Their customers bring them food during the holidays because they work so hard they don’t have enough time to eat. Think about what that says about Polly DuPont, the 61-year-old Dallas independent, owned for the past 13 years by John James and Jim McCown. This is a store revered by customers and suppliers alike. What makes a store so universally loved? The principals will tell you it boils down to the golden rule: treating others the way you would want to be treated. A little common sense for these very non-commonsensical times. Respect for its partners – whether they’re supplying the merchandise or buying it – is really what makes Polly DuPont shine, and just like Aretha Franklin, these folks know that a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T goes a very long way.

Polly DuPont – named for the original owner – is situated in an upscale strip center in North Dallas. Because of its plum location, James (a 32-year Noritake exec who moonlights at the store) and McCown, a former sales rep, decided to blend their sales experience and expertise servicing independents by purchasing the run-down store. The then 1,800-square-foot, tired store was in the doldrums despite once being the destination for area denizens’ tabletop needs. The purchase fulfilled the promise McCown made to James during one slow trade show that the two would go into business together.

It was a natural pairing; both have strong backgrounds in retail (James grandparents’ owned and operated department stores, and he himself once owned a few Hallmark stores; McCown has worked in Texas retail since he was a kid), and wholesale (James’ 32 years at Noritake; McCown’s quarter-century as a sales rep at Bill Hunnicutt & Associates).

Each say retail/wholesale is in the blood and all they ever wanted to do. Each has learned and truly believes the independent retailer is the best merchant to service the customer and, thus, each has made that their prime raison d’être where Polly DuPont is concerned. Interestingly, James is a department store pro, servicing Noritake’s Midwest majors. “Department stores’ primary concern is price,” James says. “They may not have abandoned the customer, but they’ve certainly lost touch. We’re hands-on.”

It’s a kind of therapeutic touch they demonstrate, and it sheds light on why Polly DuPont’s customers clamor to feed the staff when they’re too busy to feed themselves. The TLC is continually reciprocated: from carrying packages to customers’ cars to customers cooking lunch for the staff. “We’re family,” McCown says. “We make every one of our customers feel like family.” That’s a far departure from Polly DuPont’s previous owners whose philosophy seemed to have been they never met a customer they liked. The store, at one time, had a reputation for driving customers away, not solely thanks to a lackluster product assortment but for alienating customers.
As the business continued to downward spiral and the owners were unwilling to pour any money or attention into it, in 1993 a ‘For Sale’ sign was posted. James and McCown were immediately interested and they bought the store as an investment, prepared to dedicate time and resources into bringing it back to its former splendor when Fred and Polly DuPont ran it from 1946 to 1975.
A decadelong renovation has taken the store from 1,800 to 7,500 square feet, creating ample space for inventory, massively growing dinnerware assortments, adding gift categories, and basically colorizing a once-drab interior. “There was a total absence of color,” James admits. He further acknowledges that he and McCown were flying by the seat of their pants the first couple of years. The two were off-premises much of the time; each had day jobs and were only in the store on week-ends. As Polly DuPont found its footing, McCown came on full-time. James continues to work the store one day a week; Noritake consumes his weekdays.

Ten years ago the pair hired Stephen Dankesreiter to spearhead the creative direction. Small town Texas boy Dankesreiter was fresh out of school, eager to lend a hand. From the first week, it was evident to James and McCown that Dankesreiter was a perfect fit, particularly impressed with his table setting talents. “Stephen keeps us on our toes,” McCown says. “Whenever we walk in the store we never know what we’re going to see because Stephen is just amazing at creating fresh new looks. He has incredible energy and a great attitude and treats Polly DuPont as if it were his own store.”

The trio, in fact, have formed a symbiotic relationship that suits them well. James is known for his great eye at picking product; Polly DuPont’s mix is a significant ingredient to the store’s success. A great spotter of key items with massive sell-through, James is always on the look-out for the well-priced sleeper that will take his customers by surprise. “I’ll walk by 100 showrooms and not see a thing,” James offers, “but at the 101st I’ll see the key item.” McCown keeps the store running; he oversees operations, keeps the dialogue going with suppliers, and is often the first responder to his customers. Dankesreiter brings a youthful vitality complement to his more senior associates; he literally turns the tables upside down (that, in fact, was a recent front window) with an uncanny ability to creatively conjure outside the box. “Our customer base,” James says, “has expanded greatly because of the growth and appearance of our store. We love to hear our customers say how great the store looks and how beautifully it’s merchandised.”

There’s a three-fold secret to Polly DuPont’s success, they say. In addition to product assortments (from a $15 gift to a $500 piece of Lladro) and merchandising, a devoted and well-trained staff is critical to the store’s good fortune.