A FAMILY TRADITION

J.R. Barnett, Founder

J.R. learned how to be a merchant in the A.M. & Son General Store in Heber Springs, AR. Born in 1935 he was the second child to Shem & Evelyn Barnett. The Barnetts were natural merchants, starting with A.M. Barnett driving a patch truck in the early 1900's. He then went on to buy the General Store & ran it with his son Shem. J.R. grew up in the store, learning to wait on customers, count merchandise, & stock shelves. He got a taste of the cowboy life on his family's farm, watching Sanford Reynolds ride his horse & use a bull whip. J.R. likes to tell that Sanford had a bull whip he would use to work cows, & he would leave it curled up under the stove, probably to dry out. The boys, being boys, would sneak it out & play with it when they thought he wasn't watching. This is where J.R. really started his love for the cowboy way of life.

He bought his first store, J.R. Barnett's Mens Store in 1962.  He sold suits & ties for a living while raising his first three children, Bobby, Robin, & Jason. In 1984, he moved to Conway & moved to more western wear than dress clothes, boots, hats, saddles, & tack. He did keep the tuxedo rentals, which has remained an important part of the business.  J.R. has made a living, doing what he loves in the comfort of his 'home'. He also added two more girls to the mix after moving to Conway, Leah & Laynie.

After 38 years at Conway, & nearly 50 years in business for himself, J.R. decided to try out the retired life.  Leah took interest in the business & took over in 2008.  She kept the main business of boots, hats, tack, & ropes, but also began adding ladies & girls clothing to offer something for everyone in the entire family.  Keep reading to learn more about Leah! 

 

 Leah Colclasure, Owner

 

Howdy ya'll! I'm Leah Colclasure, owner of J.R.'s Hobby Horse since 2008. I was actually born the year after the store opened in Conway, so I've really grown up in my family business! Over the years I have worked on keeping inventory for everyone, while maintaining our true western basis. I love talking to my customers about tack & ropes, or shaping a hat for an old friend.
My family means the world to me & consists of my husband, Corey, our daughters, Morgan & Meghan, and our little cowboy Kyan Lee! God has blessed us with a  wonderful family & too many friends to count. I am a God-fearing cowgirl, so ya'll watch out! If you don't know Jesus as your personal savior I would be glad to pray with you, John 3:16.
Horses are my first love & I can't imagine my life without them! I grew up in rodeo, and still team rope and breakaway every chance I get.  I love the rodeo life, traveling like a band of gypsies. I have more friends that I've known longer than I can count, chasing our dreams together. I honestly feel more comfortable in an arena, or at the store, than anywhere else on earth.
I'm always up for a challenge, & we love helping find things you need, so give me a call or drop me an email if there is anything I can help you with!