Carlton Blaine Tatum
1939 - 2025
Carlton Blaine Tatum, affectionately known as CBT or Tatum, of Winston Salem, passed into the waiting arms of His Savior Jesus Christ on Monday, December 15, 2025. He was eighty-six years old.
Tatum had a rich, rewarding and colorful life. In his teens he was lead singer with a combo, the Keynotes. They would play locally and at Myrtle Beach. After that he was a fashion artist for two women’s shops in Winston-Salem. Also, during this time, Tatum raced motorcycles and owned seventy-six over the years. Then Las Vegas called his name and he went there for two years, signing up movie stars for Diners’ Club cards in the Las Vegas airport breezeway. He would get off work at 1:00 pm and ride his motorcycle to the mountains. That was when he established a mail order business selling survival knives. These two events helped him decide to open Tatum Outfitters in Winston-Salem.
Tatum was a well-known figure in the Winston-Salem community. He was a force. Tatum Outfitters, the first outdoor provision store on the East Coast, was iconic. He outfitted Tenzing Norgay for a trip up Mt. Everest. He had the first rappelling wall in the US. He enjoyed sailing and sold sailboats. He also served as the milliner at his shop.
He was at times a visionary as is evidenced by Tatum Outfitters. Also, in a moment of inspiration at a flea market, he saw someone selling homemade outhouses. He asked the vendor if he would put three together and deliver them to his fiance’s house. That is how his fiancé got her potting shed.
He was especially fond of his friendship with Iron Eyes Cody, an actor who became the face of Keep America Beautiful’s PSAs in the early 70’s.
In a bit of unorthodoxy, which he did in spades, he would go to Farrago Hair Salon in Winston-Salem where he sold his art, bring his karaoke machine and regale them with the hits of the fifties and sixties.
Tatum had a distinct style. One Halloween, all the staff at Design Archives dressed like Tatum. They wore ball caps, plaid shirts, dingy jeans, boots and a lumberjack jacket!
He is well known for virtually all art work at the Seafood Shack in Walkertown. He made a map of the United States using the states’ own license plates to form their shape. You can see it there. Also, Rafferty Automotive, in Davidson County, uses part of its shop as a museum of Tatum’s work.
One of his many loves was that of flea markets. For more than sixty years, he went to the Lexington Flea Market every Tuesday morning. He was a master at finding something broken, damaged or dirty that he could purchase at a very low price. He would then come home, make the repairs and sell the item for about 80% profit. He sold his finds at Design Archives and Lost in Time Antique Mall, both in Winston-Salem. Tatum considered the flea market vendors as his second family. He formed many special bonds and deep friendships. He kept an ongoing prayer list for those vendors and many other people. In fact, people regularly asked to be put on his prayer list.
He was an excellent folk artist. He loved working with tin and wood. He fashioned hundreds of birdhouses, made fish and flowers from tin, painted birds and flowers on windows, painted scenes of the old West featuring cowboys and Indians, made driftwood Christmas trees and lovely pieces of pottery.
Tatum was also a teacher. He taught pottery at Forsyth Technical Institute. He taught folk art at Habitat for Humanity and Hobby Lobby. Articles about him and his work were in local, state and national publications.
He is preceded in death by his beloved parents, Charlie and Ruby Tatum, as well as three sisters and two brothers. Tatum’s legacy lives on through his family. He is survived by his fiancé of fifteen years, Cindy Jones; his daughters, Kelly Mantz Moore (Glenn), and Angela Denton (Michael). He also leaves behind four precious granddaughters: Kathryn Fox, Kaci Mantz, Daniella Denton and Alexa Denton, as well as nine great grandchildren.
There is no plan for a service at this time. If you wish to make a memorial contribution in Tatum’s name, he was a faithful supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Wounded Warriors Project. His heart was kind and he supported many charities, as well as individuals he met in his daily life. He always asked those folks to “pay it forward”.
Tatum would often say “This life on earth is only a bus stop on the way to the greater glory of heaven.” He will be missed by many.