Gene Lockwood's, 1328 Albert Pike Road, is owned by Marty and Kim Ward.
Eugene A. Lockwood founded what is now Gene Lockwood's in October 1955, starting his business as a leased sporting goods department of Pfeiffer Brothers Department Store in downtown Little Rock. Gene Lockwood's first opened a store in Hot Springs in the early 1960s in the old Cooks building and remained there until 2007 when they changed locations to the new location on Albert Pike.
The second generation runs the Hot Springs location. Their son, Cody Ward, has been the general manager at Gene Lockwood's since May 2019. Ward started working for his dad, Marty Ward, in the Little Rock location in 2007. The Hot Springs location has eight employees.
Lockwood's offers name-brand clothing and shoes such as Columbia, North Face, Nativ, Patagonia, Southern Marsh, Southern Tide, Southern Trend, Southern Shirt, Vineyard Vines, Costa, LivyLu, Free People, Life is Good, Stated Outfitters, Old Guard Outfitters, Mountain Hard Wear, Billabong, Huk, Underarmour, UGG, Burlebo, and more
Top shoes brands such as Birkenstock, Chaco, Toms, Hunter, Sanuk, Teva, Vintage Havana, Salomon, Sorel, Muck, Olukai, UGG, Crocs, Merrell, and more.
Water-sports such as Airhead, Hyper lite, HO, Sportsstuff, Lazy Bunz, Super Soft, Sun Bum, and more.
Outdoor accessories such as Yeti, Brumate, Eno, Hydro Flask, Costa, Baggo, Bogg, IceMule, Thread, Nebo, Teletie, Blenders, Swig, Kavu, and more.
Lockwood's is not so much of a true hunting and fishing store anymore. They do, "a lot more mainstream apparel with a side seasonal fun," Ward said.
One thing that makes the business unique is how often the layout of the store changes. We get in a lot of new merchandise year around that cause us to change out the store constantly. When the seasons change, we change.
Lockwood's wins Reader's Choice every year for Best Outdoor Gear.
Throughout the year, Lockwood's offers sidewalk sales, holiday sales, tax-free weekend/back-to-school sale, and partners card.
Ward goes to high school sporting events and donated (mostly silent auction items) to local charities, Rotaries and fundraisers in the community.
The store is successfully run with the help of store manager and family friend, Calie VanDusen. Cody or Calie can be seen as soon as you walk into the door with a friendly smile.
GL is a popular spot year-round for tourists and locals alike, but it adds style and fun to this summer season in particular with the hottest clothing, footwear, swim bottoms, and water toys.
Call 501-623-2508 or visit http://www.genelockwoods.com. The store is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.