Never be late to church again
I no longer have an excuse for missing church. With inventor Mike Gill’s latest idea, the ability now exists to take church with me where ever I go.
I’m not exactly sure what provided Gill with his motivation. Maybe he had a chronic problem with oversleeping Sunday morning. Maybe he just thought it would be nice to carry a church around with him in his car. I’m not completely sure.
What I do know is Gill has created the world’s one and only inflatable church. It can fold up to fit inside a small trailer then inflate to a 1,175-square-foot church that stands 47 feet tall and can fit 100 guests inside.
But that’s not all. The inflatable church comes complete with an inflatable organ, altar, and pulpit. There are also inflatable pews and candles.
According to the company’s Web site (www.inflatablechurch.com), the church is perfect for weddings. The Web site says, “Get engaged in the day and have your wedding in the evening. Now you can bring the church to the bride instead of the other way around.”
Now I’ve heard of cutting corners to save a few bucks, but this may be taking it too far. Most folks probably want to look back on their wedding day and think of a nice ceremony held at a memorable place. I don’t think they want to reminisce about their two-bit wedding in a blow-up church.
Just think of looking back at the wedding pictures 10 or 15 years down the road.
“Mommy, why does the church look like a balloon?”
“Well son, it’s a long story ?”
And talk about another thing that could go wrong on your wedding day. I’d hate to be on my way down the aisle about the time someone poked a whole in my inflatable church.
Personally, I think Gill’s got a neat idea. It’s just not very practical. I realize we have become a society that demands convenience, but is it really too much trouble to drive to a church to get married? That’s being pretty darn lazy if the church has to come to you.
If I was going to buy Gill’s inflatable church, I would stick it in my backyard on a full-time basis. Then when anybody asked me what I did last night I would say, “Not much. Just did some work around my church.”
Or better yet, with an inflatable church in my backyard, I could attend Sunday services in my underwear. And instead of church hymns, I could sing classic rock songs. Would that still count?
Like a preacher, I think I’ve carried on long enough. Keep your money in your pocket because there’s no collection plate. But there is exciting news in today’s Business Pulse.
McMinnville Ford starts its engine
A number of folks around the community — including this columnist — were shocked when Willmore Ford abruptly shut down. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find a new Ford dealer willing to call Warren County home.
That new dealer is Terry Kidd, a man who has purchased what was Willmore Ford and renamed it McMinnville Ford. The dealership, while not at full capacity with new and used cars, is now open and ready to service your vehicle or help you find a new one to buy.
Terry is from Georgia where he is co-owner of a Ford dealership in Chatsworth. “But this is the important one,” said Terry. “This facility is absolutely beautiful and we’re so happy to be here.
“The first thing I’ve been impressed with is how friendly people are here. The second is how supportive everyone has been. From the people at Ben Lomand, to the people at the electric company, to everyone I’ve told about opening up, everyone has said, ‘That’s just great. I can’t wait for you to open.’ That has really impressed me.”
The benefits of McMinnville Ford aren’t hard to see. For starters, its service department is now up and running with certified technicians so people won’t have to travel as far to receive quality repair work.
Secondly, there’s the workforce to consider. Terry says McMinnville Ford will have between 30 and 38 employees, including a number of people who had worked at Willmore Ford.
And third, it’s just nice to have a good, ole Ford dealer back in town. Let’s not forget that Ford has been America’s best-selling brand of cars and trucks for the last 15 years. The Ford F-series has been the country’s best-selling truck the last 25 years.
“One thing I’ve found is people really like to meet who actually owns the dealership,” said Terry. “I’m going to be here and be involved, and I’m going to be involved in the community. I’ve learned that you can only expect to get out of a community what you put into it, so we expect to put in a lot.”
Terry, his wife and two boys are looking for a house in the area. Terry loves to golf but says he probably won’t live in the country club area because the homes are too big there. With boys who are 20 and 16, he says he will soon be entering a stage where he needs less house.
In talking with Terry, he seems like a real go-getter, a reputable dealer who will be an asset to Warren County. He expects his dealership to be almost full capacity by the end of the week. He says full capacity will be about 70 used vehicles and 100 to 120 new vehicles.
“Customer satisfaction means the most to us,” said Terry. “We want customers to be satisfied, but we also want loyal customers, people who will continue to come back.”
For additional information, the McMinnville Ford phone number is 668-2177.
Edna Young opens store, has lots of kinfolk
Edna Young has opened a new thrift store on Morford Street. Chances are, if she can get members of her family to shop there she will do all right.
“I was the oldest,” said Edna. “And I have 13 brothers and sisters. People have asked me if I ever wanted to try baby sitting and I say no. I started when I was 8 years old and have pretty much been baby sitting my whole life.”
Edna is from the Centertown community. Bratcher’s Crossroads to be exact.
It was there her father, Jeff Mears, worked on a farm and her mother, Ollie, started having babies when she was 14.
“People talk about tough times and we had some tough times back then,” said Edna. “There were days we literally lived on bread and water.
“When daddy went to the store, he bought his beans by the 100-pound bag. There was seldom a question about what we were going to eat for supper. We ate beans and we were glad to have them.”
Being the oldest of 14 kids does bring with it some unusual circumstances. Edna says when she began having children, her mother was still having kids of her own. “It makes for one big get-together when we have one,” said Edna.
As for her thrift shop, it’s located on Morford Street where Monty Wanamaker’s studio used to be. Monty has since moved his store to Main Street.
Edna has been open about a month and has done fairly well thanks to her large supply of baby clothes and accessories, furniture, lamps and antiques.
“I’ve got a little bit of everything,” said Edna. “If I haven’t got it here, I’ve probably got it at the house.”
Asked if she has a big house, Edna said, “Nope. I just have it full of stuff.”
Edna’s shop is closed on Thursdays and Sundays. Every other day, the shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 473-2882.
What’s happening at Plaza Shopping Center?
As we know, there’s hardly ever any shortage of activity at Plaza Shopping Center. But two stores have left within the last month leaving vacant space that’s not so familiar looking in that neck of the woods.
Where Dreams Begin and Never End is a store which left about a month ago. The initial plan, according to shopping center owner Tom Duggin, was to replace that store with a Mailboxes, Etc.
However, before that deal could be finalized, Mailboxes, Etc. was bought out by UPS and I figure that ended any franchise expansion plans the company may have entertained.
With that retail space empty, Horner Rausch has also decided to leave. The optical center has relocated to the spot formerly occupied by Dimitri’s restaurant. Horner Rausch employees began moving stuff last Sunday and the doctor’s office opened at Dimitri’s former location on Wednesday.
I’ll try to find out more information about businesses looking to move into Plaza Shopping Center and the reasons for Horner Rausch’s move out of Plaza Shopping Center.
Need a new image? New company is here
If you want your business to take on a new image but don’t know where to turn, help has arrived. Hasko Wise and his wife, Angel, have started a new business they call Jack in the Green Advertising.
“We can help you with image crafting,” said Hasko. “One of our strong market approaches is through fun and humor. If they want a sales pitch, or need help with technical writing we can do that. We can service all businesses in Warren County from restaurants to nurseries.”
Hasko and Angel both come from professional communication backgrounds. They have experience writing TV commercials and in scripting ad copy. If you have a catalog, brochure or flyer you would like help in designing, Hasko says he would be more than happy to help.
Hasko said Jack in the Green Advertising can help with more than just brochures. He gave an example of a restaurant which might serve great food and coffee, but which might be struggling to stay in business because of a run-down facility or less-than-friendly service. He said he can help reshape that image into a much more positive one and an image which will hopefully stimulate business.
If your business isn’t doing what you would like it to, maybe you should give Hasko a call. Or if your business is doing well, maybe it could perform even better. The number for Jack in the Green Advertising is 668-7031.
That’s all folks
I couldn’t be happier to know that now I can carry a church around with me where ever I go. And it doesn’t have to stop there.
Just think, we could move around some rolls of paper in the back and inflate a church right here at the Standard. No longer would you have to hurry to read your Sunday paper before church. Your Sunday paper could be printed at church.
Give me a call with your business news. The number is 473-2191 and my e-mail is [email protected].