North Carolina outfitter had some big shoes to fill

In Rodney Atkins country song “Watching You,” his son shocks him by saying a four-letter word.

The child responds to a question about where he learned to talk like that with: “I’ve been watching you, dad, ain’t that cool? I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.”

Jonathan Watts has had some similar issues, although he didn’t mention anything about bad words during a talk about his business.

“My son was 4 at the time and he loved wearing boots,” Watts, 35 said. “But when it came to these new style in boots, there was nothing for kids on the market.”

So Watts started Buoy Boots – kids’ sized footwear just like the 6-inch rubber boots being worn by outdoorsmen and women, construction workers and anybody that has to deal with sloppy conditions underfoot.

He likes them better than other brands because they are 100 percent rubber instead of hybrid models that feature some real rubber and coated canvas.

The boots have become an overnight sensation and put his outfitters business – The Lodge at Rivershore Outfitters – on the outdoors apparel map.

“The kids on Duck Dynasty are wearing them,” Watts beamed with pride. “It’s hard to keep them in stock and we ship out at least 25 pair every day.”

His kids’ boots are now in 200-plus stores nationwide, he said.

Watts moved his Elizabeth City business from what used to be an old house on one of the main drags through town, to a much larger facility on U.S. 17 Business – still in the heart of the city.

It houses his outfitter location, an Elizabeth City mainstay florist – Mildred’s – that he has owned for several years, a small hunting and fishing supply section, and a new sports bar.

“There was a crazy turnout for the grand opening,” the former Pasquotank Sheriff’s Deputy said.

The location will be home to daily food trucks selling their goods until Watts can get a full kitchen in swing. Even then, he said, food trucks still will be part of the scene.

Some evenings and on weekends, Rivershore will stage live music, fairs and Cornhole tournaments. His business quickly is becoming a hot spot, as the city features only a handful of restaurants and bars that draw attention.

His new location also is pleasing city officials because he moved in and totally renovated a building that had been shuttered since “about 2002.”

Originally a pancake house, the building has been home to several restaurants and a used car dealership until it shut down.

Watts, who is married to Julia and has two kids – Barron, 6, and Bailey, 2 – is just as excited because he loves the challenge of business. He currently has seven employees and expects that to grow.

“I just love all of it,” he said. “I love the challenges of business.”

So good has the youth boots business gone, that Watts now has adult models to the kids and their parents can wear matching footwear.

“We have people sending pictures of their kids in the boots to our Facebook page,” Watts said. “It’s getting to be a lot of fun. We might have some photo contests or something. It’s just exciting.”

In his 7,000-square-foot facility, he also sells beach bags and other items under the Bouy name. He also has his own brand of cooler – COLDAF. You can probably figure it out without me spelling it out.

Rivershore is starting to hop and its social media presence is helping tremendously. But Watts can’t argue with word of mouth.

“I was born and raised around here, so I have a lot of friends and we’re offering some fun and something to do here,” he said. “With the food trucks, there’s something different every day. Football season is here and people can come into the bar to watch a game. They can bring the food truck food in here, and we have handmade ice dream for the little ones.

“I don’t know where this will take me, but I’m loving it.”