EST. 1962
Through The Years
We are a second-generation family-owned business since we first opened our doors in 1962. We’ve often been asked by people who don’t know our family, “Is (Was) there really a Bob?” Yes, there was; Wilma too!
Although Bob often gets the recognition from customers for the business (after all, his name is on the sign), the truth is that this business wouldn’t be here today if not for both of them. This is the story of our family and our business.
We are a family rich in history
We are proud of where we came from and even prouder of where we are going.
Bob & Wilma
Bob and Wilma were both born in Izard county, Arkansas. Bob’s family moved to Michigan when he was a little boy. Both grew up very poor on family farms. In his youth, Bob and his siblings were expected to work in the fields on the family farm. In Wilma’s case, her family worked picking cotton and helped with other farm chores.
Bob also developed a love and passion for the outdoors as a boy. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and spent as much time as he could outside, exploring nature. He always described himself as a self-taught hunter and fisherman.
Bob went back to Arkansas to visit family friends one summer and met this sweet Arkansas girl named Wilma Taylor who would become his wife the following year after a brief courtship that consisted of writing and sending letters to each other up to 2-3 times a week.
After getting married in Arkansas, they moved to Michigan where they eventually started their family. Bob had been working a full time job at a local factory and was also selling from door to door, earning money to pay his way through a 2-year sales program at Davenport College and also attended Dale Carnegie classes. Decades later, he often credited this experience to much of his business success and would recount certain instructors by name and valuable lessons he learned from them.
1962
It was at this time in 1962 that Dad acted on his dream to combine his love for the outdoors with a store. He and Wilma erected a tiny 9’x12’ shack with their own hands behind their Freeport area home and Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop was born. They opened the store with 16 guns, a few boxes of ammo, and some reloading supplies. Business prospered as they expanded the next year and again 2 years after that. Bob continued to work the factory job for the first 5 years of the business while Wilma tended the business and raised their growing family. They put every penny back into the store in those first few years along with whatever they could contribute from his factory job to build inventory.
1968
Finally, in 1968 they purchased property near Hastings and built a larger facility which is where Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop is located today. Bob and Wilma worked long hours, often 6-7 days a week for many years to build the business. They endured the loss of a 10 year old daughter in 1971. Bob lost Wilma to cancer in 1992.
Bob and Wilma both valued hard work and carried the very best of ethics at all times. They made it a point to treat everyone well. To paraphrase what a long-time friend and former employee once said, “The thing I always appreciated was you knew no matter what your status was in life, you always got treated the same.” Bob was driven and didn’t have any quit in him. Although he was tough as nails, he was also kind and compassionate with a unique sense of humor. Wilma was gentle and always had a kind word to say. Everyone loved her.
Bob continued hunting and fishing throughout most of his life. He enjoyed his out-of-state hunts and pursued elk, moose, mule deer, antelope, caribou, and black bear in addition to Michigan whitetails. He also enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with rod and reel in hand. He was passionate about making improvements to his property to benefit wildlife. He planted hundreds, perhaps thousands of trees and continually planted food plots whenever he could.
Wilma worked hard at the store and kept Bob grounded. She was the glue holding the family together and was known for amazing Sunday family dinners.
1990's
Bob gradually retired in the 90’s during the years following Wilma’s death and handed management responsibilities over to his children. He continued to stop in periodically to see how things were going.
2019
Bob passed away in 2019 after a long battle with dementia.
Today
Today, Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop is owned by Bob and Wilma’s four children; Larry, Deb, Steve, and Cindy. While Cindy is a stay-at-home mom and has her own pet business, Larry, Deb, and Steve work at the store full time.
We have never lost sight of the hard work and dedication to our customers from Bob and Wilma and all of our employees that built our business into what it is today.