Attention shoppers, wedding on aisle 5
I realize Wal-Mart is the place to go for just about anything. But I sure wouldn’t go there to get married on aisle 5.
Boise, Idaho residents Pat Byrd and Bill Hughes can’t say the same. The happy couple was married last week at their hometown Wal-Mart, saying they wanted to tie the knot at the store where they fell in love.
For the site of their wedding vows, Pat and Bill bypassed the potato chips and the automotive department. They decided the store’s garden center was the perfect spot.
“It never dawned on me to have it anyplace else,” said the 55-year-old bride.
If anyone out there needed more proof we are indeed a Wal-Mart society, this is it. I know the store is a great place to shop, but getting married there is quite frankly ridiculous. Piggly Wiggly used to be a pretty popular spot to get your groceries but you didn’t see people getting married there did you.
What’s interesting to note is neither Pat or Bill are employees at Wal-Mart, although they spend more time there than many employees do. The two admit they spend about six hours a day at the store, which tells me they are in bad need of a life. Bill, 51, described the store employees as being like family. Store employees described Bill as being mostly a weirdo.
As for the actual ceremony, the store manager was a groomsman, and a fabric department employee was matron of honor. Garden center employee Chuck Foruria walked alongside Pat as she made her way down a makeshift aisle.
“Who gives this woman in marriage?” asked the preacher.
“Her friends and family at Wal-Mart,” Foruria replied.
That might be all nice and charming, but in reality here’s what most Wal-Mart employees would be saying about the wedding.
Wal-Mart employee 1: “Hey that really creepy couple that hangs out here all day long actually got married in the garden center.”
Wal-Mart employee 2: “They should have gotten married next to the fruitcakes.”
Just in case you’re wondering (and I’m sure you are) this is not the first wedding to take place in a Wal-Mart. Through rigorous research I found a couple got married in a Burleson, Texas Wal-Mart in October 1997.
For the couple, 34-year-old Patricia Taylor and 33-year-old Kevin Richer, it wasn’t a romance made in heaven but rather in the check-out line, which is where they met. I wasn’t able to uncover whether this couple is still married, which is what I really want to know.
As for one last marriage tidbit, I have to mention last night’s NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Before the start of the race, 28 couples exchanged wedding vows. Now for this week’s Business Pulse.
It’s not Memphis, but they’re singing the blues downtown
Downtown McMinnville has become a full-scale construction zone. I must admit, it looks a little odd to see a once-paved Main Street reduced to dirt and gravel.
But progress comes with a price and we must remember that when the dust settles (literally) there will be a shining rainbow of a downtown in which we can all be proud.
In the meantime, there’s going to be some growing pains. Make no mistake about it. For the businesses located on Main Street, this construction has made an impact.
Just ask Moody Stinson, who has operated Diamond Jewelry on Main Street for 44 years. With such an established business, Moody thought his customers would have no trouble finding him. That hasn’t been the case.
“Business is down a good 50 percent,” said Moody. “The thing about it now is the customers who come in are serious. They’re not going to just look around. If they come in now, they plan on buying something or getting a repair.”
Looking at the backhoe parked in the middle of Main Street and the torn up road, Moody said he didn’t ever think he would see Main Street in this condition. But he said it would be beneficial in the end.
“When you go to any downtown district that doesn’t look prosperous, you don’t get a good feeling about it,” said Moody. “It’s like going into a restaurant that’s not clean. You don’t like it. So this will sure be an improvement when it’s done.”
The mood wasn’t much better across the street at The Flower Basket and Dream Maker Bridal, both owned by Claudine Ray. When asked about business, Claudine replied, “What business?”
“If we could get people to know how to get in here, we’d be all right,” said Claudine. “But if you think I’m having it rough, wait till this gets to the other end of the street and you start hearing those businesses complain.”
One door down at Main Street Bakery, manager Travis Holland said he’s seen his customers change but business has remained solid.
“What business we’ve lost from some of our regular customers the construction workers have made up for by eating with us,” said Travis. “And I’m not going to name any names, but some of these workers really love donuts.”
Main Street Bakery, which also makes sandwiches and offers daily lunch specials, has been trying to be customer friendly by delivering to people who no longer want to come to the store because of construction.
Right now, the delivery area is limited. “It’s basically anywhere I can walk and get back real quick,” said Travis. He indicated the delivery area would be expanded in a couple weeks.
Construction delivers bad news to post office too
I wouldn’t have thought the downtown post office would be affected by construction because, after all, it’s the post office. But that has been the case.
“We can tell already and I’m sure we’ll be able to tell even more when they get to the next phase,” said post office spokesman Charles Bogle. “Probably the biggest complaint is being able to get here. I had a lady call me on a cell phone the other day and ask how was the best way to come.”
While construction is hurting the downtown branch, Charles said this is the perfect time to emphasize the post office’s contract station inside Super D. The Super D post office offers all the same services as the downtown post office and even has longer hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday thru Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Saturday.
Cumberland Lumber honored for outstanding safety record
Cumberland Lumber was recently notified by the state that it’s one of six companies in Tennessee to receive the SHARP Award for workplace safety this year. For clarification purposes, SHARP stands for Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.
“People can’t believe this because we’re a lumber company and people have this image of people walking around with three fingers,” said Cumberland Lumber safety leader David Thrower. “But Cumberland Lumber is very geared toward the health and safety of its employees. We feel we need to be a safe as possible and if we do that, quality and production will take care of itself.”
Cumberland Lumber, which manufactured 12 million feet of lumber for hardwood flooring last year, has climbed up the ladder to become one of the county’s top employers with 185 workers.
In announcing Cumberland Lumber as one of the SHARP recipients, Tennessee Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development James Neeley said, “The SHARP Award is one of the greatest honors this department can bestow on a company. This award is not given lightly and your company has passed the strenuous test.”
Cumberland Lumber has gone 314 working days, which translates to one year and three months, without a lost-time work accident. For folks performing heavy duty lumber work, that’s an accomplishment.
“We’re not sitting around looking at robots,” said David. “We work here.”
I say three cheers for Cumberland Lumber. There will be a formal presentation with dignitaries and microphones and speeches Sept. 27.
New cell phone tower owned by Nextel
Some of you may have noticed the story I wrote in Friday’s edition about a 300-foot cell phone tower about to be constructed on Mullican Street. I can now tell you that tower is owned by Nextel, which is expanding its service into this area for the first time.
“You will have Nextel coverage at long last in McMinnville,” said company spokesperson Norma Tharp. “That means you’ll have access to our walkie-talkies which everyone seems to like.”
Norma said Nextel is in the midst of $660 million worth of expansion work. Last week, 33-foot holes were dug on the Mullican Street site next to the old radio station. Workers are scheduled to begin erecting the tower this Monday.
Norma says depending on weather it usually takes seven to 10 days to build the towers. Then it usually only takes seven to 10 days after that before Nextel service is available. “They don’t mess around,” said Norma.
That’s all folks
If you know of a couple getting married at Wal-Mart, or know of any other business news, give me a call at 473-2191.