If you build it, they will come. But you better include a parking lot.
Local residents salivating for the opening of Zaxby’s will have to keep waiting as parking lot delays are keeping the restaurant from opening.
“We’re ready to go,” said Zaxby’s co-owner Brittany Stuckey. “All we’re waiting on is the parking lot and they can’t tell me when it will be done so I can’t tell you when we’ll be open. We’re probably looking at the end of July.”
Brittany made those comments when I stopped by to chat on Wednesday. When I told her I’ve been receiving constant questions about when Zaxby’s will open, she said she’s been swamped with questions herself.
She told me her dad owns six Zaxby’s and this will be her first restaurant as a co-owner. She said they’ve hired around 40 employees.
Many of the folks I’ve talked to around McMinnville seem to have fallen in deep love with Zaxby’s food. From those comments, I think the restaurant will do well, although I must admit I’ve never eaten at a Zaxby’s. Perhaps one day I will.

Poppie’s Boutique ready to clothe

After opening their first store in Smithville in January, Sarah and Hunter Collins didn’t waste any time expanding. The two opened Poppie’s Boutique at 213 East Main Street on Tuesday and had a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning.
“This is my full-time job so I’m thankful we’re doing well enough to expand so quickly,” said Sarah when asked about opening her second store just six months after opening her first. “People love the quality of our clothing. It has a distinct style. It’s vintage-inspired, sort of bohemian and a little preppy.”
Poppie’s Boutique is located across from First National Bank and it's a very large store. The store is packed with racks of clothing, home décor items, jewelry, lotion, soaps and more. There's even a Tennessee Volunteer line and some clothing for men.
“We’re a great place if you want to find something for a wedding, a church occasion, or you’re looking for something to give as a gift,” said Sarah. “We want to offer local products when possible. Our candles are made by Dave Langford and they’re incredible. But our clothing is not made locally.”
I think it’s great to see some life injected into that part of Main Street. Poppie’s Boutique is located on the same side of the road as the long-vacant Fraley’s building, which has been empty for 12 years – yes, 12 years – for anyone who may have lost track. The old Fraley’s building is the most glaring eyesore in an otherwise rejuvenated downtown district that’s really starting to get some spunk.
That bit of commentary aside, I like what Sarah and Hunter have done with what’s probably best known as the old Touch ‘O Klas building. But it’s been 15 years since Touch 'O Klas has been open so that reference might be a bit of a stretch.
When Sarah and Hunter aren’t at one of their two stores, they frequently travel to various barn sales and festivals in their 24-foot Airstream trailer. Sarah says they attend about 40 shows a year on weekends.
Poppie’s Boutique is located across from First National Bank. Store hours are Tuesday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The phone number is (615) 318-1440.

It's showtime for Park Cafe

Sally Clark doesn't have to worry about giving directions to her new Main Street restaurant. Park Café and Desserts is located directly across from the beloved Park Theater and it opened Monday.
“We wanted to have a soft opening because there are a lot of components to restaurant work,” said Sally, who said she wanted to be open a week before being featured in the business column. “I’ve been surprised with our business. We’ve had some customers who have eaten with us every day this week.”
Sally has a different special each day and says the fried chicken, meatloaf, and pork chops have been early hits. She has a salad bar every day that includes fresh-cut fruit and vegetables.
“It’s home-cooked food,” said Sally. “I slow cook my beans overnight and we peel potatoes every day for our potato salad and our mashed potatoes.”
Breakfast is served all day and the omelets have been popular. So have waffles. And the prices are affordable. You can get a waffle with bacon or sausage for $4. A cheese omelet with toast or biscuit is $3.75.
“I’ve found people like to call in orders,” said Sally. “If you call it in, we can have it ready for you, or we deliver to the downtown area.”
The phone number is 474-2253.
Sally said she’s eager to please her customers. She said she already has a regular customer who requested sugar-free blackberry jelly. She had the jelly available the next day.
“I’m trying to provide more foods diabetics can eat so when he requested the sugar-free jelly, I got it,” said Sally. “So far everything has gone really well. I like cooking and I like getting out and talking to the customers when it slows down enough to mingle."
Hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday thru Friday, and 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturday. A full breakfast bar is offered on Satuday.
Sally said she would like to incorporate dinner hours down the road, likely on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
“Since we’ve been in here working and getting this place ready, I’ve had a chance to watch traffic and so much is going on downtown at night,” said Sally. “There are really a lot of people down here.”
I can say this now and say it with conviction. I think downtown McMinnville has finally escaped the rocky terrain it’s been traveling on for more than 20 years and discovered fresh pavement. And now … at long last … Main Street is starting to accelerate.
To use the words of McMinnville Mayor Jimmy Haley, “Our downtown is the heart and soul of our community and I think you can see the energy any time you come down here.”

Three cheers for Saint Thomas

There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at Saint Thomas River Park Hospital as local physicians and hospital officials came together to celebrate operating under the Saint Thomas umbrella.
As many of us are aware, Saint Thomas now has full ownership of our hospital, an acquisition which was announced last July. The merger has taken some time and there’s been a period of transition, but Saint Thomas is beginning to establish its programs and launch time has arrived.
“We have long been providing specialized services in this area,” said Fahad Tahir, CEO of Saint Thomas Medical Partners. “What we’re doing is furthering our commitment and catering to the total healthcare needs of the community. Taking care of someone’s health is different than taking care of them in an emergency.”
Tahir says overall health starts with primary care physicians and Saint Thomas is looking to bring new doctors to this area. That’s needed more than ever with the departure of Dr. Michael Questell, who closed his family practice with more than 1,000 patients on Friday.
Tahir says Saint Thomas has performed an overall health assessment of this region to determine where to dedicate resources.
“There are several factors in determining a community’s health needs,” said Tahir. “What’s the age of the population and what diseases are prevalent in the area? Are people suffering from a high rate of diabetes? Do they need cardiology services? Then we have to design a program based on those needs.”
Saint Thomas has the luxury of a wealth of resources as its parent company is Ascension, which operates more than 120 hospitals in 24 states. In the Middle Tennessee area, Saint Thomas has 90 offices and around 500 physicians/ providers who deliver health services.
Friday’s ribbon cutting ceremony outside the hospital was a time to gaze into the future of Warren County healthcare, a future that hopefully holds a rainbow of wellness. Perhaps we can all work a little harder to put down the donut and pick up the delight of good health.
This public service announcement is provided to you by the editors of Business Cheetah.

What exactly is a tea room?

When Scottie Keel purchased the old car lot on the corner of Spring Street and Walker Street, he believed he was buying commercial property. The property had been used to sell used cars for decades.
But what Scottie didn’t realize was the property had been vacant for more than a year. That means it lost its grandfather status as a commercial lot in an otherwise residential area.
Scottie went before the Board of Zoning Appeals in an effort to state his case, but he wasn’t greeted with a warm reception. His request to keep the lot commercial was denied.
However, the property can still have several uses with its existing zoning. Among those uses is Scottie can open a tea room and daycare there. So guess what he’s doing?
“I’m opening a Mexican tea room with a daycare downstairs,” said Scottie. “I don’t exactly know what a tea room is. Maybe somebody can explain it to me. But they said we can open a tea room there so we’re opening a Mexican tea room with a daycare.”
Anyone driving down Spring Street has likely noticed the work. The building is now pink and construction activity has been taking place when time permits.
“We’re fitting it in between jobs so I don’t really have a timetable about when we’ll be done,” said Scottie. “If we’re between jobs, or we’re waiting for concrete to dry, we’ll stop by and do a few things. I’m not sure when we’ll be finished.”
I’ll provide more information on this project as it becomes available.

That’s all folks

Enjoy the warmth of summer and all the frolicking which goes along with it. If you should stumble upon business news you’d like to convey, I’m only a phone call away. That’s in theory of course because I’m probably going to let your call go straight to voicemail.