The Falcon Food Store, located about a half mile south of the Falcon business area on Highway 24, appears, at first glance, like a small campground with a convenience store and a couple of gas pumps. However, old timers and others know the store is so much more.The Falcon Food Store has been in Jim Ozburn’s family for 45 years, and he and his wife, Dee, have owned and operated the store for the last 21 years. It all began in 1957 when Jim Ozburn’s dad purchased the land.As a child in Iowa, Jim Ozburn often visited his uncle, who owned a small hotel in Colorado Springs. Ozburn’s father dreamed of leaving corporate America and opening a campground on the east side of El Paso County. The land that caught the eye of the elder Ozburn was not for sale, however. Persistence paid off, and, after a couple of years intercepting inquiries from Ozburn, the owner agreed to sell the south end of the property. The Ozburn’s purchased the rest several years later.There were several buildings on the property at the time, including a small home, a chicken coop, a well, a 1929-dated windmill and a few other buildings sided with flattened tin cans. The initial property, however, that the elder Ozburn purchased was virgin land. No matter, Ozburn took early retirement and moved his family to Falcon in 1957.Ozburn then built a small campground, which he named Falcon Tentel, a combination of the words tent and motel. He added a small store for the convenience of campers, and opened for business in the spring of 1959. At the time, the commercial side of Falcon consisted of Ed’s Motel and a small grocery store. In 1962, the grocery store burned down and Falcon Tentel became the only place to purchase essentials in the immediate area. Business was booming.Falcon Tentel also was popular with the school kids. During the 1960s, students with cars drove down to Falcon Tentel and purchased soda, candies and cigarettes. Those without cars wore a path walking to and from the store.Young Jim Ozburn graduated from high school in Falcon and, on a football scholarship, attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He met his wife, Dee, in college and the two married during their senior year. They were not interested in joining the Falcon family business post-college. Instead, they taught in Colorado and Oregon, eventually settling in Longmont with their two children, David and Danelle.After Jim Ozburn’s father passed away, his mother continued to run Falcon Tentel. Her son and daughter-in-law came down during the summers to help with the campground and store; however, in the spring of 1983, Jim and Dee Ozburn switched gears, and took over the entire operation with a goal to expand. As the new owners, they built showers, laundry and restroom facilities and an addition to the store. Jim Ozburn wanted it to be a “convenient” store, not just a “convenience” store. For example, if someone ran out of baking cocoa, spices, or cornstarch, the items were available at the newly named Falcon Food Store. The Ozburns expanded the campground to 36 sites, including two tent sites, and renamed it Falcon Meadow Campground.A change was in the air in the early 1970s. The high school was growing and so was development. The PDQ (now the Diamond Shamrock) opened in 1984, complete with gasoline pumps and another convenience store. The Ozburns’ business dropped 50 percent, so they focused on the campground, and survived.Eventually, people tired of the long waits for gasoline at PDQ, so they turned around and went back to the Falcon Store. Gasoline and in-store purchases blossomed once again.Since 2000, Falcon’s growth has exploded, and the 2001 onset of Safeway put a bit of a damper on the Ozburns’ business. Once again, they changed their focus and started promoting the campground, while maintaining a great little grocery, where good customer service was equally divided between the store and the campground. Throughout the years, the campers have changed from tourist types and occasional workers to RV dwellers visiting family or waiting for the completion of new homes.They may have witnessed many surrounding changes; however, the Ozburns have been steadfast to their business and their marriage. They recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and their personal happiness, even though they work and live side-by-side 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is due to individualized areas of expertise, and, as Dee Ozburn said, a sharing of the same interests and the enjoyment of each other’s company.Dee Ozburn attends Colorado College hockey games with her husband; in exchange, Jim Ozburn accompanies his wife to events at the Pikes Peak Center. They both enjoy their grandchildren and keep active in their church.The Ozburns know that Falcon’s growth might affect their business long term; meanwhile, they continue to give the residents and visitors top-notch customer service.
