Welcome to The City Farmer
You can choose from our many quality products and take advantage of over 75+ years of experience that back up our recommendations!
Whether you’re shopping for lawn and garden supplies or lawn and landscape services; bird/chicken feed; trees and shrubs; perennials, annuals or even a Christmas tree it’s important to trust the store you choose. We encourage you to take advantage of our FREE delivery services within the tri-cities.
At The City farmer, you can count on that trust. That is what we are all about.
I’d like to invite you to stop in at The City Farmer. Come see what it’s like to shop at a 5th generation, locally owned business since 1895, with old fashioned values and personal service; things that you will not find at a big box store.
We HAVE Solutions for All Seasons!
Kevin Tuuk, Owner
Our History
The building at 1437 Washington Avenue on the east side of Grand Haven is of great importance from a historical perspective. In 1941, there were three feed stores operating in Grand Haven to continue meeting the demand for feed – particularly poultry feed. Those three feed stores were listed as: Henry Bolthouse at 305 Beech in Ferrysburg, Henry Beukema at 214 Seventh, and Minard Walcott a 1437 Washington Avenue in Grand Haven.
The building at 1437 Washington dates back to the late 1800’s when its days as a feed store began and it is the only remaining structure of the three that still operates as a feed store today. For a time, it served as a livery stable and next, a grocery store but then reverted back to a feed store in the 1920s when Minard Walcott acquired it.
Records show the building was erected in 1895 but the earliest sale recorded in the Farmer’s directory and accounting book was in 1905.
With the first sale recorded in 1905 and the first documented owner being Minard Walcott, born in 1908, historians are still unsure of who transferred ownership to Minard. One theory is that it may have been Minard’s father, Albert or the Beukema’s, who both immigrated from the Netherlands in the late 1800’s.
August 1919 shows the last entry in the Farmer’s directory and the accounting book and it is known that Minard Walcott took ownership in the 1920’s for about 27 years.
In May 1947, Claude Mulder purchased the feed store and renamed it “Mulder’s Feed Store.” That ownership lasted until the 1970’s when Louis Wallinga purchased the feed store and renamed it “Wallinga Feed Store”.
Greg Lucky purchased the business in 1987 keeping the name until 1990 when he changed it to The City Farmer. In between those years, Greg remodeled the upstairs apartment for him and his family to live in which included a bathroom, kitchen, and new windows.
In early 1992, Greg started another remodel with help from Lane Smith, Grand Haven High School teacher and Contractor. They tore down the side of the building completely and created a new addition from the ground up which now includes the basement and an extension of the back room.
Many of the original features were kept and can still be seen today such as the aged tin ceiling, weathered floor, exposed brick, hanging outlets, and a structural beam that runs the length of the building showing where a wall once stood.
Repurposed barn wood from Ocean County was added to the interior of the store to preserve the essence of the building. Other features such as old tools, a seed bin, and the front counter that was built and collected by Greg and his friend, Ronald Bouwkamp, are still on display and used daily.
The addition of the greenhouse in the late 1990’s breathed new life into the business and is what we know today as The City Farmer Garden Center. Greg Lucky also expanded the business by offering bird feed, bird feeders, bird houses, dog and cat food, and pet needs, as well as plant sprays and fertilizer.
While Russ Tuuk was extremely involved running the store, it was his son, Kevin Tuuk, who bought the business in January 2000 and is the still the current owner. The following year Kevin also launched The City Farmer Lawn & Landscape and thus ushered in another expansion creating a second thriving business.
Whether you’re driving by or are a loyal customer, everyone can appreciate the iconic barn building, right in the city.
