For three quarters of a century, Capitol Glass Company has been a fixture in downtown Little Rock. Though the products and processes may have changed throughout the years, one thing has remained steadfast – the family who founded it.
Three generations of Grimes men have devoted their careers to the company, which Jack Grimes began in 1950 after returning home from serving in World War II. Jack joined the Navy at age 17 and was a gunner aboard the USS Liscome Bay, which was sunk as a result of a torpedo strike. Many officers and men lost their lives. Jack was one of only 272 to be rescued.
“My grandfather floated in the ocean for a few days before he was rescued. He was taken to the hospital at Pearl Harbor and could have opted for discharge, but he chose to return,” says Aaron Grimes.
Jack was next stationed on the USS Missouri and was aboard the ship when Japan formally surrendered to the Allied Powers in September of 1945. He can be seen in the historic photograph of the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
Jack was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1949, returned to Little Rock and began Capitol Glass Company less than a year later.
Jack's son, Glenn, was born in 1954, and after being raised in the family business, the natural next step was to help run it. He graduated from high school on a Friday evening in 1972 and began work the following Monday.
“There was never any doubt about what I was going to do,” Glenn says. “All I ever wanted to do was work at the shop with my dad.”
With two hard-working role models leading the way, Aaron says he couldn’t help but follow in their footsteps.
“I can remember, as a kid, coming to work with my dad and grandpa. At 5, 6, 7-years old, I’d ride to work with them, and my mom would come get me a couple of hours later.”
Aaron worked at Capitol Glass during the summers as a teenager and set out to blaze his own trail when he graduated from high school. He opened S & G Extreme Marine and Imperial Ride Shop – both proving to be successful in their own rights ‑ but decided in 2013 to go back to school and earn a pharmacy degree. In 2017, he began working as a pharmacist at CHI St. Vincent. But after the challenges of Covid, Aaron decided to return to Capitol Glass full-time in 2022. He still works part-time as a pharmacist, but says he felt the need to continue the family business so that one day his children, Mackenzie, Ryder and Aspen, can be a part of it.
“If there is the possibility that my kids can inherit a 100-year-old business, that’s amazing.”
Glenn says he is proud that his son is continuing the family’s legacy. “Aaron is an only child, so the fact that he has decided to carry on our tradition is very rewarding to me.”
As for the values the men before him have instilled, Aaron says, “My grandfather is a World War II veteran, and my dad is the hardest working person ever. He doesn’t stop. I just try to keep up and do my part. Hopefully, my little ones will do the same one day.”
A Legacy of Excellence
The oldest locally owned-and-operated glass company in Central Arkansas, Capitol Glass has established a strong reputation for delivering quality glass work throughout the region. Technicians with more than 200 years of combined experience repair and replace windshields, sunroofs and side mirrors, repair power windows and calibrate Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) with the most advanced testing and calibration tools available.
What sets Capitol Glass apart from its competitors? “It’s our customer service and the quality of our work,” Aaron says. “We do things the right way and do not cut corners. We try to go above and beyond. That’s why we work with all of the luxury car dealerships, and they refer work to us,” he says.
“If you’re coming to us, you’re already having a bad day. We try to make it as pleasant of an experience as we can.”
For more information on Capitol Glass Company, visit capitolglassinc.com.