We want to celebrate Janet Gower and her 30 years here at Unclaimed Baggage! Janet has been a very big part of our story and we wanted to share a little bit of her’s with you fine folks.
This Saturday, July 29th we will be honoring Janet Gower's retirement with a reception from 9:30-11:30 at the Cups Cafe porch. Light refreshments will be served. Employees and Guests are invited to stop by.
Janet is part of the foundation of UBC, having started her career with Doyle and Sue Owens 30 years ago. Many of you have had the pleasure of working directly with Janet or in frequenct passing and her presence at the store will be greatly missed! Please stop and visit with Janet before she begins this next chapter in her life, traveling with her husband Ken.
Here's a little inside look into Janet's story. We hope you enjoy!
UBC: What brought you to Scottsboro?
Janet: My husband was in the military, so we moved around a bit. We lived in Omaha for about five years, and then we moved briefly to Iowa, briefly to Wisconsin, long-term Oklahoma. Then we moved back to Omaha with old contacts. My husband then started working for a different company and found out they had a plant down here. It was a wonderful place, and right on the Tennessee river, so he said, “Let’s go”, and we moved down here and I’ve loved it ever since.
UBC: What was your first position here?
Janet: Assistant manager.
UBC: What different roles have you had within the company?
Janet: So, after assistant manager, I was then the manager, and of course I’ve cleaned the restrooms and greeted the guests. Something that’s a fun kind of thing, somebody was going to the market with Mrs. Owens and I thought “oh that’d be cool”, so I prayed that I could go to market and I ended up doing that for several years, and I even got to go to Canada as a research project for a week, which was an awesome experience.
UBC: Now that you’re in the jewelry department, what’s the most favorite thing you’ve found?
Janet: That is impossible, it really is. I’ve got so many favorites, even just little things. I just recently found Tiffany keychains in the 99-cent drawer, so it’s just impossible to pick a favorite.
UBC: Discovering it from a pricer’s perspective, what do you think is the coolest thing or the piece that came through that you enjoyed the most just from the store’s perspective?
Janet: The most exciting thing I’ve come across is some nice sea shells from the floor of the ocean that I’m sure some diver found. The shell is just gorgeous, you can see it, the way it laid on the ocean floor. I’ve also got a ship steering wheel that was Doyle Owens’.
UBC: So, thirty years with a company, how does that feel?
Janet: There’s just been lots of things that you help change and a lot of things that just change, so I’ve been through lots and lots of things and it’s just been a wonderful road. I started working here when my kids were in COLLEGE and the last thirty years have just flown by. It’s just been a great ride, and everyone here has always been my family.