R.P. Home & Harvest, formerly known as Big R Stores and Stock + Field, was an American retail store specializing in supplies for farming and agriculture, currently being rebranded. It was founded in 1964 in Watseka, Illinois. Although the chain began to undergo liquidation in January 2021, its stores were purchased by R. P. Lumber in March. In April 2023, Runnings, a Minnesota-based retailer acquired the chain with plans to rebrand all the stores by 2024.
 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1964 in Watseka, Illinois |
| Founders | Bill Crabtree Pat Crabtree |
| Defunct | February 2024 |
| Fate | Acquired by Runnings; Rebranded |
| Headquarters | Watseka, Illinois, |
Number of locations | 22 (2021) |
Area served | |
| Products | Home improvement |
| Revenue |  $355 million USD (2021) |
Number of employees | 5,000 (2021) |
| Parent | R. P. Lumber (2021-2023) |
| Website | homeandharvest |
History
editBig R Stores was founded in 1964 in Watseka, Illinois as a farming supply store by Bill Crabtree and his wife, Pat Crabtree.[1]
Their son-in-law, Jerry Gibbs, bought a majority share of the chain in 1976. In 2018, Gibbs sold the chain to Bill and Pat's son Joda Crabtree and business partner Matt Whebbe, who became the chief executive officer. At the time, the chain consisted of 23 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Ohio.[2]
One year later, the chain entered the state of Michigan with stores in Portage and Lansing. While these stores were being opened, Whebbe announced that the chain would officially be renamed to Stock + Field to better reflect the merchandising mix.[1]
In 2021, Stock + Field filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced that it would be liquidating all of its stores. At the time, 25 Stock + Field stores were in operation.[3]
While the stores were undergoing liquidation, R. P. Lumber of Edwardsville, Illinois announced that it would buy the rights to the stores and continue to operate them under the Stock + Field name.[4]
In September 2021, R. P. Lumber announced it planned to rebrand all of their Stock + Field stores into R. P. Home & Harvest. The stores have subsequently been rebranded along with its website.
In April 2023, it was announced that Runnings, a Minnesota-based retailer, would be buying R.P. Home & Harvest.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Big R Stores is now Stock+Field". The Pilot News. July 22, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Watseka-based Big R sold". Daily Journal. August 28, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Three of Stock + Field's 25 closed stores are up for sale or lease". Chain Store Age. February 8, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Company Acquires Stock+Field, Says Stores Will Not Close". Ink Free News. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Runnings to Acquire R.P. Home & Harvest". General News. April 25, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.