Alabama NewsCenter — People of Alabama: George Jones Jr. of Florence

By: Tamika Moore

How did you find your calling?

“It has been part of my family for four generations. My great-grandfather started making brooms in 1931 during the Great Depression. I started doing it as a hobby. I really wanted to honor that tradition. I thought, ‘I’m going to focus more on making it a functional piece of art as much as a broom.’ It is very relaxing to me. Even the most rudimentary jobs that you have to perform, if the tools are aesthetically pleasing, that can make that job or task a lot easier and more fun. I love selling them, but I’d make brooms if I didn’t sell a one. I love it that much. When I was diagnosed with my cancer, I was told I’d have to quit making brooms for a while. I thought, ‘If I could ever get back to making brooms, I know I’m going to be alright.’ I finished treatment and I had to wait six weeks before I could touch this stuff. Six weeks to the day, I made my first broom. The treatment had beat me up bad, but at that point, I’m like, ‘I’m going to be alright.’” – George Jones Jr. of Florence.

Jones makes around 2,000 brooms a year. See more of his work at georgesbroomcloset.com.

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