Mark's Outdoor Sports

Mark's Outdoor Sports is a hunting and fishing supplier and outfitter located at 1400-B Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills. The retailer was founded in 1979, when Mark Whitlock bought an existing sporting goods store. In 1984 Whitlock took over management of the rest of the shopping center, then purchased it outright in 1990.

In 1994, Mark's Outdoor Sports began organizing the annual Lay Lake Open bass fishing tournament at Paradise Point Marina on Lay Lake.

In 2003 the store erected a "temporary" tent outside its front entrance for clearance items and gun safes. After seven years, the tent was replaced by a timber-framed entry pavilion on a raised plinth. The structure was designed and constructed by Thomas Downs's Southern Timber Framer LLC while other improvements were constructed by Vincent Construction.

In 2004, Mark's Outdoor Sports was named Fishing Tackle Retailer magazine's "Independent Retailer of the Year".

References

• Spencer, Ed (July 2004) "2004 Retailer Of The Year." Fishing Tackle Retailer, p. 23-
• Tomberlin, Michael (February 26, 2011) "New entrance gets old-world styling at Mark's Outdoors." The Birmingham News