Birth of A Salesman: The Life of Glenn Aaron

Words by Terrell ManascoImages by Blakeney CoxGlenn Aaron knows feed and seed.He knows it extremely well. No big surprise, when you consider he’s been immersed in the business since he graduated high school. If you’ve bought gardening or farming items in Walker County in the last five decades, odds are good that Glenn sold them to you, and if so, it’s just as likely that he is still a friend of yours.Standing behind the counter at Jasper Feed and Seed on 9th Avenue in Jasper, a mint green golf shirt hanging on his slightly hunched shoulders, cropped grandfatherly white hair underneath a gray ball cap, Glenn greets customers with a shy smile, advising them on what fertilizer to use, directing them on where to find the garden seeds or all-natural honey, quoting prices on horse feed, and doing whatever else needs to be done. You could say Glenn is the model employee, certainly owner John Lawson’s right hand man. To state that he loves his job seems rather tepid. It may be more accurate to say that Glenn and the feed and seed business are entwined, even fused together.Glenn Aaron’s story begins on a cold winter’s day, sixty-nine years ago, inside a house in rural Pineywoods, near the town of Sipsey. “I was born December 11, 1946, actually in my grandfather’s house,” he says in a soft southern accent. “That was back when they delivered people at home.”Graduating from Curry High School in 1965, Glenn studied bookkeeping at Walker College. His aunt was soon offered a job at a farmer’s supply store in Jasper owned by O.W. McCoy, and when she decided not to accept the job, Glenn applied for it and was hired to work in bookkeeping and sales.McCoy’s not only provided a means of employment for Glenn, it was also where he met a lady named Charlotte, who came to work there after he did. They’ve been happily married since 1974.Nineteen years later, Glenn decided to start his own feed and seed business. In 1984 he left McCoy’s and opened Glenn’s Feed and Seed in the old Brakefield Lighting building on Elliott Boulevard.“Then Goldkist offered me a job so I went to work for them,” Glenn says. “That was around ‘94 or ‘95. I worked there three or four years and then they sold out to Southern States. Then John bought them around 2003, and the rest is history.”Most days you’ll find Glenn at the store making sales, waiting on customers, and stocking shelves. His off time is usually spent relaxing at home with his wife Charlotte. You won’t find him on the golf course. “I used to play golf but I haven’t played in a long time. Last time I went, it told me I didn't need to be playing,” he laughs. “I used to hunt but now I enjoy selling stuff to people that hunt.”One of the main reasons why Glenn loves the business is the people on the other side of the counter. Ask him and he quickly replies, “Meeting a lot of good people. I’ve made so many good friends, its unreal.”With nearly threescore and ten birthdays behind him, retirement seems inevitable. Right now, Glenn’s not interested. He’d rather keep on working, keep on making new friends, keep on selling.“As long as I’m able,” he says.Glenn, you sold us. 78