For nearly 40 years Custom Trophy & Engraving has been the one-stop shop for all of Marion County’s trophy and plaque needs.
Hilton Holmes started his trophy business in 1982 when he had the H & R Service Center that also had a service station and an auction barn he ran for 28 years. He bought the trophy business from a man in Louisiana who had a few locations and established it in Foxworth. Holmes has been in business for himself for 58 years since 1962 when he had a service station on South High School Avenue and is still going strong at 86 years old.
Custom Trophy & Engraving recently did massive jobs for West and East Marion athletics, and Holmes said he was glad he was able to help provide the seniors with a lasting memory despite the coronavirus pandemic. The shop was able to stay open through the pandemic, and Holmes said he doesn’t know what he would’ve done if he wasn’t able to go to work every day.
Holmes also operates a cash check business out of Custom Trophy and can cash checks without being a part of the banking association as long as he doesn’t charge more than 3%. He said he cashed a bunch of stimulus checks, which helped him when there wasn’t anybody purchasing trophies or plaques.
Most of the company’s business comes from sports teams from local schools, Dean Griner and Columbia Youth Football, but it also does a lot of work with churches as pastors come and go and with businesses for retirement plaques.
“Marion County and Columbia have just been terrific with us,” Holmes said. “They’ve supported me all these years, and I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. I don’t know what it was, but they’ve been really good to me and my family.”
Holmes works with his wife, Ruby, and they split a lot of the work. He does 90% of the cutting and engraving while she puts the trophies and plaques together.
“Over the years we’ve gotten pretty good with those things. We can do pretty much everything we want to do with them,” Holmes said.
One of the best aspects of Custom Trophy is the quick turnaround on jobs.
“Most of the stuff we do in one day. I’ve got a pretty good stock of stuff here. But like Dean Griner, when they order 400 or 500 medals, it’ll take me two or three days to do them. But most items we can do in one day,” Holmes said.
Holmes is a people person and loves interacting with his customers. He said he looks forward to waking up every morning at 6 and getting to work.
“People made me who I am. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know,” he said.
One of the highest honors the Holmeses have received is when West Marion’s softball team named the softball field after them.
The trophy business is very seasonal and isn’t as good as it used to be, according to Holmes. He said there used to be a lot more participation trophies, but now children have to win to get a trophy.
“I don’t agree with that, and it’s not just because I’m selling them. Those little fellas worked just as hard as the ones that are winning,” he reasoned. “They’re just not fortunate enough to be on a winning team.”
Holmes said he and his wife strive to do one good deed every day, and sometimes that includes doing a small job for free like engraving a name on a blade or cigarette lighter.
“The look on their face is all of the payment I need,” he said.
Custom Trophy opened its current location at 17 H & R Lane in 2002, and its office is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It only does business in person so that customers can write down exactly what they need.
