RetailerNews

Sissy Jones, founder and chief executive officer of Sissy’s Log Cabin, Pine Bluff, Ark., has been named the 1999 Small Business Person of the Year by the Greater Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes the owner or manager of a Chamber member small business for contributions to the community and the success of the business.

In 1970, as a young mother, Jones opened her antique and jewelry business in a small log cabin. Today, Sissy’s Log Cabin is Arkansas’ largest independent jewelry store, housed in a three-building complex of more than 12,000 sq. ft. and 36 showcases, with a staff of 32.

She was named 1990’s Arkansas Jeweler of the Year by the Arkansas Jewelers Association, one of the “Top 100 Women in Arkansas” in 1994-98 by the Arkansas Business Journal, and 1996 Boss of the Year by the Credit Professionals International. In 1997, she received the Ella Hunn Payne Award from the Junior League of Pine Bluff. In February, she was the keynote speaker at the JCK Show in Orlando, Fla.

A fashion event hosted by Samuel Gordon Jewelers, Oklahoma City, in conjunction with the South Sea Pearl Consortium will feature jazz great McCoy Tyner and his trio.

The event, taking place Sept. 23-25, will include modeling of South Seas pearl strands; lectures on pearls for the public; and designer collections from Henry Dunay, Doris Panos, and Cathleen Bunt.

Tyner will perform at a cocktail party on Friday, Sept. 24, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. The concert will be preceded by opening remarks from international jewelry dignitaries. Dunay, celebrating his 50th anniversary in the jewelry industry, will make a special guest appearance. An extensive collection of South Seas pearl necklaces will be on display. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to Special Care Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides services for children with special needs. Several children from the Special Care program will attend the event and perform a song.

E.W. Parker Jewelers of Madison, Wis., one of the last surviving retailers on the city’s Capitol Square, recently hosted an exhibition of photography and memorabilia in celebration of the 143rd anniversary of the city’s incorporation. Store co-owner John Parker Hendrickson Jr. organized the show, which attracted about 700 visitors.

Established in 1857, E.W. Parker Jewelers is Madison’s oldest retailer. It is sponsoring a “Good Old Days Photo and Essay Contest” in conjunction with the exhibit. Hendrickson’s mother, Eunice Sommers Hendrickson, received a Wisconsin State Senate citation for 55 years of service to downtown Madison. At 79, she still works in the store.