You have to remember … my postal address is near the home of “Rednecks for Obama.” Hey, guys, with the appointments of Justices Sotomayor and Kagan to the Supreme Court, to quote Sarah Palin, “How’s that … workin’ out for ya?”
I live the dream here in the Ozarks. Hey, I married a redneck with a Ph.D. And now, I receive an invitation to check out Bubba’s Toybox on Facebook. Do I dare?
Before I go there, let me guess what I’ll find.
Short list:
Billy Bass wall thingey
Beer Koozies
Chairs with drink holders
Noodling equipment
Gigging gear
Fishing tackle rolley things with beer holders
Long list:
All of the above, plus firearms
Rifle racks for pickup trucks
Lights for your pickup truck
And one of those off-road commode thingeys, like here at Craziest Gadgets.
OK, so I went to Bubba’s Facebook page, and here’s its description: Outdoors Consignment Shop for hunters, horsemen, fisherman, sportsman, golfers and all things outdoors. Interested in consigning items in quality condition for sales in our retail store. Let’s see, in zip code 62236. That would be Illinois, I believe. The small-town newspaper reporter in me just wants to know the rest of the story. Where exactly is Bubba’s Toybox? It’s on 8804 Summer Road in area code 62236, with a 618 area code. Finally, I look up and its Facebook URL lists it as being in Columbia, Ill. I’m betting we won’t see firearms on consignment there.
So I picked up the phone and called the proprietor of Bubba’s. It turns out she was busy with a customer and will call me back. I want to see what she’s offering, especially if she has any of the things, like the camo commode seat, mentioned on my list.
In the meantime, see if you can figure it out. See http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-Illinois/Bubbas-Toybox/159956647363581#!/pages/Columbia-Illinois/Bubbas-Toybox/159956647363581
Twitter: http://twitter.com/babbsbaird
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Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
I have to admit, when you said Bubba’s Toybox, I defaulted to camo lingerie…
thank goodness some things should never be consigned!
This sounds like a fun, fun idea. I’ll definitely want to visit her store when she gets it up and running.
So any of the hunting or fishing items that we lugged with us from MI many moons ago (and I haven’t seen my hubbie use in Arizona) might work out to be sent as a donation to Jane’s Bubba’s Toybox? After all one guy’s old fishing reel might be another guy’s most prized possession (right?) Sounds like she is on to something unique and fun. Will look forward to photos of it from Gretchen!
She is great woman – one of my fellow board members at Hunters With Disabilities – she also was the brain child for a great shop local – eat local campaign that has really benefited the area.
She will definitely be on the guest list for a dinner outing if you or other WOMA members visit the area or the shooting complex – she’s also very handy to the St. Louis area 🙂
Oh! Forgot to tell you – I’d already talked with Jane about doing a piece on her and Bubba’s Toybox after she gets opened and settled – looks like you beat me to the punch! LOL
Nah, Gretchen, I didn’t beat you to the punch. You know you’re welcome to interview her anytime and send us any news. Also, I’m thinking … I wonder what type of photographic field trip you will have in her store when she gets it up and running, and yes, she did call me back today! She is the real deal, Jane the owner, and we’re going to keep the lines of communication open here so we can report on how Bubba’s Toybox is doing in its early stages. She has lots of great ideas — for recycling, for giving back to the community, for online sales. And, she speaks very highly of you … so she must be all right!
Hey Barb! That’s my good friend that is opening Bubba’s Toybox – she’s a phenomenal woman and you’ll love chatting with her when she gets back to you. She has all of us on a cleaning spree looking for items to add to her store 🙂
I honestly didn’t even think about firearms… hmmm didn’t think to ask her if they will handle them or how – I’ve grown so accustomed to having to jump through hoops, sign in blood and present my FOID card just to even buy a box of shells over here across the river…..
I envy those of you who live in much more gun friendly states. It’s just awful over here.
It’s a bitter pill for those of us in Southern IL – guns, hunting, and firearms in general are just part of culture. We are not representative of the Chicago machine, nor the majority of the state. We often joke that our state government thinks we either belong to MO or KY. We try and try – but alas that big machine of anti’s in Chicago land beats us out every time.
So, I’m guessing Jane might not handle firearms .
What I can envision – just because I know her and how well she operates her other business endeavors, is nice clean, family style higher end resale shop with good outdoor equipment that needs a home!
I’ll keep you posted!
I’m excited for her to open – imagine a thrift sore just for us outdoor folks!
It’s nice to see your curiosity peaking for Bubba’s Toybox. As the proud mother of five including one a 20 year old 6’5″ 350 pound son who drives a dodge pickup with a lift kit and a home made convertible top – who spends every day hunting and fishing, you can now make some sense out of the name.
Our family has been involved with the outdoors since I can remember. My first dog was a blue tick coon hound and our current one is a black lab named Remmington. Even my horse is named “Hunter” and he has been my loyal companion for over 20 years. (Where does the time go?)
So what about Bubba’s Toybox? Well, for sanitary reasons we probably won’t carry any camo toilet seats or camo lingerie (unless they are new), but we will be carrying brand new “bling” shirts that say “I’ll hunt, He can shop”. We won’t be forgetting about the women of the outdoors, but that shirt will probably be about as girlie as it gets.
What we will carry will depend a lot on our consignors, so spread the word and encourage your fellow outdoorsmen/women to clean out their sheds and bring us high quality / good condition items. We have a pretty good start and hope to ramp up prior to the holiday season. We already have clients looking for archery equipment, so if you have that old bow laying around or a tree stand you have outgrown, give us a chance to make you some money. If you bought new decoys this year, you can bet someone on a budget will be interested in your old ones. You get the idea.
And if you don’t feel like consigning items, consider donating them. If you do, we will donate 20% of the sales price to charity.
In the meantime, thanks to Barbara and Gretchen for helping us get the word out. We are grateful – and I mean it.