Inspiring Conversations with William and Leslie Chester of Out West General Store

Today we’d like to introduce you to William and Leslie Chester.

Hi William and Leslie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Out West General Store is a true old-fashioned general store nestled on the far west side of Phoenix looking towards the White Tank Mountains, in a community that remains a County island in Waddell, Arizona. It started with a family photo album that contained pictures of Bill’s great grandmother’s store in Wyoming. Those images shaped Bill’s dream of one day owning a true, old-fashioned general store. Prior to building the store, Bill worked for his dad as a mechanic for over 30 yrs. Leslie Chester worked in the corporate world for over 25 years. The vision started to become a reality when Bill and Leslie purchased two-plus acres of commercial land on the corner of Cotton Lane and Glendale Avenue and began building his dream back in 1997. Once the land was purchased, Bill started selling feed and tack out of van with a tarp on the weekends. Relying on help from family, friends, neighbors, and local tradesmen, along with his own sweat and equity on weekends and nights.

The actual store building was completed in 1999 and has become a true Waddell landmark. Bill and Leslie also have lived in Waddell for over 25 years. When they first built their house, they took note of things they themselves needed on a regular basis to assist them in building the dream that would ultimately fulfill the needs of the local community. Out West General Store has now been doing just that for over 20 years by providing feed, tack, and hardware goods. And since 2005, offered a convenience mart and full-service deli that features Thrifty Ice Cream and a barista. The dream has transitioned from a dream to a passion. The feed and tack side of the house carries feed for all domestic animals as well as farm animals, from Horses, mules, pot-bellied pigs to chickens, dogs, parrots, or fish. If you own it, we probably carry feed for it. The store sells saddles, bridles, bits, horseshoes, vaccines, supplements, feeders, fly sprays. If we don’t have it… you probably don’t need it. The convenience side of the house has grown to include not only your typical household staples such as milk, bread, toiletries, snack foods, beer, cigarettes, etc. but actually carries baking goods, seasonings, fresh produce, pastas, rice, and much more. The deli started out as a sandwich and ice cream shop.

Over the last ten years, we have added to it substantially to include hamburgers, fries, pizza, fry bread, burritos, tacos, jalapeno poppers, zucchini, cheesy bread, wings… it’s an impressive and extensive menu given our limited kitchen space. Two years ago, we added a barista service that includes cold brew coffee, lattes, frappuccinos, and espresso… and don’t forget the Thrifty Ice Cream…the best ice cream on earth. Out West General Store, truly a passion for The Chester’s is constantly changing and growing to meet the ever-changing needs and growth of the community. Kid’s that grew up in the community and had Out west General Store as a part of their childhood memories return to visit, just to say hi, see what’s new and catch up. It is truly the best-kept secret in the surrounding area. It’s been a passion for Bill and Leslie Chester for over 20 years. Drop by and take a step back in time.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Building anything worthwhile, there will always be painstaking hurdles to overcome. Many times it would have been easier to abandon the dream. Fortunately, Bill and Leslie were both born with a very tenacious spirit. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Getting the initial permits to build was painstaking because back in the day, it was a very rural area with very few improvements. Other than Glendale Avenue and Citrus Avenue, all other roads were gravel. It was very time-consuming and took many trips to the County to “sell” our dream. Once we had the permits… it was long hours and manpower to build the dream. Bill worked for his dad during the day and then went out to work on the store at night, sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning. On weekends he would sell feed and tack to start building our customer base. Leslie traveled for her job and was not around many times throughout the week. In the beginning, we made a commitment that we were going to pay as we go and not create a business out of the shoot that carried a ton of debt in order to make it perfect initially. We built the bare bones and, little by little, made it was it is today, and paid as we went along.

We’ve been impressed with Out West General Store, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a true old-fashioned general store. Thus our tag line “Old fashion service in the true western spirit.” We are know to have just about anything you need. Customers come in asking if we have this or that they need for a project their working on or have been looking for. I cannot tell you how many times they leave so surprised we have what they need. We are set apart through our uniqueness. We are a very unique shop. You can buy a Saddle, get your fence repair goods, grab a cold beer, and order dinner. Truly, one-stop-shopping. When you step inside, you smell the leather. You feel the “hometown” feel. It’s home away from home. It’s a small community. We look out for each other. Like life used to be.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Take baby steps. Rome was not built overnight and neither is a lucrative business. Don’t think it has to all be perfect at first. Get the big things right and worry about fine-tuning the small stuff as you go. In spite of what other people think. Learn to filter through the many many suggestions, advices, opinions that will be offered up to you along the way. Have a clear vision of what you want to build and create and filter everything through that vision. Does this fit with our ultimate plan. Does that suggestion bring us closer or does it take away from our vision. Does it meet our financial goals for the business.

Contact Info:

• Email: outwestgen@cox.net
• Website: www.outwestgeneralstore.com
• Facebook: Out West General Store, Java Trolley, and Cowboy Cafe

Image Credits
Photography provided by Linda Hooker, Freelance Photographer Phoenix, Arizona

 

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Aleasha Bahr is a sales & marketing strategist known for showing introverts and ambiverts the Secret Art of Subtle Selling.  She personally sold millions in revenue while discovering introverts are usually top sales people – as soon as they stop trying to act like extroverts.  We’ve partnered with her to produce Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories. Check out episode 1 below: