In October, 2017, Sonoita welcomed some new owners to an old business at 3113 Hwy 83, just south of the 83/82 intersection.
3 Bar 3 is now the name of Sonoita’s feed store, formerly known as High Noon. The new owners, Clay and Leigh Hardt, have roots in the community and are raising three daughters in Sonoita.
Clay grew up around horses and rodeo in the Marana area and was a star athlete for the U of A, participating in football, wrestling and rodeo. He brings his rodeo and livestock experience to 3 Bar 3 as hay and feed source procurer, finding the best quality products available and bringing them to Sonoita at a reasonable price. Assuring that they always have plenty of quality, affordable hay available is a priority to Clay.
Leigh’s parents are from Arizona originally, at one time owning a guest ranch on Curly Horse Road. She is the one responsible for naming the store, 3 Bar 3 as she is one of three sisters and because of her three daughters. After her mother, Jody Walker, passed away, Leigh’s and her sisters’ inheritance helped purchase the store. The Hardts hope to pass along to their three daughters a thriving, community-oriented business in the future. Leigh is working on expanding into more equipment and tack for the ranch and rodeo trade, making those items easily available to the local community.
As the Hardts are also owners of a local construction company, their time is limited, so they depend on three employees to keep the business running smoothly. Manager Adam Avaritt is in charge of ordering inventory, assisting customers with purchases and chatting with people who stop by for a friendly conversation. He is always ready with a cup of coffee, a place at his corner table and a smile. Avaritt is assisted by Crawdad, his Catahoula Leopard puppy, who greets customers with a happy wag and a friendly lick.
Quinton Gough serves as sales and small animal product manager. His goal is to make sure that there are items available for the other animals on the home or ranch. Expanding the inventory of dog and cat food and equipment is one of his many duties. He also can take orders for specialty items.
Rounding out the staff is Nichole Hull. She is the one frequently seen throwing around bales of hay, loading up and delivering to customers and generally doing whatever needs to be done at the store.
3 Bar 3 has a goal of customer service beyond compare, offering free hay delivery as one of their perks. They stress community friendly, small town service with the extra personal care not available at larger, chain feed stores. The owners are passionate about supporting local enterprises and have already contributed to 4-H and other non-profit organizations in the area.
If you need to have an emergency bale of hay at off hours, call and if they can, they will accommodate you. That is their passion and they strive to make sure their customers are part of their family. For more information, phone 520-455-5734