James Gattas Jewelers

Feb 25

MEMPHIS, TN

In their own words

“Casual elegance, that’s the interior of the store. But the most important part of the store is when someone walks in—we welcome them immediately. It’s an inviting atmosphere. We have private rooms where clients can sit down for custom design or bridal, or any jewelry selection. We have a large showroom with many different brands and designers. We have two jewelers, a diamond setter, and engravers. Anything someone needs when they walk in the store, we’re going to be able to help them or tell them how to find it.”

-James Gattas

Jason’s Interview with James

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to James Gattas from Gattas Jewelers. How did you get into this industry?

James

I think I was about 12 years old. My father had a store. He was a peddler in Mississippi. And then he started a general business in Memphis and sold to all the candy peddlers. Then he opened his own store, which was back then called a catalog showroom. When I graduated, that was in the 1950s. I was asked to manage and take over the fine jewelry department. That was over 40 years ago. It's been a love since then.

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Jason
As a 12-year-old, what was it like coming there?

James
We thought it was wonderful. All of us, all of our friends and neighbors thought it was the greatest thing in the world, just have your own store where you can get everything or take everything. It didn't work that way. My father got up at 4:30 in the morning, went to work, and came home late many nights. When we were young, we all worked in the store. We really enjoyed it and are a very close family. We started off with maybe 600 square feet, and then in 2000, we opened a store a little over 2,000 square feet. Now our store’s about 4,500 square feet. We have grown quite a bit since 1996.

Jason
What is it like to walk through the doors?

James
We like to say it's casual elegance, but that's the interior of the store. The most important part of the store is when someone walks in. We want them to feel like they're in our home. We welcome them immediately. It's a very warm and inviting atmosphere. We have private rooms for them to sit down and custom design and work with them on their bridal selections or any jewelry selection that they're looking for. We also have a large showroom and carry many different brands and designers in our store. We have two jewelers, a diamond setter, engravers--anything someone needs when they walk in the store, we're going to be able to help them. We're going to be there for anything our customer needs. We build that relationship with our customers for generations.

Jason
Why do you think people should trust you?

James
It's just a reputation in our community. They've gotten to know us throughout the community, with our work in the community, whether it's me working at Habitat for Humanity, or working for St. Jude Hospital. We actually work with churches, schools, and the Boys & Girls Club. I could keep naming a dozen different organizations and charities that we work with that are so dear to our hearts. It's so good for our community, and it does so much for the people here in the Mid-South and Memphis area. When people come in, they need to know who we are outside of the four walls and how we connect with our neighbors.

Jason
Tell us, what are some top causes?

James
Habitat for Humanity—I worked with President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn at the one here in Memphis. The one that's really dear to my heart is St. Jude Hospital. My father was Chairman of the Board back in the 1980s, and he was a dear friend of Danny Thomas, who founded St. Jude. My brother was on the Board, my nephew's on the Board, and I've worked with many of the different events throughout the years. St. Jude used to have a Shower of Stars where Danny Thomas would bring Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. to Memphis. Those were some of the most exciting days, being able to meet those people, and even the Presidents would come. President Nixon, President Carter, President Reagan, President Ford, President Clinton. There's a much bigger world out there and a much greater need out there, we just need to recognize, step up, and do something to help.

Jason
What are some of the values that were passed down to you and you'd pass on to the next generation?

James
It's the values of community, helping one another, hard work, getting a good education, always learning something new, and being able to embrace whatever is new. Also, be creative, but have fun, enjoy life. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy your family, because as you know, life is short, so make the best of it. Whatever you do, it doesn't matter what it is, it should be rewarding.

Jason
What else is there that you'd like us to know? This is your platform, go for it.

James
It's really exciting being here in Memphis. Elvis Presley was here, BB King, we've had so many great entertainers that were originally from Memphis. It's such a great place to be from, and a great city. I was born and raised here. It's our community, it's our home, and we really want to make it a better place. We want people to have an experience when they come in the store.