Pulling into the parking lot brought the sight of more vehicles than expected. After all, it was just a weekday morning in Marks.
Jeffcoat’s Family Market launched their Marks store in March, ending a years-long time in which Quitman County had no real grocery store. James Jeffcoat provided a service for the people of Marks, Lambert and the entire county. And the people have responded.
In the parking lot, Young employees were busy unloading real Christmas trees and displaying them in the front of the store. The trees weren’t just put down in some type of order; they were neatly arranged to make the tree-buying experience as enjoyable as possible for the customers. It was hard to miss the extra work put into that.
The walk inside the store brought the same type of experience. One couldn’t miss that the food, products, and everything else were carefully arranged and prepared to make the customer’s experience better.
That extra work and attention to detail comes straight from the owner, James Jeffcoat. He provided a walking tour of the store while giving insight into the different jobs that he either helps with or performs himself. That list is long, because includes pretty much every task in the store. Jeffcoat points out the broad variety of meat, poultry, and fish available on the immaculately clean shelves. Those shelves, mentioned proudly, are brand new.
On this morning, Jeffcoat was dealing with the needs of customers while helping an employee with work on the store’s accounting. For Jeffcoat, a child of the Mississippi Delta, the store is much more than a successful business. This is a mission and his life’s professional passion.
His love for his work and raising the standard of living in Quitman County is not lost on his employees. They enjoy the store, their boss, the customers, and each other.
Ruby Schiele started working at Jeffcoat’s right after the store opened. Originally from Greenville, she has lived in Quitman County for the entire 57 years of her marriage. Schiele, like most others in her hometown of Lambert, is grateful to have a grocery store in the county.
So how does she like working at Jeffcoat’s? “I love it here,” she said with a smile. “This store has anything you could want right here. There is no reason to go anywhere else.”
She couldn’t say enough about having a grocery store nearby. “Until a few months ago, we had to go to Batesville or Clarksdale. That was just too far.”
Since the store opened just nine months ago, all of the employees are still relatively new on their jobs. Laveeta Brown, however, is absolutely new. “I just started working here yesterday,” she explained with a smile similar to the one worn by Ruby Schiele. The two cashiers seemed equally happy to be there.
According to Brown, she’s off to a great start. “I’m loving it,” she said. “So far, so good. I enjoy the people. My co-workers and my boss are great. It’s just a great place to work.”
As a native of Marks who has never moved away, Brown had enjoyed shopping at Jeffcoat’s many times before the job opportunity arose. “I had been in here many times before starting this job,” she said. “I already knew it was a great place to shop and to work. The atmosphere is really good. The store is always stocked with what you need.”
For Brown, Schiele and others, working at Jeffcoat’s is a source of pride. It has also become a source of fellowship. “This is where everybody goes now,” Brown added. “I see a lot of people I know through the whole day.”
The arrival of Jeffcoat’s was the first big event of a monumental year for Quitman County. After a five-year closure, the hospital reopened at its old location, directly across the street from Jeffcoat’s.
The building that now houses the grocery store was initially not in good shape and local leaders got the city and county to obtain state funding, purchase and renovate the building and then turn it over to Jeffcoat.
The county that had begun the year without a hospital or a grocery store now had both in the same location. For members of the local business community, the benefits could potentially multiply. “We’re working to use reopening of the hospital and the opening of the grocery store to show that businesses can succeed in Quitman County,” businessman Grover Lawson explained at the hospital’s grand opening.
With holiday feasts coming soon, the people of Quitman County can now stay at home to buy delicious food at affordable prices in a clean store.
