Van Atkins Jewelers

Sep 20

In their own words

“We just love working with couples. We’re an engagement ring store—that’s what we love to do. When you’re working with young couples, they are so excited. They’ve got it all planned out. And we try to make every part of it perfect.”

-Chuck Cooper

Jason’s Interview with Chuck

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Chuck Cooper from Van Atkins Jewelers in New Albany, Mississippi. How'd you get into the industry?

Chuck

Well, we kind of transformed. My dad and uncle had department stores in Arkansas - they had about fifteen of them. My dad moved down here. I was born. He had one store, just ran kind of a quiet life. I went to college, met my wife. She worked for a jewelry store. I started telling the diamonds apart. I've got a degree in chemistry and biology. I just love retail and chose to go the retail route. We bought four more department stores, two in 1986. I put in jewelry and, in 2001, decided to go strictly diamonds. I've just always tried to do what's right and do what I say I'm going to do.

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Jason
What do you think it is about the in-store experience that people like?

Chuck
We’ve just got such a selection of stuff. We try to be fair. Last year, we sold to people from thirty-three different states.

Jason
What are some big milestones that you've gone through that set you apart?

Chuck
I just love working with couples. They are so excited. They've got it all planned out and we just try to make every part of the deal perfect. We take pictures and we go to so many weddings it’s not even funny. That's my favorite part of the business.

Jason
Tell us about a fun customer proposal experience that you were a part of.

Chuck
One time, there was a couple, long distance. We did a lot of email and this guy was overseas. He kept saying, “I'm coming home in April and I want to do it.” We sent pictures back and forth. We found the perfect ring. When the plane landed, I actually went up the back door of the plane and gave him the ring. When he came down, he was on a knee. I enjoyed that day.

Another special one, I had a young guy getting a ring. His future wife had a seven-year-old daughter, and he kept talking about the daughter. And you could tell that she was so important to him. So, he actually bought two rings. He bought the mother a ring, and he bought a smaller ring for the girl. I thought that was so special.

Jason
What are some key traits that you look for when you're developing your team?

Chuck
We want people that love people. They just love to be around people, most of them have a sense of humor. I tell people it's fun to have fun in the store, but you've always got to include the customer. My and my wife have been married thirty-three years. We've got four boys. Three of my sons are in the business and love it. I think they're going to take it to the next level. My oldest son, Van, he opened a store three years ago in Oxford, Mississippi, and it’s doing great. My third son, Ray, is a CAD designer. My third son is a GIA CAD designer and a hand engraver here in New Albany. He is a GIA gemologist. A lot of family is in our business.

Jason
You've contributed a lot to the community. Tell us some causes that you want our audience to know about.

Chuck
We support all the schools. There are two charities of choice. One is Sanctuary Hospice House. My dad was a patient and they serve a lot of families. And also St. Jude is huge. The last three years, we've helped with the Dream House.

Jason
Why do you think people trust you so much?

Chuck
I just try to do what's right. We try to help the customer.

Jason
What are some designers that you're excited to share with people?

Chuck
Our number one designer is our store. We call it our Van Atkins custom line. When we're at markets, we find nice pieces of jewelry and try to make them better. We pick a high item and make all of them in-house. Right now, we're our best designer. We're working to grow with a hand engraver and grabbing really good estate pieces.

Jason
Why do you think customers keep coming back?

Chuck
I think we've got a good selection and our employees are so nice to people. They remember the name, they remember the kids. They know all the pieces they bought. Our employees go way beyond the call of duty.

Jason
Here we go. You can say whatever you like to Meet the Jewelers.

Chuck
I just think we love what we do. And hopefully it shows. It’s kinda like fixing up an old house. Sometimes you can build a new house cheaper per square foot. But when you fix that old house up, you've got something special. And we think we've got that. I love to do that, the designer part of it. Our employees love what they're doing, selling, working with the customers. And we hope people keep coming to us.