Old Mill Farm & Ranch Supply: Carrying on a family & community tradition

When you move through the front door of Old Mill Farm and Ranch Supply in Los Chavez, you’re immediately enveloped in the smell of leather, and the feeling that you’re home.

That’s what Amy Chavez said of the early days when she and her younger sister, Stefanie, spent time while their dad, Corky Morrison, was running the shop. Sitting at a bench that might have been brought when the business opened in 1982, she said the Old Mill has always been part of her life.

“My sister and I, we started with wrapping presents here, ‘cause we offer free gift wrapping at Christmas time,’” Amy reminisced. “That was kind of our first job, but it was also our babysitter. We came with my dad all the time … we’d ride on the dollies and swing on the rope, swing out at the hay.

“We just grew up here as kids, and then worked there. But both of us kind of got degrees and went in different directions. I got my degree in business, but then when I had kids, I decided to be a teacher, so me and (husband) David had the same schedules.”

When Amy and her husband got married (he also worked for a few years at Old Mill), they decided retail was not for them.

“We were kind of just ready to walk away,” she concluded.

Then, in 2022, everything changed. Amy got a call from Stefanie. Corky wanted to retire and had found a buyer for the store.

“My sister and I were visiting one day and we were just thinking about all the memories here,” Amy recollected. “As we sat in the store, surrounded by leather boots and horse tack, we were like, we can’t. We can’t let it go. We’ve gotta make it work.”

Amy, her husband David, Stefanie, and her husband, Rodee Walraven, talked about it and decided to buy the whole store — kit and caboodle.

“We called him up and we said, ‘Can we talk to you?’ And he was like, ‘Of course,’” she said. “I mean, ultimately that’s what he would have preferred to stay in the family. It was kind of a whirlwind, to be honest, and we just said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ I left my job teaching mid-school (year) and came over here and went from there.”

Corky Morrison enters the Old Mill for our “set down” and is immediately set upon by a long-time customer. The two disappear into the warehouse faster than you can say, “Good afternoon.”

Right away, you can see what made Corky a success in Valencia County. He’s friendly, with an easy smile that’s infectious and open to talk to. Even though he’s semi-retired now, he still acts like he works 60 hours a week.

Born in Albuquerque, Corky attended New Mexico State University and began working at Dan’s Boots and Supplies after graduation. In 1982, he, his boss and two co-workers decided to invest in a small business off N.M. 314 in Los Chavez.

“We saw a need,” he said. “This building was here. It was vacant. It had been a feed establishment, so we went in on it. At the very beginning, it was just feed and a little bit of animal health supplies. (The store) was probably that for about five years, and then every year we started adding something to the inventory and increasing the size of the building.”

By year five, Corky said he bought his partners out and Old Mill became a family-owned business. Because of Corky’s easy-going demeanor and involvement in the local community — starting, of course, with the Valencia County Fair — the business flourished, building strong ties to the community with customer service, and loyal employees who sell everything from feed to Western wear.

“Our plan all along was to expand,” Corky said. “But we wanted to start with the bread and butter first and kind of just see how it went and kind of get our feet established.”

Corky said a big part of getting established, and becoming part of the community was supporting younger generations.

“We’ve supported youth,” he said. “We’ve supported the schools. We’ve supported the community just pretty much anyway. If anybody had a need, we wanted to be part of the community, but the biggest focus was the agriculture youth.”

That carried on when those young farmers, ranchers and rodeo folk became adults.

“What’s interesting now is we have some of the kids that we supported, bought their animals or were supported in any endeavor. Now, it’s their kids coming in, so it’s kind of neat to watch.”

Terry Pino said she has worked at Old Mill for 30 years. A lot has changed since then — more inventory, going from hand-written receipts to computerized checkout, etc., but the one constant, she said, is the customers.

“We’ve still got kind of the same folks coming in — the farmers, ranchers, rodeo people,” Pino said. “You know, it seems like our community is growing. We’re seeing a lot more new people. People have driven by here and they’ll say, ‘I’ve driven by here for 10 years, 20 years, and just thought you were a feed store.’’

“I feel like people are wanting to go more of a mom-and-pop store instead of the big-box stores. We’re knowledgeable on the stuff we carry. I mean, like, look how many different bits we have. If someone asks, “Which will work on my horse?” we know. We’re like a family to a lot of our customers.”

Amy agreed, pointing out that one customer has his own coffee mug in the back of the store. Some days, he comes in, pours himself a cup and just chats with workers and customers alike, which makes Old Mill more than just a store.

“My dad has been kind of a presence in the community for a long time and we want to keep it that way, you know?” said Amy. “It’s kind of funny because now the Western culture is kind of more mainstream and it’s getting more popular, but it hasn’t always been that.”

At the end of the day, the Old Mill has become an institution of arts — something that is very rare in these times.

“I think my dad has started that legacy and I think that’s why people, you know, appreciate he’s an honest guy, always has been,” Amy said. “That’s hard to come in business. And we just want to keep that going.”