The Job She Loves- Carol Sparks Marks 35 Years of Dedication

The Job She Loves

Carol Sparks Marks 35 Years of Dedication

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

There is a familiar saying that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. For Carol Sparks, that saying seems to have become a way of life.

    At 85 years old, Sparks has been coming in to the same place to work for 35 years, and she still looks forward to getting dressed, walking through the doors and spending time with the customers and coworkers who have become like family. “I have never regretted getting up and getting dressed and coming to work. I love it,” Sparks said.

    Sparks began working at Pollocks Jewelers in 1991 after looking for a good job and reconnecting with Mike Keaton, whom she knew. What started as a job became something much more meaningful — a place where she built friendships, formed lasting relationships with customers and found a workplace she truly enjoyed.

    Her job is straightforward: She sells jewelry. But after 35 years, there is nothing ordinary about the way she approaches it.

    For Sparks, the jewelry itself is only part of what has kept her coming back for more than three decades. “My favorite thing is the atmosphere, my customers, and the people I work with… they're like family,” she shared.

    Sparks speaks especially fondly of Clayton Hill, owner of Pollocks Jewelers, whom she considers almost like a second son. “Clay is like my second son. I've got a son, but he's my second son. We're just like family,” she said.

    Hill remembers meeting Sparks when he was fresh out of high school. Sparks started working at Pollocks in 1991, the same year Hill graduated high school. At the time, the business had three locations, and Hill would make deliveries between the stores before leaving for college. “That’s when I first met Carol,” Hill said.

    Over the years, their roles changed, locations changed and Hill eventually became her boss. But one thing never changed: Sparks' dedication to her work.

    Hill said Sparks has been an invaluable part of the business and described her as one of the hardest-working employees the company has ever had. “She’s been incredible,” Hill said. “I mean, she is the hardest worker I think that we've had.”

    For approximately 30 of her 35 years with the company, Sparks was also a trusted key holder. Her reliability became one of the characteristics for which she was best known. “She never called in sick and has the best work ethic, which is extremely hard to find these days,” Hill noted.

    Sparks' commitment to her job is something she takes pride in. Even now, she works Tuesdays and Thursdays for approximately three hours at a time. She jokes that she has taken very few days off throughout the years — and when she does, she worries about being away.

    Her years on the job have given her countless memories, but some stand out more than others. One of Spark’s most found memories happened in 2005, when Sparks underwent open-heart surgery. During her time in intensive care, a doctor who had become one of her customers came into the store looking for her. When he learned that Sparks was in the hospital, he purchased a small golden cross and had it wrapped and took it to her in intensive care. To this day Sparks still has that gift. “I've had it on ever since he gave it to me,” she said.

    Stories like that help explain why Sparks has stayed in a job she could have left behind years ago. For her, the work has never been simply about selling jewelry. It has been about people. “I have never regretted a day working here,” Sparks said.

    That attitude is perhaps the best description of Sparks' 35 years on the job. She has watched businesses change, coworkers come and go and generations of customers walk through the doors. Through it all, she has continued to show up, ready to work and ready to see the people she has come to know and love.

    Sparks is also a mother of four and takes great pride in her children. Born at King's Daughters Hospital, she has spent much of her life building a family of her own while also finding another family in the workplace.

    Looking back, she considers herself fortunate to have found a job that brought her so much happiness.

“It’s just amazing that I’ve lucked into this job,” Sparks said. “God blesses people when they don’t expect it.”

    After 35 years, Sparks is still doing what she loves — and she has no plans to stop loving it. “I’m 85, but still, if he (Clay) told me I couldn't come back to work, I'd cry,” she said.

    The community is invited to celebrate Carol Sparks and her 35 years of dedication on Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Pollocks Jewelers. Family, friends, customers, former customers and anyone who would like to help celebrate Carol are welcome to stop by, share a memory and congratulate her on an extraordinary 35 years of doing what she loves.