Get to Know: Mitzi McDaniel
Words by Thomas Ingle | Images by Justin Hunter
Walking into Young Jewelers, sparkles of light glitter off the gems enclosed in cases that circle the room. Buzzing around the store is a familiar face, Mitzi McDaniel, who has become a customer favorite over the last 17 years as the store’s bridal specialist and sales associate.
Mitzi was born and was raised in Hamilton, Alabama. She began in the jewelry business at Town Square Jewelry, working when needed. In 1975, she married her husband, Revis McDaniel, who became one of seven people to launch Cavalier Homes of Alabama in Addison, Alabama.
Mitzi and Revis have now been married for 47 years and have two children: John Bradley, 45, and Maggie, 31.
From 1984-1999, Revis drove from Hamilton to Addison to work, a commute of over an hour and a half. The wear of this daily trek eventually motivated him to live closer to his work.
“First, we looked at the lake. The lake is awesome and beautiful, but it’s a long way when we still have kids in school,” Mitzi says. “We ended up buying the old T.R. Simmons house downtown.”
The couple lived there from 1999 until 2020, and the move cut the length of the drive to just 20 minutes. In addition, living in Jasper gave Mitzi an opportunity to get back into the jewelry business by working at Young Jewelers.
“When we first moved here, I was very excited that I could go into a nice store and buy Waterford Crystal. In Hamilton, we either went to Florence or Tupelo,” Mitzi said.
Coincidentally, the matriarch and patriarch of the store, the late Hoyt and Evelyn Young, were originally from Mitzi’s hometown of Hamilton. Mitzi had sung in the choir with Mr. Young’s cousins and had mutual connections, so when Mitzi came to work in 2005, they made instant friends.
Mitzi also enjoys volunteering in her spare time. Serving the Miss Alabama pageant since 1976, Mitzi has taken on several roles, including director of the local preliminary pageant, judge, and member of the support team. Now, she serves as a field director for the pageant.
“I go all over the state as a field director. I have 3 or 4 pageants that I’m responsible for,” Mitzi says.
During these pageants, Mitzi helps directors with paperwork and assists when questions arise.
Mitzi also volunteers with the Walker Area Community Foundation (WACF), providing pop popcorn for movie nights, stuffing envelopes—anything that is needed—and is a member of the handbell choir at Jasper’s First United Methodist Church.
With everything going on, Mitzi believes she still has ten more years of work left in her.
“My husband just retired last January, so it has been a different phase in our life,” Mitzi said. “I hope to be working; my mother is 87 and still works three days a week. So, I hope that I inherited that gene.”
Eventually, when Mitzi does retire, she hopes to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. 78