LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The life and legacy of one family business lives on through its family, friends, and food.
Uncle T’s Food Mart in Little Rock celebrates over 40 years in business at the corner of Daisy Bates and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Siblings William "Bill", Ron and Jerrye Woods run the family business.
"My dad, my uncle and my mother... we want to keep the legacy going," Ron and Jerrye Woods said. "This is what they started."
Unbeknownst to many, Uncle T is actually their great-uncle Tillman Green.
"Our roots began in Marion, Arkansas, actually Sunset, Arkansas, where my great uncle had the first store in the family," Ron Woods said. "It was called Lilly's Place."
Lilly's Place was named after Green's wife, Lilly and according to family was the only store in town. The family business was then started in 1955.
"His store was right in front of a dirt road, and that was one of my jobs, working in the store, sprinkle the green stuff on the floor, you know, dust dirt, you know, and stock the coolers," Bill Woods said.
It was their summers in the country that inspired their parents to bring that love to Little Rock.
The bustling African-American community and businesses along the historic West Ninth Street and its surrounding neighborhood fostered their sense of purpose.
And their family friends, the Braswells helped them begin a new venture with a mini-mart.
"They actually had two, one on Ninth Street, one was on 16th Street called Braswell Mini Grocer," Bill Woods said. "That's what it was called. That was what we bought, their mini grocer, which was next to Soul Brothers Records."
It wasn't until July 1, 1980, and years of lessons from their parents, William Sr. and Margaret, and their Uncle Willie, Uncle T's Food Mart opened at the corner of 14th and High Street, which is now Daisy Bates Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
It's a place that thousands have come to love and enjoy and the store's impact reaches far beyond the community it calls home.
"Back when Governor Clinton was governor, he used to jog this area a long time ago, before he became president," Bill Woods said. "The second term he became president, his staff bought sandwiches from us to feed the election workers and I was just so proud... they thought of us."
So, what is it about this four-aisle, sandwich-selling store that keeps the people coming back?
Bill Woods said it's more than just food and household products. It's a safe haven for the community.
"That's what we're here for, to help each other," Bill Woods said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my customers. That's evident they love us because they're still coming in. We are still in business."
It's the business of making food, family and friends.
It's a place to share news of parties and fundraisers and even a foundation for a mission, just like the one born from relationships the Woods shared with the late activist Robert "Say" McIntosh.
"I got to know him when he started erecting those crosses across the street in the early 90s trying to get everyone to understand that we have a problem," Bill Woods said.
Those crosses still standing on the land owned by the Woods, a reminder of coming together to stop the violence.
While relationships are important in every business, working with your family can be challenging.
"We get along pretty well. I think the challenging part is just being accommodating and compromising because we all have different ideas, and at some point, you have to come together," Ron Woods said. "Just like running a democracy, majority rules. Luckily, it's an odd number."
In the end, the siblings said it doesn't matter what the sandwich is made of, it's about who it's feeding.
And it's that mission of serving others that truly makes Uncle T's a family business.
"It's a job," Bill Woods said. "It's a job that I love and you can't beat working at a job you love."
Uncle T's Food Mart is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturday, the business is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.