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It’s rare that a news tip makes me sad, but that’s what I felt a week ago when a source shared the rumor that Mack’s Prairie Wings had sold to Bass Pro Shops.
About eight hours later, Bass Pro announced a new “partnership” with Mack’s. It’s not clear from the announcement what exactly is happening, but it seems apparent once you wade through the PR gobbledygook that Bass Pro is steering the ship.
Both companies have rebuffed our attempts to get more clarity about the “partnership.”
“The specific terms of the agreement between the two private companies are confidential,” a Bass Pro spokesperson told Arkansas Business.
I’m a duck hunter, and I make it a point each season to visit Mack’s. On an afternoon during duck season, Mack’s is a nice encapsulation of Arkansas.
It’s always crowded, but it doesn’t feel that way. Everyone is passionate and excited to be around other people similarly enamored with those beautiful green-headed birds.
It’s a melting pot, comprising wealthy hunters visiting the exclusive duck clubs from in and out of state along with those hunting the public woods of Bayou Meto.
I spoke with a number of hunters last week; the prevailing reaction was worry that the store will lose its character and become just another big-box store.
That’s not meant as a knock on Bass Pro Shops. There are few outdoor enthusiasts who return empty-handed from a trip to their local store. But when it comes to waterfowl, Mack’s is the standard, carrying everything the duck hunter could ever need and offering a host of specialty products you’d never find in a Bass Pro.
Then of course, there’s the cultural aspect. Mack’s is as much a part of our duck hunting culture as rice and flooded timber.
Bass Pro leaders have said a lot of the right things. Founder and CEO Johnny Morris told Mack’s employees in a video that his company wanted to be respectful of what they’ve created and help support growth.
Something else he said raised eyebrows.
“Maybe a few more boats down there and a few more fishing plugs,” Morris said.
The situation is a reminder of how hard it is to maintain a family business through multiple generations. The recent announcement came less than a year after the death of Marion McCollum Jr., the longtime president and CEO of Mack’s Prairie Wings who took over the original business from his father, Mack.
As fate would have it, I was going through old clothes a few weeks back in preparation for a move. I came across an old Mack’s T-shirt my wife gave me for Christmas one year. It was one of those shirts that had faded and ripped and probably should’ve been thrown out years ago.
After looking at it for a moment, I chunked it. I wish I hadn’t.
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