You're invited to Christmas at their house!

The holidays are a busy time for Bill Withers Jr. and his family

Story by Olivia Neeley

Bill Withers Sr., owner of the WoodShed and Little Big Horn in Stanley, remembers a time back in the ’60s when he had too many friends.

Withers remodeled his home and added a recreation room to accommodate the parties he held for friends and family. They would dance, cook steaks and enjoy each other’s company.

But the parties and the fun expanded to the point that it became a problem: not enough room. Withers had to think of another plan.

The plan Bill Sr. came up with was to renovate a dilapidated, one-room slave cabin that was previously owned by his late father, John Withers. The late Withers owned several acres off of what is now N.C. 275 in Stanley.

“There were at least seven or more people that lived in the cabin,” said Bill Sr.’s son, Bill Withers Jr., who operates the Little Big Horn. “That was one piece of land he kept after the Depression to start over.”

Withers passed away in 1955 and the cabin stayed empty for 10 years until Bill Sr. brought it back to life. Before then, the roof had collapsed and the road could only be accessed by four-wheel drive.

Bill Sr.. along with his brothers and friends, made improvements to the place and turned it into a “male” retreat. “These guys knew a lot of people because of the mills and dad’s brother, Earl, thought about having a company outing,” Bill Jr. said.

Earl Withers would bring textile managers and supervisors down from the mills to the renovated cabin for a night of drinks, steaks and conversation. “They had such a good time down there,” Bill Jr. said. “They would buy groceries, total the bill and divide it up.”

The gatherings began to grow by word of mouth and other outings from businesses and friends continued down at the cabin. “They would buy groceries, total the bill and divide it up,” Bill Jr. said.

As more and more outings were held at the former cabin, the Withers decided they needed a name for the now popular meeting spot. “My dad loved Indians and the Battle of Little Horn, so that’s where the name came from,” Bill Jr. explained.

Little Big Horn continued to grow and the family found themselves having parties for larger crowds that included both men and women. The place was becoming known for its fresh steaks cooked on the grill and for dancing to the music of the times.

After he graduated from the Air Force Academy and University of Missouri in accounting, Bill Jr. decided to take over the family business and dedicated his time to the place many called home for so many weekends.

Bill Sr. went on to open The WoodShed in Stanley. He bulldozed property downtown, but saved the bricks which dated back to the late 1800s. “We cleaned all the brick and put them back into the building,” he said.

The WoodShed opened in July of 1985 in downtown Stanley bringing the same tradition that inspired the Little Big Horn. Both places share similarities in their culinary offerings, décor and atmosphere.

Bill Jr. has operated Little Big Horn for more than 25 years now. He is known for his friendly interaction with customers and for wearing a Western style holster and pistol around his waist.

Withers does most of the cooking and cleans himself off afterward to join the crowd and the fun. Part of that fun is being the evening’s DJ. He spins everything from rock ‘n’ roll to country for the patrons to enjoy either at their tables or on the dance floor.

But for Bill Sr., the success of the family’s two steakhouses always comes back to the over-sized steaks, which he said leave customers with a smile on their face and a desire to return.

“You won’t find better quality food anywhere around,” he said.

For more info on the WoodShed, call 704-263-1030. For more info on Little Big Horn, call 704-263-4241. Or, go to woodshedsteakhouse.com.