Small Business: Born and Raised

Brandon and Sylvia Riggs were each born into small business-owning families. Each spent their pre-employment years watching and learning from their parents before embarking on their career paths.

(Left to Right) Marilyn (Brandon’s mother), Sylvia, and, seated on the counter, Lane Riggs.

Sylvia’s father owned and operated Fred’s, the convenience store located at North Center Street and West Tyler Avenue (now named Center Food Mart and under a different owner/operator). Sylvia worked at Fred’s until she decided that she wanted to do something different and gained financial and accounting experience working at Sabinal Bank (now closed) and D’Hanis State Bank. She returned to Fred’s and operated it with her brother until starting her family.

Brandon grew up watching his parents own and operate Sabinal General Supply (SGS), which his parents purchased in 1974 from George Moore. The location of SGS originally opened in the 1940s or 1950s as Fowler Lumber Company.

This year, Brandon and Sylvia celebrate 29 years of marriage and 13 years of owning Sabinal General Supply.

Their combined experiences have kept many aspects of the business running as it had prior to them purchasing SGS from Brandon’s parents in 2009 and Sylvia’s experiences have brought some changes to the company.

After some time away from business work while tending to home and family work, Sylvia started helping out at SGS before 2009. Once a month, SGS employees had a big task – reviewing the handwritten ledgers and sending invoices by mail to all in-house account holders. The ledger was not alphabetized, which added to the time needed to complete the financial needs of the business.

“There are so many customers in Sabinal with last names that begin with ‘R’!”, Sylvia shared with a laugh, “We needed an accounting system that would speed up this process.”

A computer was finally purchased around 2015.

Sylvia leads the accounting aspects of the business, which she shares, “I gave myself more work; now I’m here all the time!”

SGS customers are currently greeted by four friendly faces, Brandon, Sylvia, and Elva (a long time employee). Oh, and the fourth friendly face: DUKE! About 7 years ago, a small, black Labrador Retriever puppy was found wandering around near the store. Duke quickly and easily became the SGS Door Greeter and Floor Mopper. 

Brandon is quick to tell you that farming and ranching is what makes their business run; “When it rains, it is a good year for business and prosperity for SGS and our area ranches and farms.”

Since a young age, Brandon has seen what makes profits and relationships grow.

He says, “Hard work never killed anyone. Learning to work with people and applying a strong work ethic to your work makes the job feel less like work.”

Being a small town supplier of auto parts, lumber, cement, plumbing, and work clothing always keeps SGS busy. During the 2020 Pandemic, Sabinal residents stayed home and wanted to pick up items close to home too so SGS’s profits were excellent but it was also the least amount of fun to find and keep inventory coming in and help customers carry items out. The first few months of 2022, the increase from pandemic shopping slowed enough to allow the Riggs to stop for at least a 30 minute lunch and get out of the store.

Being small town business owners and residents, means the Riggs have had numerous, random visits to their residence when SGS is closed.

When the knock on the door is for a true emergency, they are always willing to help out fellow small-town residents.

“If it was us (experiencing an emergency), we hope people would help us out”, shared Sylvia.

Their most surprising home visit was on a morning around 3am from the Sabinal Police Department. The Riggs didn’t hear the knock at the door, so the police knocked on their bedroom window! A police cruiser needed a battery to keep patrols going so Brandon took a ride to the store in a working cruiser to support keeping Sabinal safe.

SGS also enjoys supporting local school districts and the 12 year partnership they shared with the Girl Scouts troop (now defunct). Sabinal ISD’s Welding Program and Utopia ISD’s schools and rodeos partner with SGS regularly.

Utopia ISD had a tractor restoration program that kept Brandon on a hunt for rare parts. 

Dressing up for Halloween is a favorite tradition at Sabinal General Supply!

The Riggs love it when the local school districts ask downtown Sabinal businesses if they can work together to decorate downtown for special events.

They also love decorating their store on their own for special events. Brandon says he will never forget the morning he arrived around 5am to decorate their windows in support of four Sabinal Cross Country boys going to state.

He was tired with a long to-do list and considered not going in early to decorate. Later in the day, he realized it was all worth it when he found those four boys excitedly taking turns photographing themselves in front of the window panes with their names.

There are two topics that bring the biggest sparkle to a conversation with the Riggs: their daughter, Lane, and the thoughts of a vacation.

Last year, the Riggs took a road trip to move Lane to Clemson, SC where she is studying for her PhD in Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design.

And as for that vacation, Brandon says, “I will not disclose a location. I will not tell anyone. I’ll just drop my phone in a drink like in the commercials.”