W.B. Loyd

W.B. Loyd, a serial entrepreneur who played a defining role in Little Rock's fashion scene, passed away Feb. 5. He was 71.

Named after his father, he was called Dub by most everyone.

As the founder/owner of two influential Little Rock clothing stores in the 1980s and '90s, Dub dressed everyone from high school students getting ready for prom to then Governor and future President Bill Clinton.

If you wore a tux in Little Rock in those days, you likely got it from him, and it fit you like a glove. He was the go-to guy for what to wear, when, and how to style it. His shops, W.B. Loyd & Company. and Partners, were Central Arkansas trendsetters, often first in the local market with high-end brands and updated styles.

A 1972 graduate of Hall High, Dub started his retail career while still a student, working in the tuxedo department of the venerable Lou Hoffman's. Hoffman became an important mentor, later making Dub manager of the tux department and a key member of his retail team.

When Hoffman retired, Dub opened WB Loyd & Company in the same Heights location, continuing the tuxedo business and putting his own stamp on menswear in the capital city. Later he launched Partners, an anchor store at Pavilion in the Park.

Affable and gregarious, Dub was well suited for the role of shopkeeper, and his stores became social hubs as much as retail establishments. He was widely known and widely beloved, easily recognized by a notably immaculate beard that he kept throughout his life.

In later years Dub brought his refined taste and keen eye to a small business managing home renovation projects. Having learned woodworking skills from his stepfather, he had a passion for crafting custom spaces, from his first home in Stifft's Station in the mid-70s to his last residence in the Quapaw Quarter.

He was particularly proud of the log cabin he built on the Little Red River, where he handcrafted a stone fireplace and other features that reflected his love of the outdoors. An avid hunter and fisherman, he was as at home in the Natural State's duck blinds as he was in New York's fashion showrooms.

Dub was a valued member of a truly blended family. In 1974 he married his high school sweetheart, Dana Goff. Wed for 22 years, they had four children together and navigated the murky waters of divorce so successfully that their relationships with each other and their in-laws remained close. When he married his second wife, Donna Skulman, in 2012, she seamlessly fit into his ever-growing family that by then also included grandchildren.

Born on March 7, 1953, in Helena. AR, Dub was the eldest of four children. He was preceded in death by his father W.B. Loyd; mother Daphne Loyd Ransom; stepfather Ike Ransom; brother Lucien Loyd; and sister Elizabeth Ransom.

He is survived by wife Donna Skulman Loyd; children Abby Youngbauer (Andrew), Amy Loyd, Gregory Loyd and Mary Loyd; their mother, Dana Goff Loyd; grandchildren Annabel Loyd, Lily Loyd, Mason Kissinger and Stella Youngbauer; sister Cathy Clearman; nephews Lucien Loyd Jr., Jason Clearman and Joey Clearman; nieces Trish Tolin (John) and Wendy Mahan; and seven great-nephews and great-nieces.

The funeral is Monday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1101 N. Mississippi St. Visitation will follow the service. In lieu of flowers the family suggests remembrances in the form of charitable donations to Arkansas Children's Hospital.