By CHRIS MENEES Messenger Staff Reporter The grocery business has always been a family affair for the James family. And, for 75 years, the three generations involved in E.W. James & Sons Supermarkets have even sought to treat customers like family. Company chairman David James — the son of founder the late E.W. James — said the company’s mission statement best sums up its family-oriented philosophy. “We’ve got a mission state-ment,” James said. “‘E.W. James & Sons is a family operation of associates serving you, our valued customers, since 1934 by personally guaranteeing everything we sell. We offer you a friendly environment that is clean, with competitive prices and the freshest product available. We promise to do this with the best service anywhere in an atmosphere that is fun and enjoyable for customers, associates and all.’ And that sums up what we try to do. That’s it.” Of course, the mission builds on the elder James’ “secret of success” in simply believing “the sale is not final until the meal is enjoyed.” It’s a concept of making customer service and satisfaction a priority that has been passed from generation to generation. That success will be celebrated throughout the month of June when the ever-expanding James “family” of company associates and customers in four states gather to mark the 75th anniversary of E.W. James & Sons Supermarkets. The month-long celebration will include giveaways of 12-foot jon boats with motors, compliments of Bass Pro Shops and Coca-Cola™, at all of E.W. James’ stores in a four-state area. Other giveaways at each store will include grills and 75 bags of groceries per week during the first two weeks of June. The boats will be given away at the end of June and entrants may register online by visiting the store’s Web site at www.ewjames.com — where visitors will find that the company has gone high-tech with a blog, Twitter and Facebook, as well as electronic versions of in-store specials, coupons and information, according to director of advertising Steve Hilton. Employees at each of the stores will also be dressed in 1930s era clothing and ’30s era photos and memorabilia will be displayed as a nod to the company’s roots. A humble beginning It was in 1934 that the late E.W. James, a native of nearby Hickman, Ky., started it all. At the time, he was working for his brother-in-law, Joe Rogers, as a clerk at a small grocery store in Hickman. “Dad was going around and delivering feed to the bottoms, the Lower Bottom in Hickman, and he’d also buy (fur) pelts and buy pecans and bring them back,” David James recalled. “In 1934, Uncle Joe wanted to move to Paducah (Ky.) and go into business up there, so dad bought the store from him.” The store thrived under James, who then decided to purchase another downtown Hickman store, which he named Cash and Carry. James expanded his business to Union City in 1952 when he opened a store of about 8,000 square feet in the old John Deere building on East Main Street near the corner of Nash Street. “It was very successful,” his son said. “He expanded it and continued to grow and prosper.” The late 1960s saw the addition of a store in Fulton, as well as construction of a 22,000-square-foot store “from the ground up” on Nailling Drive in Union City, just down the street from the original Union City store location, according to David James. The decision was later made to relocate the store from Fulton to Dresden, where a store remains operational today. “We pretty well maintained those three for quite some years and then felt like we had gotten things together and were ready to start expanding,” James said. Each of E.W. James’ four children and grandchildren have been involved in the business over the years. The late Billy Joe James had started working full-time with his father around 1950 and son David came on board for good in 1969 after completing military service that began when he was drafted shortly after graduating from college. The addition of James’ sons to the growing grocery business was reflected in the name the company still bears today. With the James men at the helm, the E.W. James & Sons family of stores continued to grow and change from its original three stores. The expansion took off in the 1970s with the addition of stores in Lexington, Ripley and McKenzie, followed in the 1980s by the addition of Martin, Jackson and Huntingdon locations and, over the past two decades, stores in the surrounding states. Over the years, E.W. James & Sons would often buy out existing groceries whose owners were at retirement age and ready to sell, according to James. Growing and giving Today, E.W. James & Sons operates 23 stores in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas, as well as five pharmacies and a “super store” on East Reelfoot Avenue in Union City that includes Calla Lilly Collection and Generations restaurant — named after the three generations of the James family. The company also operates several Save-A-Lot stores in the area. The company’s corporate headquarters remains housed in the former store location on Nailling Drive in Union City, while the original sign from the former Nailling Drive store is now proudly posted at the East Reelfoot Avenue location. E.W. James & Sons is continuing to expand and its newest venture is the addition of neighborhood family markets, with the first currently under construction in Gleason. David James’ daughter, Lee Ann James, is now the company’s chief executive officer. His wife, Tommye Faye James, currently runs Generations, while his nearly 83-year-old mother-in-law, Faye Kilpatrick, remains active as a bookkeeper in the family business. “She loves it. It keeps her going,” James said with a smile. Lee Ann’s brother, David, currently lives in Nashville but also formerly worked in the family business in Union City. For the entire James family, giving back to the community it calls home has always been important over the years and various levels of community involvement have been implemented at every store in the company’s four-state area. For example, Billy Joe loved music and was instrumental in implementing the popular band suppers the company sponsors to help local high school bands. Ms. James said the E.W. James Charitable Foundation is currently in its second year of giving to the community. Last year, the designated charity was Visions Autism Center, which was started by her brother and sister-in-law in Nashville. This year, the Carl Perkins Center is the designated charity for the foundation. The family’s continued community involvement is something that would make E.W. James proud. David James and his daughter recalled how the elder James would visit the stores daily even when he was well into his 80s. He would be dressed in a suit as he visited with customers and passed out gum. “He loved people and he loved to visit with people,” Ms. James said. “He believed in customers first and caring about people,” James added. Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by e-mail at cmenees@ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 5.28.09
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