Executive Director of Marion Business Association Freddie Killough

Want to start a business?  This episode just might help you get started.  We discuss everything from the past days of Old Fort to the value of liver mush.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Hello, I'm Jim Williams, and you're on the porch. Today it's going to be fun because I have the Executive Director of the Marion Business Association, Freddie Killer. Freddie, thanks for coming up.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

I've got a lot of stuff to ask you today, as usual, as I do with all my friends who join me on the porch. Tell me a little bit about how you wound up here in Marion and doing what you do.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Well, I didn't have to go far because I was raised in Old Fort in uh the Crooked Creek community. And so it wasn't very far when my husband and I married. We wanted to stay in Marion and be part of the community. My husband opened Kellow's Music in 1988, and in 1990, there was an opening with the Marion Downtown Business Association for 20 hours a week. And that just seemed like a good part-time thing to do so that Woody and I would not be in the store together for all the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I understand that.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

That's how that happened. And uh it's been a great, great journey.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

So you're an O Fort girl. Very much so. Well, before we get into what I wanted to talk about, as you know, uh because you just told me you listened to when we talked to Steve last week, Steve Little, uh I am so interested in storytelling and the stories that are here in the mountains of North Carolina. So I'm going to ask you, did do you remember anything about Old Fort that your parents or your grandparents told you that I ought to know about?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Well, growing up in Old Fort was a great place to grow up. That was you felt safe. We grew up in a community that was very nurturing. You felt protective. So I remember that sense of security. And I remember I grew up one of seven children in an old farmhouse out in Old Fort. My mother still lives in that farmhouse on the farm. And uh there was such a sense of security that uh it was very common for there to be one to six other people, visitors, children, even families in our home because it was just a safe place to be. I remember I remember a few years ago when they were doing playground inventories around McDowell County and they said um Crooked Creek was a playground desert. Well, that just incensed me because we thought the whole place was a playground. And for us it was at that time.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

What was the economy like? Where'd the food come from?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

In my family, we grew it. We were very we were back to off-grid before off-grid became real popular.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Well, did you raise your own animals? We did. Really? We did. And and then probably butchered some, milk some.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

We did. We had milk cows, we butchered hogs. My mom canned usually a thousand cans of food in the summertime, plus what she put in the freezer.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Really?

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Yes, and she still cans to this day. She's 92.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

There is nothing like listen, did you ever have pickle beans?

SPEAKER_00 3:39

Yes. My brother pickled beans last fall. I can take care of that for you.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Oh, yes. I I I'm not ashamed. Yes, please. Okay. That is uh I've gotten away from that. I haven't had pickle beans in so many years. Uh I should tell you, I spent the six first six months of my life in Old Fort. And almost the last six months of my life, uh, I had uh scarlet fever when I was a young child. And because of the doctors, remember Dr. Johnson in Old Fort? Do you remember him?

SPEAKER_00 4:16

I don't remember him. That's a little before me, but who was the doctor when you were there?

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Dr. DeBias was still Dr. DeBias, yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Dr. DeBice was out in the community that I grew up in, and Dr. Miles was there. Dr. McIntosh had already retired.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Actually, it was Dr. Dubias that treated me for uh Scarlatina I had. Uh, we were too poor for me to have scarlet fever, so I had scarlatina, and it almost killed me. My dad was born in Old Fort, so I have a fondness for Old Fort. Uh how did the train affect you when you were there? Was it still it was there, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Yes, but it was on the other side. We were south of Old Fort, and the train was really more north of the town, so it was not in where we grew up. We were aware of it when we went through town, but that was all.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

And I guess you went to the Old Fort, what is now the Old Fort High School?

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Went to elementary school. The the schools consolidated in my junior high years, and but I did go to Old Fort. Uh my oldest brother was the last graduating class from Old Fort.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Really? What year was that?

SPEAKER_00 5:25

72.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

72. Okay. Well, my dad did not graduate from the high school. He uh he quit high school at about 11th grade and went into the Marine Corps because the war was going on.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Yes, my dad also didn't graduate from O Fort. He uh left school to work and help support his family. He was the oldest son.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah. Do you what was it? So let's let's look at downtown Old Fort. Uh in your in your days and in your parents' and grandparents' days, I I'm sure it was already cars and pavement and stuff like that. Well, yes. No, no, I'm talking about your grandparents now. Uh but uh we even had running water. Oh, well, okay. I didn't mean for that to sound the way it did. No, I'm thinking about my dad used to talk about his grandparents a lot and what it was like in their day. My great-grandfather was uh he was some kind of guy there at the train depot. Um and he would check the loading and stuff on the train as it would come and go. Did you know that Franklin Roosevelt came through Old Fort? I did not realize that. Yep, yep. He came through Old Fort one time. He wasn't president, but um he came through. All right. Anything you want to you got any Old Fort gossip or secrets you want to tell me about?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

I don't, but we just it was a great place to grow up. Well, it's growing, isn't it? It is. It's amazing how that they're taking advantage of a location that is so pristine and so great for outdoor uh recreation. And it's we took advantage of it as children on private lands, but uh now that the whole world is seeing Old Fort for what it is.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Do you think this will hold? Do you think they'll make it or do you think they're gonna fizzle?

SPEAKER_00 7:30

I think that the outdoor recreation industry is such a part of people's lives now. Old Fort gives a great experience, so I think that it will make it.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Yeah, yeah, I do I do too, and there's some pretty good restaurants going in. Yes. Um and really if you've got good restaurants with or without the the sporting aspect of it, which is in Old Fort really hiking and biking, don't you think? Yes, it is. Uh 'cause the font floor is coming through and uh but if you've got good restaurants, I think people will go out of their way to come and and visit the town.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

I do too, and it's in proximity, very so close to into Black Mountain, Ridgecrest, and those second homes that are south of Old Fort, that it makes it a natural and easy destination to get to.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Yeah, yeah, I think so. I I've got my fingers crossed and they've got uh well let's see, they've got Hillman's uh and there's another little brewery there, just kind of crossed Bailey's? Yes. They were really devastated at the storm. But it looks like I haven't been up there. Uh I mean to that place, but they've reopened. Oh, have they? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Uh the coffee shop's running well, so they're they're gaining ground.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

And there is a bakery next to the coffee shop. Have you been to it?

SPEAKER_00 8:52

I haven't. I just learned about it in the past couple of weeks.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Well, I'm gonna try that because you just can't find a good bakery.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

That's true.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Now they're the cinnamon roll place, are they still going?

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Oh, going strong, yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Yeah, yeah. So I I'll tell you what I hated to lose was that uh the fried pie place. Oh my gosh, that was good. Yes, they are. All right, I'll tell you what, let's uh let's talk about well, talk about anything you want to talk about.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

Well, I'm here to talk just to have a good conversation.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

All right, well, let's let's start with the Marion Business Association.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Let's say I'm uh about 80 years younger than I am and I'm interested in starting a business.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

Uh we can it's hard to start a business you're four years old now, so but we're always look it's looking for to help people that want to start a business. Many times the conversation begins is this a good business idea or is it a really good hobby?

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

And I think that's the initial conversation that we have to have. And um starting a business is kind of like having a child, you can do all the research you want to and get as prepared as you think you can, but until you have that in your hands, you just don't really realize the magnitude and the time demands and the financial demands that it takes to run a business.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

Well, I'm I'm gonna get into the gym program here in a minute, but as you know, I always come to you when I've got some kind of harebrain idea like starting a podcast. Yes. And and you and I talk about it, and Janet, you're very good about telling me, telling me, and I'm sure anyone who comes to you about, yeah, this is a good hobby or this would be a good business or or whatever. Do people come in and you say right away, these folks are going to be successful? Do you see that ever?

SPEAKER_00 10:56

I think there's a lot it's a lot of times it's very hard to determine that because you really don't know what kind of drive people have until they get into it. Can they meet the demands of a an economy that keeps getting beat beat up and is up and down? Do they have what it takes? And it takes a special strength to do that.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Well, yes, and we know from experience we've owned several businesses and bought and sold and that sort of thing, and we've been fortunate. I hear so many people that'll say, Well, uh, you know, they have some kind of a corporate job, or maybe they're working on the line at Baxter's and they go, Well, I'm gonna get out of this, I'm gonna start my own business so I can relax and be my own boss. So it doesn't work that way, does it?

SPEAKER_00 11:48

No, when you work corporate, you have one boss. When you work for yourself, every customer is your boss.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

And you've really got to keep that in mind.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Well, Janet and I went through the gym program, which is very enlightening. You really cover so many subjects. I I'm still not ready to get into that. Can you tell? I mean, you've been in this business a while. Can you tell uh if there's an entrepreneurial spirit when people come in or are they just wishing that a lot of times you can see that entrepreneurial spark and my husband has that. Oh, yeah, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

And so when I tell people that we started our business at the flea markets, they're astonished. But it was a great starting place for us. We actually started in the old Briscoes trade lot here in town down on Rutherford Road.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

I had no idea.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

And then it was other flea markets until it will until we had an opportunity to buy a storefront, an existing business that we bought, and we could uh take that business and add what he was doing with music to it.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

So you had already developed a clientele.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

A basic clientele, yes. And uh getting up on Saturday mornings and be at the flea market, that was an early flea market, so you had to be there by seven o'clock. And cold, weather, heat, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Well, you it says down there on the store somewhere that you're a pawn shop, but you're really kind of a music store.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

We are, we are.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Uh I think more people m probably go to see you about music issues, don't they?

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yes, that's true. But Woody loves to be available to if somebody wants to do a little bit of trading, and he likes to do that, so he is very active. The pawn shop is still active. And but being in Western North Carolina with traditional string music, this is a natural fit, and there are so few independent music stores left now that it's almost an anomaly now to see that in communities.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

Do you still do that Saturday morning thing where you we did not after COVID?

SPEAKER_00 14:01

It takes a lot of employees to be in the store on Saturday morning, and that just became harder and harder. We did that from 2011 until COVID, and that started from the New Year's Eve events.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

Tell me how that worked.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Well, when they started the New Year's event, when Rotary started the New Year's Eve events, about 2010.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

Mm-hmm. That's about right.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

They wanted businesses to be open and play music. And so we did that a couple of years, I think 2010, maybe, maybe 2009, 2010, and 2011, we decided, well, we've had so much fun doing that on those New Year's Eve thing. Let's try it on Saturday morning and see what we have. And so we would have 10, 12, 14, 18 pickers, and it was mostly guitar because we really wanted to stay acoustic because it's just too much trouble trying to electrify all that. So really focused to be acoustic, and uh it just took off and we had a lot of fun with it.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Yeah, I see groups getting together now down at Ingenious. Is that still going on?

SPEAKER_00 15:11

That was ukulele's.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

Really?

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Yes. I had a strong ukulele group here, and I'm not sure what the status of that group is. I think there's still some that do that. Uh we were more traditional mountain music, gospel music, and there is theirs is uh ukulele.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

My goodness, I didn't I didn't know that. As time goes by, you become more of a a music shop, let's say, than a pawn shop. Obviously, you're comfortable in that business. Help you've been there I well, I don't want to add up to years, that's too many numbers, but a lot of years.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Well, you know, now that you mentioned it, yesterday would have been thir it would be 38 years that we opened under Kelly's music. You opened under yesterday. We did. Come to think about it, yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Well, that's dangerous, isn't it? Yes, it was. You have all this experience, and uh you you have decided to impart your knowledge on other people, uh most of the time younger people, but not always, because I came to your class and I'm twenty years older than you are, but you impart your experience and your knowledge on other people who are in town and who are trying to be successful. How did you come up with the idea of having the gym program?

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Well, one thing I want to say about Kelly is one last thing. We started across the street where Crabby Abbey Abbeys is now, and we were in that location for four years before we moved to where we are now.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Really?

SPEAKER_00 16:50

The building where we are now was Johnson's bookstore. I would go over and buy office supplies, and I would come back and I would tell my husband that would make a great music store.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Yeah, right on the corner.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

In 1992, that building became available, and we were blessed to be able to purchase it and move into that building.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Well, that is a great location.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

So it's been a progression. So that leads me up to where you what you just asked. So having started as a home-based business and doing uh what it took to make our business be successful, be it the trade lot or starting in a 1,200 square foot small building and then moving into a larger building. What we saw was that people wanted to be start businesses, but they didn't really understand what it took to be an entrepreneur. As you know, McDowell County is a very strong manufacturing-based community. Yes. People were used to working 40 hours a week with good benefits, vacation, insurance all provided. So there had to be a change in the frame of thinking to think like an entrepreneur. And if you remember, that was one of the first things we put up first night of a gym class, is think like an entrepreneur. So we heard about a program in Marion, Virginia that was doing something similar. We visited them and brought the bones of what they were doing back to Marion, North Carolina, and worked with a small business center at McDowell Tech to create the gym program with the support of the City of Marion, McDowell Chamber of Commerce, McDowell Tourism Development Authority, Authority, and a Small Business Center.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

We keep calling it Gym. What does that stand for?

SPEAKER_00 18:37

Growing Entrepreneurs Marion.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

We really knew everybody said we need to go to neighboring towns and recruit businesses. That's just not that sounds very noble, but it's not practical. We knew that we had to grow our own entrepreneurs. We knew that. It had to be people that lived in the community, that it with the with some resources and skills that they could be good entrepreneurs, and we needed to come up with a program to help them with that. We were doing entrepreneur training about 10 years previous to the kickoff of the gym program. But what we added to the gym program was some certification and a little bit of grant money for businesses that opened.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

But they had to be businesses that appealed to visitors. So it was not service businesses. Had to be retail, food and or beverage, or entertainment. Those feet on the street businesses, those businesses that people from campgrounds just like to go in or go in and have lunch or do a little bit of entertainment. So that was the drivers for that. So those businesses that had those folks who had a vision for those types of vis businesses would go through the would go and do go through the gym program and do a business plan, then open a business and can apply for that small grant. And it's only five thousand dollars, but it does help. The first year we really had a really boon of young entrepreneurs that came into Mary and from that year was in 20 uh 16, uh 2017, burrito bros, mica town brewing, refinery thirteen, tap room. All of those young entrepreneurs kind of hit all all in one class, actually. And they really wanted to make a market. They really a lot of them had moved back to Marion or moved to Marion and wanted to they had a dream of own owning a business.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

Well, Micah Town has been very successful in the USA.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

And they've been a really strong anchor in this community.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Uh I think Refinery13 has changed hands it has a couple times or once at least.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

But they seem to be doing pretty well.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

Yes. And Cindy, who owns it currently, came through the gym program when she looked to buy it, so we helped her with that.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Now, Burita Brothers, I guess, are they back in a food truck now or what are they doing?

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Not at this time. They had been in a food truck and it was very, very, very small. And I knew those guys from their teenage rock and roll days.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

From music.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Oh man.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

So they came in, they said to me, Um, Daniel said, We are in the food truck, and we hear you've got some resources that could help us move from that food truck into a storefront. I said, Actually, we do. The class is full, but if you'll come, we'll make room for you. And that was January, February in the winter time. There was a little restaurant on the corner where they were for so many years that was having to phase out because of health issues. And part of what we do is help connect people to those resources, and that was being space and working out some let we stepped back. We connected them and let them work out that business arrangement.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Then they moved over to the what is that called? The Miller Complex.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

Yes, they did.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

One of the things I've always heard is the two dangers in business is you don't have enough business or you have too much business. And you've got to find your spot where you're comfortable.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

You do.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Um I hated to see them go. I I thought their food was good. Uh I don't do much business at the Miller Complex only because I'm kind of a Main Street guy. That's has nothing to do with the Miller Complex. I think it's great. Uh, but uh in fact, you know we have our rotary auction over there. But I love walking up and down Main Street.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Well, it was i actually the growth that the folks who own the Miller Complex saw with these new businesses on Main Street, saw an opportunity to develop that building into what it is today. And part of what was going on with these new entrepreneurs was the the driver to start that. And that gave us a hundred thousand square feet of extra commercial space that we did not have in Marion.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Oh yeah, yeah. I think it I think it probably is and can be a real benefit to Marion. Do you have anything to do though? Some of the businesses like the new business going in down there, I think it's called the Madness, the sushi place. Do you get involved with them? Are they they're a uh a change?

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Yes, we've met with them.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

Yeah. Oh really? Yes. Uh and do you have any influence? Do they ask you for any help or some do and some don't.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

A lot of times people who are coming in looking at the mu at the community will make an appointment or I'll try to connect with them somehow. Uh sometimes they're looking at a vacant property just out across the door from my door, and if I see them, I'll make conversation. What can we do to help you? Is there resources we can provide for you? Huh.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

And then of course copper pennies coming in out there.

SPEAKER_00 24:32

That's how I met them. They were actually looking at another property and we struck up a conversation.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

Really?

SPEAKER_00 24:37

So I'm not bashful about asking if I can because they don't know that there's some resources here for them.

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Well, I I think I've I've eaten at Copper Penny several times, the one down in Mor or uh Rutherfordton.

SPEAKER_00 24:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

And it's it's bar food, but uh good. So I think they'll they should be successful in Marriott.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

They run a good business and they know what they're doing.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Yeah, and when Steve Little was up here, he's all excited about the as am I the Marriott come into town. Yes, we are. Now, what are you gonna do? Are you going to get involved in that?

SPEAKER_00 25:13

Well, we've been involved working with Chuck Abernathy on that project, yes, and worked with the city and the county and the getting the property available to them. So my role many times is more in the background of helping make sure all of these connections happen.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

All right, I want to get back to a young entrepreneur who comes in. You know, obviously day one, they come into the gym class and they're all bright-eyed and they've got these great ideas, and they're gonna be the next Sears roebuck, you know. They they think they're gonna be millionaires the following year. Uh but it doesn't work out that way, does it? No, it doesn't. What percentage of people who come to you are successful the first time?

SPEAKER_00 26:04

I don't know that it's twenty percent.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Really?

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Service businesses are probably have a higher success rate uh than the retail restaurants and the entertainment.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Well, that makes sense. Yes. Often I see uh artists uh and they you know whether they do jewelry or pottery or painting, they want to have a business to sell their goods, you know, to sell their artwork. Well the very fact and you tell me if I'm right or wrong, the very fact that they're artists, I believe, makes them poor business people. Do you agree with that?

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Well, they're very bent toward being artistic, and so one of the aha moments in our classes that we do is when artists figure up how much time they're putting into their artwork and not just their time and their resources, and then what are they asking for? So that is often an aha moment.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

And so that is part of what we do. It I tell people when they come into the class, first thing, think like an entrepreneur, and the second thing is if you go through this class, eight classes, and you decide running a business is not for you, you have not wasted your time. You've made a good decision that fits you, and that makes me happy too.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Well, do you counsel them? Because when I have come to you over a couple of things, you've counseled me and and said, I think this is good or I think this is bad, although most of the time I'm looking to to develop a hobby. But do you actually counsel these folks and sometimes just say to them, look, you're under-resourced or you're too stupid uh to have a business. Do you ever do that?

SPEAKER_00 28:03

As we get opportunity, sometimes people don't want to hear the truth though. Right. And so if they think that you're not going to agree with them, then they don't show up.

SPEAKER_01 28:14

Oh, okay. We sat in that class when we were in the class with you. There were probably represented there six or eight potential businesses. Yes. Did any of those develop?

SPEAKER_00 28:28

I'd have to say a few. I've had some classes that none did, and then I've had some classes where it's probably 20 to 25 percent. Most often, as you can well imagine, it's lack of financing.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

Yes. But uh one of the things that surprised me in that class was you bring down uh someone to talk to them about financing. You really that gym class really covers uh just about everything a young potential business person needs to hear. How to get funding, what to do with it, how to spend it, how to spend their time. It's a remarkable class, really.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

Uh I've been very blessed with the speakers, just so that people know I facilitate the class, and we have a speaker, a subject matter speaker at every class.

SPEAKER_02 29:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Whether it's financing, insurance, and Walt Bagel does a great job on that from for us. Uh legals. Uh Brian King has covered that for us for years. And so it's um, so then we have an opportunity after that speaker leaves to build on that subject matter.

SPEAKER_01 29:39

And you have the class do some handiwork and that sort of thing. We do. I know I'm special, so I get to come down and talk to you when I want to, but your door's probably open to anyone, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 29:51

It is. People drop in, and unless I am otherwise occupied in a meeting, we'll sit down and talk. We provide a packet to someone who's thinking about opening a business that has a syllabus of the gym program. It has a list of resources, it has a business plan outline, it has a financial planning outline, uh so we have that for them, even a sample of what they need to do with the register of deeds to register their name.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

Oh, that's nice. That's good to know. Um maybe that's how I found out about that, uh, registering some businesses that we've have had here in McDowell County. You're located at the train depot.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

Yes, we are. What are your hours? We are there um Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning. Sat on Wednesday because Woody and I have a business. I try to hold that to try to have a life outside of everything else. Right. But that's not it's not always doesn't always work out. So Wednesday could be hit and miss.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

So would you say that uh your door is open with the door is always walk in, they don't they do. Oh, okay. All right.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

An appointment is nice, but we will take whomever comes in.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

Yeah, well that and that is a that's quite a service to Marion to have something like that available to get uh does anybody just walk in your door and you can you you know this this could be a hit. Because you have to be careful not to over You do be overly zealous about this.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

And I have to be very careful because I sometimes just in a conversation it's hard to judge just how much true grit and strength a person has got to work through the uh all the adversary of running a business. Um and sometimes it's surprising of who will really step up. Sometimes people have the skills, they know about their product, but they don't have the business skills. Right. And so we try to help them with that. And is sometimes people are receptive to help and sometimes they're not.

SPEAKER_01 32:08

Do you think the chamber of commerce is important?

SPEAKER_00 32:10

Oh yes. Anything to help provide resources to people, anything to help network them with people. That's another strength of the gym program that was not expected, was it's almost a fraternal type thing of people who've been through the program. So now we're reaching out what we're calling Gym 2.0, targeting people who actually went into business and being successful in it to help them brush up on marketing. How can they use AI? And it really is targeted to people who are in business, so it's not open to the general public.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

Tell me about AI. That is just playing a greater and greater role in our lives in general, and now it seems like from what you're saying, it's stepping into the business world.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

Oh, yes, and it's like everything else. You get out of it what you put into it. It's like a computer. What information you put in your computer, your documents and things, that can be a resource. So you do have to spend some time with it. You do have to learn it. AI has to learn you. So it's a great resource. It's just according to you want to spend the time to develop that particular aspect to help you run your business.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Do you still have Nancy Spencer come in? Yes. She's a very successful businesswoman.

SPEAKER_00 33:34

Yes. Nancy's well known, she's well loved, and yes, she does the very first class talking about those things.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

And you know I had uh Annette up here.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:44

I'm always questioning because I like to poke the bear a little bit and see if I can get some kind of resistance about women in a men, male-dominated business society. Do you think that even exists?

SPEAKER_00 34:01

Not as much anymore. Having the name Freddie, a lot of times people didn't know what they were getting until they met me.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

Yeah, yeah, that's probably true. That's probably true.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

A lot of times people come in the store at at Kellas and they would ask for Freddie, and when I would come out, they'd say, We want to speak to the man.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

Really, in your eyes, a a female business owner is has pretty much the same opportunities as a man. Yes. Here in Marion, anyway.

SPEAKER_00 34:34

Yes. And that statistic is nationwide.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

Do you think Marion is a safe place for a business to start?

SPEAKER_00 34:41

Yes, I do. The Marion itself, having said that, there's the things beyond Marion that affects business, and we people have to be mindful of that.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

Well, that's true. Uh just today or last night, I and this is not a political podcast in any way, but you know, the president talks, gas goes up. He talks again, gas goes down. Well, you're a little guy sitting here on Main Street, your cost of goods goes up, comes down, your your price to the public goes up and down. You it's hard right now, don't you think, to stabilize where we are?

SPEAKER_00 35:25

That applies across the board for any every business. Uh those business Main Street businesses, farming, service businesses, because all of those expenses impact their bottom line and their capability to deliver a good product. All of that affects it.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Don't you think uh the loss of Tom Johnson's hurt us?

SPEAKER_00 35:47

It did. The loss of campgrounds across the board from Hurricane Helene was I would call it one of those things that kind of flew under the radar. They were not events that brought in visitors, that was just a steady stream of visitors that was in Marion pretty much Memorial Day through the fall, beyond Labor Day, of course. And losing those campground spots really affected the economy in 2025.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

And the devastation, people just don't have the discretionary money to spend on shiny things. This is true. And some people just don't have the money to spend on uh food, you know. They they'll have to buy the meat and fry their own hamburger rather than then go somewhere. Although I think you could probably get a McDonald's burger cheaper than you can make your own. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 36:45

Well, people are making those choices. Yeah. Is uh it's gas, food, medical. Yeah, those choices. It's just what are the basics for us to live and exist that we can get by with.

SPEAKER_01 37:00

See, there's a big surprise when you leave you know, again, you're working the line up at Baxter's and you decide you're gonna have a business of your own, and all of a sudden you got a tummy ache, who's gonna pay for that now? You are.

SPEAKER_00 37:16

This is you know all of that has to be factored in. So that is one of the things that we try to make people be aware of when they start a business. Do you have does your spouse cover you with insurance? Do you have insurance? Is that a factor with you? Those types of things have to be thought about.

SPEAKER_01 37:34

One of the things I liked about the class was you were very straightforward with your students in in my class when uh we were there and you told everyone, you just kind of lay it out there. Look, it's it's not all peaches and cream. There's there's a lot of downside before you get to the upside. But if you can get to the upside, it can be a good lie. You obviously are a pri and Nancy Spencer, you're prime examples of what can happen if you can hold on and be successful.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

And I think people discount the the lack of discipline that it takes to run a business. Yes. And so if you struggle with that, then you're gonna struggle. And the second one is if you cannot manage your personal finances, you cannot manage business finances. Managing money is managing money.

SPEAKER_01 38:25

Right. And you have to uh Janet and I have had businesses where we're always in business. We can't close the door at eight o'clock at night and go home. We're still in business. You know, we're still thinking about the business. And that's something I think people don't realize. And I don't I don't mean to be a downer. I'm not trying to discourage anybody because if you have that fire of an entrepreneur, you know this but way better than me, it's not going to be extinguished until you get in there and play the game, right?

SPEAKER_00 39:01

It's true. And when we're on vacation, we're looking at what other small businesses are doing. Can we replicate that? Can we do some version of that? What are they doing? I like the way they're displaying. We look at those things, and we're always thinking about it's kind of in the background of our mind all the time. Uh, and we apply that to our business.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Not only, you know, you come home and you got to clean out the garage and get it looking good, but you got to clean out the business, you know, you've got to get everything organized and looking neat. So it's like you you're operating uh two businesses at once, trying to take care of the home life and the business life. I'm I'm painting a bleak picture here. I don't mean to, but if you want to be successful, you gotta work.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

Well, I think people have to understand running a business is a way of life, it's a lifestyle choice.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

So if you know that going in, that's very important to know. It is a lifestyle business, it is a lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01 40:05

Well, what do you do uh for Mountain Glory? I see you out there walking up and down the street. What are you up to?

SPEAKER_00 40:14

I talk to most everybody, especially the vendors that are returning vendors. I get to visit with them. We work on that uh festival year-round. We had a meeting this morning picking out t-shirts and determining how many t-shirts we need to buy and what color we're going to get and some uh doing some fine-tuning on our design. We have a different design every year. So uh but Mountain Glory Festival I think is very reflective of our community because it is a craft show.

SPEAKER_02 40:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

So if you're wanting to come sell sunglasses or imported purses, that's not the place for you. We do have that at Mount uh for Livermush Festival. But Mountain Glory Festival I think is truly reflective of the community. And one of the things that we wanted to offer when a Marion Business Association was asked by the City of Marion to partner to continue Mountain Glory Festival. As most people know, Mountain Glory Festival was begin, began with the Chamber of Commerce in the early 80s, and they did for about 13, 14 years, it was a lot of work, and so they decided they were not going to do it anymore. And the mayor at the time, Everett Clark, and city manager Earl Daniels really wanted that to continue. And we met up together and determined a pathway to for us to organize it, and they would be the physical agent be responsible for it.

SPEAKER_01 41:45

Well, it's pretty popular, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 41:46

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_01 41:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:48

Because you don't see a lot of just craft shows just in small towns anymore.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

You said something there. So are you telling me that the premise of the Mountain Glory Festival and say the Livermush Festival is a little different than the product they sell?

SPEAKER_00 42:06

Yes. So Mountain Glory Festival is so everybody who applies, it has to be something that's hand that they've handcrafted. For liver mush festival, it's a little broader. So if you're a uh some of the jewelry direct sales folks, you're allowed to come in. Um more of those things that are maybe direct sales things, we do do that for liver mush festival.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Have you ever eaten liver mush?

SPEAKER_00 42:30

Yes. I grew up on a farm, we made it.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

And you probably like it.

SPEAKER_00 42:35

Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_01 42:36

Well, I I I I'll tell you this when we were in California when we lived in San Diego, and my folks would visit, come back and visit Marion. Uh we're all born in this area. And so they couldn't wait until they got back to San Diego and they would give us a gift from Marion, and it would be a half-pound block of liver mush, which would sit in our freezer until hopefully my folks would forget that they gave it to us and then it'd go in the trash. Uh I I I can't think about although now I did have it one time fried with scrambled eggs. It wasn't wasn't that bad. I had to kind of close. It's kind of like brains and eggs. You know, if you close your eyes, don't tell me you you don't like brains, though, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:32

It's part of the pot it's part of the pork, so yes, nothing gets thrown away. Except a squeal.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

Can't cook the squeal. Do you have anything to do with uh with the uh Liber Motion Festival?

SPEAKER_00 43:46

Yes, it's organized in our office.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

You do that too.

SPEAKER_00 43:49

Yes, Mirror and Business Association does.

SPEAKER_01 43:51

Should we?

SPEAKER_00 43:52

So, and that's what we're in process now, taking applications for that event. And because it's the first Saturday. In June, the weather is cranking up in the upper eighties. Oh, yeah. So it is an evening event. We start, we don't start until five o'clock. We have to start earlier with setup, but it's just too hot on the asphalt.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

You know, we sit right up here and and look down Main Street. I didn't realize it started in the evening.

SPEAKER_00 44:19

Yes, it does. A lot of our events, July 4th. When I first started, they were doing a day-long event with July 4th. People came out for the parade early in the mornings, 10, 11 o'clock. Then the the afternoon it heated up, then it'd come back in the evening for fireworks. So we got together, did a meeting, said they're coming for two things the the parade, the music, and the fireworks. Let's just move it all to the evening.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

It it makes sense. Of course, we we don't leave the porch anymore. We just watch the activities from up here. You've got a good vantage side. Oh, actually, we had a tree cut down that was in our way. We could sit on the porch and when the fireworks would go off, we had a tree that blocked the fireworks. So we had a tree cutter come up and cut the tree down so we could see better, see the fireworks better. And I explained that to uh a good friend of mine, David Wooten, who's down at the bank. And I I said, David, we had to cut this tree down so I could see the fireworks better. And David kind of looked at it and he said, Why didn't you just move your chair? You know, which really would have been a lot cheaper. Uh huh. Probably when I think about it. All right, so Bigfoot, are you involved in that?

SPEAKER_00 45:35

We offer to the organizers technical assistance.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

So anybody that's doing event, the um Hispanic event in September, Central Danitas does that. We help them. So what we have created is a festival site map. Oh, really? It's about six feet long, and it's from New Street to Henderson Street, and each lamp, tree, light, everything that's on Main Street is marked on that, and then we have each where their spaces, each bump out is marked. So over the years that's been refined, and that is the city's approved site map plan. So when an event is being planned, that site map that we keep in our office is given to them to use. It helps with traffic control setup and all of those things. And they know how many uh spaces they have to operate with.

SPEAKER_01 46:39

Now the um Hispanic event, that's is that Day of the Dead? Is that what they do?

SPEAKER_00 46:45

That's a different event. They're at uh during Hispanic uh Heritage Month in September, they do a big event. It's usually the week after um Labor Day, Saturday afternoon, evening event, and they bring in a dance troupe from uh Mexico that is a huge, huge, very professional group of dancers, probably fifty or sixty dancers.

SPEAKER_01 47:09

Really? Mm-hmm. Well, we might have to go down and see that.

SPEAKER_00 47:13

Just get your you could just get your binoculars and watch.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

They bring in any food?

SPEAKER_00 47:17

Yes, they do. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 47:19

All right.

SPEAKER_00 47:20

Well, it's a small street festival.

SPEAKER_01 47:22

Yeah. We have a pretty large Hispanic population, don't we? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 47:28

About 15%.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

Of our population is Hispanic? Is it growing?

SPEAKER_00 47:33

Yes, it is. And they're very entrepreneurial.

SPEAKER_01 47:39

Yes, and they support each other.

SPEAKER_00 47:41

Yes, they do.

SPEAKER_01 47:42

Uh so if you if you in fact there's a little tiny um uh Mexican restaurant down at the down there on 70, I think that is, isn't it, Janet Highway 70? Uh and you go in there to eat and the food is good, uh, but it there's a lot of I'll say Hispanic. I grew up in San Diego, so I I had friends who were Mexican, Mexican American, and American of Mexican descent. Yes. Uh so and they made me toe the line when I said anything about them. Uh but uh but I see that they're supported quite well with uh Hispanic people. Yes, they are. So uh that's good. So what's the what kind of problems do you think we have in Marion?

SPEAKER_00 48:27

Well I'll echo Mayor Steve. Uh we're dealing with a lot in homeless. Yeah, has really risen to the top since COVID and uh working to address that. I don't know that anybody has an answer for that because it's being it's across America now.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

It's it really is, and I'm surprised that um we see that much here in Marion, only because uh we're still kind of a small population, and the weather's cold here. You know, six months out of the year, it's too cold to sleep on the street.

SPEAKER_00 49:06

It is comparatively, but there is a small community, so there is a kind of a sense of safety, and it's not too far from the bigger areas within an hour, hour and a half, you can be in a larger city, so part of that is transit, so it's it's still a it's a problem. I do see the homeless more on Main Street than I used to. Yeah, we all do. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 49:26

Uh and that that can't be good for business.

SPEAKER_00 49:29

No, and so as Mayor Steve talked about the task force that he's appointed to see what can be done to help address that. Um the police department does a wonderful job with presence. They're responsive when they're called if there is a problem. So it's taking everyone being at the table to work to address this.

SPEAKER_01 49:50

Well, I don't know, and I might try to get uh some of the maybe I'll get I don't know if Alan would come up and talk to me. Uh he may not be in a position to, but uh I'd like to I'd like to talk about that a little bit, although that really isn't where we focus with this podcast. You know, we're we're kind of the happy-go-lucky part of the broadcast world, and uh we see the glass half full kind of thing. I haven't seen that there's been a lot of trouble with the homeless other than just that they're present outside the door of a restaurant or something, and it makes it less appealing to go in.

SPEAKER_00 50:33

Most of the homeless population are very careful to keep to themselves. You you know, it doesn't take but a few to give everybody a bad name. I think that that has happened a lot. I wish that there was better services, especially for those who have addictions and mental illness. That is shameful for our country that they did not have the resources that they need.

SPEAKER_01 50:57

Yeah, I agree with you there.

SPEAKER_00 50:59

And um what help that they can get uh needs to be someone who can really understand their situations and can work with them that uh can really relate to them. Not everybody can relate to them. We're all in different places in our lives, and there's just some folks who just have a real outreach for that.

SPEAKER_01 51:18

Are you seeing I'm I'm gonna get off of that. Are you seeing uh in your classes, in your gym classes, an increase in folks who want to start their businesses in Old Fort?

SPEAKER_00 51:29

Somewhat, and we've encouraged that. And we work with a small business center to make sure that um there's resources out there. Actually, their industry training person is based in Old Fort, her office is in Old Fort, and that is there on purpose to make sure that folks who want any type of small business counseling or information or resources that that's there in the McDowell Tech space at Old Fort.

SPEAKER_01 51:56

Do you think Old Fort is kind of a welcoming spot right now, and maybe a little bit easier for a young business person?

SPEAKER_00 52:05

With the right resources, they can, yes. Um of the things that Old Fort, like many small communities, is with their infrastructure, the lot of struggle there, and they're recovering still in recovery mode from the hurricane. So uh if it's if you're not needing the a lot of that infrastructure, then you can, yes. And there's a lot of resources for those. We work very closely with Mountain Bisworks, who's been very instrumental in helping small business, especially the outdoor recreation uh sector, to get the resources they need and to network them together.

SPEAKER_01 52:43

We were up there a couple days ago and of course the streets are torn up, they're being repaired. And uh there's that new restaurant up there called the Apothecary or something like that. Alchemy. Alchemy. Have you been there? I haven't. Janet and I have eaten there. It's interesting food. We are Californians, uh although not really, but we're Californians and we're used to Tex Mex food. So it's a little bit uh different. You have to get used to it. Their flavors, I don't know where their flavors come from, but uh if you play with the menu, you can find some things that are quite good. And I think they have a beer menu too. Um really clean, really well done, shiny spot.

SPEAKER_00 53:31

So we hope to get there soon. Uh my husband's not a very adventurous eater, so sometimes you know we'll go out with a friend or something like that and try it.

SPEAKER_01 53:41

Well, you eat in Old Fort, though. You must go up there to eat.

SPEAKER_00 53:45

Yes, but usually it's in mom's kitchen.

SPEAKER_01 53:47

Oh, okay. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 53:50

Yes, usually.

SPEAKER_01 53:51

I talked to uh uh Sharon Crawford, you know Sharon certainly. Well, you're her cousin, aren't you?

SPEAKER_00 53:56

Yes, I am.

SPEAKER_01 53:57

Uh she has a couple of restaurants up there that they really like. She and David like it real well. I have mixed feelings about Old Fort because I've I've known about Old Fort all my life, and uh sometimes I think they'll be successful, and sometimes I think they'll they'll spark and then they'll die away.

SPEAKER_00 54:18

It's a unique community.

SPEAKER_01 54:20

It is a unique community, it's very unique. I think this time they may take hold, don't you, because of the trail environment and the bicycling?

SPEAKER_00 54:31

And they've had some strong leadership to step up to take lead in those sectors to help that. Uh, and they've we've got some businesses that are good base businesses. So I think that there is a good future for them.

SPEAKER_01 54:46

Do they come to you and ask any questions?

SPEAKER_00 54:48

The town of O'Fort?

SPEAKER_01 54:50

Yeah, do they ask you for help?

SPEAKER_00 54:51

Not a lot, no. Yeah, but we're always uh work closely with one of their aldermen, and um they are aware of the resources, and a lot of that's through the Small Business Center.

SPEAKER_01 55:03

Hmm. Okay. Now, as far as Marion goes, you must work with the Chamber of Commerce, they must ask you for help at times to do that.

SPEAKER_00 55:14

We work y they were very instrumental in getting the gym program kicked off. Yeah, Steve Bush was a big part of that. So, yes, we've worked very strong. We're such a small community, we need each other.

SPEAKER_01 55:26

Right. Well, Steve's a spark plug. Yes, he is. He'll he'll get something stirred up, good or bad. I don't know which it's gonna be, but uh he's good at that. Well, you've got we've I'm always amazed at how quickly time goes by when we get to sit here and talk. Um anything you want to tell me that uh you you like about Mirian or that you want to see done or um anything in the future that you would like to see?

SPEAKER_00 55:58

Yes, there is. I I would love to see our be able to install sidewalks to make it much more walkable. There's just areas that's just dangerous to be walking. So to expand sidewalks, one of the I would love to see a sidewalk from downtown to the shop Marion City Square shopping center. Just to tie that parking lot into when we do activities. It's not a good situation. That would be my first piece that I would do.

SPEAKER_01 56:26

I have never paid any attention to that.

SPEAKER_00 56:29

So a lot of people park there and walk, you know, up the hill to our events, but there's no sidewalk until they get to City Hall.

SPEAKER_01 56:38

Well, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_00 56:39

So I would love to see that develop. There's just area all along people walking. A lot of them are homeless along North Main Street and there's no sidewalks at all. You've got a five-lane highway and no place for people to walk safely.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

Well, yeah, that's a little and the traffic moves along pretty quickly.

SPEAKER_00 56:56

Yes, it does. And that is the proposed connector for the Fonta Flora.

SPEAKER_01 57:01

Yeah, well, yes, I was gonna say that I thought that the part of the Fonta Flora Trail was sidewalk trails as it gets through Marion and then goes over to the Greenway.

SPEAKER_00 57:13

Yes, Heather Cotton, when she was planning director, did a great visioning for that to make sure that the Fonta Flora came through Marion so that it would be a rest stop for people that were hiking. But she purposely worked with them to that it would come through the downtown and not just along the river on the outskirts of the of town. Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 57:35

Do you think that's a right-of-way problem or just expense problems? Expense problem. Expense problem.

SPEAKER_00 57:41

Sidewalks are not cheap. But I I've always said there's two lanes there just below the packing post. We could take one of those lanes and make it into a sidewalk, two lanes that go north. One of those needs to be a sidewalk. But that's I would love to see that connector.

SPEAKER_01 57:56

Well, you know, really, when you say that, you could make that into uh you could take a lane of traffic and make it into a sidewalk and a dedicated bike path.

SPEAKER_00 58:08

Yes, you could. And and that short distance, I think that it would not be so congested that you could make that work. Because you're right up against that bank and it they can't go any farther into the bank. So it's gonna have to be out in the lane.

SPEAKER_02 58:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:22

Well, I'm you're right, that is dangerous.

SPEAKER_00 58:26

And even on the other side of town on West Henderson Street, I don't walk to work a lot because there's not a fully connecting sidewalk between my where I would get on Henderson Street all the way to the depot without going up and crossing over the railroad track or jumping the fence. Is that right? So we sidewalks are really you either have to cross the highway or something, but there's we need to improve our sidewalk situation.

SPEAKER_01 58:51

Well, let me see if you can help me with one of my particular peeves.

SPEAKER_00 58:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 58:57

Uh and I talked to um who did I talk to Chuck Abernathy about this. Is there any way we could get any kind of live theater here in Marion?

SPEAKER_00 59:11

I know that Foothills Community Theater has struggled to find a good place for them to do performances. Um and it's strictly a volunteer group. I think anything like that just needs a strong, they need a good funding source and they need a good management source. So they've really had to find had a hard time finding their place. It seems like every time they find their place, something happens to their performance venue, or it's just and so they're really looking for that.

SPEAKER_01 59:42

Well, don't you think we're grown up enough to have that?

SPEAKER_00 59:45

I think we are, yes.

SPEAKER_01 59:46

And and as Chuck said, that uh when people, businesses, potential businesses are coming to town, uh he said that one of the first things they ask him is, What do you have available in the arts? Uh and we really don't have anything.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:03

Maca's an old institution, it's been around a long time, but performing arts, we are limited. Uh, and even for uh I know for Livermush Festival, we invite Freddie Bradburn to bring his student instrument players, at most as guitar man or the uh ukulele's. And so we try to provide those outlets for them. That you're talking about Mountain Glory or Mountain Glory earlier. That was one of the big changes that we made at the time when the City and Merriam Business Association picked that up was to focus on local entertainment.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:39

Yes, that's that would be great.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:41

So we do. Yeah. So we try to use local bands, local, something that's local, and before that, the dance studios didn't even have an opportunity to perform. Well we make sure that they have that platform at stage, literally and figuratively, that those kids can perform publicly.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:00

Well, we hear the music up here, obviously. Obviously. We can't uh we can't see the dancers, but if I I didn't even know they did dancing.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:11

I might drop down. What kind of dancing? Do they they do they do that uh clogging thing?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:16

There's not a clogging team in Marion that is well organized. I I think some of the dance studios may offer some, but there's not a real strong team like there was in the 70s. But uh for the dance studios here in the community, we reach out to them, schedule them about a 45-minute time slot for their kids to get to perform on the stage in front of the courthouse.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:40

That has to be uh good for them and good for the community.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:45

It's one of the few places they get to perform in the public. I mean, they do the end-of-the-year recitals, but so and that brings people in itself. So each group brings grandparents, aunts, the family to see them perform.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:00

Are you not amazed at the amount of musical talent that there is around here?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:07

It's always amazed me, and it's always just been a part of our culture being in the music industry.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:14

I see people that uh, you know, some of them I will go across the street to avoid uh because I think they're gonna rob me, and then they're on their way to the stage with their guitar, and uh they are absolutely amazing musicians. And yet that's that's all they do. They just do it for fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:39

They do it for fun. And actually, unfortunately, we're seeing a real decline on the folks who are interested in taking that up in our business. We just are not seeing those new rising artists or that want to play. We're not seeing it like we used to. A lot of that changed right after the recession. Uh, there was just a big difference. So a big part of our business at Christmas, what we're called a biz a guitar package begin for a beginner. Everything that they needed. The amplifier, tuner, gig bag, guitar, everything that they might need. And so we would have that we sold a lot of those for those, I would call them garage band kids.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:26

Garage band.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:27

That has declined probably by 80%.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:32

Well, that's a shame because uh, you know, I think about, as I have said often on this show, I am a true Appalachian kid. We lived in a when I was a little bitty kid, we lived in a tar paper shack on the Blue Ridge, and the and there was music around us, uh, and it was natural hillbilly music. And I'm I I'm afraid that's going away. Don't you think?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:01

Uh well the it just doesn't seem to be new blood coming into that like there was even uh 15 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:11

And it's part of our heritage. It is. Don't you feel that? Because certainly as an Old Ford girl, you you must feel like you're part of the mountains.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:21

By all means we are. So that musical heritage is part of who we are and our foundation.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:27

Well, I hate to see that happen. I I wish it would come back, but it either will or it won't. There's nothing we can do about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:35

No, even even piano lessons. Uh people to play piano, many churches now do not have piano players, so they're using taped music.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:44

Oh, that's a shame.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:46

It is.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:46

That's a shame. I hate to see that.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:48

So it's it's changes in the industry and in the world.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:52

Because the music is what we have. I there was a time when we first moved back here, about I don't know, 2005, let's say, and then people would visit us and they would want to go and listen. Remember when there was uh down at the depot, uh there would be, I think it was once a week every Thursday evening. Yeah. And they used to have Old Fort had that uh Old Fort Mountain Music. Right, Old Fort Mountain Music, yeah. Yes. Uh that was the guy that had the chair factory, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:24

Uh no, across from Woody's was a third location, and there was Woody's Mountain music across from the chair factory factory. But Max Woody did play in Old Fort some. Okay. He played some.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:35

I think I might be related to Max Woody, but I'm not sure. So and that's all gone away.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:42

Yes. There's not what they still do a music jam in Old Fort on Sunday afternoons. I think it's moved to Hardy's because it was at the museum. So they still will have a jam there on Sunday afternoons. Is Roanne Bishop still at the museum? Yes, she is. Back to work, she's doing good. Good, good. Talked with her yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:03

I have not seen her in a long time and I was concerned about her and about her getting back to the museum.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:10

I saw that they were setting trusses on the gazebo. What is that about? The storm uh compromised the structure and they had to I think they were able to use the columns and they're putting a new roof on it.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:23

That's just going to get a roof. Yes. And it'll be an outdoor gazebo.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:28

Okay, for what? Picnicking and that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:30

Well, it's where they surf. I mean, it's not big enough for picnics under it. It's not that big. It's fairly small, but it's part of their outdoor space that they use. It's right next to the porch.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:41

Right, right. Okay, well, um, you got anything else?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:46

Well, there's always something going on. We're getting ready for the yard sale in May, Deliver Mush Festival in June, July 4th, America 250. We're getting ready for that.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:56

You know, uh we we planned our we're going to Alaska on a cruise on the July the 4th. So we're gonna miss that. I think we got off on our planning on that because I think it's gonna be pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:11

Yes, it is. It's Saturday, uh, so that's good. So we're working with that uh committee that's m making plans for a good celebration, so we're excited about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:22

What does that cost?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:23

Oh can I lay down on the floor before I tell you? Fireworks have gone up about twenty to twenty-five percent since COVID, they've gone up probably fifty percent.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:36

Wow. See, we used to as rotary, we had fireworks uh New Year's Eve and we had to stop because it was just it wasn't worth the money. Uh because they were they were small in scale. Uh then we went to uh we had a little laser light show, but we had to stop most of that kind of stuff because we just couldn't afford to do it.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:03

Well, the show that we have this year, and it's the minimum show that they will do and send in a team and everything is over twenty thousand dollars. So you're talking about a thousand dollars a minute. Yes, that's right. So I'm out there watching, we've just burned up five thousand, eight thousand. I'm watching the time, how much money we're burning up, but that's what it was five hundred a minute.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:33

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:34

But people like it, people love and we've got to have it for July 4th, yes. Are the restaurants open on 4th of July? A few of them are. Uh we've lost a couple of our good restaurants downtown, so it's hurt us a bit. I think when the hotel becomes a reality, we'll see some renew interest in some of those properties.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:54

I'm glad you brought that up. I wanted to ask you about that. What do you think about the it's gonna be the Marriott? Yes. Uh or one of the Marriott brands. I don't know which one it'll be.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:06

I just looked that up a couple of weeks ago. Well, what what's it gonna be? It's an extended stay, but it's not c that's not the name of it. Okay. So they have little kitchenettes and it's 93 rooms, I think.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:19

So we're very excited for a town as small as Marion to get a hotel of that caliber in their downtown is just unusual. We're very blessed that that happened.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:31

Well, I tried to squeeze this out of Steve Little. Why are they coming here?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:36

After they built in Morganton, they had been looking in Marion for a couple of three years. And then um the city and the county and the economic development folks got together with some creative financing and they looked at the Bank of America property. They wanted to be downtown, and so by everybody working together, they could make it a reality. Well, what do we have to offer? Well, a small town. Uh lack of downtown facilities. Most of the Airbnbs that are located around downtown are bed and breakfast are usually booked and busy. And it is gonna be a an extended stay type for people who are coming in to work. Um that can be there. So people maybe it'll have small kitchenettes and that type of thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:26

So they got a job they gotta do over at the hospital or or something. Baxter, yes. Yes. Uh so they come in and stay. I believe that the Marriott name, whatever they call themselves at this hotel, uh as I told Steve, I believe that's gonna still be a fairly good class of people. Yes. Uh so it's not gonna be, you know, a hundred dollars a week. So No, it's not. Okay. So and it should be a nice looking building. Have you seen the render?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:59

Yes, I have. It's four stories. Four stories.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:03

Okay. That should be pretty nice, I think.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:06

And they were it was requested that they use architecture that's reflective of the downtown architecture.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:12

That's good. Are they gonna have a restaurant with it?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:16

They do not plan to do that now. And initially there was discussion of having some commercial space on the first floor, but that's they they're adding rooms instead.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:27

Okay. But just the fact that they're there is gonna draw somebody in. Oh, yes, it will. Or make it better for someone who already exists.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:38

I mean, I could see being able to just go out of the myriad and walk across the street to Refinery 13. Yes. What a nice thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:46

And that's what they wanted to do. That was the environment they wanted to be in.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:49

Yeah, yeah. So that should be pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:53

Um is the fonta flora is it designed to go down Main Street or up Garden Street?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:00

Where it will come in on Yancey Road by City Hall, uh annexed right here on New Street. Okay. And then go north on to up and pick up out at the Greenway. But it will be directed to connect to the P Vine. So that will be a connector that will be promoted for the Fonta Flora folks who want to do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:24

There's our problem also is uh the P-vine.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:28

We're getting homeless people that has to be monitored continually.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:35

I I hope that can and and Steve uh Pierce, he's high on that. He thinks that's gonna be a great and as am I. That'll be a great connector uh on down south and to the college and uh after we're all gone, maybe all the way down to Rutherford.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:55

Well, you're not gonna be far from the southern part of that, the wilderness trail that goes will be going through the south part of the county. So I and then I know Steve talked about eventually they would like to connect with a thermal belt. I think in time that it will happen. I don't know if we'll see it happen.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:12

Uh yeah, well I I don't think I will, but uh I think that will be great. It would be nice to see us see the cities and towns interconnected so you could get up in the morning and marry in and say, Let's have lunch in Rutherford and ride your bike, have lunch and then come back. Wouldn't that be great? I I I'd I'd love to see that pathway connected.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:43

Yes, I would love to see it be a little more aggressive in making it happen between Old Fort and Marion.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:49

We have so many uh and I know this isn't in your your bag of tricks, but we have so many good hiking trails around here. I could see why people would come, uh and you know that's one of my first loves. I could see why people would come and stay at the Marriott just to hike or or bike.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:11

And I think that that will happen. And I I love the ref you and Steve Pierce talked about the articles that you wrote on hiking. And I did. I would love to see those archived on the MTA website.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:25

Well, I uh you know, Steve asked me that on the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:30

We not just one, but all of yours. I think that would just be we'd love that would be wonderful part of our heritage and what you've d written and well I'm gonna get with Steve.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:39

Actually, I found you know, I wrote a hundred and twenty-two different trails. Most of them I hope, uh, because they haven't hiked much lately, but most of them I hope still exist. You know, the American got to a lot of stuff. Yes, it did. Uh and some of the trails that we hiked were so obscure that um I I bet they're gone completely now. I bet they don't even exist. But uh I I'm going to give uh the compendium to Steve i if he wants it. And he did indicate that he does.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:14

Yes, it's it's so tied to the MTA that I think it'd just be a great Well, I I hope so. Um I always loved reading them.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:22

Well, thank you. I I love to write them. Uh we did a lot of them, and it was it never became mature. Every weekend uh or sometime during the week, we'd do a hike, have to find it, uh dig it out of obscurity, hike it, and then come home and write about it. And it was always kind of fun. So uh I I I'm hope and I know Steve, you know, Steve and I are friends, and so uh I think he'll make it.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:49

That would be wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:51

Well, thank you. I I hope so. I think that'll be good.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:55

And the tourism folks are printing a tr a more comprehensive trail guide. Our our tourism folks, a TDA. So we look we're very excited to see that happen soon. We need that.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:09

Well, you know, someone came to me and I don't remember who it was now and asked me to write, I think I I wrote about six trails for tourists, and they made a pamphlet, and it was over at the visitor center for a long time. Uh they were, you know, obviously easy trails that you you just come into town and then you go for a hike.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:31

Right. And s a lot of those that were really accessible, the water got them, so they're in the process of reconstruction.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:37

So what a shame. Okay, I uh I uh there were there are many more things that I wanted to ask you, but I I've gone off subject so many times. I I can't keep control of this program.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:51

Uh that's what makes it interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:54

My friends come up here and we just get off on different things, and I enjoy every minute of it. Uh anything else you want to talk about?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:03

We hope that people will uh get to enjoy the America 250. It's gonna be a celebration in Old Fort and in Marion, and that's coming up, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us, so it's exciting. Um, my high school graduation was the bicentennial, so uh two uh in 20 in 1976, so see another celebration is exciting.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:28

Well, I asked this of almost everyone that comes up. It's almost ridiculous now because of the folks that come up here. But do you like Marion?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:38

It's my home. Yeah, I love Marion, it's where I want to be, it's where we love being.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:43

Yeah, you wouldn't think of going anywhere else.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:45

No, we've never really entertained that. And I've been so blessed that I have got to do what I love in the community I love. I know that a lot of people, this was just n nothing they would have been interested in, but I've been very blessed to get to do this for over 36 years.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:03

Isn't it interesting that we can be so satisfied in such a small town? You know, Janet and I are big city people. We lived in San Diego for the majority of our lives, and we built our businesses in San Diego and thought we needed San Diego, uh, and then through some quirks of fate wound up having a second home and now our only home here in Marion, and I love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:32

We we've never wanted to be anywhere else. My husband uh went uh college and uh Mars Hill, but he wanted to come back to Marion, and we've just been part of it ever since.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:44

Well, I want to thank you again for coming up and talking to me. Uh as usual, I try to I try to design the show so we talk about an hour and we're getting on to an hour and a half now. And it just goes by, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:59

Yes, it does, and it's been so enjoyable.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:02

Well, thank you, and thank you for coming up. Uh I want to remind my viewing or my listening audience that if you want to get in touch with me, you can email me at on the front porch with Jim Williams. That's one word on the front porch with Jim Williams at gmail.com. That's usually the uh fastest way to do it. Thanks again to the executive director of the Marion Business Association, Freddie Killow, for taking the time out of the day to come up here and join us on the porch. And thank you for listening to the show. And please join us next week on the portfolio.