The Owners
Barnes Supply Company is a family owned and operated business. Gary and Patricia George purchased the business in 1991. At the time, oldest son Jonathan was only 5 years old and youngest son Jason was only 2 months. Both boys grew up around the store and working as much as time allowed.
Both Gary and Patricia are native of Durham. Both attended school in the county and began their careers with large companies based in Durham. Gary spent 13 years working at American Tobacco and Patricia spent 12 years with Nortel. When both large companies relocated the Georges made the decision to stay in Durham instead and pursue their life long dream to own their own business.
As both sons finished up school they came into the business hoping to have stock in the family trade and share in the dream that Gary and Patricia established. The timing on this transition has been perfect. Gary and Patricia are easing into retirement just as the boys are getting settled in the store. Jonathan and Jason have a lot of new ideas for the store and Gary hopes that they will bring a fresh perspective to the table and continue the family tradition at Barnes Supply.
Meet Our Team
Jonathan (Jon) Emery
Team Member Since: 2004
Pet Status: 1 Cat; Name: Seabass
Hobbies: Bass fishing, gardening, cooking
My Great Barnes Moments: Interacting with all the different animals brought into the store.
Favorite Products to Recommend: FoxFarm - I love to talk about gardening and benefits of using FoxFarm - and Song of America Birdseed - I love to hear people's stories about their personal flock of birds at their house and how the birds entertain their animals.
Christine Bristor
Team Member Since: 2006-2011 ~2015-present
Pet Status: 1 Tortoiseshell Kitty; Name: Spunky
Hobbies: I enjoy making mixed media collages and jewelry. Spending time in the woods is nourishing to me.
My Great Barnes Moments: I like giving dog and cat food consultations. It makes me feel good to know that I can help improve a companion animals quality of life through better nutrition.
Favorite Products to Recommend: A complete raw food diet is a great way to feed your cat or dog. I like turning people on to adding a pro-biotic to their companion's food. And for older dogs with poor joint health I like to recommend Nupro Joint Supplement.
Brandi Cooley
Team Member Since: 2008
Pet Status: 1 Dog; Name: Chewy
Hobbies: Arts and crafts, writing, getting dirty, river walking, tasty food, laughing and having Danny Tanner moments with my kid.
My Great Barnes Moments: I really love giving tours of the store and talking about it's history to all of the elementary school kids and summer camp groups that come in. Also I love doing the window displays. And I dig the Ninth Street camaraderie that happens with regular faces.
Favorite Products to Recommend: Fromm is a great dog food, this is what feed Chewy. The ingredients read well, the kibble size is perfect for small to medium dogs and there are several great protein sources to choose from, so you can alternate amino acids. I'm also a big fan of FoxFarm soils and fertilizers, I have personally yielded some great looking gardens by making the switch to FoxFarm products. I love recommending their Ocean Forest Soil to people establishing raised beds.
Johnny (Valiant) Grissom
Team Member Since: 2015
Pet Status: 2 Cats; Names: Magnum “ My main cat Magnum has had my back since 2010” & Loki “ My auxiliary cat Loki has been a very crucial recruit to the team”
Hobbies: Rocking and/or Rolling. Strolling. Comptrolling.
My Great Barnes Moments: Serving you!
Favorite Products to Recommend: A warm bath and Elvis Presley.
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