Maury County Businesses Serve Customers for Generations

Courtesy of Ted’s Sporting Goods

Ted’s Sporting Goods is a family-owned Maury County business that has been fueling outdoor adventures since opening in downtown Columbia in 1955. Meanwhile, Columbia Machine Works can trace its roots back even further, when the manufacturing support business opened in 1927.

Ted’s was started by Ted Davis, an avid fisherman who began his business by selling army surplus goods. He eventually expanded to provide customers with hunting, fishing, archery and other outdoor gear along with shoes and apparel. 

After Ted died, his wife, Faye, took over the store, which has become a landmark on South Main Street.

“We finally phased out our fishing products when Walmart arrived in Columbia with its huge fishing department, but we still offer hunting equipment and clothes and other items for outdoor adventurers,” Faye says. “About 20 years ago, we also added women’s clothing and accessories, and that part of the business is operated by our daughter, Heather Duffy.”

Ted’s carries brand-name products from companies such as Carhartt, Columbia, Big Green Egg, Hey Dude, Keen and Yeti. The store is open Monday through Saturday. A sign on the exterior of the building has often been a curiosity to customers, because the word “Ted’s” is in large letters and hangs upside down.

Faye says one theory about the sign is that Ted Davis had a man paint the business sign, but Ted didn’t like the result, so he had it turned upside down and left it that way – in a creative protest. Another story is that Ted Davis advertised his store in the Columbia Central High School yearbook, but the school mistakenly ran the ad upside down, and Ted liked the look.

“I honestly don’t know the actual story of the upside-down sign,” Faye says. “But it’s been a talking point with customers for many years.”

A Timeless Trade 

Columbia Machine Works, which provides a range of machining and fabrication services for its 500 to 600 customers, will soon celebrate 100 years as a family-owned business.

Columbia Machine Works sends technician crews all over the Southeast to customer companies that have machining problems. The technicians will diagnose and repair the industrial equipment so that customers can resume manufacturing parts and products.

Columbia Machine Works also has huge on-site machines to make parts that most customers can’t produce on their own.

“We are a diverse company involved in machining, industrial repair, die casting, welding, fabrication, stamping, injection molding and more,” says Jake Langsdon, vice president of Columbia Machine Works. “I categorize us as a job shop, doing whatever contract work needs to be done for our manufacturing customers.”

The company has 70 employees and operates in an 80,000-square-foot facility in Columbia, where there are plans to expand soon to 100,000 square feet to add a new welding shop.

“In any given year, we do work for about 500 customers that represent industries like automotive, aerospace, defense and mining/excavation,” Langsdon says. “Maury County is becoming a manufacturing and industrial powerhouse in this part of the state, and we are glad to be a strong part of it.”