Our Story — The Feed Store | Crossville, TN Since 1986

"I wanted to build the best little feed store I could." - Mike

The Feed Store has been part of Crossville since 1986 — founded by Michael Ingram and now led by his son Aaron. What started as a one-man operation out of a barn has grown into something Cumberland County genuinely calls its own.

Nearly 40 years later, the conviction behind it hasn't changed. This is a place where people are treated well, where the staff knows their stuff, and where the community feels at home.

Burton Ingram bottle feeding a calf in the barnyard where The Feed Store began.

THE HOMESTEADS

In 1960, Laura and Burton Ingram bought a farm in the Cumberland Homesteads of Tennessee. Laura loved to be in the garden, plant wildflowers, take picnic lunches to the park or woods, and generally enjoyed being outside and staying active. Burton was a science teacher with an amateur ham radio license. He was fascinated with how things worked, and spent hours reading articles about birds, stars, geology, biology, and much more.

The Homesteads was a small, tight-knit community that grew out of the Depression from hard work and self-reliance, and Laura and Burton jumped right in. They raised five children on the farm, Stephen, Timothy, Michael, Natalie, and Nathan, and taught them a love for animals and the outdoors, and how to take care of the property. Milking cows, baling hay, chopping wood, and catching snakes were just a few of the chores at the time.

Their middle child, Mike, took it all in and put it to work.

Right: Burton Ingram feeding a calf in the barnyard where the business began.

THE BARN

In 1986, after getting a degree in biology, and with the added responsibility of a growing family, Mike decided to take a loan from his dad and start a business in the family barn. The calves had a new stall mate: a baby business called The Feed Store.

It was about as glamorous as you'd expect. Mike worked a state job during the day that required him to be up by 4am, and bagged grain by hand in the barn in the evenings, a hundred pounds at a time, until late in the night. That was the cycle for years.

While Mike kept a full-time day job, his wife Angelyn ran the store in his absence. With a baby in tow, she learned the business of feed out of sheer need-to. She wasn't raised on a farm and didn't have the advantage of having been around animals her whole life, but she learned. Necessity isn't the kindest teacher, but it's thorough.

The first five years of the business were lean, but in 1991, Mike left his state job to work the store full time. For the first time, The Feed Store began to see real growth.

The family was growing too. We Ingram kids, Anna, Aaron, and Andrew, all grew up with a taste of the entrepreneurial spirit and the same love for the outdoors as our grandparents.

THE STORE

In the spring of 1987, Mike rented twelve acres of swamp, gully, and abandoned dump off Highway 70, and set up a hunting shack someone had donated as a storefront. He built a raised wooden dock and converted a used semi-trailer into a makeshift warehouse.

It wasn't much to look at. But it was something to be proud of.

By 1995, it was time for a real building, and construction began on what became the current store. In the final stages of the project I was nine years old. I looked at the wet concrete of the freshly poured side porch and knew there was something missing. So with a rusty nail and resolution I made my mark: 10/11/1996. Dad was annoyed I had defaced his handiwork, but the date is still there as a concrete reminder of the store's growth. And mine.

Left: The original store.

THE NEXT GENERATION

I was born in March 1987 — six months after The Feed Store opened. We were essentially step-siblings, the store and I. My mother was Angelyn and the store's mother was Necessity and we had a mixed relationship for a lot of years. It wasn't all bad, but I came to resent it for the time it stole from our family.

But things have a way of coming around.

After running away from the business for several years, I made the smartest decision of my life and married my wife, Jennifer. I had earned a degree in Biology, run around out west, and avoided decisions as best I could. But when I did make the decision to get married, I suddenly had responsibilities. And where does a young man turn when faced with those responsibilities? Dad had turned to feed, and I did too.

I came on board full-time in 2012 and spent eleven years learning lessons, not always the easy way, about our business and business in general. Through that time, The Feed Store and I worked out our differences, and in 2023 I bought the business from Dad.

Outdoor garden center at 'The Feed Store' with plants and greenhouses under a blue sky.

TODAY

Today, The Feed Store is much more than a feed store. What started as a single barn operation selling bagged grain has grown into one of Cumberland County's most complete farm, garden, and landscape supply destinations.

We carry a full range of animal feed, a seasonal greenhouse and garden center that grows a little every year, bulk landscape materials by the scoop — topsoil, mulch, gravel, river rock, compost, and more — culverts and drainage supplies, farm and fencing supplies, wild bird supplies, and pet food.

As long as there are people in the world who appreciate being treated well, we see a bright future for The Feed Store.

The goal has never been to be the biggest — just the best version of what we are. We're building toward a store with deeper expertise, a stronger team, and an even better experience for the people who walk through our doors. We're proud of what this place has become. And we're honored to be part of your story.

Come see us at 928 US-70. We'd love to meet you.

From Our Community

V RodGoogle Reviews
"This is not just a feed store. It is a true farmer and livestock supply store, nursery, and garden center."

Sarah LongGoogle Reviews
"The team was all very helpful and knowledgeable to answer all my questions. Great local store."

Linda RhodeGoogle Reviews
"The Feed Store always has the feed and other products that I need. The store is beautifully laid out with many eye pleasing displays. Check it out - you might just be surprised at what they carry!"

Rhonda Roberts
"We love shopping at The Feed Store! It’s a joy being greeted when we walk in the door. We enjoy perusing the great variety of items for our yard, garden and gifts! They have exactly what we are looking for and if it’s not quite on the shelf yet, (like 20 lbs of peanuts for the birds), they’ll happily fill a bag for us, so our birds totally appreciate The Feed Store too!
Amy & Bethany treat us like kin.
Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall - The Feed Store has it All!"

Allison NemcoskyGoogle Reviews
"Love The Feed Store! Such a cute place. Adorably decorated and great selection of feeds at great prices (many less $$ than Rural King and the Co-op). Amy and Chad are fabulous! Super sweet, inviting, and helpful! We have moved all of our grain and farm needs to The Feed Store."