Zach Cross is 31 years old with a college degree in business administration; Courtney Cross is 30 with degree in communications with a focus on human resources. Together, the young entrepreneurs are in their sixth year of running a profitable business.
The Crosses had a dream of opening a men's and women's clothing boutique when they returned to North Georgia after two years working corporate jobs in Atlanta. Both spent their youth in the Chickamauga area and attended Kennesaw State University.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 3/16/15. Courtney and Zack Cross look through their menswear inventory while at their Ringgold, Georgia boutique clothing store Southern Charm on Monday, March 16, 2015. The Cross's are opening a second location at Hamilton Place Mall. "We like Atlanta after college and the corporate world," said Courtney Cross, "but we didn't want to raise a family there. We thought we would settle and start our life here."
The Crosses opened Southern Charm in 2013 with a small location just off I-75, several miles from Ringgold's historic downtown. Today, the business has locations in Chattanooga near Hamilton Place (2015) and in Dalton (2017).
Additionally, the Crosses are moving their Ringgold location to the historic downtown business district in May. Courtney Cross will be the 32nd women to either own or co-own a business who are members of the Ringgold Downtown Partners.
"Being a part of a downtown scene with a boutique is something I have always wanted to do," said Courtney. "We chose to move to the downtown in order collaborate with other businesses to grow business. I am excited about working with the other women entrepreneurs because we have a more collaborative mindset and know what women can bring to the table."
The co-owners started what Courtney calls "their dream" with a small family loan and "a lot of credit cards." The original $20,000 investment was quickly recouped, and the business has doubled its revenues in the first four year.
"I know what the statistics about half of small businesses closing after five years and 70 percent before 10 years, but we are going to beat the statistics," said Courtney, who said Southern Charm employs two full-time and 14 part-time employees.
The businesses launched an online marketplace in 2014 to take part in the surge to online buying. Cross said online sales represent about 10-15 percent of total annual sales, and she has belief that her business strategy of being a local business will result in steady, double-digit growth over the next five years.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 3/16/15. Courtney and Zack Cross look through a formalwear catalog while at their Ringgold, Georgia boutique clothing store Southern Charm on Monday, March 16, 2015. The Cross's are opening a second location at Hamilton Place Mall. "Customers have countless options when it comes to buying," said Courtney. "To compete with the Amazons, you have to make people think, 'Why would I order something and get it in two days that I really want when I can downtown or right down the road and get it at Southern Charm.' We want to be a stable, local store that knows its customers by name. We want to be the store where the husband doesn't have to guess about the size of something for his wife because we have it in the system."
Southern Charm's new location is a critical parcel of downtown Ringgold and sits between Nashville, Tennessee and Lafayette streets across from the two blocks of storefronts that mark the historic downtown. The former post office is in the direct line of sight for anyone passing under the railroad trestle and into downtown. It is the only highly visible of property that is stagnant.
"The building is literally at the heart of downtown," said Courtney. "It had sat empty for a year before Kim (Smith) bought it, and it had become an eyesore. It's going to be a great-looking building. We are telling our customers, 'We are moving to the white building right in the middle of downtown.' I believe we will bring some of our customers downtown."
Work-life balance is challenging for the Crosses with 2-year old Ellison, three retail locations, an online market and the other demands of a seven-figure business.
"My family was in the restaurant business and Zach was raised on a cattle farm," said Courtney. "We both have never known anything but to work hard. We knew what the demands would be. It's hard, but we managed."