Business Spotlight — Jeff Dennis Jewelers
Published 4:27 pm Monday, October 26, 2009
- Jeff and Mindy Dennis’ children Abby and Amanda help cut the ribbon on Jeff Dennis Jewelers’ new location at 300 Fieldstown Road on Tuesday. The business was formerly located on Odum Road, across from Walmart.
Jeff Dennis Jewelers, located at 300 Fieldstown Road, is owned and operated by Jeff Dennis.
The business can be reached at 631-4848 and can be found online at jeffdennisjewelers.com.
The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dennis hails from Muscoda Hill, a mining community near Bessemer. He moved to the north Jefferson County area in 2002. His wife, Mindy, is originally from Morris. The couple have two children, Abby and Amanda, who are both home schooled.
In addition to being a business owner and family man, Dennis is also actively involved in the community. He played an instrumental role in bringing the Miracle League field to Gardendale.
On Tuesday, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to officially mark the reopening of Dennis’ store at the new Fieldstown Road location. It was previously located on Odum Road, across from Walmart.
The corner of Fieldstown Road and Grubbs Avenue was a location he had his eye on for a while. The building previously housed Collectible Cottage and a weight loss center.
“We’re super excited about the new store and I think most folks are happy this corner has a retail store,” he said. “I’ve been wanting it [the building] for a long time. It’s too pretty a building and too nice of an area not to be used.”
Dennis shared the following about his business:
• What’s your business background? “I got right out of high school and went into the jewelry business. I started in 1985, so it’s been 24 years.”
• What services / products do you provide? “We’re a full-service jeweler. We do everything from custom jewelry and engagement rings to the Pandora items, which is one of the hottest lines right now. We also carry Fossil watches and diamonds. The diamonds come from Antwerp, Belgium.”
• What’s been your greatest success as a business? “I don’t really have sales goals. I just enjoy seeing our customers and helping them as they go through life.”
• What’s the greatest joy of being the owner or manager of a business? “I enjoy being involved in the community and feeling like I have a voice in the community.”
• Why should someone shop with you or use your services over a competitor? “Folks need to shop wherever they feel comfortable. I wouldn’t dare tell anyone that we’re better than anyone else or tell them who they shouldn’t shop with.”
• What future plans do you have for your business? “We’re just going to keep this store as nice as possible on the outside and make it a showcase of Fieldstown Road. We haven’t opened the entire part the store for retail yet, so I’ve got some expansion plans for after the first of the year.”
• Is your line of work something you would recommend to someone else? “Absolutely; I love this line of work. There aren’t a lot of days that I don’t put in 10 or 12 hours, but my family gets to travel a lot to some really neat places. It’s very rewarding.”