The Cedar Bucket — originally a handcrafted furniture store — was purchased by Greg Driver, a 2019 University of Mississippi graduate, in October 2024. Driver has now transformed the location into a consignment furniture store.
“The name Cedar Bucket came from the original property owners, Cedar Bucket Furniture Co.,” Driver said. “They were really well known throughout the entire southeast for their talent of manufacturing cedar furniture. The community in Oxford and Ole Miss knows the name very well.”
In 2020, the original business collapsed. A few years later, Driver made it his mission to bring back the Cedar Bucket with a refurbished goal.
“My vision is to stand (Cedar Bucket Oxford) up and provide a purpose for what is needed in this town right now,” Driver said. “We’re still a furniture company, but we serve in a different capacity.”
Consignment stores are a way for people to sell their used goods while the store retains part of the profits. Driver offers a 50/50 split in profits with the consignors looking to sell their furniture.
“Now you don’t have to … (deal) with a buyer and seller … and have it end up in a dumpster because you can’t sell it,” Driver said. “Now you have another solution in town, which is Cedar Bucket. We can come to you, pick it up free of charge, bring it back here, put it on our floor and market it on our website.”
Not only does Cedar Bucket sell furniture that students do not want to haul back home with them, the company also has storage space for the items of incoming freshmen who will not be in Mississippi until the fall.
“So for probably 25% of my clients, I’m going to campus in May, picking up the items they bought on Facebook, bringing them back here and storing them until August,” Driver said. “I am the physical solution.”
This is especially useful for out-of-state students, who have difficulty buying and selling furniture from states away, Driver said.
“Ole Miss has 60% out-of-state students,” Driver said. “I just think that Ole Miss is probably one of the best markets to open something like this out of any city in the country right now.”
Other students that Cedar Bucket can assist are those who will be moving from a dorm into a house or apartment next school year. Cedar Bucket offers storage for the items they wish to keep in Oxford and extra space for any new items that these students may buy over the summer and ship to Oxford.
Cedar Bucket also offers assistance to upperclassmen whose leases expire in July and cannot move into their new apartment until August.
“We can keep the furniture here until (August),” Driver said. “They just need a one-month solution.”
Though most people probably pass it without so much as a second glance, Driver views Cedar Bucket, located on Highway 6, as a welcome sign to the city.
“This property is seen as the gateway to Oxford,” Driver said. “They know that when they pass the Cedar Bucket, they’re in Oxford because this is the county line.”
Although the grand opening is not until May 1, the store has already seen a good deal of business.
“When a client books with me, they get my personal cell phone number as well as the business number, and I tell them, I’m Greg Driver,” Driver said. “We love this community, we love this school and we know the issues (students) are having.”
While a student at UM, Driver worked in catering for Ole Miss Athletics, managing South Club, Rebel Club and Diamond Club during sporting events. Driver cited his time studying business at the university as something that especially influenced his career path.
“Those classes drove me and perked my interest the most,” Driver said. “I went and secured over a million dollars to get this done, and I’m still a majority owner of the company because there was no way I could do this on my own.”
Driver noted that his faith was especially important in embarking on his mission of getting Cedar Bucket back on its feet.
“Christianity is a big part of my life and my family’s,” Driver said. “We’ve prayed over this, and we feel that God has blessed us in this. We aren’t God. We don’t know what’s happening next, but the trajectory looks good.”
