Stacy Perryman
In Town: The Perrymans own Viola Hardware, which has been in business since 1970. Stacy and his wife, Jennifer, have owned it for three years. Although the hardware store began small in the building next door to where it’s now located, over the last 40 years it has continued to grow and expand to its present size. Jennifer also works as an administrator’s assistant at Fulton County Hospital.
In the Country: Stacy runs cattle and said he has had stocker cattle all his life before getting cow/calf pairs. He also has had race horses and some sheep. Life on the farm got kinda hard to scrape out a living so I kept my cows and then added on this work at the store. I’ve got 40 cows. I own 120 acres and I use 140 or 150 of my dad’s. He’s got the auction and real estate business here.
“We’ve always raised horses and had cattle. My dad still has probably 200 head of Quarter horses that he raises and sells. He runs 700 to 800 sheep that he sells for meat and he still has cattle, too.
“I have Angus and Braunvieh cross. The Braunvieh are a pure breed, it’s where the brown Swiss dairy cattle come from. So I cross them on my black cows and try to improve their milk production. They grade very well. I’m trying to get cows that will produce heavier weaning calves with less input into the cow.”
Family: Stacy Perryman and his wife, Jennifer, have three children: Emily, 11, Macey, 7, and Quade, 4.
Challenges: “I feel like I don’t get everything done (at home) that I need to. I feel like I’m stretched pretty thin. But I’ve been blessed with good friends and family that will step up and help me. My dad has some boys that work for him, that if there’s something that happens, I can call them and they can patch things up till I get home. If someone calls and says I have a cow out or something’s wrong at home, I can call my brother and he can watch the store for an hour or so. Or my mom can fill in, and on Saturdays my wife can.”
Future Goals: “I’d like to outlive all my debts. And maybe someday if this small business is able to keep going, maybe to give that to one of my kids. I’d really like to spend most of my time on the farm. That’s what I’ve done all my life. I’d like to get to where me and the family could work together, whether here or on the farm.”
By Jack and Pam Fortner
