Selling candy in checkout lines as a boy and spending Christmas break on the sales floor of the men’s cologne department as a teenager, Chuck recognized and embraced his hereditary knack for retail service early in life. In 1959, his parents, Warren and Maudell Cooper, moved from Arkansas to the quaint town of New Albany, Mississippi, to open a new location of their family’s department store chain. First established by his uncles, Earl and Alvin VanHook, and successful business investor O.T. Atkins, the Cooper family business still pays homage to its founders despite its gradual transformation.
Just as Chuck garnered his retail passion from his business-savvy father and uncles, his four sons continue the Van Atkins legacy of excellent service. Following their father’s lead, Chuck’s two oldest sons, Van and Sam, are both GIA Graduate Gemologists. Van creates one-of-a-kind settings using computer design technology. He also runs the company’s new Oxford locale, which opened in September 2017. Sam shares his expertise and time between both shops. Jack, the youngest Cooper, also aspires to join the sales team and works when he’s home from college.
