Wild Birds Unlimited Celebrates 40 Years of Bringing People and Nature Together

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Feb 04, 2021, 12:00 ET

CARMEL, Ind., Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Forty years ago, very few retailers specialized in providing supplies and information for attracting and feeding backyard birds. On January 28, 1981, Jim Carpenter, an unemployed nature enthusiast, combined his retail experience with his passion for backyard bird feeding to open the first Wild Birds Unlimited (WBU) store in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are now more than 345 locally-owned and operated Wild Birds Unlimited franchise locations throughout North America, each dedicated to bringing people and nature together.

"Everyone questioned my idea," said Carpenter, founder, president and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited. "And though I didn't realize the full-potential of the business at the time, I saw a niche for a hobby store and a great way to be my own boss and do something I loved."

Entering its fortieth year of business, WBU has seen a soaring interest in the hobby of backyard bird feeding. People are spending more time at home these days and with that comes time to look out the window and notice the natural world. Birds are always nearby. You may hear them before you actually see them. Feeding birds is a great way to get a closer look and learn their many unique characteristics.

"I had an old bird feeder in the very back of our yard that I filled with some kind of bird seed that I got at one of the big box stores, shared Don Ball, a new customer at Wild Birds Unlimited. "We got a few different kind of birds but frankly I didn't pay attention to it and it was always a mess that drew other animals. We visited some friends that had several different kinds of feeders right off their deck and they had all different kinds of birds coming. There was one in particular bird they had that was just awesome. It was blue but I am not sure what kind. That did catch my attention. I thought - why can't I do this," added Ball.

"A friend of mine told me he goes to WBU and I remembered seeing the store, so off I went. I was and am so impressed with the people, their attitude, knowledge, helpful follow up, just excellent. I bought the platform feeder and put it along with a finch feeder up close to our house. Got the No-Mess Blend too, which was a huge plus and we started getting a lot of birds. We are now getting - Black-capped Chickadees, nuthatches, a Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, many varieties of finches AND this is the real clincher for me - the Eastern Blue Bird - absolutely beautiful," concluded Ball.

"Bird feeding is an easy, inexpensive hobby that everyone can enjoy in their own yard," added Carpenter. "Our goal is, and always has been, to provide the best possible products with the best local advice to help people attract the kind of birds they want to their yard."

About Wild Birds Unlimited

Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores with more than 345 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Wild Birds Unlimited specializes in bringing people and nature together with bird feeding and nature products, expert advice and educational events. Listen to our podcast, Nature Centered, to learn more about feeding the birds and enjoying nature in your backyard. Episodes can be found here, https://www.wbu.com/podcast. Visit our website and shop online at www.wbu.com. To learn how you can open your own Wild Birds Unlimited, visit www.wbufranchise.com.

SOURCE Wild Birds Unlimited