Waldo Grain Co. sells after four generations of family ownership

By Sarah Pope

Nothing reminds you of Waldo’s humble country roots more than the iconic red barn on Wornall at 78th Street. The business there, Waldo Grain Co., originally opened a bit further north on Wornall between 75th and 76th St. in 1916. One of the store’s original services was day boarding for horses while their riders took the streetcar into town. After about 109 years of leadership from the same family, new owners have taken the reins.

Waldo Grain Co. was started by L.C. “Doc” Frey, the great-grandfather of Jon Goodwin, who owned the store with his brothers until this month, when it was sold to a buyer outside of the family. The new owner has asked not to be identified at this time, but Goodwin said he felt good about the sale when he heard about the building improvements and business innovations that the buyer has planned.

Goodwin has worked at the store since 1985, first only part-time with his brother Kurt, and then in 1990 he began the daily management. Goodwin had reduced his work schedule in the past year but staffing issues pulled him back in full time.

“I could’ve been fine working one day a week for the rest of my life,” he said. “But the time commitment was too much and there was a buyer making an offer.”

Goodwin is encouraged by the plans the buyer has to keep Waldo Grain Co. thriving and help it grow.

“It’s been a store where the richest people in the city and the poorest people come in,” he said. “Celebrities and prominent Kansas Citians have visited over the years.”

The store’s clientele is nothing if not loyal—some of the store’s customers are also fourth generation. One customer told Goodwin that he met his wife while waiting in line to purchase dog food. Goodwin said it’s that sort of commitment that has kept the business going all of these years.

“Any other location and we might not have survived,” he said. “(Customers) in Brookside, Waldo and Prairie Village always like a small family-owned business. Our customers have become our friends, our lawyers, our dog sitters.”

The founder, Doc Frey, built trust with his customers, too, by offering animal care. Although he was not a trained veterinarian, he had enough knowledge to care for sick or injured animals.

“He was like a vet but had no real license,” Goodwin said. “He knew a lot about animals.”

While his son was fighting overseas in France during WWI, Doc Frey sold the business to a local banker. When Goodwin’s grandfather, Harry Frey, returned from serving overseas, he went to work at the Waldo Grain Co. and eventually bought the business back. Harry Frey ran the business from the 1920s to the late 1960s. From him, Waldo Grain Co. passed to Dorothy Frey, Goodwin’s mother. Goodwin and his brothers inherited the business when Dorothy passed away in 2014.

“We are the oldest business in Waldo,” Goodwin said, adding that he doesn’t feel like Waldo has really changed much since the 1960s.

“You miss some of the privately run family businesses…but it hasn’t been a dramatic change,” he said. “It’s still kept its small-town feel. I feel like Waldo’s always been that way.”

Goodwin will continue to work at the store part-time through the transition.

“I want to stay long enough to see what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the next century.”