Business of the Week: Smith & Davis Is Fayette’s Hidden Gem

It’s hard to imagine a business being considered a hidden gem when it sits right on Highway 54 between Fayetteville and Peachtree City, where thousands of motorists pass by regularly. But Smith & Davis Clothing has managed to be both a local institution and a delightful surprise to customers who finally venture inside.

The 61-year-old family business recently won two Citizen’s Choice Awards: The Best Hidden Gem and The Most Only in Fayette County. The Citizen’s Choice Awards are powered by the Fayette Chamber of Commerce.

From the road, Smith & Davis looks like a fairly ordinary brick building. Inside, however, shoppers discover a deceptively large store filled with name-brand clothing, accessories, and an extensive footwear department.

General Manager Sam Perez says even longtime residents are sometimes surprised by what they find.

“I get people constantly that say I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’ve never come in here because I didn’t know you guys had this much stuff,” Perez said.

And while Perez appreciates the Hidden Gem award, he’d be perfectly happy if the store weren’t quite so hidden.

“I think it’d be better if everybody knew who we were instead of just stumbling upon us because they saw our flappers out front,” he said.

A Fayette County Tradition Since 1965

Smith & Davis began in 1965, when Ronald Davis and his business partner, Fred Smith, opened a store across Highway 54 from its current location.

The original business sold jeans, gasoline, crackers, soft drinks, and other everyday necessities. Its merchandise has changed considerably over six decades, although jeans remain a staple.

The store moved to another building in the early 1980s before settling into its current location in the late 1980s. The Davis family eventually took full ownership of the business, and the family tradition continues today.

Ronald Davis’ grandson, Jacob Davis, works throughout the store, helping customers, handling day-to-day operations, and doing whatever needs to be done.

His official title?

“I am a Davis, is my title,” he said.

Davis explained that he has asked for a more conventional title over the years, but the answer has always been the same: He’s a Davis.

The Shoes That Keep My Family Coming Back

I’ve been shopping at Smith & Davis for more than 25 years, almost as long as I’ve lived locally.

When my boys were little, I learned pretty quickly that cheap shoes weren’t necessarily a bargain. I remember buying them shoes at Walmart, only to have those shoes promptly fall apart. That was enough for me.

So I developed a system.

Every summer, we’d head to Smith & Davis for new Crocs. My boys practically lived in those Crocs all summer long. Then, before school started, we’d go back for new school shoes.

Year after year, that was our routine.

Now my sons are grown men, both living several states away from Georgia. And you know what? They still come back to Smith & Davis to buy their shoes every year.

Part of that is probably family habit. But there’s a practical reason, too. They know they can find the brands they want, including the Hokas my older son prefers, and they’ll have someone who actually knows what they’re talking about help them find the right fit.

The back portion of Smith & Davis is devoted to an extensive selection of running shoes and other footwear. But the best part isn’t just the selection. It’s the employees who take the time to figure out what you need.

Perez says employees receive extensive training so they can provide more than directions to a particular department.

“We’re going to get a little bit more inquisitive,” Perez said.

He also made a point I hadn’t really considered about customer service.

“We know that we’re not in the shopping center,” Perez said. “You made a plan to come to Smith and Davis at some point in your day, and we can tell you where it is a whole lot faster than you can find it.”

In other words, they know you’ve made a special trip, and they want to respect your time.

Top 3 Shoe Store in Georgia, Top 18 in Nation

According to Perez, Footwear Insight Magazine has ranked Smith & Davis third in Georgia and 18th nationally among shoe retailers.

The recognition comes through a mystery-shopping evaluation process, he said, with the store receiving the honor six times in the past seven years, excluding 2020, when no awards were given because of COVID-19.

The store’s employees never know when the secret shoppers are coming.

Perez says the goal is to give every customer the same level of service, whether an evaluator is watching or not.

For him, the most rewarding part of the job isn’t selling a particular brand.

“My favorite experience with customers is when you know they walk in here with foot pain and walk out happy, and in some cases in tears because you know they’re not limping anymore,” Perez said.

Jacob Davis agrees. Helping someone who has been struggling with uncomfortable shoes find something that works is one of his favorite parts of the business.

But if he had to pick a favorite product to sell?

Sunglasses. Or cowboy boots.

Jacob especially loves his cowboy boots, which is why Sunday is his favorite day of the workweek to wear them. He explained that he saves his boots for Sundays because it’s a shorter shift, and cowboy boots aren’t necessarily the most comfortable footwear for a full day on the sales floor.

There’s Plenty More Than Shoes

I sometimes think of Smith & Davis as a really great shoe store with a whole lot of bonus merchandise up front.

But Perez says the clothing side of the business has been growing considerably.

He estimates the store’s sales mix has shifted from approximately 80% shoes and 20% clothing to something closer to 60% shoes and 40% clothing.

The women’s department features boutique-style clothing, while the men’s department offers everything from everyday casual wear to outdoor apparel, athletic clothing, and clothing for fishing and hiking.

The store carries more than 200 brands.

And while Smith & Davis specializes in quality merchandise, that doesn’t mean everything comes with a premium price tag.

Just ask my mom.

My mother is 84 years old, and she’s a bargain shopper through and through. She knows exactly when to head to Smith & Davis: tent sale time.

Like thousands of other bargain hunters, she looks forward to the opportunity to shop the clearance merchandise that’s been warehoused for the sale. Those last pairs in a particular size, discontinued styles, and other marked-down items can make for some pretty spectacular bargains.

It’s the kind of sale where a little patience and a willingness to hunt through the merchandise can really pay off.

And you don’t have to wait for the tent sale to find deals. Perez says the store maintains a clearance section year-round, with some clothing and footwear discounted 25% to 50%.

Of course, there’s another benefit to buying shoes from a local business: If something goes wrong, you can actually go back and talk to someone.

Jacob says Smith & Davis makes a point of working with customers when a purchase doesn’t work out.

“We’ve found that if you help them out, they’ll help you out, and they’ll stay your customer,” Davis said.

What Makes Smith & Davis So Fayette County?

The other Citizen’s Choice Award Smith & Davis won was Most Only in Fayette County.

And honestly, I think that one might be even more meaningful than Hidden Gem.

There aren’t many places left where a business has been operated by the same family for 61 years, where generations of customers have grown up shopping, and where the grandson of the founder might be the person helping you try on shoes.

I know, because the last time I went shoe shopping at Smith & Davis, Jacob was the fellow helping me.

I was a little surprised to discover that the guy bringing out shoes and helping me find the right fit was actually a member of the family that owns the store.

But apparently, that’s just how the Davises do business.

Perez, who has worked for Smith & Davis for more than 15 years, says the family’s hands-on leadership is part of what makes the business special. The owners aren’t simply people who come by to check on things and go home. They’re actively involved in the work, often arriving first and leaving last.

For Jacob, that commitment to customer service is what connects the modern Smith & Davis to the little store his grandfather opened in 1965.

“You weren’t going to make it long if you didn’t have service,” Davis said. “The world has changed, but we have not changed in that aspect of it, and it it served us well.”

The two Citizen’s Choice Awards came as a surprise to both Perez and Davis. Neither knew the store was in the running until they learned they’d won.

Their message to the customers who voted for them is simple.

“Thank you,” Perez said.

And he had one more request.

“Tell your friends.”

After all, there are still plenty of people driving along Highway 54 who have no idea what’s inside that unassuming brick building.

And those of us who have been shopping there for decades know they’re missing out.

For more information about Smith & Davis, visit smithdavisclothing.com. Customers can also sign up for the store’s SaleMail program to receive updates about new arrivals, promotions, and special offers.