Gravel Ridge Small Engine celebrates 20 years

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Gravel Ridge Small Engine at 7900 Jacksonville Cutoff Road is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It is the area’s premier source of Gravely, Ariens, Walker and Toro mowers, and Echo and Shindaiwa chainsaws, leaf blowers and trimmers. The showroom is full of zero-turn riding mowers that are hard to resist climbing atop. The shop also sells Kohler, Kawasaki, Briggs and Stratton engines and parts. It is the go-to place for parts, repairs and service for professional landscapers and savvy homeowners.

“We started out with just the backdoor open, just working on stuff, but I became a Gravely dealer in October 2002. I still got a receipt hanging above the office door where I gave one of our distributors a check for $300 and told him to do what was best as far ordering parts that we may need. I operated on a shoestring budget for a long time. It was a lot of hard work. It was 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week,” owner Ronald Wallace said.

He decided to open after a lawnmower dealer in North Little Rock closed. He believed there was a need for lawnmower services, and has been right for the last two decades. Wallace said word-of-mouth and quality service helped his business grow in the early days. Now, the next generation is taking root.

His daughter, Jessica Feldman, manages the store these days. She greets customers, checks in their equipment for maintenance, and completes the sales process from start to finish.



She knows what customers need based on the size of their yard and budget and helps them through the financing process. “Jessica got put in the frying pan,” when the shop’s longtime manager, Linda Langley, died in 2018, Wallace said. Feldman quickly learned the technical aspects of lawnmowers and brought a woman’s touch to the showroom.

“The customer is the most important part of our business. Being a newcomer to outdoor power equipment, I had to gain the respect and trust of our customers. The best part of customer service is having customers show gratitude for all the hard work that goes into that service. A happy customer is the best advertising,” she said.

Gravel Ridge Small Engine’s master technician Matt Bugbee began apprenticing at the shop when he was 13 years old. He’s 29 now and is certified to do warranty work. He makes sure customers’ equipment is in the best shape possible because well-maintained equipment lasts longer and works better.

The shop’s other staff include service writer and counter salesman Chris Pittman and mechanic Don Butterworth, who are friendly and knowledgeable about lawnmowers and outdoor power equipment.

It’s open 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. Saturday. Its phone number is 501-834-9900.


A supplement to The Leader, Wednesday, March 23, 2022