History ~ Photos

At the age of 10 Joseph E. Sarphie left home and moved to Geneva Switzerland to become an apprentice to the House of Alfred Sandell to study Watch Making and Jewelry.  At the ripe old age of 13, he left Geneva with the blessing of Mr. Sandell to immigrate to the United States of America to continue his studies in New York.  He then moved to study in Louisiana and in 1896 he decided to open his first store.  His very first store was in Gloster, MS (see photo above).  He was a jeweler and watchmaker and later his brother, Ellis Sarphie, joined him in the business.  At the turn of the century each of the brothers went to separate communities in Mississippi.  Joseph Sarphie went to Woodville, MS and located his jewelry store in the town square.  He provided and installed the town clock in the steeple of city hall in the center of the square.  The last we heard the clock is still running good!  After that he considered a move toward Central Mississippi but decided to locate further south in Hattiesburg, MS instead of Jackson, MS since his good friend, Alfred Bourgeois, had located his store in Jackson and he did not want to compete with his good friend.

In Hattiesburg four of his seven children worked with the business.  One of the four children was the present owner's father, Claude Sarphie who was the last surviving child in the family business.  When Claude Sarphie decided to retire in 1990 the family business was closed after 94 years of continued business as a leading jeweler and gift market in MS selling all the fashionable items of the time.  The present owner, Mary Noailles Sarphie-Watkins, daughter of Claude Sarphie, was involved in raising her child and was unable to continue with and concentrate on the retail business at that specific time; however, she had been active in the business through the years. and later she reopened Sarphie's in the Metro Jackson, MS area.

We are very proud to bring this website for your enjoyment and to show you our products.  Traditionally we valued our customers and hope to continue serving our customers for many years to come.  Our mission is simple: to provide the best products and service to our customers at the lowest price possible.  We take great pride in our company, our commitment to customer service and in the products we sell.  Our online store is designed to provide you with a safe and secure environment to browse our product catalog.

Thank you for visiting and happy shopping,

Mary Noailles Sarphie-Watkins