A fire tore through Russell's Farm Supply Co. in Collierville on Thursday night, killing Popeye, the store's 44-year-old resident parrot and a longtime fixture at the store. Collierville fire crews responded to the 136 S. Center St. location around 9:30 p.m. and arrived to find heavy fire with flames coming through the roof. No people were injured, but the blaze claimed the life of a bird that had become a fixture of the 75-year-old business.
Firefighters brought the fire under control within about 10 minutes, according to Action News 5, though crews remained on scene afterward for extinguishment and overhaul work. Collierville police officers and dispatchers assisted at the scene, as did the Germantown Fire Department. The outlet reported that firefighters got the call at approximately 9:37 p.m., close to the time the station's crews first responded.
Accounts of the damage differ. The seed report from Action News 5 described the fire as having destroyed Russell's Farm Supply Co., while WREG reported that the building sustained smoke damage, with most of the fire damage concentrated toward the center of the structure. The full extent of the damage and its impact on the business's operations are not yet known, per the station's report.
A 75-Year Fixture Mourns Its Parrot
Popeye, described as a longtime fixture at the store, did not survive the fire, the same outlet reported. The Town of Collierville said Popeye brought joy to many store visitors over the years, a sentiment echoed as news of the bird's death spread through the community.
Russell's Farm Supply has served the Collierville community since 1951, when it opened as a staple of the growing town. The business has been in operation for 75 years, selling animal feed, bulk seed, gardening supplies, nursery plants, and other goods, according to the company's own website. It is not the business's first brush with fire — a blaze the year before its 1977 move to the current location forced the closure of its original Town Square location, and the store was rebuilt at its current 136 S. Center St. address, where it has operated since 1977, per the same account from the Daily Memphian.
New Owners Face an Early Test
The store's owners are now assessing the fire damage. Wesley Tice and his wife recently took ownership of Russell's Farm Supply, continuing the legacy of longtime owners John and Patti Adams, who owned the business from 1986 until the sale, according to the Daily Memphian. The ownership change took effect in November 2025, following John Adams's long tenure that began when he joined as a partner in 1982.
The new owners have expressed gratitude for decades of community support. Russell's Farm Supply is a gathering place and a cherished part of Collierville's history. The Town of Collierville expressed support for Russell's Farm Supply Co., its owners, employees, and others affected by the blaze.
Cause Still Under Investigation
The Collierville Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fire's cause and origin, with no determination yet made public. Collierville Fire and Rescue notes that fire-incident reports are generated whenever a fire apparatus is dispatched to a service request, and that while public reports can be provided, more in-depth reports require proper documentation, according to the Town of Collierville.
Russell's Farm Supply plans to hold its fall festival on Saturday if the grounds are deemed safe, a sign the business is hoping to keep moving forward even as it works through the aftermath of the fire. For a store that has weathered fire before and rebuilt to serve Collierville for three quarters of a century, the coming days will determine just how much of its latest chapter survived.
