owners, yes, but with the aim of restoring the store’s position as a welcoming community hub.

Rebuilt over the past five months by site owners Tenny and Linda Tucker, along with their daughter, Stacey Renati and her husband, Tony, who own the business, what’s now called The Feed Store could open by Feb. 1.

After having to adjust expectations several times because of bumps in the rebuilding road, Stacey Renati said she’s disinclined to name an exact date for the reopening.

“When we open, I’m actually just going to open the doors,” she said, “maybe hang a flag, and say, ‘We’re open!’?”

The Renatis, who worked at Frizelle Enos for well over a decade - Tony was general manager, Stacey was in merchandising - decided to go into business for themselves after the partners in Frizelle Enos, who still run a Penngrove store, surrendered their lease for the Sebastopol site in the wake of the destructive July 13, 2013, blaze.

They’ve brought along many of their old crew to help launch the venture, most of whom were on hand early this week, busy inventorying merchandise shipped to the store in preparation for the reopening. New shelving was installed over the weekend and the nearly $2 million rebuild is almost done, but for completion of the fire sprinkler system and installation of an upgraded electricity line necessary to power the business.

From a distance, the mostly original cinder-block walls - repainted a clean cream color and accented with Purina’s familiar red-and-white checkerboard banner and traditional blue logo - could convince a casual observer that nothing has changed.

Remnants left behind after the fire have been integrated to pay tribute to the building’s history and to help recapture the spirit of community and nostalgia that made for such loyal patronage in the past.

But as much as the Tuckers and Renatis have tried to stay true to the past, the new space has a fresh, open feel that distinguishes it.

The corrugated steel awning that once hung over the loading dock has been creatively repurposed as a kind of wall paneling around office and showroom space at one end of the building, as well as around the registers and on several low pony walls.

Wire that once enclosed the chicken coop outside has been incorporated into the railing along the office stairway and mezzanine.

The building designs also include huge arching trusses similar to those in the original structure.

“Those,” Stacey Renati said, “were really important. We had to keep those.”

Once open for business, the store will feature a similarly eclectic mix of products as Frizelle Enos did before - from hay to bird seed, dog treats, sturdy Carhartt clothing, wood stoves, socks, greeting cards and other wares.

The biggest change may be more offerings in the raw and freeze-dried pet food selections, reflecting an industrywide shift, the Renatis said.

They’re also bringing back the popcorn machine, a common subject of customer inquiries, and their two pet turtles, Coocoo and Cachoo, who were moved from the old store in the months before the fire and, so, survived - “our only blessing,” Stacey Renati said.

“This is a family store,” Tony Renati said. “This is a small town. You have to have that kind of thing, even if it’s not for sale.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.