24          RETAILER HALL OF FAME 2026
Continued on page 27
financial speculation, which led to the formation  
of the Federal Reserve in 1913.
That same year, a worried B.C. decided he needed 
to expand his offerings if he was going to support a 
family of eight. 
With an unwavering dedication to quality, he began selling 
phonographs, player pianos, General Electric refrigerators,  
Atwater Kent radios, and cars.
B.C. opened his first store in 
Oklahoma City in 1929, the same 
year as the stock market crash. BC 
Clark Jewelers stood firm as many 
surrounding stores closed their doors.
So, how did he keep the lights on 
during the worst economic down-
turn the country had ever seen?
The railroad inspectors still 
needed watches, so B.C. inked a deal 
to manufacture them, keeping the 
business afloat.
His ingenuity and belief in selling 
quality products would become the 
hallmark of the business. 
GENERATIONS OF JEWELERS
B.C. was part of the business until his death in 1963 at age 94.
His son, B.C. Clark Jr., grew the family business, adding two 
locations in suburban Oklahoma City. He was involved in the 
business until he was 91, 
dying in 2015 at 101.
Coleman and Mitchell’s 
father Jim was the third 
generation, carrying on his 
father and grandfather’s 
legacy, and remains chairman 
of the business today.
Coleman and Mitchell, 
the sons of Jim and his wife 
Carolyn, are the fourth 
generation to lead BC Clark 
Jewelers, with the fifth already 
behind the counter.
Coleman, CEO of BC Clark 
Jewelers, was the first boy in the fourth 
generation, following two older sisters.
The question of whether he, too, would 
become a jeweler was often posed to him 
growing up, he recalls. 
“I thought I probably would, but I was never really sure,” he says.
While the question was repeatedly raised, Coleman’s father Jim 
says he didn’t have the expectation that any of his children would 
join the family business, unless they wanted to. 
“It had to happen naturally, and they had to have an interest in 
the business,” he says.
Coleman got a degree in IT, moving south to Dallas to take a job 
with Sprint. 
While he thought of returning home to Oklahoma now and then, 
he decided to see how things went in Dallas; perhaps he’d stay. 
Mitchell has a similar story, except he was more certain than 
Coleman that he wasn’t going to join the family business.
“Once I went to college, I decided I really didn’t want to go into 
the business, or so I thought. I really didn’t think that was my path 
at that point,” he says.
He graduated with a degree in marketing and 
took a job with Eddie Bauer, serving in various 
management roles in different places, with the 
goal of landing a corporate marketing position. 
Mitchell also moved to Texas. He had been 
out of college for about four years when he 
started to have second thoughts about his cor-
porate ambitions. 
“At that point, I started thinking it would 
be really nice to work closer to home and be 
around my family. 
Marketing was my 
passion and it was 
something I could 
do for my own 
family business,” 
Mitchell says.
“I’m glad I did. 
It’s really been a 
great experience. I 
love getting to work 
with my father and 
brother and seeing 
them every day.”
Coleman found his way back home in 1995, and Mitchell followed 
in 2001.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Navigating the dynamics and politics of a family business can be 
“It can make you 
really appreciate 
the business we 
have here when 
you go out and 
do other things.”
–Coleman 
Clark, BC Clark 
Jewelers
A “dedicated, loyal, 
consistent” team of 
employees has been key 
to BC Clark’s success 
and longevity, says 
Coleman Clark.
COLEMAN AND 
MITCHELL CLARK
2026
Inductees

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