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Southern Oak Outdoors has been named the September Business of the Month by the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce. The store is located at 1405 Highway 80 West in Demopolis.

Southern Oak Outdoors is an outdoor and sporting goods company that celebrated its grand opening in August. The store used to be known as Willingham Sports, owned by Ronnie and Robin Willingham, and Rachel and Cody Wallace purchased the building from them.
Cody Wallace said he’s always loved owning his own business and has always had a “great passion” for the outdoors. He loves to spend his free time hunting and fishing, so owning a sporting goods store was a perfect match for him.

Ever since his father passed away three years ago, Wallace said it has been on his mind to do something different and he approached Ronnie and Robin Willingham last year about buying their building.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own store. And that dream blossomed into what it is now,” Wallace said. “It gives me an opportunity to give back to the community and stay here in Demopolis and have something that I am passionate about.

Given that Southern Oak Outdoors has only been in business for about a month, Wallace said he didn’t think they would be named the business of the month so quickly.

“It is a great honor to be named business of the month this soon after opening our store. The response we’ve had since taking over has been great,” said Wallace. “It’s nice to see that the hard work Rachel and myself and other family members and friends have helped us build this up to a position where it’s recognizable. It says a lot and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.”

The store sells a large variety of items such as hunting gear like ammunition and game cameras, archery equipment, and products for fisherman, both recreational and tournament. Wallace also said they are beginning to dabble in everyday apparel such as blue jeans, t-shirts, and boots.

Wallace said that future plans for the store include having Black Friday and Christmas sales. He also said they are looking into having a quarterly gun raffle where people can come in for a chance to win prizes, and potentially holding a bass fishing tournament.

Wallace said he wants the residents of Demopolis to know that they have a place where they can buy quality equipment without having to leave the area.

“I want to make sure that they feel like if there is something they want or need, we will do the best we can to get them what they want,” said Wallace. “We want to be a friendly face in the community and let people know that our door is always open.”

For more information visit Southern Oak Outdoors, call the store at  (334) 289-4652 or by email at southernoakoutdoors23@gmail.com.