Here’s a job fair you should milk for all it’s worth. Our Kroger store at Three Star Mall is looking to add new employees so if you sit tight, I’ll give you the bread-and-butter details.
The job fair is this Tuesday, Aug. 9, from 3 to 8 p.m. Before heading to Kroger on Tuesday, interested applicants are asked to visit jobs.kroger.com to submit an application online. Kroger says the website is mobile friendly so users shouldn’t have trouble if they’re using a smartphone, tablet, or home computer.
When I stopped by Kroger on Friday, I was told this is a tricky time of year with students returning to college and high school so new employees need to be added to the workforce. In addition to the jobs which will be added in McMinnville, the Kroger cupboard is overflowing with available jobs in Murfreesboro thanks to a new store opening there.
“We have a variety of part-time positions that we need to fill in every store, including close to 100 positions that are available at our soon-to-open new store in Murfreesboro,” said Melissa Eads, Kroger spokeswoman. “Positions are available in most every department including front end, deli, meat, and grocery. Applying to work at our stores is easier than ever with open interviews and the ability to apply from anywhere.”
If you’re hungry for a job, try your luck at Kroger this Tuesday. You never know how the cookie may crumble.
If hired, you will be joining a reliable company as Kroger is one of the world’s largest retailers with some 430,000 employees at 2,778 stores in 35 states. If you’re not hired, don’t cry over spilt milk.

Stewart’s Trophies to end its season

For 32 years, Stewart’s Trophies and Screen Printing has been commemorating special occasions with T-shirts and awards. Store owner Paula Abadie says it’s time for this season of her life to come to an end and she’s closing Stewart’s Trophies at Sunnyside Heights this Friday, Aug. 12.
Paula says she’s ready for a break after 32 years of running a business.
“I’m ready to close my bedroom door and tell everyone not to disturb me until 11 a.m.,” said Paula. “I’m going to be goofing off with my sister, hanging out at the pool, and enjoying retirement.”
Paula has owned Stewart’s Trophies since its start. She has been at her current location at Sunnyside Heights for the past 23 years.
“We stay pretty busy,” said Paula. “Ball teams, businesses, everybody has to have a T-shirt for everything and we make a huge amount of them. The trophies and screen printing are both a big part of the business.”
Paula says she remembers making a 6-foot tall trophy that was so big the customer had to roll down his car window in order to transport it. In the early years, it wasn’t trophies or screen printing, but sewing which dominated the business.
“I learned pretty fast that sewing was hard on me,” said Paula. “The first thing I started was the first thing I quit.”
She said goodbye to sewing after two years and picked up screen printing. She says trophies are an inexpensive way to bestow an honor with trophies starting as low as $3.75 – and that includes engraving. She said her kids did the engraving much of the time and it was a great way to keep them busy.
“Thank you for your trust and loyalty throughout the many years,” said Paula. “The journey has been a great one and your business and friendship will be fondly remembered.”
If you’d like to stop by and give Paula a trophy for her years of dedicated service, you better do it by Friday because that’s when she’s closing the doors. If you’re wondering what’s going to happen to Stewart’s Trophies and that spot at Sunnyside Heights, I’m glad you asked. I have the answer.

Outdoor Shop buying Stewart’s

With Paula diving into retirement, she decided to reach out to another similar business to see if it might be interested in purchasing some of her equipment. When she contacted Outdoor Shop owner Debra Thompson, she discovered she had an interested buyer.
“It started with some equipment for sale and then we learned she had a building for sale too and it just went from there,” said Debra.
Added her husband Kenny Thompson, “We had just approached the city last week about building a new building so it’s neat how this all worked out.”
The Outdoor Shop is in the process of buying the Stewart’s Trophies property at Sunnyside Heights and the business will be relocating there after remodeling work is complete. The new store will give The Outdoor Shop more retail space for its shorts, shirts, helmets, ball pants, and other sports equipment. When the move is complete, The Outdoor Shop location on Main Street will be closed.
“It’s too early to say what we’ll do at this point, but we’ll probably look to rent it out,” said Debra of the Main Street property which she owns.
Time has disappeared as fast as an ice cream cone as it’s been 16 years since Debra bought The Outdoor Shop in 2000. Back then, it was located at Northgate Center in an enormous building.
Debra decided to downsize a bit and moved to a smaller facility on Sparta Street in a building that’s now occupied by the Social Security Administration. After several years there, she moved to Main Street eight years ago.
“At that time the economy wasn’t doing that well so we decided to downsize and focus on what we do best,” said Debra.
Added Kenny, “Now you could say we’re growing again.”
With the start of school this week and basketball season right around the corner, Debra says it’s a busy time of year. She plans to have the Stewart's Trophies phone number rolled over to her phone number and hopes not to have any down time during the transition, if possible.
This looks like a positive development for The Outdoor Shop, which can be reached at 473-6348.

Double J’s is smoking

Double J’s Smokehouse at 1111 Sparta Street opened Tuesday and owners Jill Sells and Jimmy McGinness say they’ll be cooking up great-tasting food seven days a week.
“I’m a North Carolina girl and I wanted to bring a different flavor of BBQ than what people are used to here,” said Jill. “Everything here is homemade and all our meats are slow cooked on the grill. None of our food is fried.”
When I stopped by Friday morning, Jimmy was busy tending to a grill loaded with a variety of meat. The menu includes chicken, pulled pork, and ribeye sandwiches with a secret sauce.
“It’s a creamy, parmesan-based sauce, but that’s all I’m going to say about what’s in it,” said Jill when pressed for information about the secret sauce.
There are a number of sides available by the pint or the quart. Those include potato salad, pasta salad, baked beans, and coleslaw. On Tuesday and Friday, the special is loaded BBQ baked potatoes. There are wings, leg quarters and desserts that include banana pudding.
Double J’s Smokehouse is located on a high-traffic street and offers the convenience of a drive-thru window. If you want to call in advance so your order will be ready, the phone number is (931) 260-4296. Daily lunch specials include a meat, two sides, and a drink for $6.50.
The property, which used to be a service station years ago, still has large outside area that’s under roof. Jimmy says plans are to add picnic tables there in the near future so people can have an enjoyable place to eat.
Jill says the business will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Stop by to check out what’s cooking.

Grissom gets promotion

The editors of Business Cheetah firmly believe in recognizing individual achievement and that’s why we’re pleased to announce Tanarra Grissom has been promoted to marketing officer at Security Federal Savings Bank.
Said bank president Joe Pugh, “We are so pleased to have someone with the talents and abilities of Tanarra on our team. She will be an open door to businesses, schools, and others who wish to partner with Security Federal in various promotions throughout the year. She is an asset to our institution.”
Tanarra will be reaching out to the community on a daily basis to help promote a variety of endeavors. She’s ready to embrace this new challenge.
“I’ll be the eyes and ears of Security Federal,” said Tanarra. “We want to be involved in our community and it’s my job to help schools, churches, civic groups, and everyone with a worthwhile cause in the promotion of their projects.”
Congratulations Tanar-ra. You rock!

That’s all folks

School bells will ring this week around Warren County. When the kids are away in class, be sure to report business news at 473-2191.