Local landmark C.T. Garvin closes, online auction already active

Rumors and speculation surrounding the future of an iconic Huntsville business can end—C.T. Garvin Feed & Seed has closed its doors after 90 years. 

At the store’s latest location, 2215 Holmes Ave., a large sign out front reads ‘Closing Due to Repair,’ while another near the sidewalk announces an online auction of ‘Complete Liquidation Inventory & Supplies.’ The two announcements left residents confused.

However, an employee at C.T. Garvin’s second store in Elkmont confirmed the original won’t reopen.

“Yes,’’ an employee simply told the Huntsville Business Journal when asked if the business had closed for good. A message left for current owners Monica and David Clark had not been returned as of Thursday.

The auction has already started at www.vanmasseybidwrangler.com. Van Masssey Auction and Realty advises there will be a 15 percent buyers premium added to all bids, and that Alabama state sales tax applies to all items. A preview is scheduled Friday, March 7 from 2-4 p.m. The auction ends Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. Pickup is Wednesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 13 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. both days.

The store specialized in a variety of products and supplies related to lawn and garden care, pet animals and livestock.

“We’re really sad to hear this news,’’ said Claire Aiello, vice president of marketing and communications for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber. “C.T. Garvin is a longtime favorite of the Huntsville community, including several of our staff members who visited there often. Their team always offered great advice for gardening and other outdoor ventures, and we’re going to miss their expertise.’’

C.T. Garvin Feed and Seed opened in 1934, occupying several locations in and near downtown Huntsville. Founder Cressie Thornton Garvin, Sr., who originally sold sausage and bologna before buying a gin mill, steered the business through the Great Depression. Over the ensuing years, the business moved to several locations in or near downtown before settling in its final destination where the family built a million-dollar facility.

C.T. Garvin, Jr., known as Thornton, and his wife, Shirley, operated the store in its final years of family ownership. Customer Dennis Clark, a sod farmer, and his wife Monica purchased the business in 2008.

In 2010, Monica Clark told The Huntsville Times the store sold 250,000 items – a 40 percent increase in inventory since she and David took over.

“Isn’t that unusual, especially in the middle of town?’’ she said of a bustling business 15 years ago. “And most people don’t know we have 4 1/2 acres.’’

Come mid-March, when all the auctioned items are hauled away, the beloved business on those acres will sit unoccupied and the business only a memory.