Turkoyz Offers Shopping Experience Perfect for Regional Travelers

By Sarah Kane and Riley Goerner
Hottytoddy.com interns

Turkoyz, a Jackson, Mississippi based company with a branch in Oxford, focuses on giving customers a genuine family atmosphere as well as a place to shop local wherever they travel. The Oxford location includes more than 5,000 pieces of jewelry and home items.

Aspen Bay Candles are one of the many locally made items featured in the Oxford store. Photo by Sarah Kane.

Owner Alan Weeks has been involved in the jewelry business, both on the retail side and wholesale side, his entire life. He always knew that he wanted to own a store one day.

Standing out today in the retail world can sometimes be difficult, Weeks said, but his store in Oxford gives a taste of great fashion for a better price.

“We are the place to go for accessories because we focus on fashion jewelry,” Weeks said. “We have a lot of the same look as Oxford boutiques but with lower prices.”

The original Turkoyz store opened in Jackson. Weeks said they opened the Memphis and Oxford branches, not because it was a great marketing area, but because it was where Jackson locals were spending their weekends.

“Oxford was an obvious location because so many of our Jackson people have a second home in Oxford,” Weeks said. “Once we were in the Oxford we noticed the same thing with Memphis. Oxford people will sometimes go to Memphis on weekends, and Memphis customers will come to Oxford for the weekends.”

Turkoyz offers a variety of handmade ceramic items, including Tab Boren Pottery. Photo by Sarah Kane.

While Turkoyz began as a jewelry store, the business now features Turkoyz at Home where shoppers can find pottery, local art, lamps and furniture. 

“We have a small collection of home stuff in the back of our jewelry stores that is mostly homemade pottery,” Weeks said. “We noticed that piece of the home collection was doing well so we took that concept of a great look for a better price and did it on the home side. The pottery and local art quickly turned into lamps and furniture, and we still have the best prices.” 

Oxford does not currently have a Turkoyz at Home store. Plans for it coming to Oxford might be in the future, Weeks said.

“We’re looking to expand the home store. The three places we’re looking are Jackson, Oxford or the Germantown area,” he said.

There’s no doubt that having a high fashion look for a great price is a benefit of Turkoyz, but Weeks believes it benefits Oxford in a more personal way through their connection with the community.