CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne’s Jax Mercantile in Frontier Mall will soon become Bomgaars Supply, a change that’s in line with new Jax company goals to streamline business.
The change will be effective in January.
“This was not a decision taken lightly,” Jax owner Jim Quinlan told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle over email correspondence. “The growth of online shopping, coupled with rising costs of labor, interest, insurance and other expenses have all resulted in a much tighter retail operating environment.”
In light of these issues, Quinlan says that the company will be simplifying its business while strengthening its balance sheet to improve future financial performance. This means closing the Cheyenne location at Frontier Mall after five years of business there.
“A slightly smaller Jax Mercantile will enable the company to better focus on our Colorado stores, where we will continue to strive to provide the best selection of products to our customers while employing expert staff who provide exceptional customer service,” Quinlan wrote.
While Quinlan told the WTE that he is not at liberty to discuss particular terms of the deal, he did describe it as “an offer too good to pass up.”
The location’s new owner, Bomgaars Supply, is a family-owned retailer based out of Sioux City, Iowa. Covering 15 states, 14 of Bomgaars’s 180 locations are in Wyoming. The company carries a wide assortment of farm and ranch supplies, clothing and footwear, pet and animal products, sporting goods and Dewalt Tools, according to Quinlan.
While the Jax brand will be absent from Cheyenne, Quinlan says that the company anticipates its local employees will be offered positions with Bomgaars Supply.
“They will have the opportunity to continue working and providing service to the Cheyenne community,” Quinlan wrote.
As it prepares to exit Cheyenne, Jax Mercantile will be conducting an inventory reduction sale. According to Quinlan, the sale will only take place at the Cheyenne location starting immediately, with nothing held back.
“Jax Mercantile opened the Cheyenne location in 2019, and we are very proud of the business that has been built over the past five years,” Quinlan wrote. “We want to thank our staff and customers for a terrific five years of great memories. From building renewal and renovation to the best grand opening in our company history, being a part of the Cheyenne community has been both memorable and rewarding. We are sad for this necessary change. We are going to miss all of our loyal staff, but take comfort that they will all be welcomed into the Bomgaars family.”
Jax Mercantile will continue to operate in Fort Collins, Loveland, Lafayette and Broomfield, Colorado, as well as at the original store in Ames, Iowa.