By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University/Image: Ellie Bowman
“The customer.”
The importance of focusing on the customer is the message that comes through when a person visits with one young ruralpreneur who is using her skills to reinvigorate businesses in rural Kansas.
Ellie Bowman is the owner of Prickly Pear Farm and Home in Kinsley. She grew up on a farm near Lewis with her parents, Jimbob and Jeannine Bowman.
Jimbob farmed and then worked for an electrician, followed by a role in maintenance at Cross Manufacturing before becoming head of maintenance at the Tyree Ag spraying business.
“He can fix just about anything,” Ellie said. Her mother Jeannine managed her own Wheaton family farm and also worked on the Bowman family farm.
Ellie Bowman was active in 4-H. She attended Kansas State University where she graduated with honors in agribusiness, but was unclear on her next career move.
“I knew I wanted to work for myself,” Bowman said. “I like numbers and I enjoy finding a problem and fixing it.”
While Bowman was home for Christmas in 2021, Jimbob was visiting with a friend, who said: “Well Jimmy, if you were just a bit younger, you could have bought the lumberyard.”
He was referring to the lumberyard in nearby Kinsley.
Ellie picked up on the idea and ran with it. The family ultimately purchased the business.
Following Bowman’s graduation, the store opened in November, 2022. “I had to get a point-of-sale system going,” she said. In July 2023, they reorganized and reset the store with a fresh look.
“I was trying to decide on a name,” Bowman said. “I wanted something fun that we could market and I’ve always liked cacti.”
The alliterative name “Prickly Pear Farm and Home” was the name that stuck. The eye-catching logo design features a blooming cactus, and the last part of the name emphasizes the broader scope of business that Bowman has created.
In addition to conventional lumber and building materials, Prickly Pear Farm and Home offers plumbing, hardware, paint and electrical supplies, plus feed and fencing for the farm.
“The mercantile area features giftables and specialty items such as jams, jellies, gifts and more,” she said. “A 13-year-old is designing and producing cards for us.”
Then there are the services that the store provides. These include pipe cutting and threading, glass and plexiglass cutting, window and screen repair, chainsaw blades and sharpening, custom paint mixing, and more.
“You can credit all that to my dad,” Bowman said. “As I said, he can fix just about anything.”
The store also conducts seasonal community events and hands-on workshops.
How did these multiple lines of business develop? “It’s listening to what the customer needs and wants,” Bowman said. “We try really hard to make sure our customers are succeeding and happy when they leave the store.”
Customer focus has produced results. “We doubled our business in the first year,” Bowman said. She was even recognized by the Kansas Department of Commerce as the 2024 To The Stars award winner as the Under 30 Entrepreneur of the Year.
That’s an impressive accomplishment for someone who grew up near the rural community of Lewis, population 378 people. Now, that’s rural.
Bowman cares deeply about rural communities. “I’m rural by choice,” Bowman said, using the phrase coined by rural advocate Marci Penner to describe young people who are opting for a rural lifestyle and positively impacting their communities.
“Our rural communities make Kansas thrive,” she said.
Now Bowman has been asked to go to Elkhart to take over another lumberyard. “I’m very passionate about what I do,” she said. “The goal is to have multiple stores that can support rural Kansas.”
“Success is built on relationships,” she added. “You really need to take care of the customer.”
For more information, see www.pricklypearfarmandhome.com.
Customer focus is helping make this business successful in rural Kansas. We commend Ellie, Jimbob and Jeannine Bowman for making a difference by building success through customer service. Their track record is better than what would be customary.
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