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鈥檚 animals, land and people, have connected.

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

鈥淲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,鈥� said Stuart Anderson, co-owner with his wife, Andrea Mann. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait to get started.鈥�

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.

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

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

鈥淲e share a lot of the same values around customer service and community giving 鈥� and this just feels right,鈥� 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 鈥� 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鈥檚, 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 鈥� staff, customers and suppliers 鈥� that Dave and Joanne will miss. And yet, they have the utmost confidence in Stuart, Andrea and their team.

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

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