June 8, 2021
This week’s Small Business Spotlight is on Merle Norman & Sissy’s Treasures in Jacksonville!
Co-owners Patricia Towns and Ashley Pruitt are also a great mother/daughter team! They have
taken their passion and creativity and brought new life to the old Alabama Power building on
Pelham Road.
They offer so much at their store, you have to check it out! Women’s clothing, jewelry,
accessories, kids clothing & accessories, customization and embroidery, and of course, the
Merle Norman makeup line!
- Tammy (T): How and when did your business begin?
Patricia (P): The store started 2 years ago in June of 2019. The monogram side of the business, the Sissy’s Treasure side, I’ve been sewing all my life. My nickname is Sissy, and when my sewing factory in Piedmont shut down, I continued sewing. I bought a bunch of sewing
machines and started my own business doing monograms out of my home and it just kept
growing! I took that along with the Merle Norman line, which I have been wearing for 30 plus years and I put my two loves together! - (T): Tell me more about your location here in Jacksonville.
- Ashley (A): We are located in the old Jacksonville Alabama Power building, next to The Rocket. It’s at 1516 Pelham Rd South.
- T: What kind of customizing option do you offer here?
- P: We can monogram, embroider, and we do lots of custom tees. We have embroidery,
sublimation, and vinyl on just about anything. We also do decals and I just did a garden flag for
a friend of mine! - A: We can do purses, hats, coffee mugs, blankets, shirts, just about everything!
- T: I’d like to take a tour of the store so you can talk about all the things you sell!
- P: We have the Merle Norman cosmetics. They’re all 100% made in the USA. We have
lipsticks, eye shadows, bronzers and blushes, mascaras. Lots and lots of foundation, powders,
concealer and primer. We have a whole wall of skin care, serums, lotions, and cleansing
creams, and masks. We have Merle Norman gift sets and we also carry a lot of custom gift
baskets for any type of holiday or occasion. I put it all together and wrap it up as a nice gift. - A: We carry Judy Blue jeans, Cellos and Can-Cans. These are awesome jeans, they’re really
stretchy! We have lots of custom tees, bleached and unbleached. Lots of women’s boutique
clothing and kids clothing too! We also carry kids monogram items, like blankets and stuffed
animals with the kids name on it! We have lots of outfits that you can do a name or applique on.
We have a whole cute section with the Itzy Ritzy items for babies. We carry local honey from
Catoma Creek made by Lynn and Nancy Kelly in Piedmont - T: What kind of local events do you participate in?
- A: We do most of the Calhoun County events. We won’t be at Fair in the Square in Jacksonville on
June 19. We like to participate and help out in the community and show our custom made
things. We’re getting into doing Facebook Live sales. - T: Where can people find you online and in person?
- A: We’re on Facebook and Instagram. Our Instagram is @merlenormansissystreasures and you can also find us on TikTok!
I hope you enjoyed this interview with a local business. Be sure to support small businesses in
your community!
