GRAVETTE -- A new business opened on Main Street in Gravette just in time for Gravette Day. Les and Sylena Wingo, owners of The Junken Sailor at 121 Main Street, S.E., held a preview open house last Saturday and will have their official grand opening this Saturday. A ribbon cutting will be held at 10 a.m., Aug. 20, at the shop. Regular hours for the store will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and shorter hours on Saturday.
The Wingos say the shop features reclaimed furniture, including armoires and dressers and home decor such as mirrors and candlesticks. They are also working with a vendor in Bentonville who will supply them with rustic signs painted on old barn wood. They believe in the concept of shopping locally and do their best to support area vendors.
The name of the shop, Junken Sailor, is partially drawn from Les being a proud Navy veteran. He says one part of the shop is a patriotic section with part of the proceeds going to support area veterans' organizations. Another feature of the shop is the "Man Cave" where shoppers can find supplies for the man of the family.
Les has a little experience in retail sales, and Sylena has done custom work refinishing furniture and worked in a shop that sold used furniture in Bentonville until the store closed. She has always had a dream to have her own shop, and Les says, "I'm not going to deny her her dreams."
Sylena lived for several years six miles from downtown Bentonville, and Les says they could have opened their business in a larger town like Bentonville or nearby Centerton but felt real estate prices were inflated there. When the opportunity presented itself to rent a building here, they acted on it.
"All these empty buildings were too tempting," Sylena said.
The Wingos like Gravette and want to be part of the community and help revitalize it. They live in an apartment in downtown Gravette, so their shop is very conveniently located just a short walk up the street.
Sylena is the former Sylena Cowgur from Hiwasse. She was born in Fayetteville and moved with her family to Texas and then Alabama but returned to the area when she was in sixth grade. She graduated from Bentonville High School in 1995. She and Les met in a mutual interest group on Facebook. He was living in Atlanta, Ga., and she says, "I went to Atlanta and chased after him." The couple was married in 2015.
Les was born in Nashville, Tenn., then lived in Mobile, Ala., until 1991 when he moved to Atlanta. He joined the Navy in 1998 and was a part of several dangerous missions. He was a search and rescue swimmer who flew in helicopters and rescued people after shipwrecks or boaters lost at sea. He was a door gunner and helped rescue people from "hot zones" when he was deployed in Iraq. He received the National Humanitarian Award twice for his efforts in rescuing victims during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
When Les left the Navy, he lived in Reno, Nev., for a while before returning to Atlanta. When he and Sylena were married, they lived in Fayetteville, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta where the movies "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Smoky and the Bandit" were filmed. Les noted the currently popular TV series, "The Walking Dead," is also filmed in the area. There were lots of hate crimes in the area and Sylena didn't feel safe.
"I didn't even go out grocery shopping alone and I didn't watch the TV news because I didn't want to know what was going on just beyond my doorstep."
Sylena finally persuaded her husband to come to Arkansas, and the couple moved here in April of this year. Les admits there's been a little "culture shock" but he loves it here. He said the move has been good for him.
"It's a far more relaxing environment and it's nice not having to be on high alert all the time."
He commented that, while kids from this area always seemed to be eager to get out, people in big cities are seeking just what we have in this area.
Sylena says Les doesn't suffer as much culture shock as she did living in the Atlanta area and kids him that "his face muscles are tired from smiling all the time" because people here are so friendly.
General News on 08/17/2016