Carolyn Mack-Burks never saw herself as a store owner, but as she sits in the Delta Emporium & Events store on East Johnson Street, that clearly has changed.
Mack-Burks, 52, grew up in Schlater and attended Amanda Elzy High School before earning a degree in social work at Mississippi Valley State University.
She and her husband, James, are the new owners and managers of Delta Emporium & Events, a collective offering merchandise from honey and clothing to paintings and furniture.
“Our caramel cakes, our candles and our pottery — they are the most popular items here,” she said.
The duo bought the building in October so that when they retire, “we can just roll into that and have something to do every day,” she said.
In her other job, she is a district manager for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services in the office of special disabilities.
“We serve the severely disabled population — quadriplegics, paraplegics, the elderly,” she said. “We provide personal care and services, where we pay someone to go into the home to assist them with their activities of daily living, or we do home modifications.”
Mack-Burks, who has been doing this work for over 20 years, said the best feeling is being able to help people.
“Just to see the client’s face when the services are being provided or have been provided, that is the most important part of it,” she said.
But the store is a business venture that came to them.
“The building was for sale, not the business,” she said. “So we purchased the building, but the previous owners were like, ‘Well, the vendors are here, and they don’t want to leave. So would y’all consider?’” she said. “So we decided to continue on. And this particular business is a learning challenge for us, which is good. And we’re always up for the challenge.”
The store was used as a set location for “Women of the Movement,” an ABC television series filming in Greenwood that tells the story of Emmett Till, a Chicago teen who was killed in 1955, and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
Mack-Burks said hearing some of the crew talking about the area’s local history has inspired her.
“(The crew) was like, ‘You know, this street, Johnson Street, was the one of the most popular streets back in the 1950s.’ So I’m like, ‘We can bring that back here.’ That would be great. I would love to be part of the revitalizing of this area. That is what we want to do.”
Mack-Burks said a misunderstanding led some to think that the store is closed rather than under new management.
“We’re just trying to get the people to know that we are here, you know, so we have to get out there. … That’s kind of challenging. But again, we don’t mind a challenge.”
Another challenge is the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit her and her family hard.
Mack-Burks’ brother, Sammy, died of the virus last year, and she said this made the discussion about the business even more difficult.
“That was a huge question mark,” she said. “When we started, we were unsure about it, but we said that we can’t let that scare us. … And we were in the process of purchasing the building at that time when that happened, and that kind of made me want to do something in his honor.”
Mack-Burks said the shop takes COVID-19 procedures seriously, with sanitizer at the door, constant sanitizing and providing masks to those who come in.
She has a passion and dedication for what she does and is excited for what is to come.
Over these past four months, she said, they have learned to operate the business and have found particular joy in interacting with the customers and vendors. She also hopes soon to host different events and incorporate some of her husband’s cooking skills into the shop.
“We are here, that is the main thing,” she said, “and we’re good, and we’re safe, and we’re comfortable here.”
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. On Twitter at @AdamBakst_GWCW.
