Business Pulse back after week on beach
I’m back from the beach after a week of fun in the sun at Hilton Head Island. I saw an Elvis impersonator (it was the fat version of Elvis), played mini golf, and worked on my tan.
I’ve always been reluctant to take a full week vacation from work. I just don’t like to be gone so long.
People have always told me, “C’mon, take a whole week vacation. The newspaper will run fine without you.”
I know it will run fine without me. My problem is I don’t want to be gone a week so people can figure out how little it is I do around here. As it stands now, I can mostly act busy and folks don’t usually catch on. (Hint: It helps to frequently shuffle papers on your desk. No one will ever notice you’re shuffling the same papers over and over.)
But if there was one thing that was especially gratifying about my beach trip it’s that I returned home to find no one had broken into my house. And it was also nice to hear some people missed Business Pulse.
Some folks had weird ways of telling me they missed the column, like the lady who left a voice mail asking if I had gotten lazy. I look at the positive side of that voice mail and don’t see a lady upset at the world, but a lady who was upset when she looked in Sunday’s paper only to find no Business Pulse. The shock. The anger. To borrow a phrase from one of our greatest presidents, Mr. Bill Clinton, “I feel your pain.”
For my return column, I thought you might want to hear about one out of shape criminal. This character, 56-year-old William Armstrong, tried to rob a convenience store but just didn’t have the conditioning. In the middle of the crime, Armstrong had to stop, put down his weapon, and plead with the clerk to go out to his car and retrieve his oxygen tank. Next we’ll probably hear about an old man with a walker trying to rob a bank.
And I leave you with this story about the up and coming privacy laws that are sweeping through doctor’s offices. Anyone who has been to a physician lately knows there are now all sorts of hoops you have to jump through to supposedly ensure a patient’s privacy.
That policy now appears to have been extended to animals. At Washington D.C.’s well known National Zoo, the zoo director has refused to release the medical records of a giraffe. The director maintains she must protect the giraffe’s right to privacy.
I find it funny that we yank this giraffe from its natural environment, carry it halfway around the world, and then put it on display for thousands of people to walk by and see every year. And the zoo director is worrying about the animal’s privacy? Something doesn’t sound right here.
Local merchants cash in on Bonnaroo excitement
Before I dig too deep into this week’s column I would like to offer this disclaimer. I camped at Bonnaroo Friday night so you’ll have to pardon me if I doze off, or let my mind wander.
The thing that’s great about Bonnaroo is stores like Bi-Lo, Kroger and Wal-Mart do an incredible amount of Bonnaroo-related business. Representatives of those stores told me they stock up on ice, snack food, bottled water and beer for the Bonnaroo blitz. They have the dates circled on their calendar and order extra.
What I can’t completely understand is what draws these thousands of people to come from all over the United States to sleep in the middle of a cow pasture and hear an overload of makeshift music. I wouldn’t drive for 15 hours from Connecticut to do it.
Eva’s Restaurant now a martial arts studio
Of all the strange transitions, I would have never guessed one day Eva’s Restaurant would be a place to take karate lessons. Officially, they are called Kenpo lessons and the named of the studio is Total Defense Systems. The husband and wife team of Kevin and Cheryl Gunter are the owners.
“I have a day job that pays the bills,” said Kevin. “This is more of something I do for fun. The school has about 20 students and has done pretty well since I’ve moved to this new location. If people want to learn it, I’m more than happy to try and teach it.”
Kevin has been involved with martial arts since he was growing up. He has owned Total Defense Systems for about a year and has just moved it from its former Main Street location in the last few months.
“You get the first three classes free,” said Gunter. “And you don’t have to buy a uniform. Just wear comfortable clothes. That way if you don’t like it, you’re not out any money.”
Kevin says his students have a chance to show their stuff every couple months during regular fight nights. That’s when people put in a mouthpiece and put on a pair of gloves and go toe-to-toe.
In addition to his classes, Kevin has a small weight room, a tanning bed, and he offers cardio kick boxing classes. For more information, his number is 474-BEST, which is 474-2378.
News from Oster has jobs cuts in the air
Word on the street about our local Oster plant doesn’t sound promising. People I’ve talked to who work at the factory say there has been virtually nothing to do, no job work to be found, in recent weeks.
If there’s not much work – and that lasts over an extended period – it stands to reason there will be job cuts. That appears to be happening now. There have been several folks laid off from Oster and I understand others have been offered severance packages.
Now we’re really talking about bad news. I’ll try and track down more definitive information for publication purposes.
Beauty shop has new employees
If there’s one thing I like, it’s a good haircut. If you’re looking for a new place to go, His & Her Barber & Beauty Shop on South Chancery Street now has three new stylists.
Hair-cutting newcomer Michelle Fults joins savvy veterans Beth Bouldin and Dianne Butcher at the shop, which is located in the mini shopping center which used to house Prater’s BBQ in McMinnville.
Michelle just graduated from the hair-cutting school in McMinnville called Georgia Career Institute, formerly New Age Beaty Academy. (Why you would have Georgia Career Institute in Tennessee is beyond me).
Michelle has taken 1,500 hours to earn her license and is learning the ropes from some experienced stylists. “We’re teaching her everything she knows,” says Beth who has been cutting hair for 26 years.
Haircuts for men and women are $10 and Michelle also does some of that new airbrush tanning which is a growing hit. The phone number is 473-0668.
Chrysler dealership makes a donation
McMinnville Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep recently donated $500 to Bobby Ray Elementary for its Drive for the Kids program. It’s a neat program which offers test drives to raise money and volunteers from the dealership do all the work. The money is then donated to a local school to support educational initiatives including reading and safety programs.
Odds and ends
Here’s a quick reminder that the 10th annual installment of the RC and Moon Pie Festival takes place this coming Saturday in Bell Buckle. I’m telling you now so there’s six days to make travel plans.
The festival features the traditional Moon Pie toss (which I would especially enjoy if they aimed for my mouth), the RC dash, a watermelon seed spitting contest, and the crowning of the RC Moon Pie King and Queen.
For more information, call the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce at 931-389-9663 or visit the Web site www.bellbucklechamber.com.
That’s all folks
The business news has slowed slightly now that summer has arrived. Give me a call with business tips at 473-2191 or send me an e-mail at standard@blomand.net.