Changing with the times Martins Dept Store celebrates 60 years
Martins Department Store in Hope is celebrating 60 years in business this month. Owner’s Greg and son Allen Martin talked about what it has been like to have a family owned business passed down. Greg Martin learned the trade from his parents Mr and Mrs Earl Martin. Allen Martin, who currently runs the store also learned from his parents making the store a third generation landmark.
“I remember my first day to actually work in the store. I was 12 years old and my mom was sick and my dad was a pallbearer at a funeral. He said ‘Just stay there and don’t take a check..’” Martin Sr. reminisced with a jolly laugh. That was in the first location opened in 1959 at 103 South Main.
Many Hope residents have grown up with Martins being the family shoe store.
“ I remember my mom taking me in Martins to buy my shoes and I would see my high school teacher there,”a lifetime Hope resident said. Mrs. Sammy Martin, Greg’s mother and Allen’s grandmother also worked as a teacher at Hope High School.
“ It was a place you could always find the brands you wanted.” At that time, Martin’s was in what was known as the Village Square Shopping Center in what hometowners refer to as the S Curve on 67 Highway in the middle of Hope. In the last 60 years the store has been in five different locations including a place in Prescott, Arkansas for a time and also Arkadelphia.
Wherever the market went the Martins followed. “ Every time the customer based changed, we moved with it,” Martin Sr. said. The store hasn’t stopped keeping up with the times which is the secret to their success.
Ding, Ding, Ding the store’s alarm system alerted the back offices each time the door of the store opened and brought a smile to the face of Martin Sr. “ I love that sound,” he said, after mention of the sound made him sit back and take notice of something he hadn’t paid attention to in a while.
They keep up with the times and changing face of business by using a VIP customer system on Facebook that allows them to ask their customers what they think of items. Martin Sr said the online business is the reason they can offer 20 different colors of one shoe style. The inventory of shoes that are kept inside the store is around 20,000 pairs, according to the Martin family. That speaks for itself on just how much things have changed as the inventory of the first store was only about $2200.
“ My dad and mom always taught us to treat customers like your family,” Martin Sr. said. They are still growing and adding to the Martin’s legacy with the addition of a new electronic sign most recently and before that the addition of Hallmark Gold Crown.
“ They come in and give us their hard earned money and we appreciate that,” he added. The Martin’s also take advantage of the VIP system to help reduce the mark downs. “ The input from the local people helps us and the customers as well.” The store also likes to feature local models and photos of the local people modeling their items. The Martin’s Store timeline: 103 South Main 1959 -1975, Village Square 1970-1987, 217 South Main 1975-1990, Prescott 1973-1979, Hervey Square (inside West Dept Store) 1987-88, 914 North Hervey 1988-present.
