Has anyone seen Michael Jackson’s nose?
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Since his TV special aired Thursday night, I’ve heard many folks call Michael Jackson a nut who shouldn’t have access to children. That’s not such a crazy statement. It’s not normal for a man in his 40s to fall asleep next to little children – other people’s little children.
I also don’t think it’s normal to watch one of the most talented performers of our time completely alter his appearance. Over the last 20 years, he’s gone from looking like a black man to a white woman with no nose.
There’s even a silly Internet rumor that’s been circulating which says the real Michael Jackson is dead. The guy that’s pretending to be Michael Jackson now is merely an impostor.
Whatever the case may be, at the very least Michael Jackson has given us some pretty amusing jokes. From his love of children to his many facelifts, this feminine-looking man is the perfect target for one-liners.
Q: What’s the difference between Michael Jackson and a grocery bag?
A: One is white, made out of plastic, and dangerous for kids to play with. The other you carry your groceries in.
Q: How can you tell if Michael Jackson has company?
A: There’s a big wheel parked outside his house.
Q: Do you know the name of Michael Jackson’s new group?
A: It’s called the Jackson 5-and-under.
Q: How does Michael Jackson pick his nose?
A: From a catalogue.
Well that’s enough tomfoolery for today’s edition. There are serious business matters to discuss so let’s jump right in to this week’s column.
News doesn’t look good for Willmore Ford
For the last several weeks I’ve heard from dozens of people who told me I needed to write about the new owner of Willmore Ford. I appreciate everyone’s interest and I would have been more than happy to tell everyone about new ownership at Willmore Ford. The only problem with that scenario is there wasn’t a new owner to report.
Jack Winters, a car dealer in Middle Georgia, was seriously interested in buying Willmore Ford. The deal, however, was never finalized and now it’s not going to happen.
“I really like Larry and his family,” said Jack. “In fact me and my wife drove all the way up there and went out to dinner with them just a few nights ago. They are nice people. But it’s not going to work out between us.”
Jack was nice enough to call me Friday because he realizes there are a fair amount of rumors circulating and he wanted to tell me first-hand what had happened. He disclosed a great deal of financial information during our conversation and asked if I couldn’t keep that information out of the newspaper. Since I felt he was being completely honest with me, and there’s no real reason to divulge that information anyway, I told him I would be more than happy to do that.
But I can still tell you the basic nuts and bolts of the proposed deal. Jack had entered into an asset purchase agreement with Willmore Ford, but that deal was never finalized. Jack said he invested a great deal of time into the transaction, driving up from his Georgia dealership a couple days a week and not getting home until midnight.
To put it in simple terms, Jack said it would cost a tremendous amount of money to keep the dealership open and that up-front money wouldn’t make the deal financially smart. And good businessmen don’t stay in business by making poor financial moves.
That said, it brings us to the current state of Willmore Ford. I had heard several rumors that the dealership was going to close its doors Friday afternoon so I decided to drive out there and check out the situation myself.
The doors were in fact closed and locked. I walked around the lot for a few minutes, made a couple pictures, and tried to find someone to ask a few questions but no one ever came out.
As for what the future holds for Willmore Ford, I don’t know. The dealership certainly appeared closed Friday and I have no idea if, or when, it may re-open.
Willmore Ford’s problems bring into focus once again the effects of our struggling economy. When people are worried about jobs, when war and terrorist attacks are a concern, people tend to hold onto their money. That’s especially true for big-ticket items such as new vehicles.
If Willmore Ford is in fact out of business, it’s a sad time for Warren County. It’s like when our local Kmart closed. It’s something which hurts everyone just a little bit and it’s not something you want to see.
Subway has moved to Chancery Street
Subway is the latest business to leave Cumberland Plaza after opening its location on Chancery Street Thursday morning. Store owner Danny Patidar says he loves his new location and the larger size of his restaurant.
“This has twice as much seating,” said Danny. “It will take a couple of weeks for word to get out that we’ve moved but then I think things will really get cranking.”
Danny owns six Subway stores so he knows a thing or two about the business. And if Thursday’s lunch rush was any indication, a good number of people already know about Subway’s next location next to Village Amoco.
The first Subway restaurant was located in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1965. By 1976, the chain had grown to include 32 restaurants. There are now 17,000 Subway restaurants in 75 countries.
Lowe’s is very much a reality
I was talking with Don Rigsby the other day, our new director of economic development, and he tells me Lowe’s has indeed expressed interest in coming to McMinnville. He said Lowe’s officials have recently been in contact with him and he knows they have talked to city officials about the possibility of moving into the old Wal-Mart building in Cumberland Plaza.
These are all things we have discussed before, but here are some specific facts. If Lowe’s locates here, it plans to offer 125 full-time jobs and another 50 part-time positions.
Lowe’s officials say the average salary for full-time employees will be $26,500 a year which seems pretty high. But keep in mind the key word there is average. That average includes the store manager, the assistant managers and all the department managers. I doubt your average full-time worker in charge of running the register is going to make $26,500.
Lowe’s would also invest $10 million into Cumberland Plaza to make it suitable for Lowe’s specifications. I don’t know if that means leveling the current shopping center as we know it, but $10 million is a pretty hefty chunk of change.
Lowe’s projects it could reach $35 million in sales its first year in McMinnville and has higher projections than that in the years after that.
I called Lowe’s corporate office to get a comment on their plans but never received a return phone call. I found that funny because when I called Lowe’s about a year ago – when McMinnville was apparently not in their plans – I received a return call in about five minutes. I guess no one wants to talk now.
Amedisys has a new location
Amedisys Home Health of McMinnville now has a new location on Vo-Tech Drive. The company moved into its new building Tuesday but keeps the same phone number which is 473-6627,
“We’re amidst a pile of boxes but we’re here,” said Andrea Lupo. “We’re settled in for the most part.”
Amedisys provides nursing services at home in an effort to shorten hospital stays. Their skilled nurses and home health aides can perform physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, to name a few services. They can also help manage medications, among other things. The local Amedisys has close to 100 patients.
Fults now working for The Barber Shop
Some of you may know Wanda Fults for her years of cutting hair at her own shop in Rock Island. Now Wanda has taken her services inside McMinnville city limits and is working at The Barber Shop, which is located on Sparta Street by the underpass.
To celebrate her return to the hair business, Wanda is currently offering a special on perms and highlights. If you want to give her a call, the phone number is 473-0668.
That’s all folks.
Give me a call with your best Michael Jackson joke or let me know about your business news. The phone number is 473-2191 and the e-mail address is [email protected].