Fall 2021Hardlines Strategies

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Growth Goals Western Market Trading Post Keeps Its Eyes on Expansion

Dustin Bowden (far right), who co-owns Western Market Trading Post with his parents, oversaw the store’s latest expansion and product reset.

F rom gas to groceries, lumber to feed, Western Market Trading Post caters to its customers with a little bit of everything. The store, located in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, is a go-to spot for locals and visitors for lumber, building supplies, hardware, feed and more.

around the business pretty much all my life,” Bowden says. “It was fun growing up in the business, and it taught me a whole lot about running a store and working with people.” While the store started small, selling mostly groceries, Bowden says they had a vision for what the store could become and have slowly built it into what it is today. The store now offers local residents and visitors passing through a wide variety of products and services. “We carry flooring, building materials, groceries, mattresses, truly a little bit of everything,” Bowden says. “You name it, we probably carry it.”

Donnie and Cassie Bowden established Western Market Trading Post in October 1999. Prior to opening Western Market, the Bowdens owned a chain of 15 convenience stores. They decided to transition and move into groceries and hardware because it “sounded fun and easier,”says their son, Dustin Bowden, who now manages and co-owns the store with his parents. Bowden grew up in the business, learning firsthand the ropes of owning a successful business and serving the local community. “My mom and dad opened the store when I was young, so I’ve been

24 Fall 2021 • Hardlines Strategies