January 31, 2025 • 29 mins
The Stinson family has owned and operated a jewelry businesses for five generations. In addition to being excellent craftsmen, the family members have built a reputation of caring for customers’ jewelry needs and their precious purchases. The family’s thoughtfulness has created loyal customers who send their children and grandchildren to purchase precious jewels from the Stinsons.
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Episode Transcript
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Karen Wilson:
Hi. Welcome to The BLC Connection Podcast. (00:02):
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I'm Karen Wilson, your host for today.
Diamond Jewelry Company is located on Main Street beside the Park Theater in downtown McMinnville,
and was founded by Moody and Kenneth Stinson in 1960.
That single business has grown into three businesses, carried on by their sons,
Jamie, David and Shawn Stinson, and grandsons into the fifth generation.
(00:27):
Welcome to the show, gentlemen.
(Stinson brothers): Thank you. Good to be here. (00:28):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah, we've worked towards this for a long time. (00:29):
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It's hard to corral three brothers that have separate businesses in at the same time.
So let's go back to, Jamie, we're going to get you to kind of start the history of the Stinson legacy with
us, with your great grandfather, James Arthur Stinson.
(00:50):
Tell us what you can about him starting the business, and then your memories of him.
Jamie Stinson: Sure. Well, of course, James Arthur had passed before my father met him. (00:55):
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However, he started in 1906, gained five stores.
Karen Wilson: Oh, wow. (01:09):
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Jamie Stinson: And then opened a second store in Decherd, which this is my grandparents, (01:10):
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James Albert and Zella. This would have been in the 50s.
My dad opened, of course, like you said in 1960.
I opened my store in '91. Shawn, in '94,
Shawn Stinson: '97, (01:30):
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Jamie Stinson: '97, sorry. (01:30):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah. Do you have remembrances of your grandfather working? (01:31):
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Did you meet him?
Jamie Stinson: Yeah, and we did. In fact, he had a large shop that I was, we were all fortunate enough to work in. (01:36):
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Karen Wilson: Aha. And that was in Decherd. (01:42):
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Jamie Stinson: That was in Decherd. (01:44):
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Karen Wilson: Okay, but the original store plus the other five, was that in Huntsville? (01:45):
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Jamie Stinson: Scottsboro. There was a couple in California. (01:51):
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Scottsboro, Alabama. And Decherd and Winchester.
And those two in Winchester were opened together at the same time.
Karen Wilson: That was amazing to have kind of already a chain, you know, before that kind of stuff really came into being. (02:01):
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David, let's pick up with Moody and his brother Kenneth coming to McMinnville.
Why McMinnville? And tell us about him meeting Judy, too.
David Stinson: So the story that dad told me was Cowan Oldham, who owned the theaters at that time in Franklin County, (02:16):
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where my grandfather was, of course, my uncle and my dad worked there with him ,
with my grandfather there in Franklin County on the square.
From what I understand, Mr. Oldham come in to talk to my grandfather,
(02:37):
and he saw my uncle and my dad working, and he was like, you know,
asked my grandfather, "Are these boys going to take over your business?
Or what is your plans?" and he's like, "Well, I would," my grandfather told him said,
"Well, we're kind of looking for a place for them to expand to." And,
I understand the conversation just kind of changed.
(02:59):
And maybe a little bit longer, a few weeks went by or maybe a month,
Mr. Oldham came in to my grandfather again and says, "You know, I've got a place in McMinnville,
on the square on Main Street beside my theater there in McMinnville." And which if you've ever been to Franklin County,
the theater is set up exactly the way it is here, pretty much, you know.
(03:20):
And so he's like, "There's a lady there that has a serve all." Was the restaurant where my
business is. A nd I understand Mr.
Oldham said, "I, you know, I kind of want something different in there.
Would you be willing to come look at it and open your sons there?" A nd from what I understand,
(03:40):
my uncle, my dad and my grandfather come down here, and actually ate at the serve all and looked the building over.
And my grandfather went to Mr. Oldham said, "Yes, we're interested." S o from there,
and I understand, in 1960 they opened, which is my business now.
And, I think they were there maybe a year or so.
(04:01):
My uncle got drafted to go to Vietnam.
A nd then, of course, my father had to take it from there.
But go back just a little ways, as my uncle and my dad were putting the the cases in the building
and mounting them to the wall, my mom and I think it was her sister Janie came into the store.
(04:22):
And I reckon it was probably love at first sight, you know.
Karen Wilson: To hear them tell it. Yes. (04:27):
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David Stinson: And I don't want to know about that. (laughs) But, you know, from what I understand, (04:28):
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there was a Mr. Simmons who lived across the street from my mother,
and I think he was a barber. I think –
Shawn Stinson: I'm really not sure what he did. (04:41):
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David Stinson: That's the best I understood that. But anyway, I think Mr. (04:41):
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Simmons was like, you really need to meet this young man, you know.
And so he, I understand, he drove them to Main Street.
They were going to the movie. And I don't know if he brought them in the store or if he kind of coaxed them to go in.
B ut from what I what I understand, that's when dad met mom.
(05:02):
And I don't think it was long after that they were dating.
And so, from what I understand, that's kind of that story.
Karen Wilson: And they were together, you know, how many years were they married? (05:10):
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David Stinson: 55. Does that sound right? (05:15):
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Shawn Stinson: 58, I think. (05:16):
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Karen Wilson: Wow. That's amazing. (05:18):
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David Stinson: Forever. (05:20):
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Karen Wilson: Yes, yes, and that's how it's supposed to be. (05:20):
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That's awesome. Shaw n, or any of you who want to chime in, what is your first memory of your parents working
at their business?
Shawn Stinson: Just growing up, when we were really little, I mean, 5 or 6 couldn't even see over the counters. (05:31):
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People would come in, "These your kids?" Yeah, yeah.
And, I mean, we would hammer on gold.
We didn't know what we was doing. We was playing.
You know, we're just kids. B ut and, you know, meeting people like that,
and they come in now our stores and go, "I remember seeing you in your daddy's store when you was just
(05:54):
this tall." You know, just like people do.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. Right, right. And do you all kind of, I guess, could you imagine your store is on the small side. (05:57):
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It's the same location. So having three probably pretty rambunctious boys if they're running around,
and plus your mom trying to see to people.
And then your dad working, you know, behind the counter.
Now you all still, you still kind of work in that same little area that your dad worked in?
David Stinson: Yeah. I used the same bench that my dad used. (06:20):
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Yo u know, my shop is still set up exactly the way it was when dad had it,
so there's not much have changed.
Karen Wilson: I think a lot of people have special memories of going to the movies and looking in the window there and seeing what they might (06:29):
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like for Christmas or , " Oh, that's so beautiful." Everybody always enjoyed doing that.
So, you know, people that really know Moody know he liked to discuss government and politics a lot,
(06:50):
but he did so with his customers in kind of a gentle way.
That just made you think, you know, you didn't really know where exactly,
but he just kind of tried to get you thinking.
Is there something about his teachings or his business in general that's left a mark on you all?
Jamie Stinson: Well, he was honest with everybody. (07:11):
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He just he told you what was on his mind.
But whatever he told you, you could count on that being the correct information.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. And, Shawn, I think you had a funny story before we went on about, (07:19):
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you know, your dad and and people would kind of get him going.
Shawn Stinson: Oh yeah, they'd get him riled up and get him stirred up and be there 30 minutes, (07:26):
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and then they'd leave, and then dad would still be on a rant two hours later.
About the time we got him calmed down, somebody else would come in and stir him right back up.
Yeah, man, we gotta listen to this for another hour.
Karen Wilson: Well, and you all, of course, were kind of a captive audience with him, (07:42):
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but he never probably expressed exactly how he felt to the customer,
but he kind of would, like I said, get you thinking about things .
Shawn Stinson: He would get to the point. Yeah, he'd make a definite point. (07:54):
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Karen Wilson: I remember that very well. So let's fast forward to all three of you kind of coming of age. (07:57):
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And the small location on Main Street won't hold all of you.
So, were you confident that three locations, or was that the original plan was that each of you would have
your own store?
Shawn Stinson: We weren't real sure. (08:16):
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Jamie Stinson: We never really had a plan like that. (08:17):
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It's, of course, when I opened in '91, that was the plan for sure,
that I would go out first on my own.
And Shawn and David both helped me at that time and still working at the Main Street store.
And even though we're only a couple miles apart, it's really a different part of town.
You know, this is more of the suburban area where Main Street was still the old Main Street.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, people walking up and down the sidewalk. (08:42):
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Jamie Stinson: And, so we looked at other towns around and a location for Shawn came (08:45):
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up. I'll let him explain that to you, and he took that instead of going to another community.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, you kind of went back to the family roots of starting in a theater building yourself. (08:57):
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Shawn Stinson: Correct. Correct. Well, what the funny thing is, I actually lived in the Park Theater at one time uptown. (09:02):
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Karen Wilson: That's right. I forgot about that. (09:08):
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Shawn Stinson: That little apartment up there. Yeah, but I was actually looking at moving maybe Smithville, (09:09):
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Sparta, or somewhere else because I didn't really want to be in competition with,
you know, Dad and Jamie at that time.
But Jerry Williamson, he had this spot coming over where Daryl's men's shop was,
and he said, "Man, I've got a good location," so forth, so on.
(09:31):
Here, you know, the rest is history. I moved in there. I opened up '97.
A nd then of course, they tore the building down.
And then I had to move. Of course, the location behind Jamie come open,
and I moved in there.
Karen Wilson: And I guess you can kind of, or tell me about each of your specialty and how your business (09:46):
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differs from your brother. Let's start with you.
Because you had, you've got the original Diamond Jewelry Company.
So what do you specialize in?
David Stinson: I think what I'm still kind of like old school, I guess that's what you might say. (10:04):
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I do a lot of just, you know, your engagement rings.
I'm not an artist. B ut, I mean, I see things that I really think are pretty.
You know, Shawn's always been the artist.
He could draw and that kind of thing. I guess you say I was more of the mechanic.
(10:25):
T hat's probably not the correct term, but I enjoy the the casting,
and the polishing, and the soldering, the welding and that kind of thing.
B ut I guess I'm more, I do more just I guess your bread and butter kind of stuff.
You know, just diamonds, engagement rings, earrings, studs, you know,
just the plain simple things, where Shawn is like more the artist ,
(10:47):
and Jamie has more of the real pretty nice stuff, you understand.
So I'm just kind of basics, you know?
Karen Wilson: Well, but basics are back, as far as you know. (10:56):
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David Stinson: Exactly, yep. (10:59):
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Karen Wilson: You can't beat the basics of a quality diamond or a quality stone. (10:59):
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And that's one thing I'll bring up, is that so many people, you know,
especially younger generations, you end up in your chain stores and things like that.
But I find it very, I don't know, comforting to know that when you're putting money into a
(11:25):
ring, you all are going to tell them, this is this quality, this is why this one's a little bit
cheaper. This has got a flaw or hey, you know, you're going to fit everybody's budget in that.
So talk to me about I guess he described you as the artist of the family.
What all do you specialize in?
Shawn Stinson: I think. And I think , Dad taught David more about watches. (11:46):
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I don't know hardly anything about watches.
But, and I do get into the mold making the casting, s ome designing,
some special designing. I do some of that.
Not a whole, whole lot. And as this business evolves, it's getting to where more things are becoming computerized.
(12:09):
You just draw it on a computer , it 3D images it, and then you print it.
That takes the handwork out of the business.
I don't necessarily like that. I want to know that I hand did it.
I hand made it, and there's not another one out there like it.
A 3D printer can print a thousand just alike.
Your hand is not going to do that.
Karen Wilson: Right. Right. (12:27):
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Shawn Stinson: E veryone's going to be different. (12:28):
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Karen Wilson: Right. Kind of what some of the replications in chain stores are probably going that route. (12:29):
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And then you've got a lot of pearls and a lot of different things that your store.
Tell me about Classics.
Jamie Stinson: I have a lot of the basics, like every store would. (12:43):
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However, I try to concentrate on things that are different and unusual.
A lot of things that people haven't seen before, but with that flair,
but also the basics, also, the traditional stuff.
Karen Wilson: Well, and that's, you know, when someone's coming in to buy a ring, (12:58):
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it kind of makes you feel good that you think nobody else has this ring like this.
And even that's true, even if you're buying a setting that someone else has bought.
Your stone is different. It is special for you, even regardless if someone else has that
same setting or not. Tell us about some of the things you have brought.
(13:23):
I know these are kind of things that, we'll go back to you talking,
Shawn, about this particular box right here.
Tell us about this.
Shawn Stinson: Well, that is a rubber mold. And what we do is we inject that with wax to make a wax model. (13:32):
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We'll take that model and make a mold of it, which then will melt that out and then do the gold injection into
a different mold.
Karen Wilson: And this you said is numbered. This was something that your grandfather did? (13:49):
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Shawn Stinson: My grandfather made that mold. That was his number 124th, I believe. (13:53):
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Karen Wilson: And this is the ring right here that that mold makes. (13:57):
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Shawn Stinson: Correct. (14:02):
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Karen Wilson: Okay. So you can, it's amazing to me – (14:03):
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Shawn Stinson: And you can, I mean, you can actually – if you want to just take it, (14:06):
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you can break it open. See –
Karen Wilson: Okay. That's how you get it out. (14:12):
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Shawn Stinson: how it actually comes out of the mold. (14:13):
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Karen Wilson: So that will sit in there. (14:15):
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Shawn Stinson: Correct. (14:16):
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Karen Wilson: And then, of course, it may not be exactly that size. (14:17):
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Shawn Stinson: Right, but they break apart. (14:20):
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Karen Wilson: Okay. (14:22):
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Shawn Stinson: That's how you extract the wax model. (14:23):
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Karen Wilson: And that's still how you prefer to make a ring right there. (14:25):
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Okay. And then David, you talked about, you know, watches kind of your dad.
This is one of the first watches that you all did.
Is that right?
David Stinson: Yep. I think my grandfather actually contracted a company to make those for the Diamond Jewelry Company in Franklin County. (14:38):
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A nd that's the old mainspring type watch where you wind it, you know.
And you have to wind it about every day, you understand, w here now everything is quartz or electric.
T hose watches are very complicated.
(14:59):
Y ou know, the temperature affects them.
H ot weather and cold weather, you know, you have to time it and that kind of thing.
T he least bit of dirt, that kind of thing, gets in there, and it just it creates havoc,
you know. T hose are super complicated.
The new watches, the quartz, are so much simpler.
Y ou can get a little dirt in them.
They'll keep going. You know, there's no maintenance to the newer ones.
(15:20):
To wear those, you had to take them apart, clean them all them every several years, you know. T o where the
quartz things are just so much more simple now.
Karen Wilson: And you still carry, I guess. Do all of you carry watches still, or you kind of that's your specialty too? (15:27):
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David Stinson: We do actually have a private label company that does watches for us. (15:34):
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T hey are the Stinson label. S o, but now they're the quality that a good Swiss watch should be.
You understand, they're made for durability.
And, you know, the everyday guy out here working and , you know,
working in the field or whatever. They're just super, super tough watches.
Karen Wilson: And Jamie, you brought this piece right here. (15:57):
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Talk to us about what that is.
Jamie Stinson: This was actually my grandfather's graver. (16:00):
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And what this would be used for if you would hand me that ring.
There's a lot of applications for this, but this ring would be clamped in a vise,
and you would take this, and you would cut extra designs in a ring,
or you would cut and create prongs for a flat top setting, which you don't see that much anymore.
But that would be what that tool would be made for. And this tool is probably 80 + years old,
(16:25):
but it hasn't changed. It's still the same today.
Karen Wilson: And I see also Shawn you've got your little spyglass on right there. (16:28):
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I associate your father with wearing that right there.
And that helps you, I guess, a jeweler see the particulars of what you're working on.
Shawn Stinson: Correct. (16:41):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah. I need one of those myself. (16:41):
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Shawn Stinson: It's called a loupe. (16:43):
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Karen Wilson: A loupe okay. Yeah, I could use that for embroidering. (16:45):
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I need that for threading a needle these days.
Jamie Stinson: And let me say, Karen, now that's what's called a watchmaker's loupe, (16:50):
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which is what we learned to set diamonds, do repairs with.
Now we have visors that are a lot more user friendly, but that's what we learned.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, yeah, that was kind of your first tool, I guess. (17:02):
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So, of course, we're going to have your sons on here, and we're going to talk to them in our next segment.
But, you know, as your parents have have passed now, talk to me about the legacy that you all – I know there's a lot
of pride in your father, your mother, grandfather, great grandfather.
(17:25):
Just talk to me a little bit about what you think their legacy is.
Shawn Stinson: I mean, what's real neat is I had a guy pull up at my store one day, (17:31):
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and he just walked in. He said, "Are you a Stinson?" And I said,
"Yeah." And he said, "Okay, I'll be right back." And he went out to the car and opened the passenger door,
and there was a little old lady, probably in her 90s.
He helped her come in, and she said, "Are you a Stinson?" And I said,
(17:51):
"Yes, ma'am, I am." And she said, "Well, I don't want nobody to touch my jewelry,
but a Stinson." And the boy said, "I drove her from Winchester all the way here for you to clean
and check her rings." I mean, that's pretty cool.
Karen Wilson: That is. That is. And, you know, your parents, I can't think of a closer family that you all have (18:04):
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been growing up. Your mom and dad, you very rarely saw them apart.
And then you all grew up in a small home.
Close quarters for you all. And you all, as we said, are kind of just a few years apart in age group.
(18:28):
Is that right? So, just a great legacy.
Jamie, do you want to add to that about anything?
Jamie Stinson: Well, I was going to say a lot. It's just, it's almost every day I'll talk to somebody, (18:35):
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and they'll say, "Well, you know, your your dad sold me my first wedding set." And now they're
coming in for their 50th anniversary.
Karen Wilson: That's special to be a part of that many people's history in our area too. (18:46):
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And I guess you get that as well.
David Stinson: And to kind of on Shawn's thing. (18:54):
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If I'm not mistaken, I've had the same situation, you know, with people coming in from Franklin County that's,
you know, I bought from your grandfather.
But it's kind of neat, too, as I've grown up in the store, I remember the parents of
these young people coming in to buy engagement rings.
(19:16):
And their mom and dad bought from me, and they said, "You better not buy from anybody else." S o that
means a lot, you know.
Karen Wilson: It does. (19:23):
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David Stinson: It means a lot. (19:23):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah. And as I said, the trust that you all have established from this many years of shooting people straight, (19:24):
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as you said, you got that from your dad, and I'm sure your mom, too.
Shawn Stinson: Oh, yeah. (19:35):
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Karen Wilson: A nd your mom, let's talk about her for a minute. (19:36):
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She was kind of the backbone of the family, but she kind of, I guess she kept it all together,
didn't she?
Shawn Stinson: Yeah, she whipped us in the shape. (19:46):
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I guess you could say.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. Well, with three boys – (19:50):
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Shawn Stinson: Bless her heart. (19:51):
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Karen Wilson: – within a year or two of each other, I guess you kind of had to do that. (19:52):
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But, you know, after your father passed, she stayed at the store with you all and kind of helped,
you know, as much as she could and worked and did the meet and greet.
David Stinson: Yep. She talked to everybody. (20:07):
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Karen Wilson: Yes. Very wonderful lady. Well, we're going to wrap up this segment of The BLC Connection Podcast (20:08):
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and the Stinson legacy. W e've had Jamie, David and Shawn.
We're going to continue the story in the next segment with Alex and Abram Stinson,
and they are the fifth generation.
But that's it for this part of The BLC Connection Podcast.
(20:34):
Welcome back to The BLC Connection Podcast.
We are continuing with the fifth generation of the Stinson Jewelers,
Alex Stinson, son of Jamie, and Abram Stinson, son of David.
This is getting biblical guys. We've got multiple generations.
I feel like we're going back. And his father begat him and his mother beget him.
(20:55):
But it's great to see you all I guess picking up the mantle and carrying it forward.
I know your grandparents are so proud of that, because they got to kind of see you all working at the store.
So talk to me. I guess, Alex, you're the older of the two, so let's start with you.
What made you decide to work in the family business?
Alex Stinson: Well, in school. Well, first of all, I didn't really like school, (21:18):
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so.
Karen Wilson: Most people don't. (21:22):
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Alex Stinson: Yeah. And, you know, mom wanted me to go to college and everything, (21:23):
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and I like the family business. I like what I did.
I mean, I've done bench work since I was probably probably ten.
I mean, I've been in the store my whole life, but, you know, working at the bench and everything. And so I
started doing that, and I just enjoyed it.
And then growing up, you know, Moody would be out in the shed working on stuff and cast and whatnot.
(21:45):
And I'd go out there , well both of us did really, and, you know,
we'd go out there and hang out with him, and he'd kind of showed us everything.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, he was a great teacher, wasn't he? (21:52):
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Alex Stinson: He was. (21:55):
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Karen Wilson: He just had that voice, and it made you feel. (21:55):
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I don't know the specialness of what he was doing.
He took so much pride in his work, and he loved talking about it and passing it down.
So I'm sure that was a wonderful thing for you all.
So, Abram, you're a college student right now at Tennessee Tech, but you plan on working with your dad.
(22:20):
Kind of talk to me about how college you feel like is benefiting the business skills that you hope to to
incorporate.
Abram Stinson: Yeah. So, I'm at Tennessee Tech, of course, and my major is marketing. (22:28):
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So I want to use that degree just to grow the business, I guess,
and gain more customers and maybe have more advertising and just build a better business,
make it bigger.
Karen Wilson: Well, and you all, of course, are into the whole generation of social media. (22:44):
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I mean, that has changed the face of we talked about with your dad's house.
When I was younger, you would go to the Park Theater to see a movie,
and advertising was walking by the glass and seeing the pretty jewelry behind there.
(23:07):
And you'd think, "Hey, when they're open, I want to come back and look at that." How is,
are you all involved in the social media aspect of it?
Alex Stinson: Yeah. (23:15):
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Karen Wilson: I know, I see a lot of stuff. Shawn's stuff pops up a lot. (23:15):
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But like you all do you do kind of the filming or kind of get the ideas going?
How are you all involved?
Alex Stinson: You go , I know you have the Instagram. (23:27):
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Abram Stinson: So I have my own Instagram already for like my jewelry stuff. (23:29):
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It's called Abram's Jewelry. But like, I do my dad's stuff sometimes too.
We just think whatever's popular right now, we post on social media,
and hopefully someone will come in and buy it or get some hits on or something like that.
Karen Wilson: So, Abram, you are already like, I've seen some of your work with like spoons and things like (23:47):
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that. What is your specialty that you feel like you work at right now?
Abram Stinson: I try to just be creative. I don't really have like a specific specialty. (23:57):
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I just want to do what's kind of popular and what gets more sales.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. And of course you all are also appealing to that younger demographic too. (24:05):
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Lots of people, your ages are starting to get engaged and things like that.
And I saw you had a post the other day.
You got to sell, I guess, the engagement ring to your childhood friend.
Abram Stinson: Walt Jones, yeah, we've been best friends since like kindergarten, (24:25):
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and we made a promise. We made a promise in like kindergarten that if he buys his first engagement ring for me,
he has to build my first house.
Karen Wilson: Oh, that's a good trade. (24:39):
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Abram Stinson: Yeah. He works with his dad at Connan Jones Construction. (24:41):
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So I guess I got to hold up my end of the deal now.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, well, that day will come, and no pressure for that. (24:49):
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We got to put the engagement ring first , I guess.
And some people choose to build houses now at your age, even before then.
So you guys got to see your grandparents, Moody and Judy, both working at the jewelry store.
Tell us something, each of you can take turns, that you learned from one of them that you'll carry into your
(25:12):
business.
Alex Stinson: One thing, Moody, he always did, and I still do it today is, you know, (25:14):
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somebody will come in, and they need a link taken out of a watch or just something simple. You know, they don't take us no time or
nothing like that. And he wouldn't charge them, and he'd always tell them, just come back and see me. And I've
always done that, and it seems to work.
A lot of people always come back because you, you know, maybe that person,
for whatever reason, they might not have the money at the time. Or it's just a good gesture for them, you know. And people
(25:40):
remember the stuff like that. And I've always done that.
And, so far it seems to work out.
It worked for him.
Karen Wilson: It does. It does. I mean, that means a lot to somebody to get a repair done or something of that nature without having to (25:46):
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think, "Okay, I'm going to going to be out like 50 bucks to get this fixed." And he was really good.
Even if you didn't buy it from him, he would do repair work and things like that too.
What about you, Abram?
Abram Stinson: Well, Alex kind of stole my answer, but another thing that he would do was like in one of those first (26:07):
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questions, that he'll back his work up.
He knows what he did, and he'll back it up.
And he knows what he can do about it if it's something's wrong with it.
Karen Wilson: I know one thing I always enjoyed was free cleanings, and he would check your diamonds for you. (26:24):
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You know, you always felt safe going there because you would think,
okay, he's going to help me keep, you know, take good care of this expensive purchase.
Alex Stinson: Yeah. (26:41):
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Karen Wilson: So they were really good about that. (26:42):
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So both of you had some caregiving roles after Moody passed away with your grandmother.
Talk to me about what that meant to you.
You know her role in the family business wasn't the role of Moody,
but it was still, I think she was a big part of it.
(27:02):
Let's start with you, Alex.
Alex Stinson: W ell, on Sundays I'd always take her to church, and I had a little convertible car. (27:03):
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I still have it, but she always loved going for rides in that and everything.
And then both of us on Wednesdays, we'd take her supper, or she'd cook for us.
Y ou know, something of that nature.
And another thing, as far as business, she would always wear jewelry Moody made.
(27:24):
And she'd just sell it off her finger, and she gets so mad, or, yeah,
she'd get mad about it. And Moody was like, "Well, I can just get you another one." And,
you know, she'd get upset about it, but yeah, she did stuff like that all the time.
And of course, she had nine rings on ten of her fingers, you know,
and just always something like that.
Karen Wilson: I do remember just beautiful, you know, you would get. (27:41):
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It was very eye catching. She always kept her nails so pretty.
And her hair was short so you could see her pretty earrings and things like that.
She was basically the store model, I guess.
Abram Stinson: She's the mobile advertising for us. (27:57):
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Karen Wilson: Yes. What about you, Abram? (27:58):
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Abram Stinson: I mean, Granna meant a lot to me. (28:01):
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O ne of the things that I could think about her is like, if you come in the store,
and you're a new customer, she treats you like you've been there before.
She treats you like a friend or a family member, that she knows what you want,
and she'll take care of you.
Karen Wilson: Right, right. And as the female, you know, she was kind of for years before your moms started kind (28:17):
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of hanging out sometimes. S he was kind of the lone female, the female perspective on what you liked and things
like that. So I know, now your dad has a lady that helps her, and I know Shawn does,
(28:38):
too. A nd so it's helpful to have that perspective of what's popular or what we're thinking,
because generally, the gift is usually, when it comes to jewelry,
for the females. But you guys have some pretty men's stuff too, right?
Abram Stinson: Yeah. (28:52):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah, that's what I was thinking. (28:52):
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And of course, this time of the year, it's getting to be everybody starting to think about jewelry and
all of those things. So it's a popular time.
Gentlemen, thank you both for being here today.
It's a wonderful family story. You guys, I know, are so proud of the history of the Stinstons,
and we look forward to seeing what you all are going to bring.
(29:14):
And it's so wonderful. Sometimes your generation gets kind of a bad rap at times.
Alex Stinson: Yep. (29:20):
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Karen Wilson: So you all are not the bad rap. You all are carrying on the mantle of your grandparents and great grandparents and I believe, (29:22):
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great, great. So that's great , literally, I'd like to invite our listeners and viewers to tune
in for future episodes and share this content with other businesses.
Until next time, this is your BLC
(29:44):
Connection.
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I'm Karen Wilson, your host for today.
Diamond Jewelry Company is located on Main Street beside the Park Theater in downtown McMinnville,
and was founded by Moody and Kenneth Stinson in 1960.
That single business has grown into three businesses, carried on by their sons,
Jamie, David and Shawn Stinson, and grandsons into the fifth generation.
(00:27):
Welcome to the show, gentlemen.
(Stinson brothers): Thank you. Good to be here. (00:28):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah, we've worked towards this for a long time. (00:29):
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It's hard to corral three brothers that have separate businesses in at the same time.
So let's go back to, Jamie, we're going to get you to kind of start the history of the Stinson legacy with
us, with your great grandfather, James Arthur Stinson.
(00:50):
Tell us what you can about him starting the business, and then your memories of him.
Jamie Stinson: Sure. Well, of course, James Arthur had passed before my father met him. (00:55):
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However, he started in 1906, gained five stores.
Karen Wilson: Oh, wow. (01:09):
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Jamie Stinson: And then opened a second store in Decherd, which this is my grandparents, (01:10):
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James Albert and Zella. This would have been in the 50s.
My dad opened, of course, like you said in 1960.
I opened my store in '91. Shawn, in '94,
Shawn Stinson: '97, (01:30):
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Jamie Stinson: '97, sorry. (01:30):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah. Do you have remembrances of your grandfather working? (01:31):
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Did you meet him?
Jamie Stinson: Yeah, and we did. In fact, he had a large shop that I was, we were all fortunate enough to work in. (01:36):
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Karen Wilson: Aha. And that was in Decherd. (01:42):
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Jamie Stinson: That was in Decherd. (01:44):
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Karen Wilson: Okay, but the original store plus the other five, was that in Huntsville? (01:45):
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Jamie Stinson: Scottsboro. There was a couple in California. (01:51):
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Scottsboro, Alabama. And Decherd and Winchester.
And those two in Winchester were opened together at the same time.
Karen Wilson: That was amazing to have kind of already a chain, you know, before that kind of stuff really came into being. (02:01):
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David, let's pick up with Moody and his brother Kenneth coming to McMinnville.
Why McMinnville? And tell us about him meeting Judy, too.
David Stinson: So the story that dad told me was Cowan Oldham, who owned the theaters at that time in Franklin County, (02:16):
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where my grandfather was, of course, my uncle and my dad worked there with him ,
with my grandfather there in Franklin County on the square.
From what I understand, Mr. Oldham come in to talk to my grandfather,
(02:37):
and he saw my uncle and my dad working, and he was like, you know,
asked my grandfather, "Are these boys going to take over your business?
Or what is your plans?" and he's like, "Well, I would," my grandfather told him said,
"Well, we're kind of looking for a place for them to expand to." And,
I understand the conversation just kind of changed.
(02:59):
And maybe a little bit longer, a few weeks went by or maybe a month,
Mr. Oldham came in to my grandfather again and says, "You know, I've got a place in McMinnville,
on the square on Main Street beside my theater there in McMinnville." And which if you've ever been to Franklin County,
the theater is set up exactly the way it is here, pretty much, you know.
(03:20):
And so he's like, "There's a lady there that has a serve all." Was the restaurant where my
business is. A nd I understand Mr.
Oldham said, "I, you know, I kind of want something different in there.
Would you be willing to come look at it and open your sons there?" A nd from what I understand,
(03:40):
my uncle, my dad and my grandfather come down here, and actually ate at the serve all and looked the building over.
And my grandfather went to Mr. Oldham said, "Yes, we're interested." S o from there,
and I understand, in 1960 they opened, which is my business now.
And, I think they were there maybe a year or so.
(04:01):
My uncle got drafted to go to Vietnam.
A nd then, of course, my father had to take it from there.
But go back just a little ways, as my uncle and my dad were putting the the cases in the building
and mounting them to the wall, my mom and I think it was her sister Janie came into the store.
(04:22):
And I reckon it was probably love at first sight, you know.
Karen Wilson: To hear them tell it. Yes. (04:27):
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David Stinson: And I don't want to know about that. (laughs) But, you know, from what I understand, (04:28):
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there was a Mr. Simmons who lived across the street from my mother,
and I think he was a barber. I think –
Shawn Stinson: I'm really not sure what he did. (04:41):
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David Stinson: That's the best I understood that. But anyway, I think Mr. (04:41):
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Simmons was like, you really need to meet this young man, you know.
And so he, I understand, he drove them to Main Street.
They were going to the movie. And I don't know if he brought them in the store or if he kind of coaxed them to go in.
B ut from what I what I understand, that's when dad met mom.
(05:02):
And I don't think it was long after that they were dating.
And so, from what I understand, that's kind of that story.
Karen Wilson: And they were together, you know, how many years were they married? (05:10):
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David Stinson: 55. Does that sound right? (05:15):
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Shawn Stinson: 58, I think. (05:16):
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Karen Wilson: Wow. That's amazing. (05:18):
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David Stinson: Forever. (05:20):
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Karen Wilson: Yes, yes, and that's how it's supposed to be. (05:20):
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That's awesome. Shaw n, or any of you who want to chime in, what is your first memory of your parents working
at their business?
Shawn Stinson: Just growing up, when we were really little, I mean, 5 or 6 couldn't even see over the counters. (05:31):
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People would come in, "These your kids?" Yeah, yeah.
And, I mean, we would hammer on gold.
We didn't know what we was doing. We was playing.
You know, we're just kids. B ut and, you know, meeting people like that,
and they come in now our stores and go, "I remember seeing you in your daddy's store when you was just
(05:54):
this tall." You know, just like people do.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. Right, right. And do you all kind of, I guess, could you imagine your store is on the small side. (05:57):
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It's the same location. So having three probably pretty rambunctious boys if they're running around,
and plus your mom trying to see to people.
And then your dad working, you know, behind the counter.
Now you all still, you still kind of work in that same little area that your dad worked in?
David Stinson: Yeah. I used the same bench that my dad used. (06:20):
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Yo u know, my shop is still set up exactly the way it was when dad had it,
so there's not much have changed.
Karen Wilson: I think a lot of people have special memories of going to the movies and looking in the window there and seeing what they might (06:29):
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like for Christmas or , " Oh, that's so beautiful." Everybody always enjoyed doing that.
So, you know, people that really know Moody know he liked to discuss government and politics a lot,
(06:50):
but he did so with his customers in kind of a gentle way.
That just made you think, you know, you didn't really know where exactly,
but he just kind of tried to get you thinking.
Is there something about his teachings or his business in general that's left a mark on you all?
Jamie Stinson: Well, he was honest with everybody. (07:11):
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He just he told you what was on his mind.
But whatever he told you, you could count on that being the correct information.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. And, Shawn, I think you had a funny story before we went on about, (07:19):
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you know, your dad and and people would kind of get him going.
Shawn Stinson: Oh yeah, they'd get him riled up and get him stirred up and be there 30 minutes, (07:26):
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and then they'd leave, and then dad would still be on a rant two hours later.
About the time we got him calmed down, somebody else would come in and stir him right back up.
Yeah, man, we gotta listen to this for another hour.
Karen Wilson: Well, and you all, of course, were kind of a captive audience with him, (07:42):
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but he never probably expressed exactly how he felt to the customer,
but he kind of would, like I said, get you thinking about things .
Shawn Stinson: He would get to the point. Yeah, he'd make a definite point. (07:54):
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Karen Wilson: I remember that very well. So let's fast forward to all three of you kind of coming of age. (07:57):
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And the small location on Main Street won't hold all of you.
So, were you confident that three locations, or was that the original plan was that each of you would have
your own store?
Shawn Stinson: We weren't real sure. (08:16):
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Jamie Stinson: We never really had a plan like that. (08:17):
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It's, of course, when I opened in '91, that was the plan for sure,
that I would go out first on my own.
And Shawn and David both helped me at that time and still working at the Main Street store.
And even though we're only a couple miles apart, it's really a different part of town.
You know, this is more of the suburban area where Main Street was still the old Main Street.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, people walking up and down the sidewalk. (08:42):
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Jamie Stinson: And, so we looked at other towns around and a location for Shawn came (08:45):
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up. I'll let him explain that to you, and he took that instead of going to another community.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, you kind of went back to the family roots of starting in a theater building yourself. (08:57):
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Shawn Stinson: Correct. Correct. Well, what the funny thing is, I actually lived in the Park Theater at one time uptown. (09:02):
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Karen Wilson: That's right. I forgot about that. (09:08):
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Shawn Stinson: That little apartment up there. Yeah, but I was actually looking at moving maybe Smithville, (09:09):
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Sparta, or somewhere else because I didn't really want to be in competition with,
you know, Dad and Jamie at that time.
But Jerry Williamson, he had this spot coming over where Daryl's men's shop was,
and he said, "Man, I've got a good location," so forth, so on.
(09:31):
Here, you know, the rest is history. I moved in there. I opened up '97.
A nd then of course, they tore the building down.
And then I had to move. Of course, the location behind Jamie come open,
and I moved in there.
Karen Wilson: And I guess you can kind of, or tell me about each of your specialty and how your business (09:46):
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differs from your brother. Let's start with you.
Because you had, you've got the original Diamond Jewelry Company.
So what do you specialize in?
David Stinson: I think what I'm still kind of like old school, I guess that's what you might say. (10:04):
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I do a lot of just, you know, your engagement rings.
I'm not an artist. B ut, I mean, I see things that I really think are pretty.
You know, Shawn's always been the artist.
He could draw and that kind of thing. I guess you say I was more of the mechanic.
(10:25):
T hat's probably not the correct term, but I enjoy the the casting,
and the polishing, and the soldering, the welding and that kind of thing.
B ut I guess I'm more, I do more just I guess your bread and butter kind of stuff.
You know, just diamonds, engagement rings, earrings, studs, you know,
just the plain simple things, where Shawn is like more the artist ,
(10:47):
and Jamie has more of the real pretty nice stuff, you understand.
So I'm just kind of basics, you know?
Karen Wilson: Well, but basics are back, as far as you know. (10:56):
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David Stinson: Exactly, yep. (10:59):
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Karen Wilson: You can't beat the basics of a quality diamond or a quality stone. (10:59):
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And that's one thing I'll bring up, is that so many people, you know,
especially younger generations, you end up in your chain stores and things like that.
But I find it very, I don't know, comforting to know that when you're putting money into a
(11:25):
ring, you all are going to tell them, this is this quality, this is why this one's a little bit
cheaper. This has got a flaw or hey, you know, you're going to fit everybody's budget in that.
So talk to me about I guess he described you as the artist of the family.
What all do you specialize in?
Shawn Stinson: I think. And I think , Dad taught David more about watches. (11:46):
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I don't know hardly anything about watches.
But, and I do get into the mold making the casting, s ome designing,
some special designing. I do some of that.
Not a whole, whole lot. And as this business evolves, it's getting to where more things are becoming computerized.
(12:09):
You just draw it on a computer , it 3D images it, and then you print it.
That takes the handwork out of the business.
I don't necessarily like that. I want to know that I hand did it.
I hand made it, and there's not another one out there like it.
A 3D printer can print a thousand just alike.
Your hand is not going to do that.
Karen Wilson: Right. Right. (12:27):
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Shawn Stinson: E veryone's going to be different. (12:28):
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Karen Wilson: Right. Kind of what some of the replications in chain stores are probably going that route. (12:29):
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And then you've got a lot of pearls and a lot of different things that your store.
Tell me about Classics.
Jamie Stinson: I have a lot of the basics, like every store would. (12:43):
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However, I try to concentrate on things that are different and unusual.
A lot of things that people haven't seen before, but with that flair,
but also the basics, also, the traditional stuff.
Karen Wilson: Well, and that's, you know, when someone's coming in to buy a ring, (12:58):
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it kind of makes you feel good that you think nobody else has this ring like this.
And even that's true, even if you're buying a setting that someone else has bought.
Your stone is different. It is special for you, even regardless if someone else has that
same setting or not. Tell us about some of the things you have brought.
(13:23):
I know these are kind of things that, we'll go back to you talking,
Shawn, about this particular box right here.
Tell us about this.
Shawn Stinson: Well, that is a rubber mold. And what we do is we inject that with wax to make a wax model. (13:32):
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We'll take that model and make a mold of it, which then will melt that out and then do the gold injection into
a different mold.
Karen Wilson: And this you said is numbered. This was something that your grandfather did? (13:49):
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Shawn Stinson: My grandfather made that mold. That was his number 124th, I believe. (13:53):
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Karen Wilson: And this is the ring right here that that mold makes. (13:57):
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Shawn Stinson: Correct. (14:02):
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Karen Wilson: Okay. So you can, it's amazing to me – (14:03):
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Shawn Stinson: And you can, I mean, you can actually – if you want to just take it, (14:06):
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you can break it open. See –
Karen Wilson: Okay. That's how you get it out. (14:12):
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Shawn Stinson: how it actually comes out of the mold. (14:13):
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Karen Wilson: So that will sit in there. (14:15):
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Shawn Stinson: Correct. (14:16):
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Karen Wilson: And then, of course, it may not be exactly that size. (14:17):
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Shawn Stinson: Right, but they break apart. (14:20):
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Karen Wilson: Okay. (14:22):
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Shawn Stinson: That's how you extract the wax model. (14:23):
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Karen Wilson: And that's still how you prefer to make a ring right there. (14:25):
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Okay. And then David, you talked about, you know, watches kind of your dad.
This is one of the first watches that you all did.
Is that right?
David Stinson: Yep. I think my grandfather actually contracted a company to make those for the Diamond Jewelry Company in Franklin County. (14:38):
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A nd that's the old mainspring type watch where you wind it, you know.
And you have to wind it about every day, you understand, w here now everything is quartz or electric.
T hose watches are very complicated.
(14:59):
Y ou know, the temperature affects them.
H ot weather and cold weather, you know, you have to time it and that kind of thing.
T he least bit of dirt, that kind of thing, gets in there, and it just it creates havoc,
you know. T hose are super complicated.
The new watches, the quartz, are so much simpler.
Y ou can get a little dirt in them.
They'll keep going. You know, there's no maintenance to the newer ones.
(15:20):
To wear those, you had to take them apart, clean them all them every several years, you know. T o where the
quartz things are just so much more simple now.
Karen Wilson: And you still carry, I guess. Do all of you carry watches still, or you kind of that's your specialty too? (15:27):
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David Stinson: We do actually have a private label company that does watches for us. (15:34):
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T hey are the Stinson label. S o, but now they're the quality that a good Swiss watch should be.
You understand, they're made for durability.
And, you know, the everyday guy out here working and , you know,
working in the field or whatever. They're just super, super tough watches.
Karen Wilson: And Jamie, you brought this piece right here. (15:57):
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Talk to us about what that is.
Jamie Stinson: This was actually my grandfather's graver. (16:00):
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And what this would be used for if you would hand me that ring.
There's a lot of applications for this, but this ring would be clamped in a vise,
and you would take this, and you would cut extra designs in a ring,
or you would cut and create prongs for a flat top setting, which you don't see that much anymore.
But that would be what that tool would be made for. And this tool is probably 80 + years old,
(16:25):
but it hasn't changed. It's still the same today.
Karen Wilson: And I see also Shawn you've got your little spyglass on right there. (16:28):
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I associate your father with wearing that right there.
And that helps you, I guess, a jeweler see the particulars of what you're working on.
Shawn Stinson: Correct. (16:41):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah. I need one of those myself. (16:41):
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Shawn Stinson: It's called a loupe. (16:43):
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Karen Wilson: A loupe okay. Yeah, I could use that for embroidering. (16:45):
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I need that for threading a needle these days.
Jamie Stinson: And let me say, Karen, now that's what's called a watchmaker's loupe, (16:50):
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which is what we learned to set diamonds, do repairs with.
Now we have visors that are a lot more user friendly, but that's what we learned.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, yeah, that was kind of your first tool, I guess. (17:02):
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So, of course, we're going to have your sons on here, and we're going to talk to them in our next segment.
But, you know, as your parents have have passed now, talk to me about the legacy that you all – I know there's a lot
of pride in your father, your mother, grandfather, great grandfather.
(17:25):
Just talk to me a little bit about what you think their legacy is.
Shawn Stinson: I mean, what's real neat is I had a guy pull up at my store one day, (17:31):
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and he just walked in. He said, "Are you a Stinson?" And I said,
"Yeah." And he said, "Okay, I'll be right back." And he went out to the car and opened the passenger door,
and there was a little old lady, probably in her 90s.
He helped her come in, and she said, "Are you a Stinson?" And I said,
(17:51):
"Yes, ma'am, I am." And she said, "Well, I don't want nobody to touch my jewelry,
but a Stinson." And the boy said, "I drove her from Winchester all the way here for you to clean
and check her rings." I mean, that's pretty cool.
Karen Wilson: That is. That is. And, you know, your parents, I can't think of a closer family that you all have (18:04):
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been growing up. Your mom and dad, you very rarely saw them apart.
And then you all grew up in a small home.
Close quarters for you all. And you all, as we said, are kind of just a few years apart in age group.
(18:28):
Is that right? So, just a great legacy.
Jamie, do you want to add to that about anything?
Jamie Stinson: Well, I was going to say a lot. It's just, it's almost every day I'll talk to somebody, (18:35):
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and they'll say, "Well, you know, your your dad sold me my first wedding set." And now they're
coming in for their 50th anniversary.
Karen Wilson: That's special to be a part of that many people's history in our area too. (18:46):
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And I guess you get that as well.
David Stinson: And to kind of on Shawn's thing. (18:54):
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If I'm not mistaken, I've had the same situation, you know, with people coming in from Franklin County that's,
you know, I bought from your grandfather.
But it's kind of neat, too, as I've grown up in the store, I remember the parents of
these young people coming in to buy engagement rings.
(19:16):
And their mom and dad bought from me, and they said, "You better not buy from anybody else." S o that
means a lot, you know.
Karen Wilson: It does. (19:23):
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David Stinson: It means a lot. (19:23):
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Karen Wilson: Yeah. And as I said, the trust that you all have established from this many years of shooting people straight, (19:24):
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as you said, you got that from your dad, and I'm sure your mom, too.
Shawn Stinson: Oh, yeah. (19:35):
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Karen Wilson: A nd your mom, let's talk about her for a minute. (19:36):
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She was kind of the backbone of the family, but she kind of, I guess she kept it all together,
didn't she?
Shawn Stinson: Yeah, she whipped us in the shape. (19:46):
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I guess you could say.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. Well, with three boys – (19:50):
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Shawn Stinson: Bless her heart. (19:51):
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Karen Wilson: – within a year or two of each other, I guess you kind of had to do that. (19:52):
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But, you know, after your father passed, she stayed at the store with you all and kind of helped,
you know, as much as she could and worked and did the meet and greet.
David Stinson: Yep. She talked to everybody. (20:07):
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Karen Wilson: Yes. Very wonderful lady. Well, we're going to wrap up this segment of The BLC Connection Podcast (20:08):
undefined
and the Stinson legacy. W e've had Jamie, David and Shawn.
We're going to continue the story in the next segment with Alex and Abram Stinson,
and they are the fifth generation.
But that's it for this part of The BLC Connection Podcast.
(20:34):
Welcome back to The BLC Connection Podcast.
We are continuing with the fifth generation of the Stinson Jewelers,
Alex Stinson, son of Jamie, and Abram Stinson, son of David.
This is getting biblical guys. We've got multiple generations.
I feel like we're going back. And his father begat him and his mother beget him.
(20:55):
But it's great to see you all I guess picking up the mantle and carrying it forward.
I know your grandparents are so proud of that, because they got to kind of see you all working at the store.
So talk to me. I guess, Alex, you're the older of the two, so let's start with you.
What made you decide to work in the family business?
Alex Stinson: Well, in school. Well, first of all, I didn't really like school, (21:18):
undefined
so.
Karen Wilson: Most people don't. (21:22):
undefined
Alex Stinson: Yeah. And, you know, mom wanted me to go to college and everything, (21:23):
undefined
and I like the family business. I like what I did.
I mean, I've done bench work since I was probably probably ten.
I mean, I've been in the store my whole life, but, you know, working at the bench and everything. And so I
started doing that, and I just enjoyed it.
And then growing up, you know, Moody would be out in the shed working on stuff and cast and whatnot.
(21:45):
And I'd go out there , well both of us did really, and, you know,
we'd go out there and hang out with him, and he'd kind of showed us everything.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, he was a great teacher, wasn't he? (21:52):
undefined
Alex Stinson: He was. (21:55):
undefined
Karen Wilson: He just had that voice, and it made you feel. (21:55):
undefined
I don't know the specialness of what he was doing.
He took so much pride in his work, and he loved talking about it and passing it down.
So I'm sure that was a wonderful thing for you all.
So, Abram, you're a college student right now at Tennessee Tech, but you plan on working with your dad.
(22:20):
Kind of talk to me about how college you feel like is benefiting the business skills that you hope to to
incorporate.
Abram Stinson: Yeah. So, I'm at Tennessee Tech, of course, and my major is marketing. (22:28):
undefined
So I want to use that degree just to grow the business, I guess,
and gain more customers and maybe have more advertising and just build a better business,
make it bigger.
Karen Wilson: Well, and you all, of course, are into the whole generation of social media. (22:44):
undefined
I mean, that has changed the face of we talked about with your dad's house.
When I was younger, you would go to the Park Theater to see a movie,
and advertising was walking by the glass and seeing the pretty jewelry behind there.
(23:07):
And you'd think, "Hey, when they're open, I want to come back and look at that." How is,
are you all involved in the social media aspect of it?
Alex Stinson: Yeah. (23:15):
undefined
Karen Wilson: I know, I see a lot of stuff. Shawn's stuff pops up a lot. (23:15):
undefined
But like you all do you do kind of the filming or kind of get the ideas going?
How are you all involved?
Alex Stinson: You go , I know you have the Instagram. (23:27):
undefined
Abram Stinson: So I have my own Instagram already for like my jewelry stuff. (23:29):
undefined
It's called Abram's Jewelry. But like, I do my dad's stuff sometimes too.
We just think whatever's popular right now, we post on social media,
and hopefully someone will come in and buy it or get some hits on or something like that.
Karen Wilson: So, Abram, you are already like, I've seen some of your work with like spoons and things like (23:47):
undefined
that. What is your specialty that you feel like you work at right now?
Abram Stinson: I try to just be creative. I don't really have like a specific specialty. (23:57):
undefined
I just want to do what's kind of popular and what gets more sales.
Karen Wilson: Yeah. And of course you all are also appealing to that younger demographic too. (24:05):
undefined
Lots of people, your ages are starting to get engaged and things like that.
And I saw you had a post the other day.
You got to sell, I guess, the engagement ring to your childhood friend.
Abram Stinson: Walt Jones, yeah, we've been best friends since like kindergarten, (24:25):
undefined
and we made a promise. We made a promise in like kindergarten that if he buys his first engagement ring for me,
he has to build my first house.
Karen Wilson: Oh, that's a good trade. (24:39):
undefined
Abram Stinson: Yeah. He works with his dad at Connan Jones Construction. (24:41):
undefined
So I guess I got to hold up my end of the deal now.
Karen Wilson: Yeah, well, that day will come, and no pressure for that. (24:49):
undefined
We got to put the engagement ring first , I guess.
And some people choose to build houses now at your age, even before then.
So you guys got to see your grandparents, Moody and Judy, both working at the jewelry store.
Tell us something, each of you can take turns, that you learned from one of them that you'll carry into your
(25:12):
business.
Alex Stinson: One thing, Moody, he always did, and I still do it today is, you know, (25:14):
undefined
somebody will come in, and they need a link taken out of a watch or just something simple. You know, they don't take us no time or
nothing like that. And he wouldn't charge them, and he'd always tell them, just come back and see me. And I've
always done that, and it seems to work.
A lot of people always come back because you, you know, maybe that person,
for whatever reason, they might not have the money at the time. Or it's just a good gesture for them, you know. And people
(25:40):
remember the stuff like that. And I've always done that.
And, so far it seems to work out.
It worked for him.
Karen Wilson: It does. It does. I mean, that means a lot to somebody to get a repair done or something of that nature without having to (25:46):
undefined
think, "Okay, I'm going to going to be out like 50 bucks to get this fixed." And he was really good.
Even if you didn't buy it from him, he would do repair work and things like that too.
What about you, Abram?
Abram Stinson: Well, Alex kind of stole my answer, but another thing that he would do was like in one of those first (26:07):
undefined
questions, that he'll back his work up.
He knows what he did, and he'll back it up.
And he knows what he can do about it if it's something's wrong with it.
Karen Wilson: I know one thing I always enjoyed was free cleanings, and he would check your diamonds for you. (26:24):
undefined
You know, you always felt safe going there because you would think,
okay, he's going to help me keep, you know, take good care of this expensive purchase.
Alex Stinson: Yeah. (26:41):
undefined
Karen Wilson: So they were really good about that. (26:42):
undefined
So both of you had some caregiving roles after Moody passed away with your grandmother.
Talk to me about what that meant to you.
You know her role in the family business wasn't the role of Moody,
but it was still, I think she was a big part of it.
(27:02):
Let's start with you, Alex.
Alex Stinson: W ell, on Sundays I'd always take her to church, and I had a little convertible car. (27:03):
undefined
I still have it, but she always loved going for rides in that and everything.
And then both of us on Wednesdays, we'd take her supper, or she'd cook for us.
Y ou know, something of that nature.
And another thing, as far as business, she would always wear jewelry Moody made.
(27:24):
And she'd just sell it off her finger, and she gets so mad, or, yeah,
she'd get mad about it. And Moody was like, "Well, I can just get you another one." And,
you know, she'd get upset about it, but yeah, she did stuff like that all the time.
And of course, she had nine rings on ten of her fingers, you know,
and just always something like that.
Karen Wilson: I do remember just beautiful, you know, you would get. (27:41):
undefined
It was very eye catching. She always kept her nails so pretty.
And her hair was short so you could see her pretty earrings and things like that.
She was basically the store model, I guess.
Abram Stinson: She's the mobile advertising for us. (27:57):
undefined
Karen Wilson: Yes. What about you, Abram? (27:58):
undefined
Abram Stinson: I mean, Granna meant a lot to me. (28:01):
undefined
O ne of the things that I could think about her is like, if you come in the store,
and you're a new customer, she treats you like you've been there before.
She treats you like a friend or a family member, that she knows what you want,
and she'll take care of you.
Karen Wilson: Right, right. And as the female, you know, she was kind of for years before your moms started kind (28:17):
undefined
of hanging out sometimes. S he was kind of the lone female, the female perspective on what you liked and things
like that. So I know, now your dad has a lady that helps her, and I know Shawn does,
(28:38):
too. A nd so it's helpful to have that perspective of what's popular or what we're thinking,
because generally, the gift is usually, when it comes to jewelry,
for the females. But you guys have some pretty men's stuff too, right?
Abram Stinson: Yeah. (28:52):
undefined
Karen Wilson: Yeah, that's what I was thinking. (28:52):
undefined
And of course, this time of the year, it's getting to be everybody starting to think about jewelry and
all of those things. So it's a popular time.
Gentlemen, thank you both for being here today.
It's a wonderful family story. You guys, I know, are so proud of the history of the Stinstons,
and we look forward to seeing what you all are going to bring.
(29:14):
And it's so wonderful. Sometimes your generation gets kind of a bad rap at times.
Alex Stinson: Yep. (29:20):
undefined
Karen Wilson: So you all are not the bad rap. You all are carrying on the mantle of your grandparents and great grandparents and I believe, (29:22):
undefined
great, great. So that's great , literally, I'd like to invite our listeners and viewers to tune
in for future episodes and share this content with other businesses.
Until next time, this is your BLC
(29:44):
Connection.
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