R E TA I L
P R O F I L E
SEPTEMBER
DIAMONDS.NET
The Jones family, clockwise
from top left: Wyatt Jones,
Joe Cook, Bill Jones, William
Jones, Sharri Jones and
Sissy Jones.
Above: The original
store, early 1970s.
Right and opposite:
Diamond rings from
Sissy’s Log Cabin.
Flexibility and a focus on
customer service have helped
Sissy’s Log Cabin in Arkansas
and Tennessee ride out Covid-19.
BY JOYCE KAUF
BUI LT
TO
LAST
Customer service has also played a part in
sustaining the company during the Covid-
crisis. Unlike in most of the country, stores in
Arkansas remained open, though Memphis shut
down. While Sissy’s Log Cabin initially took a hit,
business bounced back.
“We anticipated that we would be down
to
or more,” says Jones, who describes “a lonely
March.” However, sales never dropped that low.
While both March and April saw declines of about
, recovery began in May, and June was “way
T
he golden rule of retailing is “The
customer is always right.” But family-
owned jeweler Sissy’s Log Cabin takes
it a step further with a second rule: “If
the customer is ever wrong, refer to
Rule .” Those rules are etched in marble at the
entrance to each of the company’s five stores — four
in Arkansas and another in Memphis, Tennessee.
“It has cost us a lot of money at times,” admits
CEO Bill Jones. But that philosophy remains at the
heart of the company started by his mother, Sissy,
who is still active in the business and whom he
credits as a “phenomenal mentor.” Her emphasis
on customer service inspired him to post another
sign at the entrance to each store, displaying his
personal cellphone number under the heading: “In
case of a jewelry emergency.”
Most jewelry emergencies consist of a man
forgetting his anniversary, according to Jones. But
accommodating customers before and after store
hours is something he takes very much in stride.
