Changing Business in Williston | Video

Evan Kruegel | 2/19/2013

You won`t find any cowboy hats at Home of Economy anymore. Instead, a new product is flooding the shelves: flame resistant clothing. "The demand on the flame resistant clothing is ridiculous,” said employee Michael Reeves.

The gear is just one of many products that the store has recently added to adapt to a changing business environment. "We`ve had to add several new products. A lot of it is directed toward the oil field work. Back in the day we used to sell mainly farm equipment, and that`s still here, but it`s kind of been downsized so that we can make room for the oil field."

Some western gear, like cowboy boots, can still be found at the store. But the oil field gear is quickly becoming a hot seller. "The cowboy hats and all that has kind of even pushed aside and outdated," said Reeves.

Single-digit starting wages have become outdated as well, as the store does its best to retain employees.

"We`ve had to raise starting wages, several things, and it`s still hard to keep employees. There`s just so many jobs out there in this town."

Now over four decades old, the Williston location has had to expand numerous times, and the extra space has helped with new inventory.

"It is doing better than ever. We`re looking into remodeling and making it larger still, because it just keeps growing and growing, and the products that they need out there, there`s more products they need every day."

While the store has had to add more products, owners have done their best to refrain from removing popular items from the shelves. And with another expansion in the works, the store is a perfect example of changing a business to succeed in Williston.

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