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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Around nine months ago, William and Angela Mallinson bought the Edwards Jewelers building in downtown Clanton. The owner, Danny Edwards, was moving Edwards Jewelers to a new location, and Angela was moving Mulberry Hill Boutique into the building.

The couple jokingly told Edwards if he ever wanted to get out of the business to let them know. In February, Edwards called the Mallinsons and asked if they were still interested in purchasing the business. A few weeks later, the couple took over Edwards Jewelers on Valentine’s Day.

“It was very quick, we did some paperwork, and we took it over,” William said.

Edwards’ family started the business in 1950, and he worked in it for 43 years. He is not stepping away from the business fully, and is helping the Mallinsons get a grasp of how his family kept the store running for 73 years. Edwards also comes in a few days a week to repair jewelry, such as ring sizing, necklace repair and stone resetting.

“We were not familiar with jewelry at all, just that you bought it and wore it,” William said. “For him to be here to guide us, train us (is helpful) … He is not gone. His goal is to retire partially, and he is working a few days with us to make sure the backside of the business is strong and supported.”

Angela has lived in Chilton County her whole life and remembers the Edwards Jewelry store in downtown Clanton when she was growing up. William bought Angela’s wedding band from Edwards Jewelers 17 years ago.

“Some days it feels surreal because they have always been there and been a part of my life,” Angela said. “To have it is exciting, but it means a lot to both of us that Danny trusted us with something his family has spent so much of their life building and growing. To pass that on to us is special, and it means a lot.”

The Mallinsons have multiple businesses including Cedar & Bloom Clothing Co., Mulberry Hill Boutique and AW Realty. The couple said they are focused on building a solid team at each business so each one is strong, and so they do not have to take time away from their other businesses.

Those teams sometimes consist of the Mallinsons’ children or other family members. William Mallinson said working with family can be tense sometimes, but great because everyone is passionate about what they are working on and keeps everyone on the same page.

“Our goal is to keep our hands in the things we are passionate about, but also to give us multiple streams of revenue,” William said. “When one is down, maybe the others are not. We are entrepreneurs at heart, and we work on things that we can control and offer services and businesses to customers, but also one day leave a legacy and something for our children to take over.”

The couple said they do not plan on changing much when it comes to how Edwards Jewelers was running.

“They did such a good job for 73 years, and if it is not broke do not fix it,” William said. “We are going to improve on the hours, and we have already increased the hours to 5:30 (p.m.). We want to do the same thing he has done and try to improve on it as much as possible.”

The current hours of the store are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The Malinsons are planning on opening Wednesdays and Saturdays for a partial day soon as well.

Adding some kind of special or event at any major holidays is another way the Mallinsons want to put their spin on the business.

When it comes to their current business strategy, William wants to focus on rings such as promise rings, engagement rings, wedding bands, bridal sets and more.

“We want to be the place they think of,” William said. “That is going to be a part of our march going forward.”

The busy holiday season at the end of 2022 pushed back the Mallinsons getting the Edwards Jewelers sign off the building in downtown. The new location is at 1019 Lay Dam Road in Clanton.

The Mallinsons are planning an event every Monday that has some kind of attraction such as a food truck to get customers out to the new location.

“We are blessed,” William said. “We thought when Christmas was over we could relax some from the boutiques … Then all of the sudden God said ‘How about another business?’ We are not ones to turn down a challenge, and we are very excited about it.”