A new office is on the way for Theresa Hill and her Family Care Clinic. She will be leaving Northgate Center in the coming months and moving into the brick office on Chancery Street formerly occupied by Dr. Brad Blankenship.
The move means more exam rooms, better service, and a healthier, more loving community. Those are some lofty goals.
“I love where we are, but we’re hemmed in on both sides,” said Theresa, who is a family nurse practitioner. “This new location will more than double the number of exam rooms I have and I’ll also have an X-ray machine, which is a big thing.”
Family Care Clinic is a great American success story. The clinic was started by Theresa in February 2011 as a way to give patients access to primary care after normal doctor’s hours.
People tend to get sick and need medical assistance 24 hours a day, yet most doctor’s offices are only open Monday thru Friday until 5 p.m. After that, it’s an expensive trip to the emergency room.
But Theresa started to change the medical landscape when she offered regular office hours at night and on the weekends. She started out by herself, but has since added two other family nurse practitioners in Whitney Blankenship and Shawn Whitfield. She’s also added a nutritionist in Lauren Dunahoo and a therapist in Charity McMackins, who helps people with anxiety issues and ADHD.
Theresa said one convenient aspect of being located at Northgate Center is being next to Sullivan’s Hometown Pharmacy. She thinks she’s going to miss that, but this building was too good to pass up. When open, she will have nine exam rooms and a treatment room.
“I can’t get in here and get open fast enough, but I know it’s going to take time,” said Theresa. “Summer is the best time for this move because it’s so slow. We hope to be moved in by the start of school because kids will need their shots and their physicals”
Theresa said she wanted to be open in the new location around July 4, but that timetable won’t happen. She says it will more likely be the end of July or early August.
“What I want and what I’ll get are two different things,” said Theresa.
Family Care Clinic will keep the same phone number, 474-4700.

Help arrives for computer issues

All Cortney Bradshaw needs is a cape. That’s because when it comes to computers and cellphones, he’s like a superhero.
Cortney is taking his keen computer knowledge and putting it to good use. He’s opened Bradshaw Computer Repair and stresses he can do all types of work.
“Cellphones are what a lot of these viruses are coming after now,” said Cortney, who says he’s been repairing computers since he was in fourth grade. “Nowadays, cellphones are where the bulk of your personal information is stored. People bank from their phones. They pay bills from their phones. That makes phones more prone to be attacked.”
Cortney says he can work on cellphones, video game consoles, laptops, and tablets. He says best of all, his prices are affordable.
“My business is for people who can’t afford outrageous repairs,” said Cortney. “Some of these computer repair shops really take advantage of people. They charge a lot of money for a simple repair.”
Cortney says he can do regular computer tune-ups, data recovery, virus and malware removal, and he also builds computers.
“A lot of people aren’t very computer literate,” said Cortney. “They only know how to do the basics. Then when something goes wrong, they think about their precious pictures and other things they have on there and they’ll do anything to get them back. I usually charge $10 to $20 for data recovery.”
Cortney says he can fix the problem if your computer gets infected by a hostage virus and won’t let you access your files until you pay a fee. He says he can remove the virus without you having to pay the ransom money.
He’s also available for housecalls if you don’t feel comfortable disconnecting your computer and bringing it to his shop. He can pick it up, fix it, and then deliver it back.
Cortney says this is a business he’s eager to get off the ground. If you’re experiencing computer issues, he can be reached at 743-9612 or 939-2554.

Davis has new home

For 28 years, Davis Homes was located on Smithville Highway across from the entrance to the fairgrounds. But when the property supposedly sold, Dale Davis was told he’d need to find another location for his mobile home dealership.
Wanting to stay close to home, Dale decided on a spot just a half mile down the road. Now that Davis Homes is settled into its new location, a grand reopening celebration is set for this coming Saturday, June 4. Among other prizes, visitors can register for a flat-screen TV to be given away.
“We’ll have hotdogs and hamburgers and all our manufacturers will be bringing stuff to give away,” said Dale.
When asked about the recent trend in mobile home sales, Dale says he’s been surprised by a push to go smaller. He said that could be sparked by the TV show “Tiny House Hunters” on HGTV where people shop for homes not much larger than a shed.
“This year we’ve been selling one single wide for every two double wides, which is a high number,” said Dale. “Some of it is couples who have raised their children and are looking to downsize. Some of it is new couples who are starting off small.”
If you want to go big and grand, Davis Homes has that too. This includes a 2,040-square-foot mobile home that comes with front and back wooden decks and a whirlpool tub. The living room features built-in shelves, a vaulted ceiling, and a fake fireplace.
Dale says he’s been pleased with business at his new location, even though he doesn’t have as much road frontage. As for his old property, it’s still for sale. In fact it looks kind of odd traveling down Smithville Highway to see all that vacant land to the right as you’re leaving town.
If you’re interested in property on that side of town, Dale’s old lot is 11.73 acres and it’s currently for sale. Next to it is another empty lot, the old Spar Gas business. That property is 5 acres with a commercial building and brick home.
It makes for more than 16 acres right on a busy highway. It would be the perfect site for a go-cart track and miniature golf course that will materialize only in my dreams.

The donuts shall live

Much of the equipment inside Stewart Pharmacy was sold at auction two weeks ago. For folks wondering about the status of the famous Stewart’s donut maker, it’s landed in the capable hands of Judy Coppinger at Nana’s Kountry Kupboard.
“We cleaned it up and did a little work on it and we have started selling donuts,” said Nana’s employee Chad Coppinger. “This was our first week of donuts and it’s gone really well. We’ve sold a lot of donuts.”
I got my hands on a few of those donuts on Friday and I will testify under oath they were delicious. My only regret is I was kind of full at the time and didn’t have enough room for more donuts.
The donuts come in chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and plain. You can buy a single donut for 69 cents, or buy a dozen for $5.
Judy said she’s happy to carry on the Stewart’s donut tradition because she has much respect for pharmacy founder Nestor Stewart.
“I worked for Nestor for 12 years and he was a good employer,” said Judy. “He was tough on me, but he taught me a lot about running a business. Many of the things I learned from him I’ve used right here at Nana’s.”
For those who may be counting, Nana’s Kountry Kupboard has very quietly been open for 19 years, all at the same location at Sunnyside Heights. Judy said they just finished a large-scale renovation project a few months ago and have a great restaurant top to bottom.
“It’s all because of our crew,” said Judy. “You can have the best food in the world, but if you don’t combine it with good service a customer won’t come back.”
As for the condition of pothole-filled Sunnyside Heights, the city has voted to take over the road and make the necessary upgrades. Judy says she hopes that happens soon.
“We’ve seen them paving on the bypass and we’ve been hoping they’d turn down here,” said Judy. “I hope they get to us soon because I think it will really help our business.”
Nana’s Kountry Kupboard is open seven days a week. It can be reached at 473-7769.

That’s all folks

I will be back in the office Tuesday after observing Memorial Day. You can reach me with business news then at 473-2191. Our annual Banana Day is just around the corner, set for Friday, June 10. Yes, it is the same Friday as Bonnaroo, but I’m going to work around that.