Baby on the way, name on hold
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I know, I know, this is somewhat of a belated announcement. Those of you who have seen Cupcake’s glowing face around town no doubt realize she is eight months pregnant and at the stage where she is more than ready to give birth. In fact, I don’t think the day can come soon enough for her.
With our second bouncing baby boy expected to arrive in December, the clock is ticking on the name game. And we still haven’t reached a final decision.
I realize we’re cutting it close, but keep in mind I do my best work when I’m on deadline. That means we could be on our way to the hospital before we reach a verdict.
This may seem crazy in our country, but it’s the norm for the superstitious Chinese who wouldn’t dare name a baby before it’s born. Instead, it’s customary in China to give the baby an ugly, fake name before birth into order to scare away evil spirits.
In many regions of Africa, naming ceremonies can be quite elaborate with special prayers and even animal sacrifices. It’s safe to say Cupcake and I have no plans to sacrifice an animal anywhere in our decision-making process.
We have the list narrowed down to about five names and I toyed with the idea of having Business Pulse readers vote on their favorite one. But cooler heads have prevailed and I decided against that idea. In other words, Cupcake told me no.
Finding a baby name is all about compromise. My favorite names, such as Jerome and Lamont, were eliminated right away. This comes after my all-time favorite name, Clarence, was given an “absolutely, positively not” response with the first baby almost four years ago.
The biggest problem with finding a name is picking one your friends haven’t used. Or your co-workers haven’t used. Names of kids you disliked in elementary school are also out. So are names of people you dislike now.
By the time you get through the process of elimination, you’re left with about five names which is what we’re working with now.
In an effort to help with this baby-naming dilemma, I turned to an old friend, the Internet. I did a search for “cool baby names” and found there is a site under that exact heading. According to the site, the really hip, hot and totally cool boy names for 2004 are Grayson, Hayden, Pierce and Reese. What ever happened to names like David and Michael?
Before I head down that familiar Business Pulse path and bring you actual business news, don’t worry. I won’t spend all our time together talking about baby names. There has to be at least one wacky story.
That means we’ve reached the point in the column where it’s ridiculous lawsuit time. The latest absurd lawsuit involves a 23-year-old New Jersey man who went to a party and got drunk.
The man, Frederick Puglisi, then left the party, on foot, in the wee hours of the night. Before he reached his destination, he passed out in a snow bank where he stayed for several hours. During that span, one of his hands suffered frostbite which caused some form of permanent damage.
If I was on the jury, I would say the frostbite should teach the man a lesson. Maybe next time he won’t go to a party and get stinking drunk.
But this particular New Jersey jury thought otherwise and awarded Puglisi $850,000 – yes almost $1 million. The jury determined the county police didn’t find Puglisi on the side of the road fast enough and the county was therefore liable for the damages.
New York Grill finds big city of McMinnville
The plan to stimulate downtown just received a super sonic boost with the opening of New York Grill last week. The restaurant changed zip codes moving from the county line to Main Street McMinnville in the spot formerly occupied by The Collection.
Judging by its first week, New York Grill has found itself a great new home. The restaurant has stayed busy for lunch and dinner even though not many folks realized it was open.
“We hope to be a catalyst for downtown and bring people to Main Street,” said owner Scott Garing. “You’ve heard the saying, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Well we’ve built it and we hope they come.”
The lowdown on New York Grill has always been that it has great food. The problem was that you had to drive nearly to Japan to get that food. When thinking about a place to go for lunch, the old New York Grill seldom entered the equation. When thinking about a place to go for dinner, New York Grill was only an option if you had a full tank of gas.
All that has now changed. And I think it’s a winning situation for Scott and a winning situation for McMinnville.
Downtown has craved a night-time attraction since the departure of the Park Theater. Based on its first week, New York Grill is now that attraction.
“We’ve been serving about 150 a day,” said Scott. “The turnout has been wonderful.”
From a Philly steak and cheese to a chicken parmesan sub, New York Grill features sandwiches that use high-quality meats. There are burgers and steaks, shrimp and pasta.
The restaurant has one dining room with a big-screen TV that’s great for watching ball games. There’s a separate dining room for more quiet conversation and Scott plans to open the patio in the summer.
So stop by New York Grill and give Scott and his crew some support. He’s invested in downtown. Let’s show him we appreciate it. He’s open till 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Homeland is banking on success
The folks of Morrison who have been wanting a hometown bank to call their own can now rejoice. Less than one year after opening its main branch in McMinnville, Homeland Community Bank has expanded to Morrison in the spot formerly occupied by First American.
“We’ve exceeded all of our initial expectations,” said bank president Ray Talbert. “The response has been great. We’ve performed better than we ever thought we would.”
Vickie Bouldin is a familiar face on board as branch manager. Most Morrison residents know Vickie has worked at that bank for decades. Pam Turner and Donna Gross complete her staff.
As for the bank itself, it has all the modern conveniences we’ve come to expect. There’s the ever popular drive-thru window and an ATM. And Homeland Community Bank is in the process of unveiling Internet banking at both its locations.
The bank also holds a unique place in the Warren County history books because it was the site of the 1933 robbery that led to the fatal wounding of prominent physician Dr. J.A. Clark, who was shot down as he attempted to thwart the daring daylight heist.
Two carloads of Morrison citizens armed with shotguns pursued the three bandits in their getaway car. The getaway car was riddled with bullet holes but the three robbers, Taft Fuller, J. Rains and Clifton Cotton, escaped the angry Morrison mob. Rains eventually surrendered in Woodbury and the other two were eventually caught by Cannon County Sheriff J.B. Hollingsworth.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our little history lesson for the day. Don’t worry. There won’t be a pop quiz later.
Holiday shopping season is upon us
If a new restaurant in downtown McMinnville and a new bank in Morrison isn’t enough business news for you, I have more. But first this annual holiday shopping report from Myvesta.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner which means one thing. The day after Thanksgiving isn’t far behind. And we all know the day after Thanksgiving is largely regarded as the busiest retail shopping day of the year.
But according to Myvesta, that shopping won’t be quite as brisk this year. The nonprofit consumer organization reports the “average” American plans to spend 14.3 percent less this year on holiday purchases.
That conclusion was reached after a random survey of 1,000 Americans. The survey found the average holiday spending will be $716 this year, down from $835 last year. Forty-eight percent of Americans plan to spend less than $500.
Myvesta president Pam Rhodes said, “People simply do no have the cash to splurge on their holiday purchases.”
The folks from Myvesta say the most important message this holiday season is to spend within your limits. They say accumulating large balances on credit cards is certainly not the smart way to shop.
McMinnville to get a taste of Asia
McMinnville is on the verge of getting its first Asian restaurant later this week. It’s called Pinoy’s and it’s located behind Pizza Hut on Northgate Drive.
Hershey Glenn is opening the restaurant with Alex Chavez and they planned to open this Monday. But a few unexpected delays have come up that will push back the opening a day or two, although Hershey says Pinoy’s will still open this week.
The restaurant will be mainly for carry-out dining. Hershey says there are a couple tables inside but expects most people will want to call in their order.
I’m not real familiar with Asian food so Hershey promises me a taste of some of her finer dishes. When I find out about this Asian food, I’ll be sure to give you a full report. Or you can find out for yourself by calling 474-1074.
Church assembly building to be done in about a year
I promised you more information about the church construction on Highway 55 when I could find it, and now I’ve found it.
As I provided in scant detail last week, the property that’s being developed across from 55 Exchange and McMinnville Lawn & Garden is going to be an assembly building for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And it’s going to be a pretty massive project.
It’s not going to be a church for regular worship services, but instead it will be an assembly building for nine congregations in seven Midstate cities.
In all, the assembly hall will serve about 4,000 members from congregations in McMinnville, Altamont, Tullahoma, Shelbyville and Smryna. It will also serve two congregations from Murfreesboro and two from Cookeville.
Joe Moffitt, who is familiar with construction plans, told me the building is scheduled to be finished about a year from now. “It’s a pretty simple building,” said Joe. “It’s more like a gymnasium with some offices and a stage on one end. We need something big because we usually have between 1,000 and 1,200 members at a conference.”
That’s all folks
If you think of a baby name that sounds good with Clark, give me a call. Or if you happen to have a business tip, you can give me a call about that too.
The phone number is 473-2191 and the e-mail is [email protected].