The Rusty Spur's future will be Brite.

Two locally owned family businesses with deep roots in the North Okanagan, and a lot of care for the well-being of the community乌鸦传媒檚 animals, land and people, have connected.

On Monday, May 12, Rusty Spur 乌鸦传媒� a sought-after stop in Enderby and Lumby for farm feed, supplements, farm and veterinary supplies, and equine product 乌鸦传媒� announced that it is the new owner of Briteland Holdings, a beloved town and country store in downtown Vernon.

乌鸦传媒淲e are very excited to bring what people love about Rusty Spur and also what people love about Briteland together to serve farms of all sizes, and pets and animals of all types throughout the North Okanagan,乌鸦传媒� said Stuart Anderson, co-owner with his wife, Andrea Mann. 乌鸦传媒淲e can乌鸦传媒檛 wait to get started.乌鸦传媒�

At a time when many want to buy Canadian, shop local and stretch their dollars, Rusty Spur looks forward to bringing Vernon all the pocketbook-friendly pet food and pet products it carries, which are 95 per cent Canadian. Rusty Spur will also bring Vernon products to its Lumby and Enderby stores.

乌鸦传媒淲e care a lot about sharing our knowledge to help people find just what they need,乌鸦传媒� said Anderson. 乌鸦传媒淲hether it乌鸦传媒檚 for the family dog, laying hens or other farm animals, a fence, or bespoke supplements we乌鸦传媒檝e been the place to go in the communities we serve 乌鸦传媒� Briteland has always been that kind of place too.乌鸦传媒�

Dave and Joanne Weatherill opened Briteland in 1984 from Dave乌鸦传媒檚 parents乌鸦传媒� Coldstream farm, where they grew poinsettias, chrysanthemums, tomatoes, cucumbers and bedding plants in a commercial greenhouse, before moving retail sales operations to Vernon.

乌鸦传媒淲e share a lot of the same values around customer service and community giving 乌鸦传媒� and this just feels right,乌鸦传媒� said Dave, standing in the sunlit room by the railway where it all started.

Over four decades, Briteland grew to fill the entire 13,000 sq. ft plus building on 28th Street with a full range of agriculture feed and supplies, garden seed and implements, hardware and domestic and commercial sprays 乌鸦传媒� as well as a separate division offering wholesale janitorial, food service and packing/shipping supplies to restaurants, hotels and offices all over the entire Okanagan-Shuswap region.

That division, also part of the sale, will keep its name.

Briteland and Rusty Spur have won various awards from both the Vernon and Lumby Chamber of Commerce乌鸦传媒檚, and Briteland has received water stewardship recognition from the City of Vernon.

More than the accolades, the triumphs and the many challenges, however, are the people 乌鸦传媒� staff, customers and suppliers 乌鸦传媒� that Dave and Joanne will miss. And yet, they have the utmost confidence in Stuart, Andrea and their team.

乌鸦传媒淲e appreciate all the love and support over the years. We乌鸦传媒檙e so grateful for all those of you who found us,乌鸦传媒� says Joanne, adding, 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e excited for Stuart and Andrea, and we乌鸦传媒檙e excited to see the next chapter at this store.乌鸦传媒�

A Rusty Spur grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony announcement will come at a later date.