One of Steve Roberson’s first jobs—running a bait shop one summer when he was 14—wasn’t glamorous. “The pay was poor and the hours poorer: 4:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,” he told us recently. Some of his other early jobs included harvesting and selling peaches, watermelons and other produce; mowing yards; running a paper route; and, after he turned 16, working at a Safeway in Searcy.
While all of these positions were heavy on work and light on pay, they also taught Steve the difference between needs and wants and groomed him to be a diligent businessman.
It wasn’t just the jobs, though. Steve also credits his family. Raised in Searcy among supportive parents and a whole brigade of relatives, Steve developed a strong sense of self and values early on. “Family instilled confidence in me, telling me I could do anything I set my mind to. I still believe that today.”
Steve graduated from Ouachita Baptist University with a degree in accounting and a commission in the U.S. Army. While attending OBU, he met his wife, Patricia (Trish), whom he describes as the love of his life. But they didn’t hit it off right away. “I asked her out, and she turned me down flat!” he laughed. “About two months later she asked me out—it was the Sadie Hawkins week at Ouachita. I accepted, and 16 months later we married.”
For two years, Steve and Trish lived in Fort Sill, Okla., while Steve was in active service with the Army. Then the Roberson family (which now included daughter Mary Linda) moved to Trish’s hometown, Augusta, Ark., to work on her father’s farm.
The farming career ended within a year, and in 1979, Steve began buying gold and silver, rare coins and precious metals as a hobby and then selling those pieces for profit. His hobby developed into a lucrative business, and in 1980, he opened American Gold & Silver in North Little Rock. That same year, Steve and Trish’s son, Chad, was born, followed by Myles in 1984 and Wesley in 1986.
During this time, Steve’s business evolved to focus more on jewelry. “We were rapidly growing into a fine jewelry store but with a name that camouflaged it,” said Steve, who is also a graduate of Trenton Jewelry School. “In 1990, I opened Roberson’s Fine Jewelry in the Heights, and after 20 great years, we moved west to Pleasant Ridge Town Center.”
If you go there—and you should—you might see an impeccably dressed Steve, and you’ll definitely see a radiant Trish, who is not only Steve’s wife but also his right arm in the business. “Trish came along beside me in the business after our move to the Heights. She immediately began buying for Roberson’s, and our selections of fashion and style grew rapidly under her vision,” Steve said. “In 2005, our youngest son left home to attend the U of A, allowing Trish to be involved full time at Roberson’s.”
One of Steve’s core beliefs is “to whom much is given, much is expected,” and this extends to his business. Roberson’s has given time and resources to numerous causes, one being the American Heart Association’s Sweetheart program. “Roberson’s started with the Sweetheart program’s inception and has continued through this 14th year,” Steve said. “We have donated all the sweetheart necklaces and provided high value auction items each year. We love doing this because the program the sweethearts participate in is of tremendous value, both in heart-health education and experience in actual community service. A cause that helps and benefits others is bigger than self, and we all need something bigger than self.”