Who we are & What we do…
Our story
Our journey began in 1927 when Oscar J. Krieger opened a feed store in Kirkwood, Missouri. As the business grew, it evolved into a full time hatchery, incubating and selling thousands of baby chicks to customers from right here in Kirkwood to across the globe in Europe! Over time, the business shifted its focus from baby chicks to what remains our specialty today: quality feed & garden supplies!
When it came time to retire, Oscar passed the legacy to his son, Ronald O. Krieger, who remains a proud owner to this day. Currently, Ron and his wife, Pat, manage the business alongside their two sons, Steve and Mark. With the next generation of grandchildren now joining the team, we are officially four generations strong!
Today, our goal is to provide the best possible service and build close connections to our loyal customers. We appreciate all of your questions and love to help! With expertise like ours, you’ll surely leave pleased and satisfied.
Fun Fact: The O.K. stands for Oscar Krieger, our founder!
Four Generations of Family-Business! Featuring Steve Krieger - son Erickson, daughter Emily & daughter Mallory; Ron Krieger, Pat Krieger, and Mark Krieger
Footage from our Grand Re-Opening
Travel back to 1989 for the grand re-opening of our current location in Downtown Kirkwood! Hear current owner, Ron Krieger, welcome customers & offer a tour of the new building.
Horticultural Expertise
We love to answer any questions you may have about gardening! Whether you need help starting or just have general questions, we’re more than happy to help!
Like everyone, we might not know everything. But we will always do our best to research the issue or point you in the right direction.
Photos & Media
-
![A young boy standing outdoors near a building with signs advertising poultry, dogs, rabbits, and other foods, holding a pole or stick, with a table displaying items for sale.]()
Ronald Krieger as a child sweeping the store in 1939.
-
![Black and white photo of three people standing in front of a plain wall, with one person speaking into a microphone. The woman on the left is wearing glasses, a blazer, and a polka dot shirt, and is holding a paper. The man in the middle has a beard, is smiling, and has a name tag and some buttons on his plaid shirt. The man on the right is wearing glasses, a suit, and a tie, and has a bottle of water next to him.]()
Ron accepting "Business of The Year" award from the Chamber of Commerce.
-
![Three men standing outdoors near a wooden American flag and a birdhouse.]()
Mark and Steve Krieger standing beside their father, Ron, outside of the new building.
-
![A man with glasses, a beard, and a plaid shirt sitting at a cluttered desk in an office or workspace, looking over his shoulder at the camera.]()
Ronald Krieger managing the inventory in the old office back in 1987.
-
![A young person sweeping the floor in a store aisle filled with various bags, boxes, and products on shelves, with a small dog looking up at them.]()
Steve Krieger sweeping up the store front in 1987.
-
![A man with a mustache and curly hair, wearing a white t-shirt, standing in a cluttered workshop or hardware store, holding a pair of sunglasses.]()
Mark Krieger weighing up seed for customers in 1987.
-
![Three adults and a newborn baby outside a building with large windows. The woman holds the baby, and the men stand on either side of her, smiling.]()
Steve Krieger welcomes his new daughter, and fourth generation, Emily Krieger to O.K. Hatchery with Pat and Ron Krieger in 1997.
-
![A sepia-toned photo of an old wooden building with a sign, outdoor trash cans, and a truck parked nearby.]()
1930 - Our first location located off West Essex.
-
![Old brick building with signs for Purina Chows and Coulter O.K. Hatchery, selling straw, fertilizer, and baby chicks. The building has three windows and a central door.]()
Our second location off West Argonne.
-
![A building with a sign that reads "O.K. HATCHERY." The building has large front windows and is located in a rural area with trees and snow around.]()
Our third location off Madison.
-
![Aerial view of a city block showing a shopping mall and surrounding parking lots, streets, and buildings with trees.]()
1989 - Our final two locations off East Argonne.
-
![Workers building a large retail outlet with a steel-frame structure at O.K. Hatchery, Feed, and Garden Inc., at 109 East Argonne Drive in Kirkwood, with a section of the building being constructed for future opening.]()
Old newspaper clipping from when the current location was bought and became the O.K. Hatchery we know today.
-
![Four people standing outside a building with a sign that reads 'OK HATCHERY FEED & GARDEN STORE.' The group includes Oscar J. Krieger, the founder, and his son and daughter-in-law, along with Mark O. Krieger.]()
Old newspaper clipping in O.K. Hatchery's 3 generations.
When originally awarded “Business of the Year” from the Chamber of Commerce, Ron and Pat were on vacation. However, that didn’t stop Rons father, Oscar, from giving this acceptance speech in their place:
Media Features
Reviews from Our Customers
-
A rustic hatchery that truly holds the vibe of downtown Kirkwood. We get our chicks here in the spring & they have always been healthy happy birds! The staff is welcoming, courteous, helpful and will help load heavy objects without need of asking. This is one of the only few places in the area to get feed. They also sell various chicken treats (scratch) by the pound. The store carries books, boots, chimes and needful things to assist the urban farmer.. along with sound advice for your flock. It's the only place we go for our happy hens!
-
This place is the bees knees. They have all the feed and flowers and seeds and gardening stuff you could want. Staff is always super friendly and helpful; not to mention knowledgeable. And they have a darling mouser named Shiloh who is getting up in age but she is cute as a button.
-
They have everything you need for your chickens! The staff is very knowledgeable, and they were able to help me make decisions as to what would best suit my chickens right now. They even helped me figure out some solutions for my special needs chicken! I love coming here, and I highly recommend it.
-
Pretty much everything you need for your green thumb is here! While there are definitely places you can purchase your flowers or vegetable plants cheaper, there is nothing the serious gardener won't find at OK. Need a specific grass seed that thrives in the shade... they have it. Want a certain kind of bird to hang around your bird feeder, they can get as nuanced as you like. Need to knock out some weeds? How many choices would you like? My personal favorite is their mole trap. It never misses and if you clean the rust of if it once a year, you should get a decade or more out of one. I hate moles with a passion as they destroy my beautiful yard, but the mole traps I own from OK have saved my lawn! On top of this, right across the street from the Kirkwood Farmer's Market and one block from the historic train station!
-
If you're a gardener, this is a place to visit at least once. The building is crammed with stuff. This could be good and bad. Prices for soil amendments are cheaper than other places. Other items looked like they'd been sitting on the shelves for EVER... There are garden items, pet supplies, plants. Service was okay. I came in very early spring so they were just starting to have blooming bulbs out.
For more reviews: