Torry's Country Store obtains fuel pumps, real estate

Torry Shepherd, owner of Torry’s Country Store in St. John, knew before even moving to St. John that the CHS Primeland Country store would need some help if it was to survive.

In September 2012, Shepherd and his wife Amy moved their family to St. John, where Torry was a nutrition consultant for CHS Nutrition, selling Payback Feeds, and Amy was an adjunct professor at Washington State University.

What he didn’t know then was the store would undergo a name change and he would be the owner of the store and fuel pumps eight years later.

Since Shepherd’s ownership a few changes have been made which include a new line of paint and color center, a new tire machine for larger rim sizes and low profile tires, a new and safer drive-on lift in the shop and Amy’s Consignment Corner which allows local artists to showcase their work.

“As a feed rep I called on a lot of feed stores, including the CHS Primeland Country stores,” Shepherd said. “I recognized the importance of this store (CHS Primeland in St. John) to the viability of this community.”

At that point, Shepherd made the decision for a possible job change. He spoke with Harold Loomis, operations manager for the Camas Prairie and Palouse, about transferring within CHS to manage the store in St. John.

Shepherd became the manager in May 2013. He said he knew that with hard work, the right staff and support from headquarters the store would be able to survive.

“I began working in earnest to change the culture at the store, trying to rebuild the trust of the community,” Shepherd said. “We made some good progress for the first few years, but upper management changes would begin pushing us backwards again. I had been insistent to my bosses that if they would let me manage the store as I envisioned from the beginning that the St. John store would become profitable.”

Unfortunately, Shepherd mentioned, CHS wouldn’t allow the St. John store to operate on a business model that didn’t fit within their reigns.

As cash flow issues arose within CHS, stores that were underperforming were being placed on the chopping block.

“My boss approached me asking if I was interested in buying the store,” Shepherd said. “At first I told him not after they tanked it like they did. Then, after some soul-searching and considering the alternatives, I reconsidered. If I didn’t buy the business, who would? If Primeland chose to close the store down where would I work? It probably meant my family would have to relocate. Ultimately, it was our love for this community that made us decide to take the risk.”

CHS Primeland was closed on March 29, 2019, and Torry’s Country Store opened on Monday, April 1, 2019.

The original agreement, when the change was made, was for Torry’s Country Store to buy the remaining inventory and lease the real estate, with CHS Primeland keeping the operation of the fuel pumps.

Within the agreement, if any fuel was paid for with cash, Primeland would pay Torry’s Country Store a commission.

“Licensing issues with the State of Washington kept us from being able to maintain that agreement,” Shepherd said.

He mentioned at the time they had to look for other ways to allow customers who pay with cash to buy fuel.

In January of this year, Torry’s Country Store went from leasing the real estate to buying the real estate as well as the fuel pumps.

With the transition in ownership of the fuel pumps, a few changes had to be made for the switchover.

Shepherd said the first big change for the store, which may seem minor to the customers, is investing in a new computer system to be able to control the pumps. Along with investing in the new computer system they also needed to purchase an accounting program that could make the connection to the new fuel system.

“This was a major investment, and will take quite a few years to recoup our costs,” Shepherd said.

Along with computer changes, customers who were using Primeland fuel cards at the pumps prior will either need to use credit/debit at the pump or pay inside the store. The Primeland cards will no longer work at this location, and Torry’s Country Store doesn’t have any plans for issuing their own proprietary cards.

The last change Shepherd said customers may have noticed is the prices at the pump. He said that their pricing philosophy is if they price the fuel appropriately, increased volume with generate a fair profit and in turn, generate more goodwill within the community.

“We have been very blessed to have the community of St. John (and many of the surrounding communities) rally around us. Our customers have expressed their appreciation for the changes we have made,” Shepherd said. “The community has been gracious and patient as we grow and develop into the kind of store everyone knew we could be. We have more changes in store as we continue to find more ways to serve our customers.”