Wild Birds Unlimited Inc., operating on Spokane's South Hill, is under new ownership following the acquisition of the avian product shop by longtime Montana franchisee operators John and Kathy Haigh.

Through their franchisee company Our Third Bird LLC, the husband-and-wife team has taken over the 1,000-square-foot store at 2925 E. 29th, in the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center. The deal adds a third Wild Birds location to their portfolio, which includes stores in Billings and Bozeman, Montana.

The couple declines to disclose the purchase price of the business. The acquisition follows a longstanding relationship with the store's previous owners, who originally trained at the Haighs' Billings location before opening the Spokane site, says Kathy Haigh. 

"When they wanted to start their ... retirement journey, John and I reached out to take over right away, and here we are," she says.

The Haighs are bringing 25 years of franchisee experience to Spokane; they received Wild Birds Unlimited's Franchisee of the Year award in 2025.

The Spokane location has five full-time employees. The business is recruiting an additional assistant manager, she says.

The store offers specialty birdseed, feeders, birdhouses, birdbaths, and nature-related merchandise, along with consultations from certified bird-feeding specialists. There's an opportunity to expand the store's customer base through educational programming and online sales, she adds. The new owners are planning to increase community outreach through presentations in the store's Discovery Room, potentially featuring other industry experts and educators, as well.

"After the first year, we hope to do things like bring in some native plant specialists, maybe some live birds," she says.

Conservation education will remain a priority to the pair, who support the Save the Songbirds initiative, which promotes habitat restoration, native plantings, and responsible bird feeding.

"Our goal is definitely to get it established and to continue to grow it, continue to reach out to more customers about the benefits of bird watching and feeding," she says. "We're here to make a positive impact on our community." 

Founded in Indiana in 1981, Wild Birds Unlimited operates more than 360 franchise locations across the United States and Canada.