Reeling In Success: Outdoorsman Helps Equip Others

Photo by Sally Carroll/McDonald County Press The Ozark Trophy Hunters store now carries an expanded line of fishing lures. The store will have an anniversary celebration on Saturday, with free hot dogs and raffles.
Photo by Sally Carroll/McDonald County Press The Ozark Trophy Hunters store now carries an expanded line of fishing lures. The store will have an anniversary celebration on Saturday, with free hot dogs and raffles.

Jamey Blakeley believes he'll continue to grow his business by listening to his customers.

Ozark Trophy Hunters Outdoor Store, located at 36 Miser Road in Jane, sells everything from fishing lures to hunting supplies. Over the past year, Blakeley has listened to his customers, expanding several merchandise lines.

Now, those customers -- and new ones -- continue to patronize his business.

On Saturday, he will host an anniversary celebration, complete with free hot dogs, door prizes and a raffle for a 233 Wylde rifle. All merchandise across the store will be on sale, he adds. Festivities begin at 8 a.m.

Blakeley says his recipe for success focuses on listening closely to his customers and carrying what they need. Blakeley grew up in McDonald County. He still fishes the creeks and rivers, hunts in the woods, and traps. His years of experience and love for the outdoors fueled his passion to open a store to help fellow outdoorsmen find success.

Most of his fishing customers visit the Elk River, Little Sugar Creek and the Bella Vista lakes. He carries bait and lures with which local fishermen can land a big one.

Blakeley has added a large selection of Arkie lures, made in Lowell, Ark.

He also continues to sell Pico, which is made in Garfield. He's added quite a bit of merchandise, including centipedes that customers requested for bass fishing.

Approximately 80% of the selection is new. "I sell a variety," he said. "I want to offer what you can't get at Walmart or another tackle shop."

Custom-colored lures will be sold in the future. Blakeley is teaming up with Motivated Fishing out of Benton, Ark., to sell special lures at the store in Jane.

Ozark Trophy Hunters carries other merchandise that has been a real hit. In the last 12 months, Blakeley has continued to rely on his fishing, hunting and trapping experience. He's rid the store of merchandise that doesn't seem to move and added more that the customers have called for.

New trapping supplies have really taken off. The store carries traps for squirrel, bobcat, beaver, fox and coyote. A lot of people have expressed interest in eliminating predators from their land, Blakeley said. People who have chickens have a big problem with predators, such as foxes.

"When they have lots of chicken disappear, that's when they see what I have," Blakeley said.

Online sales for trapping supplies have posted well. He also plans to bring in live traps for customers who have expressed interest in capturing and then releasing.

Blakeley prides his store on offering a variety for the outdoorsman. For the hunter, the store offers deer mineral and protein.

And he's just teamed with a local knife maker, taking custom knife orders in five or six styles.

As the seasons change, Blakeley is expanding hours of operation. The store is now open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

He's finding that Sundays are extremely busy.

With being a small business, Blakeley has learned the ebb and flow of cash in hand. He believes the largest lesson of the year is having the confidence to realize more success.

As a locally owned business, Blakeley enjoys supporting other small companies. That's why he likes to purchase lures and specialty items from small businesses around the area.

He believes that by helping others, the small companies -- like his -- will continue to flourish.

He honestly encourages others to purchase elsewhere, if they can find a lure that is cheaper.

"(But) people say they want to buy from me," he said, smiling.

Long-term, he would like to move to a better and bigger location. He would like to build on and expand his merchandise lines, including archery.

For now, he's focused on helping customers enjoy the woods, creeks and rivers of McDonald County.

"I'm just going to take it one step at a time."

General News on 08/15/2019