Bullock's Superstop hosts 30-year celebration
By LEWIS DELAVAN Editor

DRAWING A WINNER LEWIS DELAVAN PHOTO Co-owner Carolyn Bullock (left) gets help drawing names of winners at the 30-year celebration.

Treating customers and vendors well is the key to his success, says Owen Bullock, who together with his wife, Carolyn, celebrated the 30th anniversary of Bullock's Superstop recently.

Bullock said he was humbled by the turnout.

Bullock's has served as "lots of kids' first job."

"I've just enjoyed watching the community grow up," he said. "It means a lot that people and their children's children keep coming in," he said.

"I have a lot of good memories of this place," he said. "Children rode their bicycles here. Now their children, and even grandchildren, are coming in. For those who live out of state, they'll come back into town and come to the store."

Children still make Bullock's a daily part of their lives. "It's so fun to watch girls walk to the store with their purses on their shoulder. They shop the candy aisle like they see their mothers shopping in Kroger's," he said.

10 YEARS AGO Gasoline was selling for 91.9 cents a gallon at Bullock's 20th anniversary.

Besides providing food and fuel to the community, Bullock's supports it in different ways, such as sponsoring ball teams.

"We just enjoy being a part of the community," he said.

Vendors and Bullock's provided numerous prizes and treats for the celebration.

Gas cards, free hot dogs and fresh chicken strips were all popular, Owen Bullock said. Coca-Cola donated a bicycle, T-shirts and other items.

Frito-Lay donated a camping tent. Mountain Valley Water donated cases of its water.

Their partnership with Coulson Oil Co. is strong, said Bullock. Coulson's owner and other company officials attended.

Owen Bullock helped found the Coulson's Superstop Cooperative, and has served as its president.

Buying through the co-op helps members offer lower prices to customers, and helps Coulson's by attracting more people to its Shell pumps.

Bullock's fresh chicken strips are a key attraction at the store. "Our chicken strips are famous," Bullock said. "People around here love them, and I have people from Hot Springs Village, North Little Rock and Little Rock who drive in to get them."

STOPPING BY LEWIS DELAVAN PHOTO State Sen. Shane Broadway (left) congratulates Carolyn and Owen Bullock for serving the public 30 years.

The secret is his wife, who does much of the cooking, he said.

Bullock, 67, grew up in Flagstaff, Ariz., the northern, cooler part of the Grand Canyon State. In the mid-1960s, he moved to Hot Springs, where he met Carolyn, "the sweet Benton girl," he said.

He was the market manager for Huckaby's store. She worked for Safeway.

"I found out this store was available, I talked to the owner and I took over the next day," he said.

Bullock's was originally a Conoco.

It started out as "the community grocery store." As well as groceries and gasoline, Bullock's offers a deli and meat department and daily lunch specials.

Bullock's also features smoked meats. Helping Carolyn Bullock is their nephew, Joel Vanderveer, 20.

"I do a little bit of everything," Vanderveer said Friday after climbing out of the Chesterfried Chicken suit. He's helped off and on since he was a youth. His greatest memory growing up next door to the business: "Having the biggest pantry in Saline County."

Retailing has seen many changes in the past three decades. "Trying to run a good operation and making sure we stay current and keep up with technology" has been a challenge, Owen Bullock said.

The Bullocks employ some 15 people who help them serve the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"Christmas is our busiest day," he said. He and his wife don't know what it's like to travel on holidays because they're so busy working during the high-traffic times.

Some employees have worked there 20 years or more.

Carolyn Bullock said she's "more behind the scenes" when it comes to the business. "We're really proud of our food," she said. "It's about quality, not quantity."

A few years after buying the business, the Bullocks tore down the red building where they started.

The new one was built several feet back from the old site.

"I had children crying when we tore down the old building," he said. "They asked where their red building had gone."

The Bullocks look forward to continuing to serve the community. "I'm not interested in retiring or selling. This is my baby. I can't imagine doing anything else."

The store is located at 15536 I-30, near Exit 116 on the north service road.