Southern Outfitters: Built for the Outdoors and the Community
Apr 16, 2026 02:39PM ● By Jen Gennaro
When Clay and Angie Barksdale opened Southern Outfitters in 2022, retail wasn’t a lifelong career path. Angie, who runs daily operations, had no retail experience; in fact, she was looking for a “retirement job,” a notion she finds laughable today.
What she did have was decades of experience in a family business, a clear sense of a gap in the community, and a willingness to figure it out.
Today, the store’s new location spans 24,000 square feet, nearly four times its original size, and has become a regional destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
Barksdale grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Her parents opened Industrial Pump Service in 1981, and she spent 28 years working alongside them, learning lessons you won’t find in a textbook.
“Be present, treat employees well, and work as hard as everyone that works for you,” she says. “I apply that daily.”
After her parents sold the business in 2020, she stayed on briefly but quickly realized corporate life wasn’t for her. “I wanted something of my own again,” she says.
Barksdale had already built and sold a doggie daycare and pet resort in North Carolina. When she began considering her next move, she focused on a simple question: what does the community need? The answer was clear. Zachary needed a hunting and fishing store.
Though she wasn’t a hunter, her family was deeply involved in the lifestyle. “My husband and kids are very into it,” she says. That, combined with her business instincts, was enough to take the leap.
She built vendor relationships from scratch, often just by picking up the phone. “People told me what brands they wanted, and I started calling,” she says.
Barksdale, who holds a degree in interior design, relied on a mix of “a lot of Googling,” firsthand experience, and observation to learn retail. While traveling, she made a point to visit outdoor stores, studying everything from layout to inventory.
Not every lesson came easily. Louisiana’s ad valorem inventory tax, which requires businesses to pay taxes on inventory value each year, was a major surprise. “It’s a significant expense,” she says.
Inventory planning remains a challenge. With clothing ordered seasons in advance, “it’s always a guessing game,” she says.
After a couple of years of needing offsite storage for inventory, it became clear that expansion was not just an opportunity, but a necessity.
Still, Barksdale approached it with caution. “You have to make sure you have the cash flow, or a strong banking relationship, before you expand,” she says.
When the former location of Dirt Cheap became available, the numbers made sense: nearly four times the space for only double the lease. She also had a strategic anchor in mind—the store’s archery range.
Today, the 60-yard, 10-lane indoor archery range is a major draw, offering hourly, monthly, and annual memberships, with plans for tournaments across age groups. “We knew the archery range would help pay for the lease,” she says.
As the business grew, so did the team. Barksdale credits much of Southern Outfitters’ success to hiring the right people at the right time.
Amanda White was her first hire—a foundational decision that set the tone for the company culture. Later, archery pro Troy Laborde joined. “We wouldn’t have an archery department without him,” Barksdale says.
Today, the business employs six full-time staff, and Barksdale remains closely involved in day-to-day operations.
“I’m here every day,” she says. “I like to talk to customers, walk the aisles, and help people. I have a huge investment here—and I want the community to see that we’re invested in them, too.”
That commitment extends beyond her own walls. Barksdale is intentional about supporting other local businesses, even when there’s overlap.
She had long been a customer of a local Western wear store and avoided entering that market out of respect. Only when the business closed did Southern Outfitters step in to fill the gap.“We want other businesses to succeed,” she says. “There’s room for all of us if we do it right.”
For those considering starting a retail business, Barksdale doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“Do your homework,” she says. “Make sure there’s a need. Make sure there’s not too much competition. And develop something unique—don’t just copy someone else.”
She also emphasizes the importance of support systems—both personal and professional—and the reality of the time commitment.
“This isn’t a passive investment,” she says. “Even with great employees, you need to be present.”
And if there’s one thread that runs through it all, it’s this: success doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from showing up, doing the work, and building something that truly serves the people around you.
Southern Outfitters is a one-stop shop for hunting, fishing, lifestyle brands and Western wear in the Zachary area. They offer firearms, ammo, archery sales and repair, and a 60-yard indoor archery range.
Located at 5640 Main Street, open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., and Sunday from 12-5 p.m.
Spring 2026 Issue
