Way of the Entrepreneur: G & R Back Forty, Hunting Supplies
Rosie Glass leans back in her swivel chair behind the counter and does a leisurely spin, scanning the expansive yet crowded space that is G & R Back Forty, the new hunting supply shop she and husband Gary just
opened on Highway 53. Glass says she’s got more camouflage gear than she has places to store it, but says “that’s the way you buy, then you can pass the savings on to someone else”. Glass may be engaging in shop talk at the moment, but overall, she is simply holding court; a few friends are seated nearby, and the atmosphere is one of ease and good cheer.
Glass and her husband have opened their doors in good time for hunting season, but at G & R, you’ll find supplies and equipment for fishing, camping, and hiking as well.
G & R is a no-frills hunter’s haven stocked from stem to stern with clothing, footwear, children’s wear, tools, tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, and scads of other items for use in the great outdoors. G & R offers a layaway plan, as well as discounts on volume purchases. “The number one thing this time of year is the camo”, Glass says of her most popular item, and there’s a lot of variety to be found among camouflage goods at the new shop.
Avid hunters themselves, Rosie and Gary Glass have a decade-long tradition of joining other family members in the deer hunt around Grandin. In the springtime, says Glass, “the same crew goes fishing at Kentucky Lake, Norfork, and Wappapello”.
While G & R Back Forty is, first and foremost, a place of business, Glass sees it as a gathering place as well, “where everyone can meet and chew the fat”, and where people can congregate to hear “all the big fish stories, and have a cup of coffee or a soda pop”.
When asked what items make G & R Back Forty unique among hunting supply stores, Rosie Glass is surprisingly frank: “I don’t think I have anything others don’t have…I’ve just got better prices”.
G & R Back Forty is located 9 miles out Hwy. 53 South. Look for the building on the left. Hours: 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. Tel: 573-872-9335.
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