Alton Murphree (Clinton, Hack and
Vernon's Father) in front of his delivery
truck for Parrot Grocery store, the
inspiration behind his grocery business.
Two young brothers in their 20's, both out of the military and back in their hometown, decided to follow in their parents footsteps and open their own grocery store. In 1949, Haskell "Hack" and Clinton Murphree opened the Redwood Food Market. As these young men would work to build a business, they built families as well. Hack and Clinton were blessed with devoted wives and 3 children each.
1964 brought big changes for the brothers when they made the move across Main Street to open Murphree's Supermarket. Before long, Murphree's Supermarket or "Murf's" became known for their meat, namely the peppered bacon and ham. Their advertisements proudly boasted, "The best meat in town."
In addition to their meat and produce, the young entrepreneurs added fishing tackle, guns, and hunting/fishing licenses to their inventory. It wasn't long until the gun business took over. As Clinton would later recall, they were "splitting the corn and green beans to make room for the guns." In 1972, they began eliminating the grocery products and kept the gun store open, along with the meat market.
Between 1974 and1975, the brothers business. once again looked towards other ventures. Hack pursued a career in new home construction and remodeling, while Clinton took on the gun business solo.
Murf's Guns opened on Highway 81 in 1977. Being as it was one of the few businesses on the highway at that time, Clinton was unsure if it was the right move. While worrying about his new location, he told his boys, "I've built so far out of town, nobody will even know I'm here." Yet, it was here that Murf's Guns began to take root and grow. While guns, ammo, and archery were Clinton's main focus, he never let go of his peppered ham. To this day, you can still buy one of Murf's Peppered Hams from Thanksgiving to Christmas!
Eventually, Clinton brought his sons Ken and Kreg Murphree on board to make it a family business. They worked together until Clinton's retirement in 1988, when Ken and Kreg took over. Although Clinton claimed "retirement," you could still find him at Murf's on the days he wasn't mowing or fishing. He remained dedicated to the business and to helping his boys when
and where he could.
Following a change of ownership, Murf's Guns also had a change of address. In 1989, Ken and Kreg moved the store to it's present day location. These brothers were dedicated businessmen who worked tirelessly in the gun business. Proud to call Duncan their hometown, Ken and Kreg did what they could to support their beloved community as they raised families of their own.
In 2013, the family tradition continued when Ken's son, Kale Murphree, bought out his dad and uncle. Today, both Ken and Kreg remain in Duncan. Ken and his wife, Suzie, opened Murf's Shooting Range just across the street from the store in 2018. That same year, Kreg was elected as a County Commissioner for Stephens County.
As we continue doing business in Duncan, the Murphree Family understands that it is only by the grace of God that they have the opportunity to do what they love year after year. It is by his protection and provision that they have made it through difficult political climates and economies. We would like to humbly thank our loyal customers that we have the privilege of serving day after day. You make it all possible.
"Give us a chance and we'll sell you a gun." ~Clinton Murphree
Clinton Murphree at the sales
counter in our current location.
Haskell (Hack) Murphree, Vernon
Murphree, and Clinton Murphree sitting
in their first grocery store "Redwood
Super Market" in front of the meat
counter, the same counter our peppered
hams are stored and sold out of today.
