History books may devote more pages to nearby Little Rock Central High School, but in the day-to-day life of the neighborhood it’s hard to imagine any landmark around here ranking higher than Uncle T’s Food Mart.
Generations of customers have walked through the door for a Coke, a fresh deli sandwich or groceries, served with a smile by generations of the Woods family.
"As far back as I can remember I was in that store," said co-owner Dr. Jerrye Woods. "We pretty much grew up in the business."
The original Uncle T — Tillman Green — opened a grocery store in the Arkansas town of Sunset, where members of his extended family learned the grocery trade. Years later, his twin nephews Dr. William Henry Woods and Willie L. Woods, and Dr. Woods’ wife Margaret, bought Braswell’s Groceries at West 16th and High Streets in Little Rock. In 1980, the family moved to its present address, which featured a larger space that included a deli counter.
Willie and William took another cue from their uncle in employing family members. It was more than just cheap labor; William was particularly insistent his three children — now the store’s co-owners — gain a real-world entrepreneurial education, starting in elementary school.
"That was something our father really instilled in us, as far as working for ourselves, doing something for ourselves," Ron Woods said. "I raised my kids the same way. Even though they’ve had a lot more than we had growing up, they know the importance of working."
Uncle T’s has celebrated the neighborhood’s ups and buttressed its downs over the years, and this steadfast commitment has forged a nearly unbreakable bond of customer loyalty. Theirs is not a complicated philosophy, but it’s effective.
"Staying true to your customers, what they want and what they need and being friendly to them," said William Woods Jr., the store’s general manager. "Our customer base is strong; ever since moving from that location on 16th Street, some of our customers followed us from there to where we are now and they’ve been with us all these years."
Five decades after it opened, Uncle T’s is just hitting its stride. In November, the family will open a Conway location in the first floor of the new Donaghey Hall at the University of Central Arkansas and additional locations are in the works. There are also plans to move the Little Rock store across the street as part of a larger development.
Meanwhile, life in the old neighborhood goes on one sandwich, one story and one smile at a time.
"It’s definitely taught us the importance of family. It’s been important working together to build something and be a service to people," Jerrye Woods said. "That’s what our father instilled in us the most."