KERRVILLE, Texas ā James Avery jewelry has stores across the country, but the company got its start in Kerrville in 1954 and has been headquartered there ever since.
While the July 4 floods in the Hill Country spared the companyās physical buildings, employeesā hearts were still shattered by loss.
āWe shut down for a few days just to kind of get a grip of what was happening,ā said store manager Sandy Rocha.
Following the floods, the company announced Monday that 100% of proceeds from its āDeep in the Heart of Texasā charm will go to flood recovery efforts. The charm was originally created in 1981 and has been a top seller for the company.
Within hours of the companyās announcement, Rocha said the charm was sold out. As of Tuesday, itās still on backorder.
āThat just meant a lot to us,ā Rocha said. āItās very emotional. You know, we have guests that come in and they tell us stories of what that charm means to them.ā
Rocha wears her charm on her necklace, along with a ribbon charm and a green bead symbolizing Camp Mystic and the campers and counselors who died.
āI actually had it on my bracelet,ā she said, but she moved it to her necklace to be closer to her heart.
Pointing out the case where the series of Texas charms are sold, Rocha said the āKerrvilleā charm also just sold out this week.
āI can tell you the artisans right now are working very hard to get those orders filled for our guests,ā Rocha said.
Anyone can still order the āDeep in the Heart of Texasā charm through Aug. 4, and all proceeds will continue to go to flood recovery.
Rocha said customers are beyond understanding that it may take up to six weeks to receive their charms.
āEvery charm has a different story, but for this one, I feel like the entire community ā they know what this āDeep in the Heart of Texasā charm means,ā Rocha said.
It will now be the same story: one of strength and hope.
Read also: