The Jewel of Grandview

By Kathy Feist

It was Lou Crews’ dream to open the jewelry store in Grandview in 1971. But his dream was cut short seven years later when he died from brain cancer. Before he passed, he made his 31-year-old wife Carolyn promise to keep the jewelry store going.
She kept that promise.

Now, 53 years later, Carolyn Crews Pope will step away from an illustrious career as owner of Crews Jewelry on October 31. Her niece, Stacey Stauch, will take over.

Pope has come a long way since that tragic moment when she lost her partner.

“Lou had way more faith in me than I did in myself. I was so shy, that just talking to customers was tough for me,” she says.

But her determination to carry out his dream drew her to new heights, breaking down barriers and leading to success.

Mom without Pop

Pope moved to Grandview from Joplin at the age of 10. She graduated from Grandview High School and later received her Associates Degree in business from the Metropolitan Community College. During this time, she met Lou where they both worked at Peterson Manufacturing in Grandview. He was also training to be a jeweler.

The two dated for three years before they combined their talents and opened Crews Jewelry at 1523 Main St. Two years later they tied the knot. When she made that promise to Lou, they had been together 10 years.

After Lou was gone, Pope quietly made another promise: she would pay off all his medical bills.

It was 1978. In addition to debt and depression, she had to battle a male-dominated industry.

Her abilities to run a Mom and Pop store were often dismissed.

“After Lou died, salesmen wouldn’t call on me,” she recalls. “They only called on ‘Pop’ stores. They assumed men made all of the decisions back then.”

In addition, her landlord had new plans for the rented space soon after Lou’s death.

“I was just getting my feet on the ground,” she says. “I was pretty heartbroken.”

Some men had confidence in her though.

A jewelry salesman from Chicago told her everything he had was hers.

A Grandview customer, Mike Oden, surprised on a walk to his newest purchase: the former magistrate court building at 13003 13 St. It was hers to lease. “The block building was a Fort Knox for a jeweler,” she exclaims. She rented it for 20 years before buying it from him and renovating it.

New Direction

It took her 15 years to pay off Lou’s medical bills. In that time she increased Crews’ profits by 20 percent each year, completed all the required courses in jewelry retailing, and married Phil Pope, a regional manager for an industrial equipment company.

She joined organizations.

Pope was the first woman to serve on the executive board of the Missouri Jewelers Association and in 1993 its first woman-elected president.

In 1994 she became president of the Missouri Jewelers and Watchmakers Association.

In 2001, she was the first woman to be elected chairman of Jewelers of America, a New York-based retail jewelers association with over 12,000 members.

In Grandview, she became the first woman president of the Grandview Chamber of Commerce in 1992 and a board member of the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee, the Salvation Army and the Truman Bank (now Bank of the Midwest).

“If you are going to be in the community, be a part of the community,” she shares.

Word of Mouth

Pope attributes much of her success to personal service. “If you make people happy, they tell people,” she says. “That’s all I needed to do. Take care of each person who walks through the door and they will take care of me. That was my philosophy.”

She especially likes to keep records of items customers are interested in and share it with family members or partners who come in looking for a gift.

Her approach has attracted customers from all over, from Johnson County housewives to football and baseball celebrities to the hardworking farmer or mechanic..

“Husbands feel really comfortable coming in here,” she says. “It’s not fancy here. We have guys who come in their overalls and pull out $100 bills.”

In 1987, her counselor suggested it was time to take down the picture of Lou that hung on a wall at Crews Jewelry. After all, she had secured the business and made it her own. It was time to let go. Her promise had been fulfilled.

Last week, Pope was again taking down items on the walls. This time it was her own plaques and awards. She had fulfilled her own dreams. It was time to let her niece follow hers.

In September, Pope was recognized by the Grandview Chamber for 44 years of civic service.

“Carolyn Pope has been an invaluable asset to the Grandview community for over five decades,” says Liz Ogle, president of the Grandview Chamber of Commerce. “Her legacy as a pioneering businesswoman and a pillar of our community will continue to be felt for generations to come.”