Akridge Farm Supply in Fredonia is celebrating its 90th Anniversary on Friday and Saturday, with giveaways and food available for the community.
In an interview with WPKY this week, Gary Holland and Paul Akridge shared some memories and history of Akridge Farm Supply and information about the 90th Anniversary celebration.
Holland has worked at the store since 1974 and is the manager of the Fredonia store that sells farm supplies, feed, chemicals, fertilizer, hardware, and home gardening supplies.
Paul Akridge has worked at the store most of his life. He left home to attend Murray State University and also worked in Atlanta, Georgia two or three years before returning to the Fredonia store in 1989. He is the middle son of Dean and Nona Akridge.
His father, Dean, the founder of Akridge Farm Supply, passed away on March 7, 2022. He was 89 years old. Holland says Dean always made it a point to know everything about his customers.
click to download audioPaul said his father loved people and had pride in Fredonia and the surrounding communities.
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In an interview with WPKY prior to his passing, Dean Akridge expressed his pride in his business and shared that his favorite memories of working at the store were the people and meeting their needs.
click to download audioPaul noted his grandfather started Ruble’s Grocery in Fredonia in 1933 — the same year his dad, Dean was born. His dad grew up in the store and in 1959, Dean joined his father in business and opened the “T.K. Akridge and Son Farm Supply” — now known as “Akridge Farm Supply” in Fredonia. Paul says he and his brothers also grew up in the store.
click to download audioPaul says his father opened a second store in Eddyville in 1982 and they continue to grow.
click to download audioAccording to Holland, Dean put his money into people.
click to download audioPaul recounted a story about his dad not wanting to see anything go to waste.
click to download audioHe expressed that his dad instilled a sense of conservatism in the family, and he attributed Akridge’s Farm Supply’s 90-year longevity to both that mindset and his dad’s ability to find good people to work at the store.
click to download audioPaul noted that the whole crew at the Akridge store in Fredonia has been working for the last two or three months preparing for the 90th Anniversary. He said the celebration on Friday and Saturday will be a lot of fun, including giveaways and food.
click to download audioAkridge’s Farm Supply is located at 55 Wyatt Street in Fredonia.
