Change of Ownership Visits Little Rock’s Famed Hogman’s Hog Pen

For at least one member of your Whispers staff, a visit to Hogman’s Hog Pen on South University has for years been a necessary part of life. Like the weekly run to the grocery store or the gas station.

On one recent visit, we were tipped off that changes might be coming for the iconic store, an ingrained piece of Hogdom that resonates with Razorback fans across the state and has even garnered attention outside its borders.

On our next visit, we discovered that the Hogman’s staff indeed wasn’t kidding. Steve Jenkins of Jenkins Enterprises, long a purveyor of wholesale Razorback merchandise, bought out the retiring Terry "Hogman" Eustice in April. 

Jenkins branched out into the retail Hog game in September 2010 when he opened Gameday Superstore on JFK in Park Hill. When he heard a rumor last month that Eustice was considering retirement after opening Hogman’s in 1980, Jenkins said he couldn’t let the Hogman name be retired as well.

"The Hogman name is iconic, an institution in Arkansas," Jenkins told Whispers.

So, Hogman’s on University as well as the North Little Rock location will soon be rebranded as Hogman’s Gameday Superstore.

Even better, Jenkins has signed a lease for a Hot Springs location that’s set to open by July in the Cornerstone Market Place off Central just south of Highway 70. Plus, probably around the first of the year, Jenkins will move the Park Hill store down the street – still on JFK in Park Hill – to a new location that will afford roughly 2,800 SF of Razorback regalia.

Meanwhile, the original Hogman’s on University was reopened last week after a week of renovation and expansion. Visitors to the new version will marvel at the increased showroom space and updated look. When renovation is complete, the Little Rock location will match the 1,200 SF of space at the current Park Hill store. The Hot Springs Hogman’s will be 1,200 SF as well.

Jenkins said he can easily envision five Hogman’s Gameday Superstores spread across the state. But for now, his hands are full with the rebranding, the continued tweaking of the Little Rock store and opening in Hot Springs. Jenkins told Whispers to watch for much more ladies’ and kids’ merchandise at the original Hogman’s.

So, Terry Eustice may be enjoying a well deserved retirement, but Hogman lives on. And loyal customers rest easy: Regina still mans the register on University. Change can be good, but that’s not a change we were prepared to face.