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Foothills Faces

People & Places of the Carolina Foothills

The daughter is the boss in this daughter-daddy duo!

3/6/2023

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Check out Big Guns Coffee. This business in downtown Tryon, NC was the brainchild of...well, a child. Her dad, Marine veteran TShane Johnson is a bonafide hero. But to TShane, it's his daughter that is the hero.
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Ben Seymour - Luthier

1/25/2023

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It takes a lot of patience and skill to do what Ben does. Check out a little about his life as an instrument maker and a musician.
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Ben was recently featured in the magazine, "Tar Heel Junior History," published by the North Carolina Museum of History. (Fall 2022)
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Robert Mangum, Sheriff's Deputy turned Soapmaker

1/15/2023

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Check out this short video and hear a bit out Robert and his bold move to leave Asheville and move to Tryon to start his own business.
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Keeping positive in tough times...

9/6/2020

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Tryon Theatre, the movie theater in downtown Tryon, has been closed for months. The owners frequently switch out the marquee wording with encouragement to hang in there...they will return. After all, this movie house has been showing films since 1935. A few years ago it was completely renovated. They do open up for an hour on Friday and Saturday nights to sell that good old tasty movie house popcorn you can get nowhere else.

The whole community is ready to enjoy their home movie house once more.
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Only one thing better than a good hot dog...

1/6/2020

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There’s just one thing better than a good hotdog…and that’s two of them. I stumbled across Tania Olbeter the other day while driving through Columbus. After having a couple of her Nathan’s all-beef franks, I knew the second time wouldn’t be by accident. Her hog dogs are that good!

Tania, whose business is called “Break Out the Buns,” sets up shop almost every Monday through Friday in the corner of the parking lot of O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on West Mills Street in Columbus. You can’t miss her. A large “hot dogs” banner catches your attention and a bright umbrella is your beacon to pull on over. And in the few minutes I was there to grab a couple of dogs and a few photos…a number of folks were driving in as well.

Tania says she’s there most days from 11 until 2 unless it’s a bad rainstorm. Her hot dogs are worth the drive. You can get them with any (or all) of more than a dozen toppings. She also has sodas and chips. And if you like, you could just stay in your car and eat them drive-in style.

Tania’s cart hitches up behind her car and she can bring it to your place for a catered event. You can find Break Out the Buns and Tania on Facebook, Instagram, and by emailing her at info@breakoutthebuns.com.

Everyone loves a good hotdog…and these are great! You're going to find me there again and again.











Click on each photo to see the full-size image.
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It's Senior Check-up Day at the Vet

9/13/2019

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I wouldn't say it was a slow news day today, but my day did start off with taking our geriatric miniature poodle (inherited from an uncle) to her senior check-up. Shayna (the poodle) doesn't particularly mind the vet visits and the folks at Bonnie Brae in Columbus are very nice to her. But she is quick to whip around and bite you if you call her a bad name or ruffle her feathers.

​So Dr. Nick and Nurse Kristen know she has to wear what they call a "party hat." I'm not 100% sure if Shayna thinks the party hat is silly, dumb, or above her poodle status...but she accepts it and is generally a good girl. She also knows she'll get plenty of liver treats throughout the process. Shayna is nearly 15 and my uncle got her through a rescue...so know one is really sure of her age.

Thanks folks at Bonnie Brae.
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Shayna's not sure whether to stay or bolt for freedom when the next patient enters the front door.
Click on each photo for an enlarged version and a caption.
Shayna checks out the party hat to see if it makes her look thin.
Dr. Nick gets the party hat adjusted. Now, let's get on with the party.
Starting the check-up.
Listening to my heart. I have a heart murmur...that's not good. But I'm an old lady and can handle it.
Nurse Kristen and Dr. Nick check over my eyes. I can still see, but I'm pretty darn deaf.
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Bear Tyler - Peanut Slinger & Barber

9/7/2019

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​When I caught up with Bear Tyler this afternoon he was slinging boiled peanuts. I didn’t get a chance to witness any barbering going on, but I’m guessing there’s a chair in the back of his classic 1966 food-truck “conversion.” It’s a site to see as well as the good-looking and mighty-good tasting peanuts coming out of the serving window. Check out the “salty dog platter” which is made up of several kinds of pickled peppers and a heaping pile of boiled peanuts.
 
Bear founded Bullhded Peanut Company in 1971 with hard work and grit and that’s what he still throws in the mix today. And yes, that’s the spelling of Bullhded. You’ll have to ask Bear why. 
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Bear Tyler, owner and chief peanut slinger since 1971.
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Bear and his Salty Dog Platter. (They look a lot better than this photo shows, trust me.)
​Bear is based out of Tryon. Bear and his truck can be found around the region and he’s available for festivals, catering, and other private events. Today he was parked and doing a brisk business in the parking lot of Cameroon Cigar Lounge (& Craft Beer Emporium) in Landrum.
 
Bear says, “At Bullhded, what we do is simple. Take parts salt, peanuts, mix it with grit…and the result is a Southern staple cooked to perfection.”
​You can learn more at bullhded.com, but the best way to learn more is to give those peanuts a try.
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Bear Tyler serves a heaping helping of boiled peanuts to Caleb Bruce, Pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Landrum.
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Mocha's Mug - a Fast Focus Story

7/27/2019

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For months I’ve been eyeing the work going on inside the building at 212 Rutherford Street in Landrum. My patience paid off as I discovered that the new coffee shop was indeed open for business. Denis and Lori Friederich are the owners, the baristas, and the treat chefs. They’re still gearing up for a grand opening in a few weeks but for now you can tantalize your taste buds with some great coffee and coffee drinks, teas, whole-fruit smoothies (coming soon), and a variety of treats.
 
Lori says, “We want Mocha’s Mug to be a place where people can gather and create a bond. A place where people are refreshed in body and soul, and once you come through those doors we want you to feel like family.”
 
It’s an amazing transformation inside from past businesses that have occupied that space. I’ll have a full story after the grand opening but this news was too good to put off telling. Check them out Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM. They do have a Facebook page.
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Denis and Lori
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Mitch Stott - A Life in the Fast Lane

5/4/2019

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By all counts, Mitch Stott has had a good life. He thanks a lot of people for that including his parents, his wife, and his “Father,” Jesus. He’s also blessed to have two children (now grown) and a grandbaby.
It’s a good life with lots of future still ahead. And by all counts, Mitch has already done a lot of amazing things. I mean truly AMAZING!
​Mitch is a Polk County native. He knows just about everyone and pretty much everyone in the county knows Mitch or at the very least one of his relatives. Think Stott’s Garage, Stott’s Corner, Stott’s Ford, and his dad, Bobby Joe Stott owned Stott’s Chevrolet, which for years sat on the NC-SC state line.
 
By age 13 Mitch was working after school and summers as an auto mechanic at Stott’s Garage on Landrum Road. But even before that he was training as a mechanic. Some of his earliest memories are of assembling plastic models and taking apart and putting back together just about anything he could get his hands on. And all of these years later, Mitch is a professional mechanical engineer and he rightfully boasts that he’s self-trained. 
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Mitch with Joyce, his wife of 35 years, and granddaughter, Noravae.
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Ted Chavarria (left) was crew chief when Mitch broke the six-second record in 2003. The two are still fast friends.
There are a lot of stories you could get from Mitch, but this short story will touch on just two. For six years Mitch was a professional drag racer and was named one of the Top 100 drivers of all time by Drag Illustratedmagazine in 2015. He was picked for this honor for being the first to break the 6-second threshold of racing a drag car on a quarter-mile track in Darlington in 2003. With Mitch in the driver’s seat and crew chief Ted Chavarria on hand, their car reached a speed of 231 mph to make the quarter-mile in 5.985 seconds. This time is still hailed as a milestone and the record itself held for several more years.
Mitch is still involved in drag racing but in a variety of different capacities. He’s out of the seat but serves as a consultant from time to time, has worked in design and fabrication, and currently provides color commentary for race videos for a wildly successful series of drag races in a “retro” drag racing league started by his brother Quain. (That’s a future story.) 
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Mitch with the 2015 issue of "Drag Illustrated" listing him as one of the Top 100 racers of all time.
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Mitch on the phone with a customer. He does this a lot.
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This is the blurb in the Top 100 issue.
As Mitch was transitioning out of the racing world full time into other things, he found he had more free time to enjoy other hobbies. One of those was flying remote control planes. In 2008 while Mitch was flying one of his planes he found himself a bit frustrated with how the pneumatic landing gears were or in some cases were notworking. The gears started turning in Mitch’s head and all of that mechanical engineering and his incredible sense of how things work caused the proverbial light bulb to turn on in his head. He felt he could design and engineer electrically operated landing gears that would be reliable every time. The commonly used landing gears remote control planes use are pneumatic and depend on air pressure. They’re prone to leaks and other issues and the air tank has to constantly be replenished. So what often happens is the landing gear might deploy but there’s not enough air to keep it locked in place. The remote control plane, not an inexpensive item at all, comes in for a crash landing. 
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Landing gears ready to ship. These are ready-to-go. Down and Locked also does a lot of custom work.
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Some of the workings of a landing gear. it takes impressive machine work to get a product like this.
Mitch set out to see if he could turn his hobby into his next profession. He solicited the help of a former crewmember of his, Ron Word, to help him come up with the electronic module that would be needed to run electric landing gears. Ron said he was pretty sure he could do this and in 2008 the two of them started “Down and Locked,” the business that would make a difference for model plane pilots across the world. Mitch had since bought out Ron’s share of the business and operates it today out of the end of a real airplane hangar tucked away in Green Creek that sits adjacent to Mitch and Joyce’s home. Yes, Mitch does fly real planes himself and has held a private pilot’s license for years. There aren’t many people who have a 1,700-foot airstrip next to their house.
Down and Locked is an amazing small business that remote control pilots all over the world depend for safe landings. It’s fair to say most people in Polk County have no clue this business exists. Mitch’s product is in remote control planes all across the world where people fly RC planes. His shop is filled with UPS boxes of all sizes ready to ship his product. It is an engineering marvel, but there’s also a constant battle to keep up and on top of competition. Cheap products out of China are an issue just like it is for thousands of US companies. Mitch cautions people that you get what you pay for with those cheaper imports. He stands behind his landing gears and other custom designed model plane parts. Mitch talks about the importance of customer service and that’s something a would-be user is not going to get when ordering a cheap part from overseas. The day I went over for the interview I could see Mitch’s customer service in action. While I was taking photos Mitch was making multiple phone calls on behalf of a customer who was in Florida to fly in a competition. The customer needed a replacement part and needed it that day. Normally, Down and Locked would have picked and shipped the part overnight even if they had to do a custom machining of it. But the pilot needed the part now, not tomorrow, so Mitch was calling one shop after another to see if he could get a machine shop in the area of the competition to machine this small $3 part to Mitch’s specifications so the pilot could get his plane back in the air and back in competition. 
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Mitch is expanding what he does. His latest venture is a new company called Aviatix, which builds the entire remote control plane. (The name combines the words aviationwith fanatics, a perfect description of Mitch and his love of flying.) But in addition to his businesses, he sees spending more time with his granddaughter, Noravae, as a priority. Mitch Stott says he’s a blessed man, but it’s easy to see that he works hard to make things successful. 
 
Mitch has some advice for parents these days. “Involve your children in things that require them to think, to read, and to learn. With all of the toys today that are play-ready right out of the box, they might be occupied with it but that doesn’t mean they’re learning anything. Let your kids build models where they have to read and follow instructions. It will give them, like it gave me, the knowledge about how things work. It can make a difference.”
 
 
Check out Down and Locked at: www.DownAndLocked.com
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Click on each photo for an enlarged version. Captions accompany several of the photos.
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It’s Saturday, that means it’s donut day at Martha’s Amish Bakery…

3/16/2019

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It was exactly one year ago today when I posted my first “real” story as Foothills Faces. That was the story about Martha’s Amish Bakery and it was a perfect choice for my start. So today is my lucky day that the first anniversary of this blog and donut day at the bakery ended up being the same!
 
By the time you read this, the donuts might be gone. It’s a sellout every Saturday and Saturday is the only day they make their incredible melt-in-your-mouth treats.
 
Even though the bakery had been going since 2014, the name change just happened about the same time I went in looking for my first story. While I don’t necessarily plan to revisit each of my past stories as this next year progresses, I wanted to stop by the bakery just to check in. My sharing their story helped get flour sack full of new blog followers.
Martha and Freida Graber have enjoyed the support they’ve received from the community and report that it has been a wonderful and successful year. Business has been good enough that they’ve had to bring in extra help from time to time. They cooked up over 100 pies just for Thanksgiving and this is on top of all the other wonderful food available Wednesday through Saturday on Highway 9 in the Green Creek community. Now that they’re more settled in they have at least a little time to think about the future. The ladies are taking advantage of the special seasons and holidays by cooking up some themed items such as Irish soda bread and special decorated cookies for St. Patrick’s Day. 
 
They can’t wait for strawberry season to start so that they can cook up some of their famous strawberry pies made with local berries. Martha & Freida have some other ideas up their sleeves. They plan to do more with wedding cakes and even start a delivery service geared toward local assisted living and retirement communities.
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Martha & Freida love the support from the community and you’ll more than love your stop inside this friendly neighborhood establishment.
 
So thanks to Martha & Freida for giving me the privilege of interviewing them for my very first story, and thanks for all the tasty treats I’ve enjoyed this past year.
 
And remember, get there early next Saturday to pick up a donut or two or an entire box.

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Gay Barefield – Living The Zen Chick Life

2/22/2019

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Gay Barefield has been a busy person for much of her life. She was once in upper management in a software development firm faced with pressures of deadlines, finding clients, and a never empty in-box. Gay knew something needed to change and the sooner the better. She made a fateful decision to give up the corporate life, go back to school (while still working), start her own business, and move to a farm in the Green Creek area. She’s never looked back.
 
The farm is a certainly more than a hobby farm but the work brings her great joy. Gay and her husband enjoy taking care of their two horses, a donkey, and a couple of dogs. They also raise a lot of their own food and get most of the rest from local growers at the farmer’s market. And all of that was part of the “slowing down” Gay knew must happen.
 
The farm life is just part of the path Gay took in moving from corporate life to a life less stressful. And in the process she’s learned a lot and is now helping others find their path or trail to a simpler life. In fact, she calls herself a “Life Journey Trailblazer” and Zen Chick is her “company” name. But now the company is just Gay and is far removed from the big business rat race. 
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Gay is a big believer in eating dessert first. Translation, “Do the reward first and then go back and do the other.” Too many people work, work, and work only to find themselves out of time when it’s time to have fun. Gay goes on to make the point to make time now for things that are important. 
 
Zen Chick is Gay’s slow-down “business.” She maintains a website with regular blog posts filled with advice. She also holds local workshops and has people local and around the world connected to her via the web. She enjoys helping people find ways to put more enjoyment in their lives by living a simpler lifestyle. The tagline on Gay’s website (www.ZenChick.com) is: Slow Down, Simplify, Love Your Life.” She’s living proof that this works.
 
Of course she says you can’t just shirk your duties, but you might need to reassess priorities so that you can enjoy your life.  Gay says people need to learn to say, “no.” You can’t do everything all the time. During our interview I saw that she had a bit of blue color in her hair and even I knew it wasn’t from old age! “Life is short, do what you want to do,” she says and adding a bit of spice to her hair is just an example.
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​Gay had this revelation one day while working in corporate America. She decided it was time to chunk that and do something new much to the amazement of her co-workers and bewilderment of her bosses. She enrolled in a program in chiropractic medicine but switched direction and decided to train as a massage therapist. This, she thought, could be her new pathway. A few months later she entered a massage therapy program, graduated, even served on an advisory board to help develop a licensure program for South Carolina. And now 26 years later she’s still running her own successful center in Spartanburg called “The Healing Touch.” Gay spends four days a week there and the other days she can be found on her farm and helping others learn that it’s okay to make a change even late in life. 
 
Gay Barefield speaks from the heart. “Every day is a process in learning. Some days are scattered and complicated. But I have come a long way from being OCD in my 20s, very driven and changing careers in my 30s, still driven in my 40s, but settling into my new career. And now in my 60s, settling into my life – simplifying more and more!”
 
We can all learn from Gay. It’s time to slow down, simplify, and love your life.
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More to know
Gay can be reached at gaybarefield@gmail.com.

Phone is 864-680-1604.

Her massage therapy business, “The Healing Touch,” is open Tuesday through Friday. Check out the Zen Chick website at: www.ZenChick.com.


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Lyddie Shaneberger - A Foothills Picker

2/2/2019

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The folks on American Pickers could learn some things from Lyddie Shaneberger. Lyddie (a nickname for Lydia) has been picking since she was one year old. Okay, maybe not quite that far back but that’s when she attended her first auction. Who knew this would be the beginning of a career direction and the creation of Lyddie’s business LS Mercantile + Salvage Co.
 
Now 25 years later, Lyddie can thank her parents for starting her out in the world of picking. They took her to that first auction and she hasn’t looked back since. She says picking is in her blood or perhaps it was her parents raising her with an appreciation of history and storytelling. Lyddie especially appreciates the storytelling part. She loves to ask questions and discover answers to the “treasures” she’s collecting. Where’d it come from? What is it? How old is this? Who are the people who once owned this? As Lyddie spent years learning about the business, it wasn’t until she was a teenager when she started to understand the monetary value of the items. And she understood the potential to “recycle” them or repurpose them and hopefully match up a buyer to her discoveries.
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Lyddie Shaneberger - A Foothills Picker
At age 16 Lyddie was already setting up shop; selling online with her own Etsy store. Just the year before her family’s life changed forever. Her father had an accident, a 30-foot fall from a hunting tree stand. He was left unable to walk. Lyddie looked for ways to help with family finances and that’s when she realized that her love of picking might not only help the family situation but could be her life’s calling. It has not always been an easy road.
 
“You won’t make it” is a phrase Lyddie says she and many other would-be small business owners have heard. For some, it’s enough to discourage them from trying. But for Lyddie…it was a challenge she would face head on. With encouragement from her parents, her boyfriend Dave, and her circle of friends - Lyddie has worked to take “pickin’ vintage” to the level of a serious small business endeavor.
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Out Pickin'
​Lyddie still has her Etsy store online and a year or so ago she opened up shop in “Workshop Vintage Market,” a business in downtown Shelby filled with an eclectic assortment of dealers. Right now this works well for Lyddie as she works to build the business into a full-time career. But now in addition to running her shop, helping when she can at home, and other tasks a young entrepreneur is faced with…Lyddie is holding down three jobs while also enrolled at Western Carolina University. She’s a nanny to two families, manages the local Loft Outlet’s Instagram account (and occasionally works there on weekend as well)…all the while finding every chance she can to go pickin.’
Lyddie usually travels the Southern states but she’s planning a foray to the Northeast this coming fall. She’s forever on the lookout for the next big find. She says she doesn’t care to follow “trend” as some people in the business suggest. Instead she prefers to follow her heart. She picks what she loves and knows that someone else will love it too. There have been times when Lyddie has only had a $20 bill in her pocket and got lucky and found items that were worth hundreds. It happens. It takes street smarts. Lyddie Shaneberger has them.
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At "Vintage Market at the Park" in Travelers Rest, SC last fall. She'll be here again this April 19-20.
Lyddie’s goal is to have her own storefront somewhere. It would also involve curating collections for people’s homes, having a space for artisans and makers, and possibly a market for each season for others like her to come together and create an experience that would be so good she could make Country Livingmagazine one day. She also hopes to graduate spring 2020 and even possibly start a MBA program while her boyfriend finishes his Ph.D. at Clemson.
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Lyddie's little slice of picking' paradise at "Dallied" in downtown Shelby.
Lyddie Shaneberger has some advice for would-be small business owners. “Do it. Do it with all of your heart and your patience. Be passionate about what you do and you’ll never wake up not wanting to go to work on a Monday. Work hard, be strong, and don’t let others get under your skin. You control your own life. So create who you want to be.”
 
Lyddie’s story should be an inspiration to us all.

More to know
You can find Lyddie’s unique collection of pickins’ at her space at “Workshop Vintage Market” at 108 North Lafayette Street in downtown Shelby and is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday from 10 until 2 and Thursday & Friday 10 - 5:30.  Do a search on Etsy using LS Mercantile + Salvage Co. to find her space in the cloud. Lyddie is also on Facebook and Instagram and you can reach her by email at lgshaneberger1@catamount.wcu.edu. Lyddie was born and raised in Forest City and is appreciative of the sense of hard work instilled in her by her parents.

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Lyddie's backyard workshop "she-shed."
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Mark Ray & Dad's Collectibles -

12/12/2018

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Rekindling the Past

Dad’s Collectibles in Saluda is filled top to bottom, corner to corner with history and it’s obvious that owner Mark Ray is not just a shopkeeper. He’s part historian and part storyteller and can tell you the background of each item crammed into his shop. When you leave, you will have been enlightened.
 
On first glance you might think Dad’s Collectibles is a toy store. Not at all, though of course any of the items could be played with. And there are certainly items that children would love to get their hands on. Mark has Hot Wheels and is even a Breyer distributor for their line of equine items.
 
But this is most certainly a treasure store for adults. Mark has always been an enthusiast of die cast models whether it’s planes, trains, or automobiles. If it rolls or flies there’s a good chance Mark has it. These items are incredibly detailed down to the last bolt and they are truly collectibles.
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Mark Ray in front of his shop. He shares space with the Saluda Historic Depot.
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Mark is a huge Ford fan. Part of this is because. his dad was with the company for years.
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He lives and breathes this passion for keeping history alive. In fact, he set up shop in the Historic Saluda Depot so that he could help keep the museum portion of the depot open on a daily basis. And if you wish to dig a bit deeper, Mark was also one of the influential folks who helped convert the old depot building into the museum that more than 10,000 people a year visit. 
 
Mark has had a love affair with models since childhood. What’s nice, he says, is that “what one can’t afford in full scale they can afford as a model.” His parents were involved in various forms of transportation. His mom was a flight attendant (called stewardess back then) for a few years back in the mid to late fifties until she married his dad and was forced to give up her job. His dad worked with Ford Motor Company for many years and was also a regional sales rep for Winnebago. His granddad worked as paymaster and treasurer with Queen City Coach out of Charlotte. It would seem natural that his parents’ and granddad’s work experiences led Mark to this hobby, which led to this being his work. 

To most people, they just dream about turning a hobby into their profession! To Mark, it just seemed natural.

Dad’s Collectibles has been around 20 years with most of those years being owned by Dean McWilliams in Hendersonville. When Dean was ready to slow down he handpicked Mark to be his successor. Mark moved the business to Saluda in October 2017. Nancy Pew is his partner who has helped make the store possible with financial support, business experience, and marketing skills.
 
Mark doesn’t just deal with models. He’s also into the big boy toys. He drives a ‘67 Ford LTD. You can’t miss it since he drives it to work when he doesn’t walk. You’ll see Holman-Moody decals proudly embellishing this perfectly restored car. Mark has worked with Holman-Moody for 20 years and now even sells their apparel in Dad’s Collectibles. Mark still has a body shop in Hendersonville where he orchestrates the work on restoring other unique vehicles. He’s excited about a 1966 North Carolina Highway Patrol Custom 500 that will be shared with the North Carolina Transportation Museum and will be featured at trade shows. And if you enjoy a brew or two in the gardens area at Sierra Nevada in Mills River and notice that little beer truck out back…that’s his restoration as well!
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His restored 1967 Ford LTD sporting a Holman-Moody decal.
Mark would love to see kids put down their smartphones, iPads, and Bluetooth headphones and see them instead get dirt under their nails and sunshine on their faces. Collecting something like a classic car, plane, or train could start that new interest in something other than electronics. 
 
Mark reflects, “At the end of the day, Dad’s Collectibles is my way of remembering some of the past and some of those treasured times in my youth and this is one of the few stores that puts you back in that era. You can’t move forward into the future if you don’t know your past.”
 
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Winnebagos also hold a place in his heart.
Mark has lots of projects ahead of him including seeing an excursion train run from Saluda to Zirconia. He has more cars to restore and more stories to tell. Throw your kids in your car, drive back in time, and visit Mark Ray and Dad’s Collectibles before they glue their eyes back to the screen on their phone. It’s worth your time.

More to Know
Dad’s Collectibles is located at 32 W. Main Street in Saluda and is inside the Historic Saluda Depot. Store hours are 10:30 – 5, Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment. Mark’s website is www.DadsCats.com and you can email him at mraycobra@gmail.com.
​Shop phone is 828/ 769-9016.

Click each photo to see an enlarged version in the gallery.
Mark Ray
Mark has loved performance cars for as long as he can remember. Here's a model of the "Bullitt" car.
This poster is autographed.
Mark's dad used to be a sales rep with Winnebago, so camper models are also part of his wares.
This is the actual engine from Mark's own train he had as a child. This one dates to 1970.
Yes, even Breyer items for the horse lovers.
Hot Wheels and so much more.
Too much in this store to even start to show it all.
Mark loves history. He helped bet the mural restoration done in this print from a Hendersonville street scene. And that truck...it's a drawing of the one he helped restore which proudly stands at Sierra Nevada in Mills River.
Models of some of the locomotives that once traveled the Saluda Grade.
Mark's a big fan of Eastern Airlines. His mom was a "stewardess" with them before she got married. Back then, when a stewardess married...they had to leave the company.
Mark has some rather large scale vintage planes as well. This is a WW II era B-24.
Mark with his big model. This was is drivable.
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L J Meyers - Homeward Angels

11/12/2018

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There aren’t all that many people around here that have 100 employees. And no one has 100 employees who willingly work for chicken feed. Well, that is except for this Spartanburg County resident – L J Meyers. Chances are you might have seen LJ at work or perhaps you’ve seen his employees doing their job. You’ll find LJ with his feet firmly placed on the ground but his employees might be hundreds of feet in the sky helping celebrate an important life event. And between them they’re making lifelong memories for the people who are a part.
LJ Meyers runs Homeward Angels and his angels are white doves. A white dove release is an impressive site and one that can help heal, bring great comfort, and some needed joy to those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. And a white dove release can help celebrate a wedding, a major anniversary, a memorial service, and other landmark family events.
 
This story isn’t meant to give you the science and facts behind a dove release except to say that these are all homing birds and are trained by LJ to return to their loft at the end of a release. And in all cases these doves are safely back at home before LJ gets to his driveway even if their starting point was hundreds of miles away. 
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L J Meyers
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L J addresses the crowd at the 9/11 Memorial Event before the dove release at the Landrum Depot.
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LJ grew up in New Jersey but has called the Foothills home for over 30 years. He discovered the Carolina mountains and foothills when he was a Boy Scout and his troop would take spring trips to new and interesting places. He thought if he ever moved he would have to check out this area.
 
LJ has had a love of birds and other animals ever since he was a child. When he was just seven years old he rescued a common pigeon he found stranded under the Route 23 Highway Bridge over the Pompton River near his hometown in New Jersey. His dad let him keep and take care of the bird. It was then that LJ learned that his dad used to keep birds and his dad knew of a man down the street who had racing birds. A new hobby was launched.
Fast-forward several decades and LJ and his boys were visiting the South Carolina State Fair in Columbia. LJ steered his sons to the barn with the birds and they loved seeing all the different types and colors and sizes. But when the boys learned that birds could be raced their eyes lit up and LJ knew they were hooked. That led to LJ starting his first loft and the entire family enjoyed raising and racing the birds. LJ and his family continued to race birds for several years but as the boys started to outgrow their interest, LJ’s excitement never waned. 
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9/11 Memorial dove release in Landrum.
LJ works as a finish carpenter for his profession and he’s a superb craftsman. I know that firsthand. But LJ’s always looking ahead and he was thinking it was time for those birds to pay their way. He has over 100 of them and they need feeding and care every day. LJ was familiar with dove releases through his contacts in the racing community and thought that maybe this was something he should do. His mind was made up one weekend while sitting in his garden. He wasn’t looking for a sign from above, but out of nowhere on two occasions people approached him and asked if he could help do a dove release. One was for a wedding and the other for a funeral…two completely different occasions but both people were looking for a way to bring special meaning to their event. And from that point LJ knew that this was the right thing to do.
 
LJ had no idea what path this would take him, but he didn’t hesitate to start the journey. Now 11 years later he knows he’s made the right decision. He has no plans to retire from his carpentry work anytime soon, but he knows his work with the doves will continue well beyond that. LJ’s Homeward Angels have helped families and communities celebrate landmark events across 18 counties in three states. 
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It takes a lot of work to set up for a major dove release.
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The dove releases can symbolize all kinds of things depending on the event. It’s not always easy as some occasions are very sad and others joyous. But watching a release has an impact on everyone who witnesses it. His Homeward Angels reach into your soul. The dove release can help bring closure on one day and it can mark the beginning of something new on another. LJ says, “It’s not about the birds but about the symbolism and the birds are the conveyance of that special meaning.” Everyone who sees or participates in one of LJ’s white dove releases comes away a changed person. It’s a great feeling.

More to know
LJ Meyers provides professional white dove releases for private and public events and ceremonies. Fees depend on travel distance, number of birds requested, and any special services LJ might need to provide. He is, by the way, an ordained minister. LJ does a lot of releases as a community service at no charge. Photos are from a recent 9/11 ceremony and a Veterans Day release. You can contact LJ at 864/ 457-4676 (home), 864/ 357-5581 (cell), by email at ljwhitedoves@gmail.com. His website is: HomewardAngelsWhiteDoves.com. LJ is a member of the National White Dove Release Society.
 
A sample of a release. This is from an impromptu Veterans Day release L J provided in Landrum.
You can also see the video by clicking this link. This might help if the video below is slow to load.
L J recruited a few kids to help him with an unannounced dove release on Veterans Day at the Veterans Memorial in Brookwood Park in Landrum, SC.
Click on each photo below to see an enlarged version and captions.
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Tyrone Perry - Bringing Great Coffee to You!

10/9/2018

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You’ve probably seen Tyrone Perry’s bright red coffee trailer parked somewhere on the side of the road. He’s become a familiar site in the foothills. I’ve enjoyed a cup of Tyrone’s coffee at the Farmer’s Market in Columbus, another cup somewhere in Landrum a year ago, and for this story I found him at Toby Wolter’s “details – luxury home furnishings” business on Ashville Highway between Tryon and Landrum. Toby invited Tyrone to set up Java Up at his shop’s location and it has worked out well for both businesses. It’s a generous offer for Tyrone who had to rent space when he first opened up his coffee window. 
 
Tyrone developed his love of coffee while serving in the Navy, which is where he headed after graduating from high school. He served nine years in the service including three years in Europe where he honed his coffee tastes. After his military career Tyrone landed with the Ralph Lauren Company and that led him to the foothills where he became the manager of the store in Gaffney. Tyrone decided fifteen years with the Ralph Lauren group was enough and finally found a way to drink on the job when he became the manager of Openroad Coffee Roastery in Columbus for a year. And that helped set up the move into being his own boss.
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Tyrone goes to more places than this. This graphic is a holdover from the original food trailer.
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Some regular customers on a Friday morning.
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Tyrone Perry
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Maybe Tyrone will have his own fixed coffee shop at some point, but for now he’s playing it smart. It helps being able to scout out locations (location, location, location), keep overhead down by operating out of a food trailer, and not having to worry about employees. That could all happen one day, but for now Tyrone’s working hard to make his Java Up business a success. And it’s happening. He’s at the Asheville Highway “details” location on Fridays and has a regular stream of customers, many being local artists who come together at 10 o’clock for a meet and greet at Toby’s shop just feet away. On Mondays through Thursdays Tyrone and his mobile coffee can be found at Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg helping fuel and sometimes caffeinate students, faculty, and staff. Most Saturdays during the season you’ll find him at the Farmer’s Market in Columbus, and the rest of the time he can be anywhere. In fact, businesses occasionally bring him on site as a special perk for their employees. Yes, Tyrone hires out for special events of all types.
Java Up has been his business since August 2015. Tyrone cooks up a variety of coffee drinks including lattes, espressos, and other coffee specialties. He also can whip up a smoothie, serve killer lemonade, brew a cup of tea, and open up a bottle of some specialty waters and other drinks. All the coffee drinks are freshly ground each day. He does have a few packaged snacks if you need a little bit of sustenance. 
 
All of Tyrone’s coffee comes from Leopard Forest Coffee Company out of Travelers Rest. He says they are great roasters and has worked with them since he got started on his own. Tyrone sells their coffee both as whole bean and ground. 
 
Tyrone is taking it one day at a time. One day he might add another coffee truck or a coffee trailer; he might even open is own shop. But for now managing this and being a husband and father is more than a full-time job. Tyrone and his wife are parents to eight children. They homeschool their kids and his wife, Angela, runs most of that and also has a couple businesses of her own. That will have to be a story in itself.

​Tyrone does have advice for others looking to start their own business and that begins with doing your research. He is thankful for the help he got from the local SCORE organization, which provides free mentoring from working and retired business professionals. 

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​I asked Tyrone if he remembers any coffee-business stories since he’s gotten started. He says of course just meeting new customers and having them return is good enough for him, but he did remember a time when one customer ordered a drink and only had a $100 bill to pay for it. Tyrone didn’t have enough change so the customer said he’d go get change and come on back and pay up. He never did, but then one day Tyrone found a $100 bill in his tip jar. He didn’t know which customer gave it to him…but it was a sign of good things to come.
 
Tyrone Perry is driving the coffee business in more ways than one. Next time you see the red Java Up trailer parked along side the road…make a stop, order a drink, and know you’re doing your part to “shop small.” You’ll make a new friend at the same time.

More to know
Tyrone will be happy to bring his Java Up trailer to your location for just about any kind of special event, and he’s always thinking ahead to future locations. Give him a call at 864/ 814-8067 if you’re interested or if you just want to know where he’ll be tomorrow. His email is JavaUpCafe@gmail.com and you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Paul Heyer - 31 plus years a barber and he would do it all over again

9/17/2018

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Paul Heyer
​Paul knows just about every customer by name which is quite an accomplishment when you only see some of them for fifteen or twenty minutes once every month or so. He does have a group of regulars who come in like clockwork – every week or two. Paul says they like to “look the same” from week to week. I can understand the reasoning as I’m one of those who shows up only when my hair gets too shaggy. Paul mentions that his shop isn’t just for the men…he has about a dozen ladies who come to Paul’s Barbershop for their regular trims.
​Paul Heyer probably didn’t believe being a barber would be his life’s vocation when he gave his first haircut in Florida. But over 31 years later he says, “I wish I had started five years earlier.” It’s good to know Paul loves his job that much, especially when he holds your entire “looks” in the palm of his hand. 
 
Paul has been a barber in Columbus for almost 20 years and he’s been my haircutter-of-choice for all of those. I do need to mention that he has a part-time assistant, Frank, who is there two days a week and you can’t go wrong with either. But it’s Paul’s shop as can be observed by the sign on the building. 
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Paul is his own boss but this doesn’t mean he can just do what he wants! Since his hours are posted he’s got to be there. His customers expect it and aren’t always forgiving if Paul says he opens at 7 and doesn’t make it in until 7:05. Paul says unless he’s contagious he’ll be there even when he’s not feeling so great. Most of us would call in a sick day, but for the self-employed missing a day means you don’t pay the bills. Paul talked about a time he broke his hand and had to plead with the doctor to leave two fingers free so he could at least hold a comb. Luckily for Paul (and probably his customers) it was his left hand and Paul holds the clippers in his right.
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Paul enjoys chatting with a customer whether he's getting. haircut or not.
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The front tag on Paul's truck.
Paul is very supportive of our men and women in uniform. His two sons are on active duty…one in the Marines and the other in the Navy and he helps spread his pride by displaying a license plate on the front of his truck that reads, “Navy/Marines – House United.” A sign out front proclaims, “Thank you Veterans.” Paul does his part to pay it forward to our current and past service members by giving discounts to veterans on Veteran’s Day and free haircuts to all active duty members of the military. He also gives a discount to retirees…and I’m happy to be able to take advantage of that. And on the other end of the age spectrum, a baby’s first haircut is always free.
Paul enjoys his work and his customers. He has some memories of things that have happened in his shop including the time a would-be groom runs in looking for two “witnesses” so that he could get married over at the Polk County Courthouse, just around the corner. Two customers quickly volunteered and as far as we know the couple is still married. Paul has a few standing gags like occasionally spraying water over the small play area where little kids are waiting for their haircuts only to have it fall down from the sky. They look upward and Paul makes a little joke saying it must be from the leaking toilet upstairs. Well, they get grossed out and then Paul has to explain that there is no upstairs. 

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Paul is a master of carrying on conversations with customers over whatever is the topic of the day or whatever the customer might bring up or that Paul might remember from a past visit. He has a devoted group of people who claim Paul’s Barbershop as their own. However, there was one lone time when Paul did have to tell one old grouch that he needed to find another barbershop. And no, that wasn’t me!
 
Over these past twenty years, Paul’s Barbershop has become a fixture in downtown Columbus. And that’s because of Paul. It’s nice to know some good things never change.

More to know
Paul’s Barbershop is located at 40 East Mills Street in Columbus. 828/ 817-4598, but don’t call for appointments. It’s a wait your turn shop…but it’s never a long wait!
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Some wall art in Paul's shop.
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This clock "looks" backwards, but when viewed from the barber seat as you stare at the mirror in front of you, it's the way you would expect it to be!
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The Country Peddler - Not Your Usual Antique Store

8/26/2018

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It takes a bit of luck to find the Country Peddler Antiques & General Store in downtown Campobello. It’s a couple of blocks off of the main drag and that makes it in the country by Campobello standards. The morning I visited a customer walked in for her second visit in two days. Heather, the customer from Greer, had just discovered the store the day before because of a bridge detour which took her right past the Country Peddler. She liked what she saw so much she made a second trip to pick up some items she had eyed on day one and picked up that and some other finds she hadn’t planned on day two. That’s what makes a shop like this so much fun—you’ll never know what you’re going to find.
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The shop is owned and operated by business partners Jeaneen Cobourn and Debbie Denton. Jeaneen is there all the time and Debbie comes in on most Saturdays. The two ladies started the store in 1995 and do it all. They always have. Jeaneen’s husband comes by to cut the grass and take care of other chores from time to time, but it’s Jeaneen and Debbie’s pride and joy and they make up the entire staff. 
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Debbie Denton & Jeaneen Cobourn
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Jeaneen does what she loves.
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The store overflows into three buildings within just a few feet of each other. Each of these buildings is crammed full of interesting treasures. In addition to antiques (and there are a lot of them), The Country Peddler also sells other items one might expect from a “general store.” So next to antiques you’ll find salves, liniments, Fuller Brush items, candy, toys, corn meal, and grits. Jeaneen says she has regulars who drop by just to pick up some salve, or oilcloth, or a bag of meal. The Country Peddler is so much more than just another antiques store.
​If you’re not from this part of the foothills, you might not know that the area has become an antique-lovers paradise. It’s a destination for antique seekers from Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville and places in-between and farther afield. It takes a bit of knowledge to find this one because it’s just a bit off the beaten path and that’s what drew Jeaneen to this location. She and Debbie had batted around the idea of starting some kind of business together and this was their choice. Jeaneen said, the “location spoke to me. It’s quiet and rural and I didn’t want to be in the middle of a city somewhere. This location was perfect.”

Jeaneen isn’t quite ready to embrace social media so a Facebook page is just not in the current marketing plan. So if you want to “like” this place, you’re going to need to go check it out in person. Slow down and enjoy your stay.

UPDATE: Jeanneen reports she DOES have a Facebook page and is learning to use it. So search for Country Peddler Antiques & General Store and look for a photo of Pappy. Then, click that "like" button.
 
“Do what you love” is Jeaneen’s advice to anyone looking to start any kind of endeavor. It’s obvious she loves what she’s doing.

More to Know
You will find the Country Peddler at 305 Depot Street in Campobello, South Carolina. It’s open 10 to 5, Tuesday through Saturday. There is a website (www.countrypeddlersc.com) and basic info can be found there. But if you really want to know what they have, you’re going to need to get yourself there. Phone: 864/ 468-5200.
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Click each photo to see an enlarged version.
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Cherie Mascis – Animal Behavior Consultant and your next best friend

8/15/2018

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It was a sign on a car that made me do a double take a couple of months ago at the Ingle’s Gas Express in Landrum. The sign read “All Pets Training” and pictured several different animals and wording alluding to training available from the expected dogs to cats, parrots, reptiles, exotics, and even rats. I figured there had to be a story that went with that car and I was going to find it. Well, as luck had it…when a car is getting gas there’s got to be someone nearby pumping it and I met Ron Mascis. He quickly informed me he was just putting gas in the car and his wife, Cherie, is the trainer and animal behavior specialist.
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This is the car sign that led to this story.
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The back of Cherie's car - packed with pet goodies.
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Cherie Mascis, Animal Behavior Consultant
​Since I’ve only recently retired from teaching, the idea of an animal behavior specialist sounded intriguing as I was thinking of all the lost opportunities in the classroom with kids where Cherie’s training might have come in handy. The car sign didn’t actually mention kids but it said “exotics” and I thought possibly kids could be classified under that category. A few hours later Cherie and I were emailing but we didn’t get to sit down for an interview until just this past week.
 
I did learn that exotic doesn’t refer to “human” kids but more to lions and tigers, and yes, Cherie Mascis has worked with them. And she’s worked with just about every other kind of animal as well. It’s quite a fascinating story how her life has evolved over the past few decades. She has had an amazing set of experiences and it was easy to see how genuinely excited Cherie is to be doing her life’s work.
​Cherie brought one of her recent success stories with her to the interview. It was a rather large and laid back dog she’s named Sir Walter. This dog lived at the Foothills Humane Society for nearly two years without finding a home. Cherie works at the shelter a couple of days a week and knew this dog could be the right dog for someone and that she was that someone. Sir Walter now shares the Mascis’s home in Green Creek with three chickens and two cats and under Cherie’s kind and supportive training has learned to love them all. This isn’t the same dog that ached for his own family month after month.
 
To some, Cherie Mascis is a miracle worker. To Cherie, she’s just doing what she does best. It’s her life’s calling. She works with pets and their humans to find that perfect balance and it takes a combination of love, patience, and positive rewards be that a tasty treat or a favorite toy. She just wishes her would-be clients would call her early so that they can work on a situation before it actually becomes a problem.
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Cherie with Sir Walter
​Cherie has had an amazing set of career experiences starting with being one of the youngest students enrolled in Moorpark College’s world-renowned animal training program commonly known as “America’s Teaching Zoo.” She’s spent years at Marine World in California, served as Dogtown Manager at Best Friends Animal Society Sanctuary in Utah, taught SCUBA diving classes in a variety of places where she interacted with marine life, ran her own wildlife education program in Washington, worked on a cruise ship, and ended up a few years ago as a caretaker for several animals on a 200-acre estate in Waynesville. That experience led her to Polk County where she and Ron have lived for the past couple of years. Ron is “retired,” but Cherie has happily found herself in demand helping animal parents in the region learn how to make the relationship pleasurable for pets and their parents. She gets referrals from area vets, rescue programs, the local Humane Society shelter, and from her clients. Business is booming. 
 
Cherie has advice for people looking for that perfect pet and it begins with doing your research. Just because you want a Jack Russell doesn’t mean it’s the right dog for you. Prospective pet owners should match their own lifestyle with the personality and lifestyle of the animal. Some are noisy, some are messy, and all take a lot of care. If you’re choosing a trainer, ask for references and watch a training session to see how the trainer and the animal interact. You can tell a lot by the demeanor of the pet during these sessions. They shouldn’t cower in fear, and that’s not the approach Cherie takes. She showers love and kindness on the animals and might use a bit of cheese (or other tasty treats) to use as rewards and the animals learn better that way than by fear and intimidation. Again, do your research.
 
Cherie has had her brushes with fame in the past. She’s trained a l,500 pound Hampshire hog to roll out a red carpet and bow on Hal Linden’s late 70’s TV show Animals, Animals, Animals. And once she taught a chicken to dance and play the piano for actor John Travolta’s birthday party. But while Cherie will help you teach your pet some tricks if that’s what you want, she’s more about helping you and your pet both enjoy being with each other. That’s what’s most important to her.

More to Know
Cherie has a busy schedule but does have room from time to time for new clients. In addition to her training work, she does occasional pet and farm sitting, provides help with medications and bandages, etc. Contact Cherie at 
allpetstraining@gmail.com and check out her website at: https://allpetstraining.com.
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Andrea Whiteside - A Risk Taker Who Plans to Succeed

4/11/2018

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Andrea Whiteside doesn’t quite fit the mold of what you might expect in an entrepreneur. After visiting for an hour I knew I was wrong about that.
 
Andrea is no stranger to hard work and that’s what she’s faced since opening Andrea’s Plus Size Clothing in downtown Spindale. Andrea knew this is what she wanted to do even though in her heart she knew it would be an uphill march. Anyone opening a store these days faces risks. But at age 55 Andrea was ready to face those risks head on. She’s not a quitter and she hasn’t looked back. The empty shell of a store needed a lot of work to get opened. The owner was very helpful in giving her a break on the rent and letting her move in without a lease for the first six months. He also provided a brand-new heating/air conditioning unit, something definitely needed but missing.
​She rolled up her sleeves and her husband, Roy, stepped in as both Andrea’s head cheerleader and also her chief handyman. They scrubbed, they built, and they painted. They scavenged everywhere to find all the things a store would need from display units and shelves and even a cash register. Roy didn’t stop there. He also provided Andrea with his credit card and told her to buy what she needed to get the store stocked. That’s true dedication and a display of love to help his wife achieve her dream of owning her own place and being her own boss. He did point out that the card came with a credit limit!
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A big setback occurred just a few months after opening day. There was a late-night fire at the laundry that adjoins her building. While Andrea’s store didn’t suffer any direct damage from the fire, all her clothing stock was ruined from smoke damage. Most people would use this as a good excuse to lock the door for good. But not Andrea Whiteside. The store has just recently celebrated its first anniversary after reopening following the fire.
 
Andrea has yet to make a profit but she’s optimistic and doing her best to make this succeed. She’s received good advice from customers, from friends, and from Faye Bishop, the director of the Small Business Center at Isothermal Community College. ​
I asked Andrea what advice she would give to someone thinking of starting a business. Andrea, someone without any previous retail experience, says, “Be willing to take advice. Go to school. Ask for help. Find out what the people want. And do one thing and do it well.”

Andrea started the store for several reasons. One of course is that she herself is a “plus size” and knows how hard it is to find clothing that she likes. She knew there were plenty of potential customers faced with the same situation and why not be the store that can help?
Andrea’s Plus Size Clothing is more than “just” a store. She has become a de facto “counselor” helping people – friends and strangers, when they come in with something on their minds. She listens and listens and then offers them comfort. She recalls a homeless person who came into the store one day and she knew this woman needed some help. The woman said she just needed someone to talk to and Andrea was her rock in that time of need. Her pastor says the store is not just a store, it is Andrea’s own little ministry. 
 
It has become a “calling” for Andrea to make this work. No doubt she will. 
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More to Know:
Andrea’s Plus Size Clothing is located at 415 Main Street in Spindale. 828-447-9737. She’s open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday. Check her Facebook page for hours. In addition to clothes, the store carries jewelry, handbags, scarves, and other accessories including some items handmade right in the store by Andrea herself. Clothes styles are changed with each season.
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Owning a restaurant isn’t for everyone, but for Michaila Cowles…it’s everything.

3/28/2018

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​Most sixteen year olds are thinking about a weekend date or what to wear on Monday. But when Michaila Cowles was sixteen she was thinking business and she was not thinking small!
 
It doesn’t take long chatting with Michaila to know that she is goal and career driven. At 23 years old she’s already made a success of Huckleberry’s, a casual-dining restaurant, in downtown Tryon.
 
Michaila and her family moved to Polk County from New England for a lot of reasons and like a lot of area transplants…escaping the long and cold winters of New England and those occasional “nor’easters”  was one deciding factor. She entered Polk County High and graduated early at age 16. Michaila always knew she wanted to cook and even as a young girl was experimenting in her grandmother’s kitchen. She remembers one time choosing special spices based on the “pretty” color of the jar tops and enjoyed concocting a meatloaf and cinnamon dish that to this day she does NOT serve in her restaurant. That was Michaila’s start in the food business and she’s never looked back.
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​Michaila started running a bakery in Lake Lure (also called Huckleberry’s) while in high school and at age 16 she could smell success. She enrolled in Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte concentrating in several disciplines including culinary arts, food service, hospitality & tourism, and bakery & pastry. Michaila finished a six-year program in four…and that doesn’t surprise me one bit. All of that added to her already solid experience with her own bakery and on New Year’s Eve 2014 she opened the current Huckleberry’s.
 
Michaila wears all the hats in the business but she’s not alone. A staff of nearly 15 takes care of running the restaurant open seven days a week. Her family is also involved; her mom handles marketing, sister helps everywhere, and dad even designed and built the woodstove that cooks all the wood-fired specialties. She says she has the best staff and keeping a good staff is one of the challenges for any business owner. 
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​One of Huckleberry’s unique touches is the placement of a spiral-bound notebook on each table. Each notebook, complete with attached ballpoint pen, is meant for customers to fill in the “life” of that table. It’s a great way to spend wait time reading comments from others and adding your own. Michaila saves all the filled notebooks. This author is thinking there’s a book coming out of those notebooks one day!
​Owning a restaurant isn’t for everyone, but for Michaila it’s everything. She enjoys being her own boss but it has its downfalls including the long hours. Michaila wears all hats and some days floats between front of house duties and kitchen work. “Some days I don’t have a set job, other days I’m dedicated to the chef whites and am working on the line. Some days I get to dress like the girls and wait tables, and there are days I’m staying late washing dishes. It’s all good.”
 
She does offer a bit of advice to anyone thinking of starting a business like hers…try it first! It’s not an easy life. In fact it’s hard. Long hours, every day, all year. It takes a lot to open a restaurant and even more to keep it going. Huckleberry’s is successful for several reasons including Michaila’s drive and hard work and the dedication of her staff. Of course having great food helps!

More to Know: Huckleberry’s is open seven days a week and is located at 62 North Trade Street (the main drag) in downtown Tryon.  828/ 436-0025. The restaurant seats about 120 counting indoor and outdoor patio seating. Boots & breeches are always welcome and dogs can join their people parents on the patio. Beer and wine are available now and a new full bar will have a grand opening on May 5 with 19 North Carolina distilleries offering tastings. In fact, it’s going to be a big celebration with a small section of Trade Street closed for a block party featuring craft vendors, two live bands, and food. Check the website for more info at www.huckleberrystryon.com.
 
 The spelling of Michaila is itself an interesting story. She says she was born during a hailstorm and that’s how the name came about. You’ll need to ask her yourself if this is true. 
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Click on the pictures below to enlarge.
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A delicious way to start this journey...

3/16/2018

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Freida Graber (left) and Martha Graber are serving up some very tasty baked goods and other delicious treats.
It was my lucky day to start my Foothills Faces journey at a bakery. I got to combine several of my favorite things in one short visit: meeting nice people, taking photos, and eating!
 
​Martha’s Amish Bakery and Sandwich Shoppe has been around since 2014. You might have visited before when it was known as Cool Mama’s Bakery.  
 
The mama is Martha Graber and her daughter, Freida Graber, own and run the bakery. They’re also the bakery chefs, the wait staff, and the dishwashers and handle all of that with precision and grace. Martha’s Amish Bakery is filled with wonderful smells of fresh-baked goods including muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, and an amazing variety of breads. The coffee is good, too. It’s all good!
 
It was a busy morning with a steady stream of customers when I visited today. Some enjoyed their treats in the shop and others grabbed it to go. I’m thinking those taking it to go opened up their treats before making it out of the parking lot.
 
The bakery itself offers a warm and comfortable seating area surrounded with Amish-inspired décor. It’s the kind of place you’d feel welcome sitting around for ten minutes or an hour.
 
Martha said they started cooking and selling baked goods at the Saturday morning Columbus Farmer’s Market back in 2004 when they moved to Polk County. As the demand for their treats got to be too much for their home, they knew it was time to find a permanent place. Martha says, “It has been a process to get to this point. We’re really excited to be here and see the business grow.”
 
Martha and Freida moved to Polk County from Guthrie, Kentucky where Martha’s parents founded the first Amish community in that state back in 1958. There’s a large community of Amish living in Kentucky now but I can tell you for sure…I’m glad these two moved to Polk County.
 

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Lots of fresh-baked breads.
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Martha starts laying the groundwork for a custom-made sandwich.
More to Know:
 
Martha’s Amish Bakery & Sandwich Shoppe is located in the Green Greek Community at 6431 Highway 9 South just a stone’s throw from the blinking light at the corner of Landrum Road and Highway 9. They’re open Wednesday through Saturday for early morning snacks, tasty lunch sandwiches, coffee, and more. Check them out on Facebook. Phone: 828/ 863-4643.
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    Mark Levin

    ...retired in 2017 from a life of work, mostly in education. I decided it was time to stop commuting and stay at home a while. Foothills Faces is meant to bring you short snippets of life through photography, videography, and audio recordings of some of the wonderful people and places of the Carolina Foothills..

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