Surrounded now by the medical research community and a sea of apartments, Southland Farm Store survives from a much earlier era when people nearby still kept small animals and even horses and cattle. For decades the store did well by converting to birding and pet supplies and organic gardening supplements. Now with the rise of urban backyard chickens, community gardens and other types of big-city DIY agriculture, Southland may be in sort of a sweet spot. They still have big animal gear, especially for horses, and there are still people behind a counter right up front who know what they're talking about, just like in feed stores out in the country. But at Southland it's a little different spin: how to be a farmer in the city. That's what you call a specialized niche, and they're in the middle of it.