Between all my up close and personal time with green bean casserole, combined with the joy of smelling 14 different fragrances of body lotion to find just the right scent, I did find time to gather some business news.
Behold, my offering for this week’s column.
Today’s adventure begins at Bojangles where customers are expected to start lining up Monday night in anticipation for Tuesday’s grand opening at 5 a.m. For those who may have been sleepwalking through the past three months, our new Bojangles is located on The Strip across from Sonic.
People begin lining up early for these things because the first 50 customers get a $50 Bojangles gift card. And the first overall customer gets a special Bojangles prize package, plus bragging rights to forever tell all their friends and family members they were the first customer here.
It might even be appropriate tombstone information. “Here lies Sam, McMinnville’s first Bojangles customer.”
District manager Pat Brickel says she hired right at 80 employees for the new restaurant. She realizes some of them will drop from the payroll faster than it takes to fry a batch of chicken.
“We’ll see how long some of them last,” said Pat. “Only the strong will survive.”
Working at Bojangles must be kind of like living in the wild. Pat says employees have been engulfed in extensive training in preparation for Tuesday’s opening. She realizes everyone is always eager to try a new restaurant on its very first day so she is expecting mayhem.
“We are bringing in all-stars from North Carolina and two area managers,” said Pat. “Plus we will be having friends and family night on Saturday. When the night shift is working, they will be serving the friends and family members of the morning crew. Then we will switch it around. That will give both shifts a chance to work on their food packing and give them work on the register under the pressure of a very large crowd.”
So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Make your way to the starting line and get ready for the 100-yard biscuit dash to start this Tuesday at 5 a.m.

Pine Hill Plastics Has closed

Not all the business news this week is sunshine and lollipops. At Pine Hill Plastics on Smithville Highway near Dibrell, the news is the worst as business owner Jeff Wolaber told me Friday the company has shut down its operations.
The reason relates to a fire in March that destroyed its sister company, Tri-Tech Molding, which was located about two miles down the highway.
“I worked for Tri-Tech Molding for years and I bought Pine Hill with the plan to put the two companies back together again,” said Wolaber. “I had already moved some of our product line to the Tri-Tech building at the time of the fire. That business was a complete loss and after the fire I couldn’t see my way through it.”
Wolaber said Pine Hill Plastics, founded in 1993, was down to about 10 employees when he shut down the plant on Friday. Combined with the 12 employees who worked at Tri-Tech Molding, that’s 22 paychecks and two plants which have been eliminated by one fire.
The two companies both specialized in plastic injection molding and made items such as nursery containers, milk crates, automotive floor mats, golf cart accessories, and construction items.
“This is very unfortunate,” said Jeff.
As for the Pine Hill Plastics building, Jeff said he will be putting it on the market. If anyone is in need of a solid industrial building, Jeff says it’s 30,000 square feet with good loading docks and an ample power supply. It’s also conveniently located right on Smithville Highway.

Construction Gets rolling

It’s difficult to remember the last time a building was constructed in McMinnville’s downtown historic district. But that rare occurrence is currently taking place on West Morford Street where a building for a car lot to be called Express Motors is under construction.
Joshua King is the property owner and his new building will feature a garage and business office.
“It’s going to look a lot better aesthetically,” King said. “I’m going to pave it and I hope to buy the lot next to it and make the whole area look better. I’ll probably keep about 25 to 30 cars there.”
Paving was taking place Friday and it’s clear to see the area is going to look much better. Three cheers for Joshua!
During an appearance before the city’s Historic Zoning Commission in October, King said he hoped to have the car lot up and running in November. While it doesn’t look like he’s going to make that deadline, it probably won’t be too much longer before he’s ready for business. It’s located on Morford Street across from Tietgen’s Super Rama.

Mall ladies To say goodbye

It’s with sadness I bring you the following report. After 29.5 years, Teresa Martin and Susie Griffith are retiring from Three Star Mall at the end of the year.
In releasing a joint statement, the two said, “We have enjoyed the learning experiences, the challenges, and the many opportunities that have been given to us. The people of this community and the merchants of the mall have made our experiences here rewarding but it’s time we spend more time with our families and enjoy the next chapter in our lives.”
The statement continued, “This is a truly great community and our wish is for Three Star Mall to grow and continue to provide a pleasurable shopping experience in the years to come. We’re sure our replacement will strive to continue the work we have done here and have the same passion and pride that we have had over the years we have experienced here.”
The position of mall manager has been advertised right here in the Southern Standard classified section, but Teresa says she has heard no word about who the possible replacement might be. She said she was hopeful a new manager could be found before they leave so they could provide some training, but she is not sure if that will happen.
If not, the new manager will have to fend for himself, or herself, against the mall wolves.
Three Star
Mall giveaway

Since I’m on the topic of Three Star Mall, allow me to publicize the mall’s Christmas prize giveaway which is taking place through Dec. 17.
At stake is a grand prize of a three-day, two-night stay at The Greystone Lodge on the river in downtown Gatlinburg on New Year’s Eve. It’s a prize package worth $650. It also includes a dinner show for two at the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Theater, a tank of gas from Kroger for the trip, and $100 for food.
I’ve always heard Gatlinburg is a thrilling experience on New Year’s so this could finally be my chance to make the trip. I feel confident I’m going to be the grand prize winner.
As for other prizes, there will be $250 in mall gift cards, two 32-inch TVs, two $200 mall gift cards, two $150 mall gift cards, and nine $100 mall gift cards.
The contest is similar to previous years. Collect all your receipts from Three Star Mall and submit them at the mall office by Dec. 17 at noon. For every $50 in mall receipts, you are granted one ticket. That means if you spend $1,000 at the mall, you will get 20 tickets.
Winners will be drawn during a grand ceremony at the mall’s center stage by none other than Santa himself at 6 p.m. on Dec. 17. You must be present to win.

Black Friday Experience

With all the excitement of this holiday weekend, I didn’t have a chance to stop by every store in town. But I stopped by a few at Plaza Shopping Center and Three Star Mall to obtain feedback about the wonders of Black Friday.
Probably the most memorable comment I received came from mall Santa moments after I made his picture with Susie and Teresa. I noticed there were no kids waiting in line to visit Santa, this during prime time Friday at noon. I remember the days when the line of kids would stretch back to Bookland, for the folks around who can still remember Bookland.
“Black Friday just isn’t what it used to be,” said mall Santa, a touch of dejection in his voice. “It’s shifted to Thursday night and more people are shopping online. I don’t think it will ever be what it used to be.”
For a guy sitting there in a jolly, red suit with a fake beard, this mall Santa made an excellent observation. The Black Friday madness appeared subdued across the board as there was more calm than calamity.
At Plaza Shopping Center, Always in Bloom owner Sheila Young said her customers were pleased with the 30 percent off sale on all Christmas décor. The sale will run through Christmas.
“We have plenty of stuff for the tree,” said Sheila, whose store offers a neat collection of wreaths, bows, and other ornamental gems you won’t find anywhere else.
At Ashley’s Attic, the store has gradually transitioned and is no longer primarily a place for clothing. Now there are toys everywhere, which makes it an ideal stop for the Christmas shopping season.
Elf on the Shelf is hot this year and Ashley’s Attic owner Helen Gillentine says her store has plenty of elves and accessories.
“The elf is Santa’s helper who comes to watch the children and make sure they’re behaving,” said Helen. “The elf flies back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa. Some elves are more mischievous than others depending on the family they go to. Some may roll the Christmas tree at night or make a mess with flour in the kitchen. It’s fun for the parents and fun for the kids. A lot of teachers have been purchasing an elf for their classroom.”
Among the elf items available are T-shirts, books and reindeer.
Helen was quick to stress Ashley’s Attic is filled with other popular toy lines such as Groovy Girls, Calico Critters, and Baby Stella. There are also plenty of things to snatch a boy’s attention, most notably a marble game that Garry Gillentine really enjoys playing.
One unique service Helen offers is free rapping with every purchase.
Oh wait … maybe she meant free wrapping. I’m not sure. I guess you’ll have to stop by to see.
As for one business that was swamped during its Black Friday promotion, I’m pleased to announce a long line extended from the Southern Standard lobby all the way to the High’s parking lot for our subscription special offered from 5 to 7 a.m.
Despite having four employees on hand to sign up customers, the wait still lasted about 30 minutes at the height of the early morning rush. Standard circulation manager Dale Stubblefield says 320 people bought subscriptions at the drastically reduced rate. They received quite a bargain.

That’s all folks

Email me your holiday tips at editor@southernstandard.com. In the spirit of the holidays, every email will be answered with love.