A History of Excellence
In 1969 Joan Little was a stay-at-home mom looking for a way to earn money. Deciding to open a small grocery store near her home, Joan ran the family-owned store which carried everything from groceries to gas. She worked hard providing the basics for her community while raising her children.
After successfully running the store for more than 16 years, Joan was faced with a moral dilemma when the local government voted to allow alcohol sales in the county. "Mom was, and still is, very religious. She has a strong faith and did not feel comfortable selling alcohol to someone who could potentially walk out of her store and hurt themselves or someone else. She knew that without alcohol, customers would buy their groceries elsewhere. After a year of sticking to her guns she decided to close the store," recalls her daughter Jan.
With a heart committed to not selling alcohol and a head full of knowledge telling her that the business wouldn't make it without it, she sat down to have a "talk with God." Jan recalls her mother telling God, "Lord, you know my heart and you know my situation, and I know you will point me in the right direction."
Feeling led to try her hand at starting a small gift shop, Joan scouted out a location for what, she thought, was the answer to her conversation with God. She would carry gift items with one or two gold necklaces, but nothing more than a few pieces. "She wanted it to be more of a gift shop than a jewelry store, but she also carried a few pieces like herringbone and rope chain," states Jan. Believing that God had put this store together for her, she opened for business in November 1985 with a dedication ceremony-a dedication to God. She and several members of her family celebrated, dedicated, and prayed in the middle of the store before the doors opened for the first time. And, seeing this store as her new beginning, she named it Genesis.
