One of the big stories this week is there appears to be a new business coming to the bypass at its intersection with Mullican Street.
The property in question is currently occupied by a residential home. It’s across the street from Gondola and across the bypass from Korner Market. Jessica and Daniel Jones of Jones & Co. Real Estate recently purchased the property.
“We plan to put a new building there for our real estate office,” said Jessica. “We want to clean that corner up and make it look a lot nicer. The building we have is going to do just that. With the property where it is so close to the bypass and right in front of a busy intersection, it needs to be commercial. No one needs to be living there. It will give us more visibility.”
Jessica and Daniel went before McMinnville’s Regional Planning Commission last week and the Southern Standard’s Lisa Hobbs was there to cover it. The property is currently zoned residential and a request was made to rezone it C2 to accommodate the real estate office.
City officials in attendance all seemed agreeable.
“With the other three corners commercial, this is not an unreasonable request,” said Community Development director David Baird. “It’s logical. In looking at past documents, we’ve stated that when this type of thing occurs, it is acceptable to rezone.
Commission member David Marttala added, “I feel comfortable with the corner lot of a major intersection being commercial. The other three corners are commercial.”
McMinnville Regional Planning Commission members unanimously approved the owners request to rezone 304 Mullican Street from residential to commercial. The commission’s vote is a recommendation only. It will be sent to the McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen for approval.
Jessica said if no objections arise, they will likely start demolition work at the beginning of next year. If plans proceed as expected, Jones & Co. would sell its current office on Clark Boulevard when the new office is ready.
“We’ve done well there and I feel like we’re ready to move up,” said Jessica. “We have a new, modern building in mind and then we’ll be selling the one on Clark Boulevard. I’ve been told it will probably be November before the city gives final approval on the zoning change so it’s probably going to be a next-year project.”
Tattoo studio
Opens downtown
Downtown McMinnville continues to add new variety to its business offerings. The latest addition is a tattoo shop called Athena Art Company that’s owned and operated by Erin Tucker. The business is located at 109 North Spring Street.
“I wanted to change the face of tattooing with this shop and not have the same old biker thing,” said Erin. “I want to be accommodating and welcoming to people from all walks of life. If they’re 70 and getting their first tattoo, I want them to feel comfortable walking in here.”
Erin and her capable staff can do just about anything when it comes to tattoos. I admit I’m not a tattoo guy and I’m not at all familiar with the business, but Erin was nice enough to walk me through the process.
Walk-ins are accepted for some smaller jobs that might take an hour or so. Erin suggests to come in for a consultation first for any type of larger tattoo that might take 4 to 8 hours, or require more than one sitting.
“I’m here to educate the customer and I’ll answer any questions they have,” said Erin. “You walk into some tattoo shops and it’s almost like you’re bothering them if you ask them a question. I’m not like that at all. I have an emphasis on the customer service side.”
Erin says it’s gratifying to bring a female-owned tattoo studio to downtown McMinnville. She had been working for another business for about two years when a friend’s death, and her 30th birthday, motivated her to jump start her ambition.
“I’ve spent my whole life working for other people and putting other people before myself and I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore,” said Erin. “When I had a friend die in a motorcycle crash earlier this year, I made up my mind it was time to stop delaying things in my life. I’ve always been afraid of flying, but I booked a flight and said I’m flying. I’m a germaphobe, especially with water bacteria, but I decided I wanted to go on a kayaking trip. It was the same type of thinking with this business because I’ve always wanted to have my own shop and put my own stamp on how everything is done. It was time for me to do that.”
The staff at Athena Art Company includes licensed piercer Chloe Shields, tattoo artist Brian Christensen, and tattoo apprentice Blake Moore, who is also Erin’s fiancé.
Regular business hours are Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 8 p.m. Erin says her motto is “tattoos with integrity.” She can also be contacted through Facebook messenger.
Mini golf
Has returned
Years ago before Gilley Pool was constructed, there used to be a mini golf course outside McMinnville Civic Center. But when construction began on Gilley Pool, mini golf was removed. That was way back in 2002.
Best I can remember, mini golf hasn’t been back in Warren County since it was removed from the Civic Center, that is until it was reintroduced last week at The Detention, your source for entertainment.
Glow-in-the-dark mini golf is now one of the many offerings at The Detention, which is located at the old Morrison School not far from downtown Morrison. The Detention offers laser tag, video games, bumper cars, a climbing wall, and a golf simulator in addition to its 9-hole mini golf course.
Dwayne and Bernadette Doud should be applauded for the job they’ve done in transforming what was once an old school into a destination for happiness. The kitchen at The Detention serves great food like pizza and wings, but you could say fun is one thing that’s always on the menu.
Get those
Stumps removed
One thing that’s nice to avoid is stump yard. I’ve had my share of trees removed from my yard and I’ve always made sure to get the stumps removed because I really don’t want to have stump yard.
Jalen Watson has opened a new business called Watson Stump Removal to handle all your stump issues. He can be reached at (931) 808-2501.
“We can get it taken away so you can’t even tell a stump was there,” said Jalen. “We can throw some grass seed on top of it, or we can plant another tree in that same spot if you like. Either way, it will look a whole lot better.”
Jalen said he purchased all the equipment necessary for stump removal 2-3 weeks ago. He got the idea through his work with McBride Tree Trimming, which cuts down a bunch of trees but doesn’t offer stump removal.
“The two go hand in hand,” said Jalen. “When you get the tree cut, it’s common to want the stump removed too. This gives his customers a convenient place to go to get that done. I can come out and give you an estimate and let you know how much it’s going to be.”
Jalen said the estimates depend on how far he has to travel and how wide the stump is that’s being removed. He measures his travel distance from McMinnville.
Give Jalen a call if you have stumps you want to disappear.
More about
Electric vehicles
It was a stroke a great timing in last week’s Business Section when I talked about the state’s push to create and maintain infrastructure for electric vehicles.
After that article was published last Sunday, Ford announced on Monday its plans to invest $5.6 billion in a West Tennessee megasite about 50 miles east of Memphis. Ford intends to build its electric F-Series pickup trucks there and create some 5,800 new jobs.
Following that excitement on Monday, Gov. Bill Lee announced on Tuesday plans to build a Tennessee College of Applied Technology adjacent to the new Ford plant that will provide the company with a trained workforce. This customized training will focus on electric vehicle and battery manufacturing.
It’s this type of partnership which has Tennessee among the top states in the nation when it comes to advanced industrial job growth.
Gov. Lee has said Tennessee has offered $500 million in incentives to help secure the project. The General Assembly will convene Oct. 18 for a special legislative session to approve the $500 million.
At our local Reddick Brown Ford dealership on Manchester Highway, owner Chris Chalfant says this is a positive development.
“We’re going to see a lot more options when it comes to alternatives to fuel-powered vehicles,” said Chris. “We have a Mach-E Mustang we’re selling now that’s totally electric and it has plenty of power behind it. Looking out over the next two to 10 years, we’re going to see a whole lot more of these vehicles. It’s exciting to think about.”
That’s all folks
Send me an email with your business tips at editor@southernstandard.com. Tips will be answered in the order in which they are received.
