Turning a paperclip into a house
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If you think this story is crazy, well it is. But follow along if you will. MacDonald started by listing his paperclip on the barter section of www.craigslist.org.
He first traded his paperclip for a fish-shaped pen, then he traded the pen for a ceramic doorknob with a smiley face. The doorknob was traded for a Coleman camping stove, and the camping stove was swapped for a generator.
The generator was traded for a ?party package? that included a beer keg and neon Budweiser sign. The party package was traded for a snowmobile, and the snowmobile was traded for a 1995 van.
The van was then traded to a musician in Phoenix who agreed to give MacDonald one year?s worth of free rent in a duplex in exchange for the vehicle.
In short, it?s a year?s worth of shelter for what was an otherwise worthless paperclip. Not bad.
?It?s totally overwhelming, I?m not going to lie,? said MacDonald. ?But I?m still trading for that house. It?s this obsessive thing.?
In continuing his quest to get a house for a paperclip, MacDonald says he won?t undermine the spirit of relatively even trading he?s maintained from the start. He says he doesn?t want to receive a lopsided trade from someone seeking publicity to accomplish his goal.
If this guy can turn a paperclip into a house, I?m going to hit the Internet with my toaster. And I?m not stopping until I trade it for a five-piece dinette set.
As for other things odd, strange and curious, I wonder just how politically correct we?re going to get. The latest attempt to make sure no one is ever offended has been made by pre-school teachers in Oxfordshire, England who are changing the words to ?Baa, baa black sheep.?
You can probably guess the problem. Since there is a reference to black sheep the teachers are fearful it might offend some people. OK, I?ll come right out and say it. They?re concerned it might offend black people.
I?m wondering if the next step will be ?Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.? His red nose could be offensive to Indians.
Also of note is the campaign by the teachers in England to change the ending to Humpty Dumpty. The teachers are scared children might be emotionally scarred by the fact Humpty Dumpty shatters into pieces. They believe a more appropriate ending would be to have him fall off the wall and simply bump his head.
Since we?re changing the end of fairy tales, I want to put in my vote to change the end of ?Little Red Riding Hood.? I always hoped she would lean a little too close to the Big Bad Wolf and get eaten. I guess it?s sort of a Roadrunner and Coyote thing. I always pulled for the Coyote.
Sam Shull Super Service getting a new owner
It was a day to reminisce for mechanic Barry Rogers, who was loading pickup trucks and packing his tools Friday afternoon at the Sam Shull Service Station. It was Barry?s last day at the spot where he?s worked for the past 20 years and it didn?t come without its share of memories.
?This place has always been a hang out for people,? said Barry, who indicated Sam first opened the downtown service station on Christmas Eve in 1948. ?Sam was a character and he loved to entertain inside a trailer he had parked over there on the side of the building. It was a social club in there and they would talk politics all night long.?
Barry said decades ago there were gas stations on virtually every corner downtown. Despite the competition from much bigger companies, Sam?s Super Service was a mainstay, thriving for around five decades.
?This place was the hottest spot in town in the ?50s and ?60s,? said Barry. ?I can?t tell you the politicians, the musicians, all the people who came through here. To me, they should take an old place like this and turn it into a museum.?
Barry was also quick to point out one of the most popular service station attractions ? the clock that has been there since the place opened in 1948. And yes folks, the clock was made in America! Take that China.
?You wouldn?t believe the number of people who have told me they have told time by that clock their whole life,? said Barry. ?I remember when I went to MTSU, I?d come around the corner and look at it every day myself.?
As for what will happen to Barry, I?m confident his mechanic business will continue to thrive at his new home on South Chancery Street. It?s located at the top of the hill just after you pass the car wash and produce stand.
?Just look for the flowers,? said Barry.
As for the historic Sam Shull Service Station, I understand Carl Cox has purchased the property. It?s been for sale since the passing of Mr. Shull several years back. I?ll try to catch up with Mr. Cox and give you a report about his plans in a future installment of Business Pulse.
Junior Wilson a driving force behind timeshares in China
Anybody who has ever been to Gatlinburg has likely heard about timeshares. The timeshare business is best known for offering free hotel rooms or free entertainment tickets in exchange for the right to give you a 90-minute presentation about the wonders of timeshares.
But never before have Americans had access to buying a timeshare in China. It?s an endeavor one timeshare executive says could result in billions of dollars.
McMinnville?s Junior Wilson sure hopes so. Wilson is one of the main investors in the new timeshare community called Grandview at Fall Creek Falls.
So far, seven timeshare cabins are finished and Junior says they are completely sold out. The seven cabins represent 350 timeshare weeks and 350 different owners. Plans call for a total of 52 cabins with about 2,500 total owners.
I mention Grandview at Fall Creek Falls because it currently has exclusive rights to Grandview of China, which will have an office in Bejing in May.
?We talked about timeshares in China and they wanted to get it going,? said Junior, who recently returned from a trip to China. ?If you want to buy a timeshare in China, you have to go through Grandview at Fall Creek Falls.?
Junior has glowing remarks about his trip overseas. And he says in another three weeks a delegation from China will come over to meet officials here and explore possible business opportunities in Warren County. Let?s just hope they explore business opportunities outside McMinnville city limits.
?During our visit over there, they treated us like kings,? said Junior. ?People think of the Chinese as behind us, but they?re so far ahead it?s not funny.?
Junior said the Chinese are looking at bringing some manufacturing jobs to America and are considering Warren County.
Here?s the $10,000 question: Do you think our government officials will find a way to mess up the deal? Or do you think our local officials will actually bring manufacturing jobs to this community?
I?m not suggesting an answer. I?m just posing the question.
Big plans are sprouting at Valley Fertilize & Seed
Doug Parton is pretty straightforward when asked to assess the condition of the building where he operates Valley Fertilize & Seed.
?It was worn out 30 years ago,? said Doug of the building he estimates was constructed 50 years ago. ?I?ve told my customers if they like rustic charm they better get a picture before this place in torn down.?
Doug is in the process of building a new store behind his current store, which is located next to Delores? Market on Smithville Highway. They poured the concrete at the end of January and got about 80 percent done with the shell before the project was put on hold when fertilizer season hit at the beginning of March.
?Fertilizer season is what pays the bills,? said Doug. ?We?re so busy, we had to slow down with the building.?
Doug says he hopes to resume construction at the start of June and hopes to have the new building up and running before Christmas. He?s going to greatly expand his product line and offer pet supplies, many more lawn and garden items, windchimes, and other outdoor staples.
?The store that we?re in now, it?s dark and dusty and women don?t like dark and dusty,? said Doug. ?With the new store, we?re going to try to get more women in. I?ll still have a place to do what I?ve always done and that?s sell feed, seed and fertilizer, but the new store will have a whole lot more.?
When the new store is finished, the current store will be leveled and turned into a parking lot. The phone number for Valley Fertilize & Seed is 668-4101.
Dr. Nuthalapaty offers free wheelchair clinic
Dr. Sue Nuthalapaty has made quite an impact since she opened her rehabilitation center at River Park Hospital nearly a year ago. She?s established a thriving practice and now she?s doing her part to give back to the community by offering a free wheelchair clinic this coming Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Anyone who uses a wheelchair ? all makes and models ? can bring in their manual or powered wheelchairs for a free safety check, seating analysis and cleaning and maintenance evaluation.
?We?re trying to make sure the type of wheelchair a patient has fits their needs,? said Dr. Nuthalapaty. ?If it?s not fitting their needs, we can determine what needs to be done and correct the problem.?
Dr. Nuthalapaty is a board-certified physiatrist and she will also have available the services of Scott Alexander, CRTS, for the wheelchair clinic.
The clinic will be held at Dr. Nuthalapaty?s office. Call 815-1616 for more information.
New hair stylist is chugging along the tracks
Hair stylists have no shortage of creativity when it comes to thinking up clever business names. Paula Tubb ranks near the top of the list with her new studio called Hair Caboose, which is located on Pigeon Hill Road in Centertown.
As owner and operator of Hair Caboose, Paula is the hair conductor. And at her newly opened shop, she offers all-aboard hair care.
?I?ve been cutting hair for 11 years,? said Paula. ?The last place I worked was at Great Cuts in Manchester. I had to work until 9 p.m. and by the time I got home it was 10 p.m. That?s pretty late.?
Paula will still maintain fairly long hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. She?s also open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Paula says she is not taking appointments. All hair cuts, perms, etc., are done by walk-in only.
?With appointments, if one person is late it can make you late all day,? said Paula. Her shop is located at 817 Pigeon Hill Road and the phone number is 939-2887.
That?s all folks
I?m constantly searching for business news with varying degrees of success. I?m still holding out hope that one day this county will land a Stuckey?s Restaurant.
Give me a call with your business tips at 473-2191. The e-mail address is [email protected]. As always, thanks for your support and I?ll appreciate your vote.