Business Spotlight Archives
Business Spotlights 2009
The High Country—or any community for that matter—is defined by its local business people. Whether born and raised here or from out of town, these entrepreneurial spirits believe in the area so much that they have decided to meld, share and align their business passions with the everyday goings-on of the region.
Over time, these businesses become the community. They are the landmarks that visitors and locals could not imagine Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Seven Devils, Foscoe, Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain without.
Throughout 2009, High Country Press continued a celebration of these local businesses in the weekly Business Spotlight feature. As in the rest of the country, many businesses in the High Country were forced to retool in light of the economic downturn this past year and the Business Spotlight served as a forum for those stories, hopefully distributing the wisdom of local entrepreneurs to a wider audience.
From learning about the dreams that led to iconic restaurants to getting to know the man behind Boone’s music scene, from learning about trapping wild animals to hearing the compelling stories of local furniture retailers, from unveiling secrets about the perfect golf game to understanding how to make money off gold and silver, it was a pleasure to hear their stories and hopefully was a helpful insight for our readers.
Nearing its 300th installment since High Country Press first debuted, the Business Spotlight feature will continue in 2010, but here’s a look back at whom we visited in 2009.
Boone Take-Out Express—Making Restaurant Owners Happy and Cooks Unhappy for 14 Years
Published January 15, 2009
Ethan Anderson, owner, founder and creator of Boone Take-Out Express, jokes that local restaurant owners love him, but cooks hate him. Anderson has created a business that can make money for a restaurant even if its tables are full. However, the extra workload falls on cooks who have to fulfill the orders. Anderson advises the cooks to talk to the owners about some well-deserved reciprocity.
“I make cash registers ring,” said Anderson. “I’m the local restaurants’ best customer.”
Anderson is an entrepreneur and businessperson. He is the co-owner of Sunrise Grill and a partner in High Country Green Boxes LLC DwellBox, a business that is using inter-modal steel building units for residential houses. Anderson’s entrepreneurial spirit, though, first reared its head in 1995 when he started Boone Take-Out Express.
Boone Take-Out Express is a multiple restaurant delivery service that serves Watauga County and some select outlying areas. Today, Anderson supports 35 employees and delivers food for more than 30 local restaurants all over the High Country. His business enables ‘mom and pop’ restaurants to compete with delivery giants such as Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza and Pizza Hut.
For more information, click to www.boonetakeout.com or call 828-265-1611.
The Children’s Playhouse—An Imagination Station and Safe Haven for High Country Children and Adults
Published January 22, 2009
Up on Tracy Circle in Boone, there’s a place that’s free from judgment or stereotypes, a place where a child’s imagination is allowed to run wild and a place where parents feel just as home as the children do.
Welcome to The Children’s Playhouse, an independent nonprofit children’s museum that serves as an indoor playground for local children’s minds and bodies.
Children’s museums have been around for about 100 years, according to The Children’s Playhouse Executive Director Kathy Parham, but have become popular in the last decade. Today, more than 350 children’s museums exist worldwide.
“A children’s museum is where you learn by doing,” explained Parham. “They provide a safe space for imaginative play.”
The Children’s Playhouse, located at 400 Tracy Circle in Boone, boasts 200 member families that, coupled with the large amount of pay-as-you-go clientele, account for between 7,000 and 8,000 visits to the museum annually.
For more information, call 828-263-0011 or click to www.goplayhouse.org.
The Goldsmith—Engraving, Jewelry Repair, Special Orders and Family for 30 Years
Published January 29, 2009
Tom Shaw was a rock hound when he was a young boy. He collected, cherished and polished rocks and gems of all shapes and sizes, sharing his hobby with his large family in Florida. The hobby eventually led to a profession when Shaw opened a jewelry service store in Dundee, Fla.
Tory Miller, Shaw’s daughter, began her first job while in high school with her father. Today, Tory and her husband B.W. co-own The Goldsmith, the store her father started in Florida and relocated to Boone.
“I’ve never done anything else,” said Tory. “This is what I know.”
Today, the family business continues with the same focus on quality work and premium customer service Tom Shaw created more than three decades ago.
“We are a working jewelers’ store,” explained Tory. “We do all kinds of jewelry repair, remounts, special orders and we specialize in engraving—that’s our niche; no one else does exactly what we do with awards, plaques and trophies.”
For more information, call 828-265-0506.
Coldwell Banker Blair & Associates—Consistent Staff, Customer Service and Results for 16 Years
Published February 12, 2009
According to an old maxim, if we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we always got.
When Fred Blair bought Boone’s Coldwell Banker franchise 16 years ago, he didn’t know much about real estate, but he did know people—how to treat them and what they wanted most. He knew customers wanted stability out of a real estate office—a staff with low turnover, familiar faces, helpful attitudes and local connections.
To achieve this goal, Blair did—and still does—what isn’t often done. In order to keep his staff happy, working hard and their jobs lucrative, Blair, to this day, has never listed or sold a property for his full-service real estate brokerage, Coldwell Banker Blair & Associates.
“I don’t compete with my agents, so the pie doesn’t get sliced too thin. It’s allowed me to keep my staff; allowed this to work. Most of my agents have been here for over 10 years; some have been here since the start—16 years. We have a very low turnover,” explained Blair, who currently employs 12 licensed real estate agents, three real estate agent assistants and one office manager. “My job as manager is to make it easier for [the agents] to make money. Usually, the biggest producer in a real estate office is the owner, probably because they take the better leads. It seemed that if I could put [the agents] in a position to make more money, then I could keep them longer.”
Blair’s management method creates a family-like work environment and a team feeling among the staff that, Blair believes, is passed along to the customer in the form of total customer service.
For more information, click to www.coldwellbankerblair.com or call 828-262-1836 or 1-800-473-2653.
Air Haven Limousine—Vehicles and People That Make Everyone Feel Classy and Comfortable
Published February 26, 2009
A few years ago, Dana Addison, owner of Air Haven Limousine, was transporting Miss Universe around the region in his company’s Mercedes Executive Limousine. Upon stopping at a restaurant, Addison, like always, rolled out the complimentary red carpet in preparation for her exit from the vehicle.
“Oh, I’m Miss Universe; I get the red carpet!” Addison can remember her saying to a friend.
“Oh, actually, I do this for third grade birthday parties, as well,” replied Addison.
The philosophy of Air Haven Limousine is to make everyone feel special and valued, whether you are Miss Universe or a third grader. Air Haven opened in 2000 and now boasts seven vehicles—“one style of everything,” added Addison—that can accentuate any kind of event.
“We are a transportation business using vehicles that are classy, classic and comfortable,” said Addison.
For more information, click to www.airhavenlimo.com or call 828-265-2504 or 828-963-0963.
Pepper’s Restaurant—New Bar, Apps and Website; Same Great Food, Staff and Hometown Atmosphere
Published March 5, 2009
An old butcher block and antique coffee grinder are still there, left over from an old deli in Boone that Jack Pepper liquidated to build his restaurant’s first kitchen 34 years ago. Smiling employees are still there, including cook Claude who is celebrating his 27th year with the restaurant in May. Regulars pour through the doors—for some it’s their fourth time this week—and they shake hands with old friends, joke with the waiters and grab inquisitive glances of the salad bar to see what awaits. Laughter is heard coming from the booths as the lunch crowd descends; Gene Lawson sandwiches stream out of the kitchen at an alarming rate; and Pepper stands by the register greeting guests and helping servers.
Yes, Pepper’s Restaurant, located at 240 Shadowline Drive, is a cornerstone of the High Country community. Many residents couldn’t conceive a life in the region without the presence of the community-meeting place and eatery.
But, as all great businesses do, Pepper’s reinvented itself in 2009, adding a new bar, new appetizers, live music and a new website, all while maintaining the same menu, staff and atmosphere that locals and visitors have grown to love since the restaurant first opened its doors in 1975.
“We made a lot of good changes and kind of reinvented ourselves,” said Pepper.
In November 2008, Pepper finished renovations to a space located beside his restaurant that used to be part of RE/MAX Realty. Pepper transformed the space into a bar for Pepper’s Restaurant. Nonsmoking like the rest of the restaurant, the bar features four beers on tap, dozens of varieties of bottled beer, a full liquor selection, three flat-screen televisions, art and new appetizers.
For more information, call 828-262-1250 or click to www.peppers-restaurant.com.
Randy Kelly—The Music Man Behind the Curtain
Published March 12, 2009
The High Country is known for many things, one of which is that the region has long been a hotbed for music. The area’s foundation of old-time and bluegrass music enabled the region to embrace the new age of rock-and-roll touring bands, and today there are more live music shows per capita in Boone than in any other town in the state.
Nestled in the middle of this music town stereotype is ASU’s Legends—to this day, the only student-run nightclub at a university in the country. In its 24-year history, Legends has hosted the best of the best of regional and national touring bands, comedy and theater. One of the people behind the curtain at Legends, as well as many other venues across the region, is Appalachian Popular Programming Society Program Coordinator Randy Kelly.
The Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS) is responsible for the majority of entertainment brought to ASU and is comprised of seven different councils, each of which provides a specific form of entertainment. APPS programs events in Legends, I.G. Greer Theater, Plemmons Student Union, Farthing Auditorium, Crossroads Coffeehouse, Holmes Convocation Center, Greenbriar Theater and Varsity Gym. The seven APPS councils include Club Shows, Council for Cultural Awareness, Appalachian Heritage, Concerts, Stage Shows, Films and Special Events.
“We have the most prolific programming board of all 16 UNC-member institutions,” said Kelly, who has acted as the program coordinator for the Concerts, Stage Shows and Club Shows councils for the past 23 years.
For more information, call 828-262-2855 or click to www.apps.appstate.edu or www.legends.appstate.edu.
Sim’s Furniture & Mattress Gallery—Bringing Knowledge to the Confusing World of Home Furnishings
Published April 9, 2009
Forty years ago, back in 1969, Gary Simison was a recent college graduate looking for work. A student minister who completed a degree in business administration from Michigan State University, Simison decided to stay in Michigan and host an exchange student for a few months. To prepare for the exchange student’s arrival, Simison went to a local furniture store owned by a friend in search of bunk beds.
Unbeknownst to Simison, his friend’s sole employee at the furniture store had just been killed in a car wreck and the friend asked Simison if he would like to come work for him. Simison agreed, and four decades later he is the owner, along with his wife Wanda, of Sim’s Furniture & Mattress Gallery, located at 225 Boone Heights Drive in Boone, and Sim’s Warehouse Outlet, located at 671-B George Wilson Road in Boone.
Sim’s Furniture & Mattress Gallery is now 10 years old and is known across the High Country and region for its wide selection of furniture, mattresses, living room sets, bedroom sets, art selection and home accessories, as well as for its quality of merchandise, affordable price points and customer service.
For more information, call Sim’s Furniture & Mattress Gallery at 828-265-2400, Sim’s Warehouse Outlet at 828-262-9886 or click to www.simsfurniture.biz.
Tommy Light Hair Color Studio—A Sanctuary for You and Your Hair
Published April 16, 2009
On the top floor of 141 Doctors Drive in Boone, people are doing something good for their health. No, it’s not a local doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist office; it is, rather, a sanctuary from the stresses of everyday life where locals and visitors come out feeling beautiful, renewed and refreshed.
Welcome to Tommy Light Hair Color Studio, a boutique hair salon that specializes in hair color. Boone-native and 20-year cosmetology veteran Tommy Light owns the salon, which he runs by himself with the help of one student assistant.
“I chase creativity. I love anything creative or anyone being creative,” said Light. “Hair color is my creative specialty. I love making people feel happy, younger and better about themselves. People know my creations will look good today when you leave the salon, tomorrow when you wake up and still getting you compliments when it’s time to come back.”
For more information, call 828-262-3861.
Trapper Mike—Helping Animals With People Problems For 7 Years
Published April 23, 2009
Squirrels in the attic? Trapper Mike will work with you to find a way to exclude the pests without trapping.
Raccoons in your garbage cans? Trapper Mike will teach you how to build a cage/holder for the cans so it doesn’t happen again.
Is a bear, squirrel or raccoon eating birdseed from your feeder? Trapper Mike will tell you to take the feeder inside every night. The animals will eventually stop looking for it.
But is a raccoon in your attic eating electrical lines and the roofline? Trapper Mike will come immediately, trap the animal, relocate it at an approved location and then work with you, the homeowner, on installing exclusionary devices so it doesn’t happen again.
“I try to talk myself out of as many jobs as I can,” said Mike “Trapper Mike” Wirscham, who has operated his part-time trapping business in the High Country for seven years. “Trapper Mike is a Wildlife Damage Control Officer for the state of North Carolina. I am licensed and turn in quarterly reports to the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission. I help homeowners with animal problems and only trap when [the animals] are doing damage to home and/or property,” continued Wirscham.
North Carolina Animal Control only handles dogs and cats, which means that wide swaths of critter problems fall into Trapper Mike’s capable hands. Trapper Mike fields most of his phone calls from March to October, which are mostly from second homeowners who return to pesky creature-filled homes every spring.
Trapper Mike is one of three Wildlife Damage Control Officers serving the High Country and he makes house calls as far west as the Tennessee line, as far east as Fleetwood and as far south as Caldwell County.
“I try and find a solution, though,” said Wirscham. “My motto is ‘Helping Animals With People Problems,’ and I really try and do that. We keep building more and more homes in the High Country. As we keep developing more and more parts of the High Country, animals have less and less home range, so they will be around. If you buy five acres and put a house in the middle of it, you’ll have some wildlife.”
For more information, call 828-295-6522 or click to www.trappermike.com.
G&B Energy’s Appalachian Energy—Keeping Us Comfortable, Keeping Us Moving for Almost One Century
Published May 7, 2009
Since the 1920s, a family-owned company has been keeping the High Country warm, its vehicles moving and its machines fueled.
Now a division of G&B Energy, the High Country’s Appalachian Energy started in 1920 and currently boasts a repeat clientele of 95 percent, which speaks positively of the company’s products, employees and services.
“We’ve had some customers that have been around longer than our longest employees—some for 52 years I believe,” said Glenn Teague, who has been an employee of Appalachian Energy for 37 years.
“We are a distributor of heating fuels, including propane, heating oil and kerosene, but we also sell gasoline and off-road diesel, primarily wholesale,” said Anthony Sebastian, G&B Energy marketing manager. “We also are a hearth and gourmet kitchen appliance shop selling fireplaces, stoves, water heaters and more.”
For more information, click to www.gbenergy.com/appalachianenergy.htm or call 828-262-3637.
Water Heaven Ponds & Nature’s Touch Nursery—Adding New Natural Wonders To the High Country
Published May 14, 2009
As a child, Margo Bailey can remember playing for hours in her grandmother’s goldfish pond. The fish, the rocks, the water, the sounds and the reflections all formed precious memories in Margo’s young mind.
Many years later, Margo’s husband Michael was putting the finishing touches on their home’s landscaping when he realized the design needed a centerpiece-like feature. Retreating back inside, Michael found Margo watching one of her favorite home gardening shows, which happened to feature backyard ponds.
“I shouted, ‘That’s what I want to do!’” said Michael, who can remember immediately embarking on the project at 9:00 a.m. the same morning—in the rain.
A few years later, Margo returned home from work, slightly disgruntled and needing a change. Michael turned to her and said, “Start your own business.” The next day—almost 23 years ago—Margo took her husband’s advice and decided to follow her passion for creating memorable outdoor natural features by opening Water Heaven Ponds.
Today, Water Heaven Ponds & Nature’s Touch Nursery provides anything and everything that a High Country homeowner might want to place or construct in their yard—no, seriously.
The business designs, installs and maintains natural stone ponds, waterfalls, streams, pondless waterfalls, boulder fountains and rain gardens at homes and businesses across the High Country. Customers can also buy fish—all raised outdoors and quarantined for two weeks before sale for health purposes—such as Koi and goldfish, and the algae eating Hi Fin Shark and Japanese Trapdoor snails. Landscaping services are also available, as well as a selection of perennials, annuals, indigenous plants and the area’s largest selection of aquatic plants, including lilies, lotus, tropical floaters, underwater plants and marginals. A complete supply of pond building materials is also featured, as well as a swath of water treatments.
“We can do residential and commercial—we can service everybody,” said Margo.
“We can help with any location, from large acreage to a condo with a deck in the town,” said Michael.
What’s more, the business also includes a 1,200-square-foot garden gift shop, located at 4415 Highway 105 South between Boone and Foscoe, that features wind chimes, birdhouses, seasonal flags, garden gnomes, fire pits, bronze spitters, watering stakes, hanging baskets, pottery, water pots, garden gifts, decorative stepping stones, custom painted baskets, statuaries, flappers and everything else you would ever think about putting outside to make a house a home.
For more information, click to www.waterheavenponds.com or call 828-963-7000.
Appalachian Gallery & Frame—Framing This High Country Life for 40 Years
Published May 21, 2009
Framed pictures are what make a house a home. Whether it’s art, keepsakes or precious photographs, the items we frame become permanent glimpses into our life, our existence, our interests, our obsessions, our loves and our desires. While the items we frame are obviously beautiful by themselves, no one can discount the images’ increased power when paired with a masterfully crafted frame.
The craftspeople behind hundreds and hundreds of frames that adorn walls of countless High Country homes are Appalachian Gallery & Frame co-owners Becky and John Corder, who, having owned the business for the last five years, are continuing a tradition of excellence that started when the business first opened its doors four decades ago.
Appalachian Gallery & Frame is a custom framing shop that also repairs frames and sells ready-made frames. The shop is also currently the largest scrapbooking supplier in Boone, featuring a wide selection of cardstock, themed paper, rubber stamps, punches, stickers, embellishments, ribbons and silk flowers.
John and Becky pride themselves on providing a friendly and helpful atmosphere at Appalachian Gallery & Frame. They are honest with customers and are continually available to answer questions, even after an order is completed. If they don’t think they can complete a project to a customer’s liking, then they are honest up front and provide information on where it can be done. But if the Corders can do the project in-house, customers can bet it will be done when they say it will be done.
For more information, call 828-262-1450 or click to www.appframegallery.com.
9 Lives Antiques & Consignment—Enhancing Our Lives with Items From the Lives of Others
Published May 28, 2009
While living in Hong Kong providing strategic planning for large corporations, Clyde Williams, owner of 9 Lives Antiques & Consignment in Foscoe, lived for the weekends. Enticed by the hunt, Williams traveled all over Asia during her 15-year stay on the continent searching, buying and collecting fine antiques and unusual pieces of furniture. When she accumulated a substantial load, she’d pack it up in a container, ship it to America and then fly back and host a weeklong container sale, offering U.S. consumers bargain deals on rare finds from the orient.
Since those days, shipping goods from Asia via container has become cost prohibitive, but not to worry. Williams is now the owner of 9 Lives, which is filled to the brim with rare antiques and unique furniture that suffices her need for the thrill of the hunt. Today, Williams hunts for quality consigners and for people like herself who may still be harboring antiques in storage that would be perfect additions to mountain homes. And she succeeds.
“I am always trying to find consigners that will bring us unique pieces that will fit perfectly in mountain homes,” said Williams, who opened 9 Lives in 2006. “I love finding primitive, rustic furniture that is great for second homes, mountain homes and cabins, as well as local mountain stuff, such as pieces from North Carolina and Virginia.”
9 Lives is 60 percent consignment shop and 40 percent store-owned inventory retail shop that features furniture, accessories and art. Most items are 90-day consignments, meaning consigners enter into a 90-day agreement with Williams to sell their products. If an item doesn’t sell after 30 days, it is discounted 10 percent; if the item doesn’t sell after 60 days, it is discounted an additional 10 percent.
“But we try and price everything well so that doesn’t happen,” said Williams, who runs the shop with the help of two employees—Cathy Huffman and Carolyn Smith. “You want inventory to roll at a consignment shop. That way there is always something new when they come in. The goal is to keep prices very reasonable.”
For more information, call 828-963-9109.
Char Restaurant—New Owners, New Additions, Expanded Appeal
Published June 11, 2009
You don’t reinvent the wheel—you just design it better.
That’s the thinking adopted by Colton Lenz and Alaina Walker, the brother and sister team who are the new owners of Char Restaurant, located at 179 Howard Street in downtown Boone.
While keeping a majority of the most popular items on the menu at the restaurant that originally opened in May 2008, Lenz and Walker are making other changes to help the restaurant, its menu and its price points appeal to a wider range of people.
Char Restaurant is best described as American cuisine, or “a little bit of everything,” said Lenz. The menu still features steaks, fish and pasta, including popular items from Char’s last owners and some new dishes, but Lenz and Walker are “dropping price points and adding a large sandwich menu, including burgers, to appeal to more people,” said Lenz, who also said the restaurant would be open on Mondays, which is new for the operation.
“But the ambiance is changing quite a bit,” added Lenz. The new owners are taking out a wall in the dining room that they think will help with the flow of the restaurant, and “soon one dining area will become more of an intimate lounge area,” he said.
“The [original Char] had a formal feel at times, with the white tablecloths and ambiance, but then on evenings it turned into a college bar,” said Lenz. “We want to keep all that but we realized that the whole middle ground is missing. The 25 to 40 year olds were not coming in. So we decided to definitely keep the quality of our food and keep the best of the high-end items but lower the price points to get everyone in Boone in here.”
For more information, call 828-266-2179 or click to www.char179.com.
Vaughan’s Blue Ridge Nursery—Open, Growing and Getting Better and Better
Published July 2, 2009
“We’ve got any plant from A to Z that you can think of,” said Christy Brown, greenhouse manager of Vaughan’s Blue Ridge Nursery. “We are a garden center and growing greenhouse—we basically sell anything that grows, and we actually grow all of our own product, which is pretty rare.”
For 53 years, Vaughan’s Blue Ridge Nursery has set the standard for supplying top quality plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, tropicals and garden accessories for any horticultural need, be it residential or commercial, retail or wholesale. Once owned by the Vaughan family, the nursery was taken over by Keith Gwyn, owner of G&S Trees in Elk Park, in May 2009, and work has begun on a new chapter of growth for the business.
Originally, the business encompassed 100 acres, but since has been reduced to 12. While its footprint has become smaller, its scope has not and new additions and initiatives are in full bloom.
“We’re open, growing and we’re going to get better,” added Brown, a 12-year veteran of Vaughan’s Blue Ridge Nursery. “Our new owner thinks on a large scale.”
Vaughan’s Blue Ridge Nursery features a garden center, more than four acres of outdoor gardens and 15 greenhouses. According to Brown, approximately 50 percent of Vaughan’s business is retail sales and 50 percent is wholesale. No matter what your aim, though, Vaughan’s has the plant to match at a reasonable price.
For more information, email bluridgenursery@bellsouth.net (the “e” in blue is supposed to be missing) or call the garden center at 828-733-4323 or the greenhouse at 828-733-5150.
Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation—Big Enough to Assure Excellent Care, Small Enough to Be Personable
Published July 9, 2009
“If your grandma or grandfather needed to come to a place like this,” explained Dr. Ray Moltz, “you’d want it to be safe, comfortable, and you’d want to know everyone was friendly, not mean at all…”
“And you’d want it to be clean,” interrupted a resident passing by on his way to an activity in one of the facility’s living rooms. “It is. It’s very clean,” the resident assured, before wheeling off down the hall.
“This place is all of that,” reiterated Moltz, a physical therapist at Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation, which is a provider of skilled and intermediate nursing services to High Country residents. “You see, we’re big enough to provide all the services, but small enough to be personable.”
Since 1977, Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation has been the “caring part of the community,” per its mission statement. Formerly known as Watauga Nursing Center and Glenstone Healthcare, Glenbridge, over the years, has changed names and locations, but its mission has remained constant—to provide high quality care to each of its many residents, while providing a comfortable and supportive environment that most closely resembles that which they would find in a caring home setting.
For more information, click to www.glenbridge.org or call 828-264-6720.
Meeting Technologies—Making Sense Out of Our Online World
Published July 16, 2009
Each of our lives has been forever enhanced by the invention and worldwide growth of the computer and subsequently the Internet. That being said, each of us has also dealt with our fair share of computer- and/or Internet-inspired headaches, causing each of us enough grief to swear off the machines and technology forever. Swearing off the present-day information portals, though, is not an option in the 21st century, so what do we do?
Enter Meeting Technologies, a new business in Boone owned by Ron Meeting and Chris Spillman that offers residents and business owners all levels of help with network setup and security, computer repairs and web development.
“We have more of a focus on the residential [market] than the other guys,” added Meeting.
Meeting Technologies is located at 215 Boone Heights Drive, Suite 202 in Boone, and offers services to any client within a 45-mile radius of Boone. The business is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays and Sundays by appointment. Both Meeting and Spillman offer on-call services to clients 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
For more information, call 828-592-2661 or click to www.meetingtechnologiesinc.com.
Pssghetti’s—Old World Recipes, Homemade Ingredients and Family Friendly Fine Dining
Published July 23, 2009
Frank and Anne Mongelluzzi are like any other American family—they like to enjoy large, homemade meals with their large family at a nice restaurant every now and then. Being first-generation Italian immigrants, their desire for homemade food, fine wine and an accommodating restaurant are all the more amplified.
Having lived in the High Country for 15 years and having a large family, the Mongelluzzis often looked in the area for a restaurant that fit the bill, but unfortunately they had trouble finding one until they took matters into their own hands in May 2005. Armed with a book of Old World Italian recipes passed down from family, the Mongelluzzis, along with manager and chef Jerry Esposito, opened Pssghetti’s in Blowing Rock.
“It’s an Italian restaurant where everything is made from scratch—nothing is made off premise. We make our own pasta, meatballs, bread—you name it,” said Esposito. “And it’s a family friendly place with nice ambiance. We’re reasonably priced and have big portions.
“The Mongelluzzis needed a place to go to bring their family and enjoy a nice Italian meal,” explained Esposito. “That was discouraged at some of the larger resorts so they created a place that encourages that.”
Pssghetti’s is often mistaken as a kid- or family-only restaurant. When patrons enter, though, they are met with soft lighting, large banquet tables, fine art, shiny brass, a visible pasta machine and service like you would find at any high-end establishment. It is this diversity that makes the restaurant just as perfect for a large family as it does for a romantic date night.
For more information, click to www.pssghettis.com or call 828-295-9855.
Open Door—Opening Our Minds to African Art, Crafts, Talent and Plight
Published July 30, 2009
At the end of 2008, Fran Boyette had just moved to Boone from Florida. She and her husband came to the area because he received a job with Samaritan’s Purse. To move and support her husband, Boyette gave up a business she had owned for 15 years and—in a new place, away from family and without a plan—she began to get anxious about her next job.
Like always, Boyette prayed to God that he would open a door for her.
“That day, my son Ryan called,” explained Boyette. “My oldest son Ryan works in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan and he called that day and said, ‘Why not open up a shop that sells African goods so you can help these people?’”
In March 2009, Boyette, having been catalyzed by her son’s idea and feeling blessed that God opened up a door for her, opened Open Door at 703 West King Street, naming the store after the miracle that happened that day between herself, her son and God.
Open Door sells items handcrafted in Africa, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, although the majority of the products—about 80 percent—come from Africa. According to Boyette, 99 percent of her store’s products are fair trade.
For more information, call 828-355-9755.
Gold Spa—A Wise Economic Move in Uncertain Times
Published August 6, 2009
You would be hard pressed to turn on the television these days without seeing an advertisement for “Cash for Gold” or for some other business trying to give you money for your unused or unwanted precious metals. And you can’t blame the advertising blitz—the price of gold has skyrocketed in the last five years.
But, concerning these television ads, are you really getting the best deal?
According to Jim (last name withheld due to personal safety concerns in regards to his business), owner of Gold Spa, located at 2120 Tynecastle Highway in Banner Elk, there are currently more than 160 Internet gold buyers, and each pay between $2 and $3 per pennyweight of gold. (For reference, 20 pennyweights equal one Troy ounce, or 31.1 grams.) At Gold Spa, Jim pays customers between $16 and $18 per pennyweight of gold.
“The difference is that I’m buying these for investments. The reason Gold Spa can pay more is because we are a direct investor,” explained Jim. “We pay on average five to six times higher than any Internet buying company, and we pay 100 to 200 percent above pawn shops.
“We buy gold, silver, diamonds, platinum, old paper money, sterling and flatware and we can pay more than scrap because we retail the items down in Florida,” added Jim.
Gold Spa is not a consignment shop. Jim pays cash on the spot for all gold and precious metals, meaning customers don’t have to send away their valuables in plastic bags to Internet buyers. At Gold Spa, if you don’t like the price you can take your gold and go; with Internet buyers, it takes between 14 and 21 business days to have gold returned.
For more information, call 828-898-6393.
Jenkins Realtors—Thirty-Three Years of Full-Service Real Estate and Vacation Rental Resources
Published August 13, 2009
Forty years ago, the Jenkins family—parents and three young girls—permanently moved from Miami, Fla. to a vacation home in the High Country. The region was young at the time and Elmer Jenkins capitalized on an opportunity to tap into the burgeoning real estate market by opening Jenkins Realtors in 1976.
But Elmer didn’t just sell real estate—he helped foster growth in communities all over Watauga and Avery counties by serving on multiple real estate commissions, and he helped guide future growth across the state by serving as a member and president of the North Carolina Association of Realtors. “He was very political; we have big shoes to fill,” said Pam Vines, Elmer’s daughter and current co-owner.
By the 1990s, Elmer had grown Jenkins Realtors into a cornerstone of the local real estate and rental housing industry. One of his daughters, Kim Rogers, had worked for him for many years, and in 1991, Vines joined the team after receiving her real estate license. Rogers and Vines learned the ropes of the industry from their mother and father and in 1995, became proprietors.
“My father always had great foresight—he knew what he was doing,” said Vines. “At the time, I was an accountant by trade but [my parents] were looking to retire and wanted to keep the business running and keep it in the family.”
Thirty-three years later, Rogers and Vines are maintaining and growing the family business, taking over where their father and mother left off.
“We are the finest full-service real estate and vacation rental office in the area,” said Vines. “We handle everything.”
Currently, Jenkins Realtors handles approximately 130 short-term vacation rentals and approximately 50 long-term rentals and manages 13 local neighborhood associations, including many property owner associations, in and around Watauga and Avery counties.
For more information, click to www.jenkinsrealtors.com or call 828-295-9886.
The Sanctuary Day Spa—Celebrating 10 Years and 15,000 Clients
Published September 3, 2009
You need a break.
But in these times of significant financial stress, you need to know that you are getting the best bang for your buck. After all, you shouldn’t have to spend that hard-earned money on a respite that won’t materialize.
If it’s relaxation and rejuvenation you’re after, carve out some time in your busy schedule for a trip to The Sanctuary Day Spa, located at 643 Greenway Road, Suite B, behind Boone Mall. Once inside, your stress will melt away as one of the six skilled and tenured massage therapists and/or three estheticians take care of your every need.
“It’s a respite from stress—the name says it perfectly. Especially in these stressful and difficult times, when people become overshadowed by certain things in their lives, a massage is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health,” said Ralph Grosswald, who co-owns the business with his wife Debra. “We offer relaxation, rejuvenation; it’s a place where you can go and be taken care of. Our staff is very skilled in many different methods.”
The staff’s skills are one of the reasons The Sanctuary has been celebrated by customers for more than a decade. With almost 15,000 happy clients in its history, The Sanctuary takes pride in the quality and diversity of its services, which include: massage and body work, body treatments, waxing, nails, facials and skincare and wedding packages. For all treatments, The Sanctuary staff uses Dermalogica USA products, which are considered to be the best in the world, according to Ralph.
“Customers may not know of the breadth of services that we offer. We feature a very established and very committed professional staff, and the level of our skincare people are just amazing,” said Ralph.
For more information, call 828-268-0003, click to www.sanctuaryinboone.com or email sanctuarydayspa@bellsouth.net.
Appalachian Furniture Store—You’ll Be Amazed
Published September 17, 2009
After more than 10 years in business, Appalachian Furniture Store Owners Harley and Grace Ward know their business well enough to come up with a catchall slogan—“You’ll be amazed!”
“Amazed” is definitely the word. Looking at Appalachian Furniture Store’s location at 2550 Highway 421 North in Boone, the tall building seems carved from the hillside and anything but spacious. But once inside, that common misperception changes immediately. Visitors are met with rooms and rooms (and rooms) of furniture of all shapes, sizes, colors and styles. Mattresses, sofas, end tables, dining room tables and sets, rockers, recliners, chairs, lamps, paintings, pictures, coffee tables, dinette sets, beds, entertainment centers, cabinets, children’s furniture and decorative accessories are thoughtfully placed within private rooms that span almost four whole floors of showroom space. What’s more, a separate mattress shop is located on site, as well as three trailers stuffed full of name-brand furnishings that are just waiting to be discounted and placed on the showroom floor.
As customers follow the curving path through the rooms of fine furniture at Appalachian Furniture Store, they can enjoy the hometown feel mixed with a national-level product selection, which is a stark contrast to the overwhelmingly large warehouses of furniture found at national retailers. But what seems like a hometown showroom is actually a sneak peak to millions of furniture options. Almost all the furniture at the store can be customized with everything from different colors of yarn to different styles of support legs, and Grace and her team of two employees can help design exactly what the customer wants and have it special ordered.
“Customer service is what we offer,” said Harley. “We like to treat customers the way we would want to be treated.”
For more information, call 828-297-5055 or click to www.appalachianfurniturestore.com.
Reid’s Café & Catering—Boone’s Culinary Connection to Farm and Field
Published September 24, 2009
This summer, interest in area farmers’ markets reached new heights. Established markets prospered alongside new markets and, at the height of the summer, residents could access farm fresh produce and meats at a market on every day of the week except Monday. Yes, the green movement is becoming even more entrenched in these mountains, and we are fortunate to be home to a restaurant that furthers that endgame by creating unique culinary creations based off what is brought into town from farm and field.
Welcome to Reid’s Café & Catering, a restaurant and catering business that offers lunch, dinner, beer, wine and meals-to-go located at 142 South Water Street in Boone’s former jailhouse building. In business since April 2, 2008, Reid’s Café & Catering is co-owned by Tina Houston and Angela Kelly and features a new menu every day and night, crafted carefully by Houston, Kelly and the restaurant’s cooks, who collect ingredients from local farmers, such as Liza Plaster of Ripshin Goat Dairy, New River Organic Growers, Matt Cooper of Lively Farms, Andy Bryant of Big Grower Farms, Charlotte’s Greenhouse, Sarah and David Wimmer, Brooks Reckard and Josh Rigell, just to name a few.
“It’s as local as you can get,” said Kelly. “It’s a good way to support the entire community. Think about it—we go to the local farmers’ markets, buy from local producers, then we make it, you buy it, you love it and the whole local system keeps going. And we have a great location to do it from—one of the oldest buildings in Boone. Tons of people walk through those doors and love it; they feel comfortable, relaxed, like they are home.”
For more information, click to www.reidscateringco.com or call 828-268-9600.
Mountaineer Golf Center
Sharing Secrets, Debunking Myths—All in the Name of a Better Golf Game
Published October 1, 2009
Every golfer wants to know the secrets of the game. Through books, magazines, clinics, friendly advice, secret advice, private lessons and research, every golfer is looking to perfect his or her swing using clubs that are properly fitted.
For years, advice such as “keep your left arm straight,” “keep your head down” and “keep your eye on the ball” has been commonplace in the national golf community, handed out readily by golf pros and teachers. Guess what? You’ve been misled; but help is just one lesson away.
Although the High Country is home to many national-level golf courses and game experts, you can’t slice open the secret to a perfect swing unless you visit Mountaineer Golf Center, located off Highway 105 Extension in Boone behind Papa John’s Pizza, and its golf pro and owner Lee Sayre. An award-winning professional club fitter and former golf pro of many top-level courses, Sayre has taught golf lessons for more than 40 years, half of which has been from the hillside of Mountaineer Golf Center, which includes a driving range, mini golf course, sand trap chipping area, pro shop and a club fitting shop.
“Our main objective is to service people and improve ball flight,” explained Sayre.
Improving ball flight starts with getting fitted properly for golf clubs, and you can bet that Sayre—who won the 2004 national award from Henry-Griffitts for club fitting—can help anyone find the perfect size tools for the game. The next step is forgetting about all the bad advice you’ve received so far and instead focusing on the natural athletic movements involved in golf. And guess what—your left arm doesn’t need to be always straight, your head can move and you don’t have to keep your eye on the ball. To learn more, you’ll have to sign up for a lesson.
For more information, call 828-264-6830.
Blake Metal Sales
Ensuring Longevity, Energy Efficiency, Affordability in Local Construction for 22 Years
Published October 8, 2009
Whether you’re remodeling or building a home for the first time, or second time, you want those involved in the construction process to care as much about the finished product as you do. Randy Blake of Randy Blake Carpentry, Inc. has been in business for 22 years for that very reason—he and his five full-time employees care about their work and are always striving to ensure longevity, energy efficiency and affordability.
“Building supply companies want to sell building materials,” Blake said. “They don’t get into the nuts and bolts [of the products]. We’ve had our metal engineered [and] our screws engineered. We’re about longevity. We answer a lot of questions for a lot of people.”
In 2002, Blake Metal Sales became a subsidiary of Randy Blake Carpentry, Inc, when his company started selling metal products to the public.
“We actually put our first metal roof on in 1991,” Blake said. “At that time, [interest in] metal roofs [was] starting to pick up.”
Blake, a licensed general contractor and certified green builder, averages 3,500 minutes each month on his cell phone, much of which is metal-related, he said. It is not uncommon for people to call with specific questions related to the building process and Blake freely gives out his expert advice. The honesty of his company bolsters not only their business, but helps clients and future clients with the whole building process.
For more information, call 828-297-2069 or 828-964-6329.
Boone Ford Lincoln Mercury—Where the Golden Rule Rules
Published October 22, 2009
Twenty-one years ago, a single mother who was struggling with finances day to day and having to walk to work came into a dealership where Alfred Glover was selling cars. Before even speaking about possible vehicles for purchase, Glover did what he always does and got to know the woman, hearing her story and empathizing with her financial plight. It became apparent that the woman’s financial situation made her ineligible for loans from available lenders, but that roadblock didn’t faze Glover—he knew the woman and her children needed a car, and if he was in the same situation, he knew he would want someone to help.
For weeks, Glover debated with lender after lender, attempting to persuade the companies to take on the loan. Finally, Glover convinced a lender to take on the loan, using his belief in the Golden Rule as his guiding philosophy and debate tactic.
“It’s about finding a way to make it work because it’s the right thing to do,” explained Glover.
The woman was overjoyed and managed to land a new part-time job because of her newfound mobility. Twenty-one years later, that same woman goes to Glover whenever she has vehicle needs. That loyalty underscores the philosophy of Glover and his staff at Boone Ford Lincoln Mercury, located at 300 New Market Boulevard in Boone.
“When you take care of customers, they’ll take care of you,” said Glover. “We just believe that the most important thing is the Golden Rule.”
Embodying the Golden Rule has paid off for Boone Ford Lincoln Mercury during the current economic crisis.
“It’s been the most challenging year since the Great Depression, but we have had the best year ever,” said Glover, who has owned the dealership for six years. “As long as you do right, the future takes care of itself,” he added.
For more information, click to www.boonefordlm.com or call 828-264-6111 or 1-866-230-0169.
LifeStore Seeks To Be Lifelong Resource
AF Bank Changes Name, Look, Updates Philosophy
Published October 22, 2009
The large brick building located at 1675 Blowing Rock Road in Boone, formerly AF Bank, is now the prototype for the financial institution’s forward-thinking, changed look and feel. The most noticeable change from a motorists’ perspective is the new, prominent orange “LifeStore” sign.
The LifeStore name was chosen to replace AF Bank to reflect the business’ desire to meet the financial needs of customers throughout their lives. Representatives from the bank, consulting groups and research companies chose the new “mango and pewter” color scheme for LifeStore.
LifeStore Financial Group serves six counties in northwestern North Carolina, operating seven bank branches in Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga counties—some of which also offer insurance. The corporation also operates four standalone insurance offices, two of which offer mortgage services as well, and one standalone mortgage office.
The bold color scheme is part of the new branding effort, but the branding itself only scratches the surface of what the local banking group hopes to accomplish.
“It’s a paradigm shift for employees and customers, too,” said Bob Washburn, president and CEO.
For more information, click to www.golifestore.com.
Skyline Membership Corporation and Skybest Communications
Offering Big City Technology Without Sacrificing Small Town Customer Service
Published October 29, 2009
Fifty-eight years ago, Skyline Membership Corporation revolutionized rural sectors of Western North Carolina by bringing telephone service to customers who, until that point, were unable to communicate at a moment’s notice with people living near county seats. Today, Skyline, under its wholly-owned subsidiary Skybest Communications, is once again revolutionizing Western North Carolina by bringing state-of-the-art business services to downtown Boone—services that you would expect to find only in big cities. What’s more, Skyline is backing up the new services with award-winning customer service—customer service that you would expect to find in a small, everybody-knows-your-name town.
For more information, click to www.skyline.org or www.skybest.com.
Shannon’s Curtain, Bed & Bath—Your Neighborhood Linen Store
Business Focuses on Exemplary Customer Service, Products
Published November 26, 2009
Shannon’s Curtain, Bed & Bath has been around for almost a quarter of a century, supplying customers in the High Country with indoor decorative and practical merchandise that fits their specific needs.
“I opened it in 1985,” said owner Shannon Russing, “because there was no home furnishing store in Boone and we needed something.”
A full-line linen store, Shannon’s Curtain, Bed & Bath offers window treatments, bedding, sheets, table linens, bath accessories, shower curtains and an array of other accessories, Russing said.
“We’re your complete decorating source,” she said. “We try really hard to keep our prices affordable. We try to give people a real good value for their money.”
The store’s best-selling item is its handmade quilts, Russing said, explaining that quilts fit in with the “lodge look” that is so popular locally, and can also complement nearly any décor.
Russing attributes the store’s success to “hard work and that we know our customers,” she said.
“We’re out there talking to customers one-on-one, not [from] some office three states away,” Russing said. “We know what people are looking for.”
It is this attention to detail and customer-based business approach that has helped the store flourish for almost 25 years to date.
For more information, call 828-264-8321.
Funky and Fun—Lucky Penny Celebrates Two Years
Published December 10, 2009
Combine the laidback, fun “beach mentality” with hip, bigger-city fashions, and the result is…a store in Boone.
At Lucky Penny, an “affordable, funky boutique, you can get anything from a T-shirt to a cocktail dress,” said owner Jennele Vaquera.
In November 2009, the store celebrated two years of bringing funky, fashionable clothing to Boone, and in December 2009, relocated from Appalachian Street to a bigger space at 693 West King Street.
Vaquera opened the store straight out of college, she said, after graduating ASU in 2007 with an apparel and textile major and a minor in marketing.
“I saw a market that could be tapped into here, with the college growing,” Vaquera said, adding that although the store offers something for everyone, the majority of its selections are geared toward young adults, including high school and college students, as well as young professionals.
The store’s name was chosen to reflect the luck Vaquera felt she had when the business opportunity presented itself, enabling her to keep living in Boone, and the affordability of the store.
Store apparel ranges from party dresses to inexpensive denim and from funky jewelry to “awesome sunglasses,” Vaquera said. “People love our sunglasses.”
For more information, click to the Lucky Penny blog at www.luckypennyboone.com or call 828-264-0302.
Quality Products and Courteous Service—House of Upholstery Reopens in Boone
Published December 17, 2009
After being in business from 1976 to 1995, House of Upholstery & Fabrics, Inc. owner Ken Cook “wanted to do something different,” he said.
Cook ran a tool truck route for about four years, then commuted to Hickory for several years to work at a high-end custom furniture company and, finally, worked locally at a floor covering business, “but was never satisfied,” he said.
Cook decided to reopen House of Upholstery, and since December 1, 2009, it has once again been operating in Boone, just in a new location—378 Highway 105 Bypass, Suite 5.
House of Upholstery offers a broad selection of fabrics, including linens, leathers and big bold prints.
“Bright colors are a trend right now,” said Caite O’Bryant, furniture design consultant and Cook’s only full-time employee.
“We have all types of trims, exotic wood and rustic-type wood, solid and engineered floors [and we] also sell unfinished floors,” O’Bryant said. “We’re in the process of partnering with new fabric sources and fabric distributors.”
For more information, call 828-297-2526.
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