Family-owned Bailey's jewelry started with a love story

The Village District store is the largest jewelry store in the state at more than 11,000 square feet.

Clyde Sr. and “Mama” Ann Bailey opened the first Bailey's in Rocky Mount in 1948. Clyde was a craftsman and watchmaker, while Ann was a full-time working mom. When Clyde died at 46, Ann kept the business going and at the age of 36 became the first female business owner and operator in Nash County.

When Clyde Jr. returned from Los Angeles where he studied gemology, the Bailey's brand expanded its reach. A love story was at the root of this ownership as well with Clyde Jr. and his high school sweetheart, Jane, taking over the business.

Now, the family is in its third generation of family ownership with Clyde's Jr.'s son, Trey Bailey, and wife Marci, running Bailey's. They two met while studying at the Gemological Institute of America.

The famous Bailey's box didn't always have white and black stripes and a red bow. It went through several iterations before the style of the box was changed to its current version 15 years ago.

"When I started in the business, 17 years ago, our box was actually like a gray marble look," Marci Bailey said.

As for the slogan, "Every woman wants a Bailey's box," that actually came from a longtime customer in the 1980s.

"She came into our little downtown store in Rocky Mount and just kind of offhand said to my father-in-law, Clyde, 'Well, of course, Clyde, every woman wants a Bailey box.' And he immediately picked up on that and thought it was so great. And that became our slogan," Marci Bailey said.

"I think one of the pillars of our business is we are local," Marci Bailey said. "We live in our communities where our stores are located, and we love to be out in our community."

Bailey's has also held some contests in the community – where couples compete for an engagement ring. They have also done a "Finders Keepers" scavenger hunt where Bailey boxes are left in the community for people to find and keep.

"Our entire store is on sale. It's our big sale of the year. There are certain designers that are excluded from the sale, but in general, the entire store is on sale," Marci Bailey said.

The shop has a Mother's Day guide online that includes personalized lockets.

"We get to be a part of amazing celebrations in people's lives in our community. And our clients come to us because they are excited to celebrate themselves, their achievements, their accomplishments," Marci Bailey said. "They're getting engaged. They're having babies. They're having anniversaries."