Published: March 29, 2008 08:12 pm            

DON SIZEMORE: Keeping people talking

With a slogan like “We Can Make You Talk,” you had better be prepared for some lively conversation when visiting the Dodge City C.B. Shop just off of I-65.

“I first got interested in C.B. repair when I went to Wallace State Community College as a young man, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” said C.B. Shop founder and co-owner Don Sizemore.

“We’ve been in business since 1975, and for a while back then the shop used to be out at Good Hope, for about seven years,” Sizemore said. “It got to the point where we couldn’t really afford to be in business out there at Good Hope anymore, so we found a more affordable place at Dodge City around 1993. That was before there was anything else out here though, back then it was just a small gas station and us,” said Sizemore.

The Dodge City C.B. Shop specializes in C.B. sale and repair, radio sales, and has recently expanded into selling radar detectors and scanners.

“We are also strongly considering getting into the ham radio business, because we have had a lot of people asking about that type of technology lately. It definitely seems to be making a come-back,” Sizemore said.

In the many years since it’s start, the Dodge City C.B. Shop has eventually become a family business, with Don Sizemore’s son Jay Sizemore now taking a very active role in the family business. To go along with his growing role in the shop, Don has also made Jay a co-owner.

When asked why Jay first decided to start working at the shop, the elder Sizemore said with a laugh: “The school bus stopped right out there, everyday,” he said, pointing out the front door. “Our house was about twenty miles away. It was either take on the family trade, or start walking,” he said with a chuckle, patting Jay on the shoulder. Jay Sizemore just shrugged and nodded his head, laughing.

Apart from his obvious interest in C.B. sale and repair, it seems that one of Don Sizemore’s other great passions is a love for bluegrass music.

“Have you ever seen bluegrass musician Sam Bush perform live? I’ve seen him a few times—he just kept on playing, for hours and hours. It was the best concert I have ever seen in my life,” Sizemore said. “But, my favorite group would have to be Goose Creek Symphony. They mix bluegrass and electric all together; it’s just amazing stuff. Crazy, but amazing.”

The C.B. Shop’s business is currently thriving, and apart from owners Jay and Don Sizemore, they employ repairman Barry Holmes, and 18 year-old Dustin James—who is learning the trade from the wealth of experience that surrounds him.

“We don’t even have to advertise anymore these days. We have almost more business than we can handle,” Don Sizemore said. Pointing to a recently repaired C.B. radio, Sizemore elaborated. “That radio right there, and the man speaking into it; that’s all the advertising we’ve ever needed. If you take care of somebody’s business, and treat them well, they’ll spread the word for you.”

With the advent of new technology, such as GPS devices and cell phones, some may think that the era of the C.B. could be slowly drawing to a close. “Not me, not at all,” Sizemore said. “If anything, it’s given us more business. As other C.B. shops close and move away from this focus, it just sends more people to our doors. I don’t even know of another shop in the area that handles everything that we handle,” Sizemore said. “We have people all the time that drive from Birmingham or Huntsville. People come from all over the state for our services.”

If you’re looking for anything C.B. radio related—not to mention some quality chitchat—the folks at The Dodge City C.B. Shop will definitely “make you talk.”

        

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