Buds Gun Shop & Range has re-opened Uncle Lee’s, the popular Greenville-based outdoor sports store that served Kentuckians for the past 40 years. The legendary outfitter closed at the beginning of this year, much to the surprise (and dismay) of its devoted followers.
Ten months ago, Regina Steele found herself doing something she never dreamed she would be doing – packing up and closing the 76,000-square-foot store she had worked at for a quarter of a century.
“People couldn’t believe it,” Steele said. “Every person who walked through the doors was asking ‘why?’ The level of support in Western Kentucky was amazing – our customers literally had tears in their eyes, and they turned to social media to commiserate with other fans of Uncle Lee’s.”
Shortly after Uncle Lee’s closed, Buds Gun Shop & Range entered the picture. The Lexington-based gun store is one of the biggest retailers of firearms and accessories in the nation and operates the largest gun store and range in Tennessee and another in Lexington. The company also operates BudsGunShop.com and is one of the largest online retailers of firearms in the world. Buds Gun Shop & Range re-opened Uncle Lee’s this fall and decided to retain the Uncle Lee’s brand started by founder Lee Fauntleroy rather than turning the store into a Buds Gun Shop.
“We are so unbelievably thankful for Buds Gun Shop & Range,” Steele said. “From a business standpoint, this is a marriage made in heaven. Their business philosophy is perfect for Uncle Lee’s – and we expect nothing but good things for the company and for our loyal customers.”
In recent weeks, Uncle Lee’s has had a “soft opening” as the store gets reopened. A full-blown Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting will take place Monday, Nov. 16 (the store will have Grand Opening sales and specials throughout the entire week).
“All of our customers are thrilled,” Steele, who is now the manager at Uncle Lee’s, said. “We had a gentleman in yesterday who had his son with him – he told us his daddy and his granddaddy were both loyal customers of Uncle Lee’s. You just don’t see that very much in today’s world.”
Uncle Lee’s is known for its selection of hunting and fishing equipment including firearms, ammunition, fishing supplies, archery supplies, clothing and boots. Steele says longtime customers will be impressed with the new version of Uncle Lee’s.
Buds Gun Shop & Range operates the largest gun store and shooting range in Tennessee (Sevierville) and the largest gun store and shooting range in Kentucky (Lexington). The company is the number one online retailer of firearms in the United States and one of the largest firearms retailers in the world.
More information will be provided about the Grand Opening of Uncle Lee’s in coming weeks. For more information about Uncle Lee’s, visit www.UncleLees.com. For more information about Buds Gun Shop & Range, see www.BudsGunShop.com.