ROCKWELL — Now located just to the left of Ace Hardware, you’ll find a locally owned sporting goods store with an uncanny name: Lead Chunkers.
The name conjures up images of a serene day at the lake spent casting a line, or an early morning up in the tree stand, quietly waiting for the perfect moment to squeeze the trigger.
Lead Chunkers specializes in everything from live bait to shotgun shells. Owners Audrey and Rodney Randall have relocated their Rockwell outdoor sporting goods store across the street to 229 E. Main St., inside a newer building with a larger parking lot.
Firearms make up the majority of this locally owned business.
“We special order every day, we take trade-ins from people, and sometimes we outright buy guns from them as well,” Audrey said.
Rodney added that some of the more interesting firearms to come through the store included a replica Tommy gun enclosed in a violin case, and even a .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle.
“That thing is so heavy we don’t really want to set it down on our glass,” Rodney said.
While the store is smaller than the big chain sporting goods stores, Rodney and Audrey pride themselves on their interactions with customers.
“Our biggest thing is customer service, we can answer questions for you and help you meet your needs,” Audrey remarked.
Hunting and fishing licenses are available at the counter. A sizeable selection of live and frozen baits can be chosen from, including minnows, goldfish, chicken livers and shrimp.
Lead Chunkers is holding a grand re-opening on June 21.
They will also be celebrating their fifth anniversary as a business in November. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. To contact them, call 704-209-0212.
Contact news intern Connor Anderson via news editor Scott Jenkins at 704-797-4248.