Magnolia Lighting Brightens the Oxford Community One Project at a Time

By Sarah Johnson and Chappell Emmons
Hottytoddy.com interns

With the flip of a switch, Pam Whitfield and her staff have brightened the Oxford community for the past 12 years through their family-owned business, Magnolia Lighting, on Jackson Avenue.

Magnolia Lighting is located at 2206 Jackson Avenue West. Photo by Chappell Emmons.

Whitfield began working at Magnolia Lighting after marrying into the business, she said. After serving the Oxford market for many years, Magnolia Lighting opened a store of their own on Jackson Avenue. One of the many attributes of Magnolia Lighting is that they are the prime lighting store in Oxford, offering a large variety of products.

“We have the largest selection of lighting, door hardware and home accessories in the Mid-South. We consider ourselves your premier lighting store,” their website states.

Lighting fixtures hang in every nook and cranny at Magnolia Lighting. Photo by Chappell Emmons.

Magnolia Lighting works with almost all new construction and housing projects in Oxford. By doing this, owners of the store have been able to watch Oxford develop into what it is today. With 90 percent of the store stocked with products every day, Magnolia Lighting has the ability to provide its customers with all different options when it comes to lighting needs.

“We do most of the housing projects here so that has been pretty cool to see Oxford develop and to be able to be a part of that. A lot has happened in the last 12 years in Oxford. All of these cool complexes and apartments have been built since we’ve been here,” Whitfield said.

Not only does Magnolia Lighting pride itself as being Oxford’s main source for all lighting needs, but it also prides itself on its staff.

“One thing that does set us apart is that we are one of the few lighting businesses run predominantly by women. This store has a manager who is a male, but our sales staff is about 99 percent women. We love that,” she said.

Photo by Chappell Emmons.

One recent customer experience stood out to Whitfield and her staff. A young mother visited the store with little idea of what to expect. Although she felt overwhelmed with the task at hand, the staff worked with her to pick out each piece to her liking.

“It really made me feel so good because I truly loved helping her. She picked out different fixtures that I would have never picked together, but it all ended up working really well. I just felt good that I could help somebody with such an overwhelming task,” Whitfield said.

Some customers leave their sentiments as comments on Magnolia Lighting’s Facebook page. One customer said she drove all the way from Memphis to view the premier lighting at Magnolia Lighting.

“I could not have been more pleased with the selection. We purchased two pendant lights to go above our island and they look phenomenal. Thank you for your amazing customer service, patience, and the beautiful new fixtures,” said Ainslie Franklin on the Magnolia Lighting Facebook page.

The staff at Magnolia Lighting truly enjoys helping their clients, both new and old. Whether it is a first time home owner or just someone looking for a new light fixture, Magnolia Lighting holds a family-like bond with its customers.