Is a toaster that takes pictures next?
As you can see, Business Pulse is squeezed in here kind of tight so I better start with the oddest sight of the week. It took place at the new Mexican restaurant after a large table of customers finished singing “Happy Birthday.”
As soon as the song was over, a man jumped up and whipped out his cell phone. I thought, “Now that’s rude. Couldn’t the call wait a few minutes?” But it wasn’t a phone call at all. The man pulled out his cell phone and took a picture.
I know this is the latest cell phone craze, to have a phone that doubles as a camera, but I wonder who dreamed up this combination. We don’t have cell phones that, say, double as a toaster.
I’ve been taking pictures with various types of cameras for decades and never once have I thought, “It would be awful handy if I could give Billy a call on my camera.” The cell phone/ camera combination seems as weird as a washing machine that’s also an alarm clock. It’s like a TV – that also works as a blender. Go figure.
Speaking of things that are hard to believe, I have to tell you about Deborah Hayes, a Beaumont, Texas woman who was awarded $1.3 million in a lawsuit. Hayes successfully proved the weight-loss drug she was taking, Fen-Phen, caused her significant heart damage.
But here’s where the story takes an off-the-wall twist. Hayes maintained $1.3 million was too much for her medical problems and she only wanted some $580,000 in damages.
And this week’s final morsel comes courtesy of America’s public school system, which, for the most part, educates children better than any other system in the world. However, it does have its glitches like the zero tolerance policies which are becoming so popular.
We’ve all heard horror stories about a girl who was expelled for having a butter knife in her car, so here are two more judgment lapses. A school board in Bossier Parish, La., recently upheld a year-long drug expulsion for a 10th-grade girl. Sounds like a admireable get-tough-on-drugs stance, right? Wrong. The girl was found with one Advil in her purse.
A middle school student in Rio Rancho, N.M., suffered a similar fate when slapped with a five-day drug suspension. The student was in possession of a Gas-X tablet. I say if they expect students to eat in the cafeteria, Gas-X should be as much a part of the school backpack as paper and pencils.
And in one final note, I don’t want anyone to miss the Funny Photos of the Week. Those pictures are on page 8-C.
Locke’s Market back in business
This is hardly late-breaking news, but Locke’s Green Hill Market is back open for business after being closed for over four months. Now owners Darrell and Tina Locke are ready to celebrate with a grand opening that begins Monday and features a whole week full of food giveaways.
Anyone who has made the trip to Smithville lately has probably noticed Darrell and Tina’s new store. It’s on the left at the intersection of Green Hill Road and Smithville Highway just a mile or so before you leave Warren County.
The Lockes decided to level their old store. That’s right, they had that sucker knocked to the ground. That’s a tough decision to make when you see your livelihood being demolished by a piece of heavy equipment.
But Tina and Darrell are now enjoying the benefits of their decision. They have a sparkling new store that looks squeaky clean. It’s a joy to stop there and business has skyrocketed as a result.
“If you take our old store,” said Darrell, “would you rather stop there or would you rather stop here?”
The new Locke’s Green Hill Market is double the size of the old store, and Darrell says business has also doubled. There is a fierce breakfast and lunch rush, thanks mainly to some good food.
“We’ve started offering a batter-dipped chicken and I tell you I never thought I would sell so much chicken,” said Tina. “It’s one of those things people crave. I know if they get the chicken, they’re going to be back.”
For grand opening week, Locke’s is giving away free hotdogs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Monday. On Tuesday, it’s a free pint of Purity milk for the first 100 customers who buy a breakfast biscuit.
Free samples of Buffet Pizza will be offered Wednesday, and chicken samplers will be handed out Thursday. On Friday, it’s free pizzas and other prizes.
Yet more talk about Lowe’s
Yes, I know I’ve talked a lot about Lowe’s in recent months. It’s been so much talk, you could almost change the name from Business Pulse to Lowe’s Pulse. But, in my defense, Lowe’s is the biggest store that’s ever opened in Warren County since I’ve been writing this column so I deserve a little slack.
I mention Lowe’s again because I have some interesting information. Folks have been telling me I need to check on number of applications that have been turned in because I’ve heard rumors that there have been thousands.
So I cut right to the chase and talked with store manager Justin Pryor on Friday. I asked him just how many employment applications had he received – and was stunned when he gave me an estimate of 6,000.
What that means is the competition for the 120 jobs Lowe’s is creating is pretty stiff. It means 50 people have applied for every one job available. It also means plenty of people from outside Warren County are trying to get a job at Lowe’s.
This Wednesday will be the first official day some of those employees get put to work. Wednesday begins an eight-week process of building racks, stocking shelves and getting the store ready to open at the end of March or early April.
Southern Creations re-opens retail business
It was about this time last year that Southern Creations owner Sue Taylor decided to close her flower shop to retail business and concentrate solely on wholesale. Now a year has passed and Sue says it’s time for another change so on Friday she once again opened her store to retail customers.
“We didn’t close it because business was bad,” said Sue. “That wasn’t the problem. It was more that I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I had gotten kind of burned out.
“We’ve been in here working for the last year, but we have gotten lonesome without all our customers coming in and out. And so many people have asked me if I would open back up so I just decided that I would.”
Sue made the decision with her husband, Jimmy, who also owns the store and drives one of their wholesale flower trucks. Southern Creations sells wholesale to stores in eight states.
“Working wholesale and retail at the same time, we didn’t realize just how much retail business we did,” said Sue.
Southern Creations welcomes back its retail customers just in time for Valentine’s Day. The store, located behind Waffle House, sells a variety of fresh and silk flowers, fruit baskets, gift baskets, plants, and stuffed animals.
Budget Video has closed its doors
Anyone who noticed the Budget Video ad in last Sunday’s paper probably has a cheap movie in their living room right now. That’s because Budget Video was selling movies for $4 and $2 all last week – and that included some prime selections. I happened to pick up a copy of “Terminator 3” for $4 while I was there.
When I stopped by Friday, only a handful of movies remained and store employees were ready for their final day, which was yesterday. I asked why Budget Video was going out of business and was told there were a number of issues, most notably that the rent had just been raised.
Budget Video had been located in Northgate Shopping Center since late 1995.
Myers honored for work as professional forester
McMinnville’s Ben Myers, a professional forester, was recently recognized for his work in natural resources management. Ben is the forester for Studer Management Services in Dunlap, and Studer was recently recognized as the region’s 2003 Outstanding Logger by the Forest Resources Association.
Jim and Randy Studer own the company and they place an emphasis on professional, safe and efficient timber harvests. Ben is on hand to provide management assistance for a variety of objectives, including wildlife habitat development.