SUTHERLAND, Neb. (AP) - Jason and Shawna Cooper began their venture into business a few years ago, working from their house and then their garage.
They outgrew their home and moved to a building located on First Street in Sutherland and now have expanded into a brand new building down the block at 810 First St.
The original idea for the Big Eye Spinner Baits came from a fishing buddy asking Jason if he could make a bigger spinner bait.
“I said, well, I can make big ones,” Jason told The North Platte Telegraph. “He’s like, all right, how many can you make.”
Jason made 50 spinner baits in a week for the friend.
“We worked all night,” Jason said. “We poured them, painted them and all that stuff and then he beat us in a fishing tournament the next week using the spinner baits I tied for him.”
The friend suggested they start a business manufacturing the spinner baits, but the friend’s interest didn’t last long.
“He said, it will be so much fun,” Jason said. “He bailed and here we are.”
The Coopers started making the lures in their home and then moved out to the garage before deciding they needed more space.
“We moved into the building down the block and were there for about two years,” Shawna said. “We just kept going and we’ve talked about this business being something Jason can fall back on.”
The current Union Pacific railroader found his love for fishing when he was really young.
“We had a pond at our house and I used to go fishing all the time and my mom never had to worry about where I was,” Jason said.
The love for the sport was passed on to Jason from his dad and now the Cooper’s boys have taken it to the next level as competitive bass fishermen.
“They are not into walleye, they’re bass fishermen,” Shawna said. “That took up about half our space in the other store because we had to get into the bass stuff.”
She gives credit for the success of the business to the connections Jason and their sons, Hunter and Jaron, have made through fishing competitions.
“I think that’s how our customer base grew so fast,” Shawna said. “Jason did a lot of walleye fishing and that’s how our name got out there so quickly. Then the boys with their bass fishing, that helps with the bass customers coming in to us.”
With the new building and extra space, the Coopers are offering a wide assortment of product.
“We try to carry anything that’s for walleye fishing around our area for sure and even if you’re going to go out of state,” Jason said. “We try to get all the new ice fishing lures. New is always better.”
The store also carries hunting clothes and shotgun shells.
“We’re trying to get into rifle ammunition,” Jason said. “That’s hard to get right now.”
Jason still works full time on the railroad and Shawna will run the business and said he will help when he can.
“And our boys, Jaron is a senior in high school so he’ll help and Hunter works at Walmart (Distribution Center), so he’ll work a night or two here,” Shawna said.
The process has changed a little from the early stages of the business. The Coopers would build the lures from scratch.
“We have the heads made for us now because we couldn’t keep up,” Shawna said. “They have a wire and hook on them and we have the skirts made for us as well. Pretty much we just assemble them now and package them.”
Building the spinner baits involves their entire family.
“Even my mom helps out,” Jason said. “She took over where my dad (Steve Cooper, deceased) left off.”
The Coopers said they can do about 100 in an hour. Through the past summer and fall, the family would get together every Monday.
“I’d cook supper and everybody would come together and eat supper and then we’d put (the spinner baits) together,” Shawna said. “For me, it’s just a good family tradition to start so we could always have - because with our son (Hunter) graduating two years ago - we could have something where we were still connecting.”
Shawna also said the community of Sutherland has come alongside the Coopers and have been a tremendous support in getting their new location up and running.
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