From trail mix to livestock feed, local country store offers variety for customers
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Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
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IDAHO FALLS
Idaho Falls country store is one of the only certified IFA dealers in eastern Idaho
IDAHO FALLS — Now that her kids are grown, Caroline Daugherty is entering the next phase of life by focusing on another passion.
In the last year, she’s traveled throughout eastern Idaho, hosting craft and boutique shows. Her annual horse sale in Salmon attracts a sizable crowd as well. Today, she and her boyfriend, Josh Cross, are the owners of the Rockin’ Cross Country Store at 4035 North Yellowstone Highway in Idaho Falls.
With everything from homemade trail mix and soda to clothes, antiques, western vintage items, meat, and livestock feed, it’s a one-stop shop for many customers in the area.
“It’s kind of a collaboration of everything,” Daugherty tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We are a certified IFA (Intermountain Farmers Association) dealer, so the feed is probably our most popular item.”
The IFA just celebrated its 100th year in the feed industry, and Daugherty is happy to carry its products. Get a look inside in the video above.
Daugherty opened the shop on Father’s Day last year without fanfare, and while she says the response from the public has been great, it’s been a continually evolving venture.
“We just threw the doors open to get a grasp on what the community wanted,” she says. “We’ve put on some clinics for the public, as well as some 4H and FFA livestock clinics, BM Poultry clinics to help introduce ourselves to the community and that’s been great. That’s something we want to continue to be involved in.”
Josh’s parents, Larry and Kathy Cross, were the original owners of the building dating back to 1988. They operated several businesses at this location. It started out as a country store and antique mall, but also functioned as a nursery and fruit palace.
They closed it in 2001, but they continued to store many items in the building over the years.
Daugherty had always wanted to own a business, and the family connection allowed her to utilize the space. Many of the antique items in the store are leftover items from the Cross family over the years.
“It was accessible and available and they were willing to (let me use it). You can’t beat the location as far as traffic. People come from Jackson and Yellowstone National Park (every summer), so it’s set us up well,” says Daugherty.
She enjoys the daily interaction with customers and is grateful for the warm reception from the community. She especially enjoys being able to help kids with their show projects as part of the partnership with 4H and FFA.
Daugherty is looking forward to offering more feed and grain items and longhorn beef cuts soon. She and Josh are doing some work on the south side of the building, which will double the square footage and expand the business space.
“No one around here sells longhorn meat, so that’s exciting. We’ll be able to expand on not only our meat cuts but also the feed and grain side of things,” she says.
Rockin’ Cross Country Store is open now through the end of the summer. It operates seven days a week. It’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
BIZ BITS
Construction underway on new Wendy’s in Rexburg
REXBURG — The groundbreaking on a new Wendy’s restaurant on the north end of Rexburg happened unceremoniously.
Supply chain shortages have delayed construction on the fast-food restaurant at 240 East Moody Drive next to Walmart since it was announced in Jan. 2022.
Inclement weather prevented the team from having a live groundbreaking ceremony last week, but a flier sent to EastIdahoNews.com indicates the grand opening is slated for August.
RELATED | Iconic fast food restaurant closing in Rexburg but will re-open in new location
Wendy’s opened at 545 North 2nd East in 1985. It closed in April 2021 after 36 years of business. Pick Me Up opened its second Rexburg location in that building several months later.
The Wendy’s closure was part of an initiative to revitalize the fast-food chain’s image and give it a fresh look and feel. Owner Robert Pincock told EastIdahoNews.com last year the new restaurant will be similar in size to the old location but it will have several new features for customers. Those features include private booths, lounge seating and a Wi-Fi bar, along with a touch screen fountain drink dispenser offering more than 100 different beverages.
Pincock is grateful for all the years of doing business at the old Rexburg location. Though he has a lot of memories and is going to miss it, he’s looking forward to the opening of a new restaurant in another part of town.
CEI hosting Construction Combine in Idaho Falls and Salmon
IDAHO FALLS – College of Eastern Idaho is proud to announce the inaugural Salmon Construction Combine, and 5th Annual Idaho Falls Construction Combine.
The Salmon event will be held April 26 and 27 and the Idaho Falls event will be held May 3 and 4.
Inspired by the NFL draft, Construction Combines allow participants to learn and demonstrate construction skills, as well as potentially land a summer job.
The first day of each Construction Combine will feature training stations for students to learn skills in framing, concrete, electrical, and finishing. On day two, students will show what they have learned to potential employers, working alongside local contractors and trades professionals to build sheds that will be donated to local veterans.
Participation is free for students thanks to the generous support of area businesses and community organizations.
The Salmon event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lemhi County Fairgrounds. Registration is open until April 25.
The event in Idaho Falls will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at District 93’s Technical Careers High School. Registration is open through May 2.
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