In 1970, Sissy Jones noticed a log cabin with a “for sale” sign in front of it as she was driving down U.S. Highway 79 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Sissy saw it as an investment to store her personal collection of antiques.
“She rented it for $50 a month, and they were going to tear it down, as a matter of fact, when she saw it that weekend,” Sissy’s son, Bill Jones, said. “There were six layers of wallpaper we had to pull off the walls and the floors were falling in. The ceiling had stuff falling out and we had to take this black and white checkered cloth and staple it to the ceiling to catch everything.”
As the word of what Sissy was doing began to spread, the cabin was known as Sissy’s Log Cabin, where Sissy made a living by appraising and selling antiques. From humble beginnings, Sissy’s community has always been there to support the business. Sissy wanted to use her store to do the same for her community.
With the Sponsor Form available to their customers directly on their homepage, Sissy’s Log Cabin donates to nonprofits and charities that are important to their customers. Sissy’s has given to more than 100 charitable organizations every year. Most of their giving goes to local schools and colleges, first responders, leadership clubs, food banks, and shelters. These organizations are important to Sissy’s Log Cabin because of the impact that they are making in their communities and for their customers.
At their first location in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, their giving made a huge difference. At the time, Arkansas was the second-most impoverished state in the nation, and Sissy’s Log Cabin was in the most impoverished county in the state.
As Sissy’s Log Cabin began to grow, every individual Sissy’s Log Cabin store was given its own philanthropy budget to give to local charities and causes. Sissy’s understood that the needs that the community in Conway, Arkansas has were very different than the needs of Memphis, Tennessee, so they wanted to help all their communities in the way that best individually suits them.
Today, with the help of “hard work, family, good friends, wonderful customers, and, of course the help of a few angels,” Sissy’s Log Cabin has evolved into Arkansas’ largest independently owned jewelry store with 12,000 square feet of showroom filled with diamonds, jewelry, estate jewelry, fine gifts and antiques. Because of their dedication to help charities in their communities, Sissy’s Log Cabin has become an iconic, family-owned-and-operated jewelry store.
Sissy’s understands that they would not be where they are today without their communities, and they feel that it is their duty to give back to them.
Sissy’s wants to encourage every business, whether big or small, to start giving back now. Doing good has a huge impact, and just like you need customers, your community needs you.