Sonny’s Feed, Supply and Nursery Company has been in business in Brownfield since 1947. Before that, it was Sonny’s Coal and Grain, located in Gomez, back when Gomez was actually a town. Sonny’s, in one form or another, has been in business longer than most of the residents of Terry County have been alive! But, as of January 1, 2012, Sonny’s is no more.

Sonny’s Coal and Grain was begun in Gomez by Sonny Whitley and Pop Whitley and they would haul coal to people for heat. They also would grind your grain for flour and meal. In 1947, they saw the need to move to Brownfield in order to stay in business. While the business has always been located on Main since it’s move to town, the main street hasn’t always run in front of the store. When the store was moved to Brownfield, the main road coming into town from the west ran behind the store. The Whitley’s moved the quonset hut that housed their business in to town and it was placed on the cement foundation that was the original foundation for the Brownfield school building.  The original Brownfield School foundation is still visible by the still standing quonset hut. Upon close inspection, much of the framework for the quonset hut is still in remarkable condition, considering it’s age and the moves that it has been through.

In the early 1950’s, Sonny bought the old Lahey School building (built in 1924) that had been moved from Lahey to Wellman and had it moved to town and it became the main store building. The Lahey portion of the building is recognizable from the inside due to the original wood floors still remaining. When the building was still at Lahey and was a school, it was also used as the community church on Sundays. Sonny’s has had customers come in to the store and look around the Lahey portion of the building and tell stories about being in class in that building or being in that building when they came to know Jesus.

In 1958, current grounds owners, Speedy and Mary Lindsey bought the business along with their partner, Paul Yancy. The new owners dropped the coal and grain portion of the name but kept the Sonny’s name and It was then called Sonny’s Feed. The primary enterprise of Sonny’s at the time was grinding and mixing grain for feed. They had two mill motors and two mixers and that was the base of their business. They would drive trucks and deliver feed to many farmers and ranchers in the area. They have many funny stories to tell of their adventures delivering feed into a pasture or pen full of cattle. The Lindsey’s expanded their business to also sell baby chicks, which Mary would drive to Slaton and other areas to pick up. She stated that she would, “load the backseat and the trunk down with cheeping baby chicks, with the children in the front seat. You can’t imagaine the noise hundreds of baby chicks can make inside a car from Slaton to Brownfield!” Her son, Lou, would beg her to stop the car and put the chickens out. Sonny’s often sold over 30,000 chicks a year. One of their fondest memories is of parents bringing their young children in to see the chicks. This was a highlight for several generations of people. When Speedy decided he might want to add a nursery to the business, he began wondering about the old school and whether or not it had a windmill he could tie into. He called Shag and Judge Bynum to come up and look. After surveying the area, Shag announced he knew where the windmill was located. He pointed south and said, “Right over there.” The area to which he was pointing was right in the middle of the paved Highway 380! Needless to say, the Lindsey’s were unable to use that windmill site!

There is more to this story! Check back tomorrow for the conclusion!