A family-owned business that takes things “personally”
Donnie Williams, Owner of Cleveland Trophy Awards & Gifts in downtown Cleveland, said he grew up in the family-started business and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
“I really love the store and, especially, the customer service aspect of it, having worked here and seeing how it’s run from a very early age,” said Williams. “Trophies, engraved items and the type of gifts we sell are special, personal and unique parts of people’s lives and to be a part of that is truly special.”
Trophies, plaques, acrylic or crystal medals — Williams said the business can handle just about any request a customer may have, especially now with newly-upgraded machinery to produce items such as banners and posters. “We also do all the work here in-house,” said Williams. “It’s not shipped out for others to do it.”
Cleveland Trophy also offers gifts such as BBQ sets, flasks, wine gift sets, lamps and more in the store’s showroom. Custom engraving is available for items in the store.
Originally opened by the Williams brothers father, the late Keith Williams (who, with wife Martha, owned the old Marquee Lanes in Cleveland) the goal of the store was to become a stand-alone trophy shop and it certainly achieved that — and much more.
“My dad ran both businesses at the same time and, as the bowling season would wind down, the trophy season would pick up,” said Williams. “Cleveland Trophy kept growing and, when the bowling center closed in 2013, we relocated to our present location from our former place just up the street at 118 N. Sharpe Avenue. We’ve continually expanded our business and product offerings and are doing better now than we ever have before.”
The store is presently located at 119 S. Sharpe Avenue.
Williams said turnaround time is also a very important part of the business for him and that most work can be done in one day. “Unless it’s just a huge order, yes, we always try to get jobs done as quickly as possible,” he said. That’s part of that love of customer service Williams most appreciates about his store.
“Whether it’s orders from schools, churches, clubs, individuals — whatever the case — we’ve developed relationships here that have lasted for a long time,” said Williams. “Not just here in Cleveland, but throughout the Delta. Our business is always steady, but from the week after Spring Break to about the second week of June, it’s non-stop around here. We do work for customers stretching from Yazoo City up to Clarksdale, and during that particular time frame we’re working 17 hour days, 7 days a week. We cover just about every school in every district, probably within an 80-mile radius,” he said, adding that those schools, as well as large quantity orders, receive discounted prices.
Along with his brother David, a partner in the business, Williams said the two do the majority of the work at the store along with the other employees. “And we help customers with wording or styles of whatever they want,” he said. “The goal is to always do it right and do it right the first time — and produced with high quality and uniqueness for that particular customer. And we guarantee all of our work at Cleveland Trophy. We want to make our customers happy and I believe we do, based on the feedback we get. Plus, we’ll meet or beat any price — if we can — for the job requested.”
Cleveland Trophy does all of the trophy and awards work for the many local and regional BBQ cooking competitions, as well as dozens of other events and festivals. “It’s always exciting to see a trophy or a plaque that we custom made on display somewhere in another town,” said Williams. “I’m happy to say that happens often, too.
“As a family-owned, small business, we appreciate the support we’ve gotten over the years from our many customers,” said Williams. “I think that’s why we’ve become known as industry leaders and we’re proud of that.”
For more information on Cleveland Trophy, visit www.clevelandtrophy.com.