Billy Neville opened “The Rogue” when I was in high school at Murrah. From the first day, Billy’s store was the coolest in Jackson.
Billy’s influence on the youth of Jackson at that time was remarkable. He had the “it” and his customers wanted “it” too. Billy’s style was interactive and engaging. The Rogue quickly grew into the 2nd floor space in the Capri building. Upstairs, he had a dartboard where us guys would go after school and toss darts in the retail store! Billy was ahead of his time, a marketer of fun with style. I even think I won the Rogue in a dart toss tournament! The feeling one had when leaving his groundbreaking store was that everyone was a winner, just for having the Rogue experience.
Billy’s Rogue business boomed and grew and grew and grew. The new Rogue overlooking the new interstate was the result, becoming truly a Jackson, MS institution.
A few years later, retailing became my occupation when I opened the bookstore. First Billy Neveille and then Bernie Weis, of Highland Village’s Maison Weis, became my duel mentors. From these two gentlemen, both clothiers, I learned how to market and think about retailing as an occupation. Their influence on me was powerful. This sounds unusual, since they were so interwoven in the culture of style and presentation of the time and Lemuria was a product of the counter-culture of the time. I believe when you get down to it, retailing is just retailing. It’s about being on the front lines, you are who you are and the customer sees this realness, no matter what.
Gosh, we all know retailing is hard and grueling, a pioneering of sorts. However, this type of work offers the ability for you to be creative, productive, helpful and can be rewarding while living on the front lines of life. Anybody anytime can make a request and your ability to prospect and answer with service is your reward. Customer service in actualization determines success or failure. This is a continuous process of daily helping, sharing, and reaping rewards.
Billy Neville’s influence on a generation or two of would-be be clothiers all over Mississippi is unprecedented, and his style has influenced retailers of all sorts. He led us with his spirit of sharing, and is a living example of Paul Hawkins’ “Growing Your Business” concept, which was the ‘80’s-now evolved into the modern terms of conscious business/capitalism. Billy’s spirit helped me formulate my concept of Lemuria. Thank you Billy for all the years of friendship and leadership, you have been invaluable to generations of Jacksonians, while making us look good in the process.
The Rogue is still open and thriving, thanks to Luke Abney, who carries Billy’s torch with his own spirit of small business in our city.
Written by John
Jackson: photographs by Ken Murphy is available now for purchase. To order a copy, call Lemuria Books at 601.366.7619, visit us online at lemuriabooks.com, or drop by the iconic Rogue to pick up a signed copy! Join us today from 1:00 to 3:00 at The Rogue for a celebration of Jackson.
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