CHRIS BOULDIN
ARKANSAS T-SHIRTS
P
aragould native Chris Bouldin got into the T-shirt business by way of the restaurant trade. In 2007, he was operating a pizza shop in Sherwood that wasn’t doing so well. Toward the end, he had some “I ♥ Little Rock” shirts made for his employees. The shirts were popular with customers as well. “It got to the point where we were selling as many of those shirts as we were selling pizza,” Bouldin said. “We just went ahead and kept the shirts part of it and got rid of the pizza place.” Bouldin took a job offer in Tulsa later that year, as program director at the Petroleum Equipment Institute. That gig is still his day job, but his heart — and much of his creative energy — continues to be focused on Arkansas. That, combined with his affinity for vintage design
and sarcasm, blossomed into Rock City Outfitters, an Arkansas-themed on-line T-shirt shop. The T-shirts sport messages that
range from a G rating to, well, maybe not R, but probably a hard PG-13. Most are of a nostalgic bent, such as old-school Travelers images, the Southwest Con-
ference logo or “Clinton for Congress in 1974.” Others are more smart-alecky, e.g., “I Give My Word to Stop at Third — Arkansas Abstinence Day 1987” or “Jonesboro — Not So Boring if You’re Never Sober.” There are digs at nearby states: “Imagine ... A World Without Texas” and “Arkansas: Two Letters Better than Kansas.” Bouldin averages a couple of hundred shirts a week, which brings in a good amount of extra scratch. “It could be eventually one of these things I do for a living. But honestly, I just want it to be fun,” he said. “And that’s really all it’s ever been for me.” If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Bouldin must feel mighty flattered. RCO has inspired several similar ventures in Arkansas.
JOEL ANDERSON
ome universities and the towns they’re located in largely go their separate ways. More is expected of the university in a large metropolitan area. Under Chancellor Joel Anderson, UALR tries to provide. “In 2000, we did a six-month study that resulted in a recommendation for merger of Little Rock and North Little Rock utilities. I think that surprised officials on both sides
of the [Arkansas] river. They surprised us by accepting the recommendation and putting it in place.” The university has also created the Institute on Race and Ethnicity. “We’ve recognized that race is a major issue in our community and that for the community to reach its best future, we have to address issues of race more successfully.” Anderson said UALR works to create
programs that meet local and state needs. “We’re graduating some highly qualified students in high-tech majors that are in short supply in Little Rock and Arkansas. The university has been working for at least 20 years to improve neighborhoods around the university. Through a university district development corporation, we’ve gotten money to improve housing in this part of town.”
BRIAN CHILSON
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SEPTEMBER 5, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
Roberts Lee