Latest marker on Tupelo’s Elvis Driving Tour honors his mother
The marker is in front of Relics Antique Marketplace, which was formerly Tupelo Garment Company, where Gladys Presley once worked
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – The 15th marker on the Elvis Driving Tour sits right outside Relics Antique Marketplace.
In the 1930s, it was the site of the Tupelo Garment Company. Gladys Presley was an employee there.
“This is where she was working during her pregnancy, and then when Elvis was born, all the ladies in the factory passed the hat around, as was the custom then,” said Roy Turner, executive director of the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum.
Tony Palmer, the owner of Relics, said Elvis fans have been stopping by for a look at Gladys’ former workplace for years. He said having the marker out front for the driving, bicycle, or bus tours helps not only tell the story of Elvis before the world knew him, but also is a big boost for area businesses.
“A lot of true Elvis fans know the history, they know where to come, so we are now on the Elvis tour, and when people come on buses, we have a lot of European people come here, so they know the history, love the history. Not only do they spend money here, they eat in our restaurants, spend money all over town, it is a wonderful thing for the city of Tupelo,” Palmer said.
Jon Daly, the owner of the EP Boulevard Pawn Shop in Memphis, also has a section at Relics.
Daly, who handles some of the most unusual and hard-to-find Elvis memorabilia, said the early years of the Presley family helped shape Elvis the entertainer.
“Tupelo never left Elvis, in 1971 when he got the Jaycees award, he talks about growing up and being in the movie theaters and things like that, Tupelo never left Elvis, I think Elvis always remembered where he came from,” Daly said.
A block or so south of Relics sits another part of early Elvis history. The Presleys lived at 510 and a half Maple Street for a while, after they had lost the now-famous birthplace. In fact, you can see the old Garment factory from the front yard. Roy Turner, who is also an Elvis historian, said it could be a possible site for a future marker on the Elvis Driving your.
The Elvis Birthplace is gearing up for a big day on Saturday, August 9. Elvis fans from across the world are expected to stop in, as part of Elvis Week, which runs all next week in Memphis.
