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GOTriMAY 2016

Shopping in the Tri-Cities

PublishersKeith Wilson - [email protected] Wilcox - [email protected]

AdvertisingBilly Kirk - [email protected]

Sharon Little - [email protected]

EditorMatthew Lane – [email protected]

Graphic DesignCesar Santiago – [email protected]

GoTri Magazineis published monthly

by theKingsport Times-News,

Johnson City Pressand the

Northeast TennesseeMedia Group.

For more information,visit timesnews.net

or johnsoncitypress.com.

Visit www.gotricities.com to catch Tri-Cities events, music and more.

GOTriMAY 2016

Shopping in the Tri-Cities

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5The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room

6 FarmersMarkets

9The Power

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10Cool Places

to Shop

14 Go

Downtown

18Local Business Owner Advice

19Starting

a Business

20 Thrifty

Shopping

22Tax Dollars

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23Local ArtGalleries

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3MAY 2016 | GOTRI MAGAZINE

How shopping locallycan help you andyour community

By Metro Creative Connection

Today’s consumers have more shopping options at their disposal than they did in years past. Though the Internet may put the world at one’s finger-tips, more and more shoppers are discovering that buying locally makes for a superior shopping experience.

The benefits associated with shopping locally are many, and the following are just a few reasons why shoppers may want to look no further than their own communities when planning their next shopping excursions.

Keeps money in the local economyLocally-owned businesses often put a larger share of their revenue back into their communities. Small business owners may be more inclined to employ local residents, giving more people in the community solid employ-ment. Business owners may reach out and support other neighborhood ef-forts, such as fundraising initiatives for charities and schools. By shopping at local stores, you have a hand in supporting these efforts as well.

Save moneyWhen factoring in travel time and the cost of fuel, shopping locally makes more sense than driving to a faraway mall. In addition, repeat customers who establish a rapport with a local business owner may find that such owners are more inclined to price match or work with loyal customers to find lower prices through suppliers.

Diversify your home and lifestyleShoppers who prefer more unique styles may find local businesses cater to their needs better than large chain stores. Larger retailers offer the same products to customers regardless of where those customers live, so a person in California may be decorating his or her home with the same furnishings as a person in North Carolina. But local shops tend to produce more unique items that are not available nationwide.

Promote entrepreneurshipSmall businesses are an essential element to the country’s economic growth. By shopping locally, consumers are showing their support for this important segment of the national economy.

Help establish local prideIndependent shops contribute to the fabric of a community and what makes it special and unique. Tourists and other visitors will be much more inclined to remember a local shop rather than a big chain in a particular neighborhood. When travelers want to get a feel for a community, they seek out small, local stores that are much more likely to stock a high percentage of locally-sourced goods.

Attract other businessesPrivate and public sector businesses tend to gravitate around anchor stores. Should a local store be successful, banks, restaurants, salons, and other businesses may move in as well.

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Owning a business is the goal of many would-be entrepreneurs. Being your own boss has certain perks, including making your own hours and not having to report to anyone but yourself.

But owning a business is a lot of work, espe-cially for new business owners trying to get their businesses off the ground. According to Bloom-berg, eight out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within 18 months of opening their doors. The Small Business Association in-dicates the numbers are not so dire, saying 30 percent of new businesses fail in the first two years of operation; 50 percent during the first five years; and 66 percent during the first 10.

Local businesses face an uphill battle to sur-vive, but there are many things residents can do to support these valuable additions to their communities.

•Shop locally. Shopping locally not only sup-ports local businesses, but it also contributes to the local economy. Shopping locally keeps money in the community, which can benefit everyone. Shopping locally produces a trickle-down effect, as local businesses that are thriv-ing may patronize other local businesses, and so on. This, in turn, helps grow other business-es in the community, making it a nicer place to live and work.

· Spread the word. Word-of-mouth advertising is effective. A respected member of the commu-nity who shares a good experience with a local business may propel others to patronize the business. Speak up when you feel a business

owner has provided an exceptional level of service. Recommend a company to friends and neighbors. You also may want to review a busi-ness via online rating websites such as Yelp or Angie’s List.

· Attend grand openings. Each community is unique, and often the vibe of a community is defined by the businesses that call that com-munity home. Attend grand openings to show you are invested in the quality and vitality of your community. When others see a business doing well, they may be more inclined to shop there as well.

· Apply for work. Another way to support a local business is to work for one. Small local busi-nesses employ millions of people across the country, and many foster great working environ-ments. In addition, small businesses are known for their customer service, and employees often become experts in their products and services because of the hands-on experience they gain while working for small businesses.

Supporting and celebrating local businesses can instill a sense of community pride and ben-efit the local economy in a myriad of ways.

Communities can celebrate local businessesBy Metro Creative Connection

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The building is steeped in a concoction of fantastic colors, smells and conversational chatter and has been called many things over the years by its diverse clientele: “bohemian,” “eclectic” and even “Johnson City’s couch.”

Known for its food, art, atmosphere and live entertainment, the Willow Tree is a favorite spot for people who need a quiet place to study for exams or a welcoming environment to simply meet a friend for a relaxed conversation.

“It brings together a bunch of things that make people happy into one little spot,” said owner Teri Dosher.

Dosher and her daughter/business partner Zoe Dosher were ardent mu-sic lovers for a long time before they decided to start their own business.

Prior to starting the venture, Teri worked as an elementary school teacher, and Zoe was still a college student.

Teri had harbored the dream of eventually owning her own coffee shop and music room for a long time, and she and Zoe would frequently travel to different venues in the region to admire their respective atmospheres.

“The more we talked about it, the more it seemed like it could may be a reality,” Teri said. “Once we just decided that we really wanted to do it and we picked out the spot. We said, ‘If we’re going to do it, the perfect spot would be where the Galaxy Lounge is.’”

The Galaxy Lounge was a music venue that previously existed in down-town Johnson City.

The day after Teri and her daughter had that conversation, the landlord that owned the building decided that he was ready to rent out the space.

“The synchronicity and serendipity of that was just too much,” Teri said. “The doors just started flying open one after the other.”

Teri said that, at first, the learning curve felt substantial, but she knew many people who were willing to help her navigate the nuances of booking an act, adding a bookstore or ensuring that any adjustments to the build-ing’s layout complied with city code.

In their new capacity as proprietors of a nifty, new downtown establish-ment, Teri and Zoe were able to attract bands that they had enjoyed listen-

ing to before starting their business, including Big Daddy Love, Yarn, The Black Lillies and Dangermuffin.

The serendipitous nature of the Willow Tree’s success initially took Teri a little bit by surprise.

“I loved teaching,” Teri said. “I gave up paychecks and vacations and insurance and retirement to just kind of jump on a whim.”

But, that initial risk has definitely paid off.

Recently, while looking through some old notebooks from her teaching days, Teri found a bubble map detailing her plans for what was then called “The Acoustic Cafe.”

The diagram had the main idea in the middle — “The Acoustic Cafe” — and a variety of different ancillary characteristics orbiting in little bubbles around the main idea.

Teri wanted the venue to feature coffee, music, homemade food, a com-munity space for people to gather and a display area for local art.

“I couldn’t even remember drawing it,” Dosher said, “but every single thing on there came true.”

The Willow Tree Coffeehouse

& Music Roomin downtownJohnson City

A special place in the heartsof many local residents.

By David Floyd

6 GOTRI MAGAZINE | GOTRICITIES.COM6 GOTRI MAGAZINE | GOTRICITIES.COM6 MAY 2016 | GOTRI MAGAZINE

By Hank Hayes

FARMERS MARKETSCompiled by Tony Casey, Jessica Fuller, Gary Gray and Matthew Lane

Johnson CityThe best produce still is fresh, and it’s avail-able through a downtown tradition that is the Johnson City Farmers Market.

Though the market now calls the Pavilion at Founders Park its habitat, home grown pro-duce, baked and canned goods, arts and crafts and community fellowship are all available in plentiful supply. The market is located at 100 E. Market Street, near the corner of Market and Buffalo streets.

There also is live bluegrass on occasion, as well as samplings of fresh salsas and cheeses. The market also offers visitors a chance to stroll at a leisurely pace and stop by tables and tailgates packed with growers’ pride priced at reasonable prices.

An April ribbon-cutting ceremony included a ”Meet The Farmer“ event, which offered at-tendees a chance to meet agriculturalists who grow the produce that will be sold at the new location. The farmers market officially opened this season on April 23.

The new $2 million pavilion provides vendors with well-built cover, not to mention lighting, bathrooms and other amenities.

The local organization will have guaranteed reservations on Wednesdays and Saturdays dur-ing harvesting season. The Pavilion at Founders Park won’t fit as many vendors as the former site, but some vendors can use the adjacent 100-space parking lot if needed.

The Johnson City Farmers Market has been around since 1976, when it began as a coop-erative effort between markets in Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. The people instrumental for this beginning were Marsh Beckner, Walter Blalock, and Harry Fain. Its originally was known as F.A.R.M., which stood for Tri-Cities Farmers’ Association For Retail Marketing.

The Johnson City Farmers Market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from April through October. New vendors are welcome who live in one of the following Tennessee Counties: Hawkins, Greene, Washington, Sullivan, Carter, Unicoi, and Johnson. The market is open from 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. Vendors can set up booths at 6 a.m. For information on becoming a vendor contact Jess Price at 423-926-7648.

BlountvilleThough the Blountville Farmers Market may not be as old or as large as other markets in the Tri-Cities, the association has a core group of dedicated, local farmers who come every Thursday to see their wares during the summer and fall months.

And by placing a greater emphasis on advertis-ing in recent years, market attendance has been growing quite nicely, said Aaron Blevins, president of the Blountville Farmers Market Association.

“It’s paid off with pretty good crowds,” Blevins said. “We also see an increase when the local produce comes in and the crowds stay with us until September and October.”

The Blountville Farmers Market is located

behind the old courthouse off Main Street in downtown Blountville and is open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Thursday from June through October. Early in the season the market has about six to eight vendors, but as the vegetables start coming in around July and August, the number of vendors grows to a dozen or more.

Originally, the market was located in the parking lot of the county offices building just up the street. About four years ago, the association moved it to its current home, under a perma-nent structure and now, according to Blevins, the talk is for the market to somehow be incor-porated in with the nearby military park, with more parking and better landscaping.

“We try to deal mainly with locally grown pro-duce and products, though sometimes we have to bring in some produce from out of the area to help sustain the market until our local vendors can get to the market,” Blevins said.

A variety of fruits and vegetables are the staple at the Blountville Farmers Market and in recent years some vendors have branched out into new offerings, such as woodworking, baked goods, jellies, crafts and dog treats.

KingsportThe Kingsport Farmers Market has a long history in the Model City, with loyal support-ers, steady growth over the decades and more recently an iconic, indoor structure to call home.

Now in its 37th year, the Kingsport Farmer Mar-ket officially opened the 2016 season in earlyApril with hours running from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or thereabouts. Beginning in May, the market

7 7MAY 2016 | GOTRI MAGAZINE

FARMERS MARKETSadds a second day of the week – Thursdays – and will remain to the public through November.

Early in the season, about 20 to 25 vendors will be on hand selling a variety of fruits and vegetables, plants, flowers and crafts, then as peak growing season approaches the market will literally grow to 40 to 50 vendors on any given Wednesday or Saturday.

The popularly results in 4,000 to 5,000 custom-ers walking through the indoor and outdoor farmers market.

Kingsport’s farmers market has been located in the downtown area for years, offering a variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables to the public two days a week. In recent years, the market moved from its original location behind the Kingsport Public Library to a parking lot on Center Street to the old Quebecor property at the corner of Clinchfield and Center streets.

City leaders then made a commitment to im-prove the market by transforming one of the old Holliston Mills buildings by renovating the struc-ture, adding a nice, brick facade and decorative sign calling it home to the farmers market.

To further enhance the property, the city also agreed to co-locate the Kingsport Carousel with the market, renovate the upstairs portion of the building for a demonstration woodworking studio and add an adjacent park, with picnic tables, benches and a play structure.

For four years in a row, the market has been named East Tennessee’s best farmers market by The Tennessee Magazine in its Best of Ten-nessee Readers’ Choice Awards.

Today, the market is one of the busiest sites in downtown when open, drawing in people from miles around looking for fresh produce, colorful flowers and a chance to fellowship with friends.

AbingdonThe Abingdon Farmers Market kicked off its reg-ular season April 16 with an opening day raffle, food sampling, cooking demonstrations, and other food educational activities to celebrate the beginning of a new farmers market season.

More than 50 vendors from local farms and ar-tisans set up to sell their goods and to promote fresh local food throughout the community. The Abingdon Farmers Market is located on the corner of Remsburg Drive and Cummings Street and will will continue through Thanksgiving with hours of operation on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Several new events are planned for the 2016 season, including a Herb Festival, Berry Festival, Tomato Festival, and Squashtober Fest along with other events to celebrate the bounty of locally produced foods and goods. The market includes over 50 full-time vendors, offering a wide variety of local meats, eggs, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, wines, prepared foods, art & crafts and even a couple food trucks. Now you can find even more of your everyday needs at the Abingdon Farmers Market.

For more information on the market, visit its website at www.abingdonfarmersmarket.com or follow them on Facebook: Abingdon Farmers Market or on Instagram: abingdonmarket.

East Tennessee StateUniversityThursdays on East Tennessee State University’s campus in the month of April are special.

The trees are blooming, and so are the options for organic vendors, local farmers and growers who fill out the Farmers Market at ETSU.

The market was started in 2012 by a couple of students who sought to expand the options local students had to get their hands on locally-grown and produced foods and goods. Entirely run by students, it’s not uncommon for the Farmers Market at ETSU to feature music, danc-ing, demonstrations and lectures, as well as the partnership of many regional organizations.

ETSU’s Department of Community and Behavior-al Health, Appalachian Farmers Market Associa-tion, Bucky’s Food Pantry, ETSU Eco, EcoNuts, the school’s Sustainability Initiative and Student Diabetics Association are just a few of those who help make the market come together.

Through the farmers market’s social media pages, organizers often try to feature informa-tion on some of the vendors.

Recently, they highlighted the goods of Happy Skin Naturals, a local soap and skin care com-pany, as well as pointing at a farmer’s marketfa-vorite, a staple in the diets of many attendees — Auntie Ruth’s, which makes hot and homemade doughnuts, pretzels and hand-squeezed lemonade.

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“They work a lot of festivals throughout the year but say nothing compares to being at farmer’s markets because they see people just like them who take pride in working with their own hands, and supplying the local community with products other than what you find in your local grocery stores,” said the posting about Auntie Ruth’s.

If you want a bag of greens or a “made from scratch” doughnut, on Thursdays in April, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., on ETSU’s campus, you can fill your refrigerator and belly.

JonesboroughAs spring rolls in, so does local produce, and farmers markets are a hub for local goods, produce and if you go to Jonesborough, even music.

Just a few more weeks until Saturday mornings fill Jonesborough’s streets with customers look-ing for the best of the best in shopping local. This year, the Jonesborough Farmers Market will begin at 8 a.m. on May 7 and continue on

Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon through October, with the exception of July 2 and October 8.

The market will pack into the east side of the Washington County courthouse and offer every-thing from seasonal fruits and veggies to eggs, cheese and baked goods.

And the fun doesn’t stop there – the Jonesbor-ough Farmers Market also features local music each Saturday, for guests to listen and enjoy as they shop – or sometimes even set the bags down and dance.

Even when the market shuts down at noon, the spirit of shopping local lives on through Boone Street Market, which opened in November of 2014. Boone Street Market supplies local goods year-round, so even after the market closes in October, community members can still get their local shopping fix by stopping by the shop and taking in the seasonal items.

According to its website, the Jonesborough Market is a non-profit organization organized by the community to aid local farmers and educate

the community about shopping local.

To learn more about the Jonesborough Farmers Market and what it takes to be a vendor, email [email protected], call 458-2122 or visit the market on the web at http://jonesbor-ough.locallygrown.net/.


As retail sales in the Tri-Cities continue to grow – up 5.1 percent in 2015 - gains in one city have produced an outlier.

Kingsport and Johnson City posted retail sales increases of 5.4 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively, Bristol, which for years has lagged in total dollar sales, jumped 12.7 percent.

In several of his past quarterly reports, East Tennessee State University Economist Dr. Steb Hipple attributes Bristol’s dramatic increases to the opening of The Pinnacle, a million-square-foot retail complex off Interstate 81.

Developed by Steve Johnson, The Pinnacle’s first store, Bass Pro Shops, opened in August 2014 to a crowd of hundreds, and the subsequent openings of additional anchors Belk and Marquee Cinemas have also been successful.

“Everybody’s running over projections,” Johnson said in February. “They’re meeting or exceeding the plan. I haven’t heard of anyone who’s complain-ing about underperforming.”

In May, Johnson said another 130,000 square feet of retail space will open, “so we predict 2016’s numbers, with the stores that are already open combined with six solid months of sales from the new section, we anticipate decent numbers.”

In that expansion, expected in the spring and summer this year, Carter’s, Christopher & Banks, OshKosh B’gosh, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, and Old Navy will open. The developer also expects used-car dealer Car-Max to open a lot this year.

The Pinnacle hasn’t been built without a tinge of controversy, however, as nearby municipalities worry the mega-retail center could spur business and revenue migration.

According to the Kingsport Times News, Pier 1, Kirkland’s, Justice and Christopher & Banks have either relocated to the Pinnacle or plan to later this year. Old Navy is similarly expected to make the 11W trek in June.Last year, the mall in Bristol, Virginia, lost Belk, which opened a much larger store in the Pinnacle development, and the Highlands Shopping Center, near the heavily developed Exit 7, lost Bed, Bath and Beyond.In January, the Mall at Johnson City’s Gap and Baby Gap stores closed, a move that was an effort to return the company to profitability, according to a company spokesperson. The Pinnacle expects to open a Gap this year.The Pinnacle is also in competition for sales and tenants with The Falls, a retail development being built on the other side of the state line, mostly financed by the city of Bristol, Virginia.

A year after Bass Pro Shops opened in the Pinnacle, The Falls opened its own outdoor lifestyles retailer, Cabela’s. Lowe’s Home Improvement, a transplant from the unincorporated county, is another anchor tenant, but recently, Calhoun’s and Smoky Mountain Brewery canceled plans to build there.

Developer Steve Johnson talks to a crowd of business leaders and elected officials about The Pinnacle’s expansion.

The Power of the Pinnacle By Nathan Baker

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Boones Creek Potters GalleryThis art gallery located in a historic home in Boones Creek is perfect for those looking to fill their home with art. The store has offered only quality, handmade American works of art for more than 30 years.

Boones Creek Potters Gallery is home to 400 of the finest local and regional artisans who provide the shop with pottery, blown glass, jewelry, textiles, wood carvings and crafts.

But don’t be fooled by the name. This shop offers far more than pottery. Items sold through the gift shop include jewelry, garden ornaments, mugs and bowls, dinnerware, hand blown glass, hand carved wood and metal items and wall art and paintings.

The gallery offers all kinds of pottery, many items for a reasonable price. All of the pottery is handmade in America and can either be functional or purely decorative. Along with that, Native American pottery is also offered.

Boones Creek Potters Gallery also sells potter’s clay. They sell standard ceramics high fire and low fire moist clay, which is most suitable for pot-ters and schools. The gallery also offers instructional classes for those interested in crafting their own pottery.

The store is located in the historic Clark House at 2362 Boones Creek Road in Johnson City. They are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

More information can be found at their website http://www.boonescreek-pottery.com/


– compiled by Marci Gore and Nick Shepherd

While big box stores may dominate the current shopping landscape, there are still plenty of cool “mom-and-pop” shops in the area. These shops provide a unique shopping experience and help keep money in the community.

Below we feature a few of the many small businesses making our community a great place to live and work.

Roberts & JonesIt’s been more than a year since the one-time bank and longtime dress shop has been taken down to its structural bones, with glimpses of ex-posed brick and rough edges of Depression-era wallpaper and horsehair plaster.

Now lit by salvaged chandeliers that hang from tongue-and-groove ceil-ings, the building at 165 W. Jackson St. in Gate City is accented by an ornate cast-iron mantel and overlooked by a paneled mezzanine with mountain views.

In 2014, the early 20th century structure was revived as Roberts & Jones, a gift shop aimed at Southwest Virginia residents who want excel-lent customer service — or just don’t have time to drive to Kingsport.

For shop owner Vikki Roberts, it’s all about showcasing the historic build-ing in a way she hopes will make the community proud.

“We just wanted something, not another empty building in Gate City,” said Roberts, who added “& Jones” to the name in honor of her grand-dad, Dick Jones, who owned a service station in the 1950s. As she was searching for a name for the new business, she found his old sign.

She says she gleaned inspiration from the revival in downtown Kingsport, which has similarly overhauled early 20th century buildings with a new urban feel that incorporates many original elements.

It’s the second Gate City building project for Roberts, who seven years ago opened The Family Bakery with a half-dozen family members in another renovated downtown building. The successful bakery, located at 101 E. Jackson St., is just down the street from Roberts & Jones.

The shop features gifts of local interest and unique items not available at big-box stores, including a Virginia gift section and an important center

piece of good old-fashioned customer service.

For Vikki and her husband, Allan “Cot-ton” Roberts, both the bakery and the gift shop are part of a broader vision — a kind of downtown economic rebirth that they believe is as possible in Gate City as it is in Kingsport.

Roberts & Jones is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information call (276) 690-2531 or email [email protected].

COOL PLACES TO SHOP

11OCTOBER 2015 | GOTRI MAGAZINE

Mauk’s of JonesboroughThis corner store located in downtown Jonesborough knows a thing or two about servicing its customers. According to their website, service is just as important as products or prices. And they believe in service so much, they will only deal with companies who have the same mentality.

This commitment to service may be what has kept the shop in business since 1891.

Mauk’s offers a variety of items to fit customers of all stripes. The store offers many Ekornes Stressless Chairs and Sofas, which can be ordered in any style, size and color. Along with the stressless chairs, Mauk’s offers the Luna Chair, Uwharrie chairs & furniture, hammocks, fine furniture and Tempur-Pedic products.

But furniture isn’t the only thing offered at this store. Many accessories and gifts can be found there too. Items such as Vera Bradly Designer bags, Lampe Berger lamps and fragrances, Howard Miller Clocks, Byer’s Choice Carolers, Kitchen Kreations foods, musical items, Willow Tree gifts, Watkins, Tiley Endurable Hats, Picnic supplies and decor fans & lighting.

The store is open Monday through Saturday. From Monday through

Thursday, the hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday the store is open from 10 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m.

More information can be found on their website www.mauks.com


Mountain View Country MarketA quaint store located in the heart of Chuckey, Tennessee, this market has something for everyone. Mountain View Country Market offers its shoppers bulk foods, deli cheeses, deli meets, baking supplies, canned products, pastas and candy.

It also offers home baked goods. Some of the baked items include fresh coconut cakes, soft pretzels and doughnuts. Mountain View also offers specialty items, such as Amish country meats and cheeses.

The store provides recipes on its official website and is very active on social media, where they regularly run contests for their customers. Mountain View is locally owned and operated and was established in 1995.

Mountain View Country Market is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. except on Friday and Saturday when they are open until 7 p.m. The store is located at 7730 Erwin Highway, Chuckey, Tenn.

They can be reached by visiting their website at mountainviewbulkfoods.com, by phone at 423-257-5739 or by email at [email protected]. You can also visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mtviewbulkfoods.

The Haggle Shop AntiquesIn business for more than 50 years, this unique antique shop is located in the heart of downtown Kingsport. Bob and Joyce Grills opened the shop in 1964.

A customer can purchase almost anything they want or need in two con-venient locations, either at 147 Broad St. or 154 Commerce St.

Up to 100 dealers offer all sorts of memorabilia from the past, including old trunks, vintage clothing, fine furniture and antique items. Modern items can also be found throughout the three floors of vendors. Custom-ers will find retro furnishings, crystal and depression glass with ease.

Other items include Elvis and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, children’s toys from the 1950s and 1960s, chenille bedspreads, pictures and frames, china and glassware, along with many more items.

The Haggle Shop also conducts estate sales for people who are down-sizing or relatives who need to sell personal or family items.

They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.


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KingsportKingsport is known as the Model City and the reason why, at least partly, is because of its downtown and how it was originally imagined and created. Renowned downtown planner John Nolen designed the downtown and its surround-ings in the early 20th century, making the down-town area the hub of activity for industries with neighborhoods strategically placed around it.

The downtown area measures in at an im-pressive 400 acres, comprising 44 blocks of businesses, industries, governmental offices, residences and restaurants. Kingsport’s down-town is easily the biggest of the Tri-Cities – five times the size of Johnson City and 10 times the size of Bristol.

“Among the many awesome unique character-istics that downtown Kingsport offers, the one that I think sets us apart from Bristol and John-son City is our urban lofts,” said Sherri Mosley, executive director of the Downtown Kingsport Association. “Our loft developers have gone to great lengths to restore our historic buildings downtown and create upper story loft living with exposed brick and beams while also creating retail space on the first floor.”

During the past decade, city and community leaders have placed downtown redevelopment at the top of the priority list and have often re-ferred to the downtown as the heart of the city. As the downtown grows and thrives, so does the rest of the city.

The face of downtown has changed dramati-cally since 2005 – Kingsport built a five-building academic village that today boasts student at-tendance of more than 2,500, improved one of the main corridors through downtown – Sullivan Street, and have worked to enhance the look of

downtown through landscaping, public art and community clean-up events.

New restaurants, like Main Street Pizza and Macado’s, and watering holes, such as Un-corked and Hook and Ladder, are bringing more people to the sidewalks of downtown. The sum-mer concert series, now in its 10th year, easily fills up the 100 block of Broad Street twice a week for fans of bluegrass, country and rock music.

Downtown Kingsport has come a long way in the past 10 years and city leaders have no intention of slowing down.

In the recent One Kingsport summit, downtown revitalization was the most-attended work group and plans are underway to improve the housing options along supermarket row, create a des-tination attraction, such as a performing arts center, and complete Centennial Park – a legacy product of the city’s 100th birthday next year.

BristolThough the Twin Cities may be in two states, Bristol itself is of one state of mind.

“Downtown is important to the Bristol communi-ty for many reasons,” explains Christina Blevins, the executive director of Believe in Bristol. “Our public and private partnerships, downtown offers activities for all residents including free events and community spaces and we have a strong desire for our culture and historic pres-ervation.

“I’m proud of the development downtown and I’m happy to be involved in our future growth.”

State Street presents a unique atmosphere with two states but one state of mind. The state line

between Virginia and Tennessee runs right down the main street of Bristol’s historic downtown and here visitors will find a plethora of options when it comes to shopping, dining, entertain-ment, and living.

Downtown Bristol is home to 20 places to sat-isfy your hunger and thirst – ranging from burger joints to small plates and fine dining to local craft breweries. Blevins said you may find your-self in an upscale café environment for lunch and later having wings at a hopping sports bar for late night.

Shopping in downtown Bristol is a blossoming adventure in style, from antique to modern, shops big and small, Bristol shops offer so much more than your conventional box store, Blevins notes. Upscale men’s and women’s clothing and shoes, designer home accessories, gourmet goodies, toys, original art, and dazzling jewelry from fine to far out.

Steeped in a rich history of cultural and musical landmarks, downtown Bristol continues to play an ever more influential hand in shaping the arts in the region. Blevins said the district fea-tures over 30 artisans in six downtown blocks.

While taking pride in its country music roots, the arts & entertainment district aims to curate and cultivate all walks of the art world – from common to quirky. Already home to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Border Bash, Art in Public Places and the PUSH! Film Festival, the arts & entertainment district continues to grow and cultivate Bristol’s creativity.

JonesboroughKnown to most as Tennessee’s oldest town, Jonesborough has a lot to offer to residents and visitors in addition to a rich history.

Go Downtown – compiled by Jeff Bobo, Tony Casey, Jessica Fuller, Matthew Lane and John Thompson


Downtown Jonesborough is an ever-changing re-tail landscape that boasts a slew of local shops including antique stores, boutiques, restaurants, a coffee house and a grocery store. One of Jonesborough’s latest additions, The Corner Cup, has taken up residence along Main Street to give shoppers that much-needed coffee break after a long day of shopping downtown.

The Corner Cup opened in November, and after perfecting servicing hot drinks to customers, will be trying out cool drinks for the summer. Owner Deborah Kruse says she likes to think of the Corner Cup as Jonesborough’s living room for friends and neighbors to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee together.

Just across the road, Boone Street Market just celebrated its first year of business, and stands as a gateway into historic Jonesborough while offering farm-fresh, local food to residents. And Boone Street Market operates year round, so when the Farmer’s Market closes down at the end of summer, customers can still buy local groceries.All the shopping aside, downtown Jonesborough is active throughout the year with different kinds of festivals, contests and concerts throughout the year. Main Street Coordinator Melinda Copp says that for Jonesborough to evolve that it has to try on different festivals for size. These include Jonesborough Days, Main Street Brews and Tunes and Movies on Main in the summer and the internationally-recognized Storytelling

Festival in October.

Copp said sometimes its hard to plan festivals for the winter months, but she worked with the Main Street program to host a winter wonder-land window decoration contest for businesses in January and the first-annual Chocolate Fest in February.

Although centuries-old, Jonesborough is always changing while keeping its historic charm. Whether its to visit the Chester Inn Museum, the historic Salt House, take a ghost tour, eat at a local restaurant or just go shopping, there aren’t many places you can get the charm of downtown Jonesborough.

ElizabethtonIf it is old and connects the present to the past, it has a place in historic downtown Elizabethton.

Half the downtown area is in a historic zoning district and commercial and residential build-ings retain the graceful styles and architecture of a century ago. But the downtown area goes back much further in history. A plaque at the Carter County Courthouse certifies that the area where Elizabethton began was the Watauga Old Fields that had been cultivated by Native Americans.The first court west of the Appalachian Moun-tains was held under a sycamore tree in 1772

near the banks of the Doe River in downtown Elizabethton. A section of the tree in memorial-ized there. More than a century later, the county court authorized the erection of a covered bridge across the Doe. That bridge is still a cherished part of downtown Elizabethton and still carries pedestrian traffic.

In the first part of the 20th century, a monu-ment was built to honor Carter County veterans. It still stands in the midst of a traffic circle next to the courthouse. In the latter years of the 20th century, a veterans memorial and walk of honor was created in downtown Elizabethton.

As befitting such an area, downtown Eliza-bethton has become known for all the antique stores along Elk Avenue. Antique furniture, china, porcelain and other items share space with collectables from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and other decades to help make downtown Eliza-bethton a place for nostalgia seekers.

That nostalgia reaches its peak ever Saturday night from the first of April until the end of October, when car buffs show off their classics. Everything from 60’s muscle cars to a 1930 Model-A line Elk Avenue every Saturday that weather permits. Thousands come to enjoy the cars.

Another part of downtown history is the Bonnie Kate Theater, which started showing movies in 1926, before there were talkies.


A preservation group hopes to turn the old theater into a performing arts center.

There are plenty of new memories also being made in downtown. Children are delighted each year when Santa rides on the Elizabethton Fire Department’s ladder truck down Elk Avenue. Santa is proceeded by six high school and junior high bands, lots of other units and plenty of treats for children.

Halloween is also becoming more of a tradi-tion downtown, with the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department offering plenty of spooky fun for children and their parents.

It all comes together to give downtown Eliza-bethton a unique flavor in the Tri-Cities.

RogersvilleMost Rogersville visitors can’t leave without a detour through the scenic historic district. What they’re not always seeing is a new era in down-town shopping anchored by several new shops and boutiques.

And more importantly, from the perspective of shop owners, is they’re not always stopping.In a sense, that may have worked out better for the consumers because it’s forced shop owners to be more competitive with their prices.

Susan Helton opened “Sparkles” women’s clothing boutique on Depot Street in January. She said what’s attracting shoppers to down-town Rogersville is competitive prices for items you can’t find anywhere else.

Downtown has become a good hunting grounds for bargain seekers, Helton said.

“We are unique in Rogersville,” Helton said. “If somebody wants to come to Rogersville and walk around downtown they’re going to have a tea room, they’re going to have a gift market, a couple of boutiques, a couple of good restau-rants where they can eat. Consignment stores. Merle Norman is there. Our downtown has a lot of offer, and if you haven’t been here before, there’s a lot to explore.”

Helton added, “Come to Rogersville and give us a chance. I have better prices than any place in Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol. We’re not going to have a lot of mark-up. We’ll have a great selection. Very friendly employees. I have it all to offer.”

Sandy Lakins opened LuElla’s Gift Market on Main street almost two years ago. She calls downtown Rogersville a “hidden gem.”

“I opened a business here because I love the atmosphere in downtown,” Lakins said. “We have beautiful buildings and so much history to explore. Lots of interesting shops and good places to eat. We’re just trying to spread the word. Come downtown and look around. You’ll be surprised how much is here.”

Some of the stores you’ll find in Rogersville’s historic downtown section include Wendy’s Simple Treasures, Carter K Boutique, Heritage Antiques, Sunny Side Yarn, LuElla’s Gift Market, Sparkles, Mountain Star Mall, Merle Norman, Flowers by Wanda, the Local Artists Gallery, Green Boomerang Health Foods and AnnaBelle, which opened April 1.

Anna Belle owner James Raines said what he hopes will draw customers into downtown Rogersville, aside from the ambiance, is lower prices.

“I’ve got as good, if not better boutique clothing than you’re going to find in Kingsport or Johnson City, and I don’t charge more than $25 for a single clothing item,” Raines said. “There’s re-ally no other place you can go to get the quality and variety of boutique items at the prices we’re offering.”

Raines admits that Rogersville is no Pigeon Forge, but it is comparable to Jonesborough, and every bit as beautiful and historic.

“Downtown is the heartbeat of Rogersville, and everybody drives through just for the scenic beauty,” Raines said. “But not a lot of people stop, and they really should. I think they’re going to be pleasantly surprised by what we have to offer.”

Johnson CityAny stroll through downtown Johnson City will turn up many more retail shopping options than what were available just a few years ago.

It’s no coincidence that this shopping expansion is happening exactly at the same time that the municipality and those involved with bettering Johnson City’s community are investing in, and working toward, a more vibrant and alive down-town scene.

Some examples of downtown’s newest players include Overmountain Outdoors, a specialty out-door retailer, the Local Company, an Appalachian Artisan Emporium, Reclaimed Inspired Goods, a downtown home decor and photography busi-ness and the Trek Bicycle Store.

Each of these bring in a new clientele and energy to the downtown streets that have had a bad reputation for the last few decades. After


the hard work of those individuals and groups who wouldn’t give up on downtown Johnson City, the road was paved for the above mentioned businesses to not only open, but to succeed.

The Trek Store, for example, since its opening in mid-2015, has been hooking up area cyclists with the gear they need in great quantity. But their services don’t stop at selling bikes or doing repairs, they’ve sought to be a part of the community through group events, like the Tuesday Taco Trek.

This weeknight event allows riders to meet up in great numbers, enjoy each other’s company, get exposure to the Trek Store and its staff, but also ends up at another downtown partnering business, the Holy Taco Cantina.

Dianna Cantler, with the Washington County Economic Development Council, has specifically worked in downtown Johnson City to make sure this expansion continues on the right path, and it’s paid off. Working with the city to recruit new

businesses has turned out to be fruitful.Tina Wilson, who owns Reclaimed Inspired Goods, spoke with the Johnson City Press’ Nathan Baker about why she sought to open her store in downtown Johnson City.

“I was very reluctant to come downtown with the clientele that we have,” Wilson said. “There weren’t very many retail places and safety and parking have always been such a big concern.”

But after seeing the energy and infrastructure change in the blocks where the business re-sides, she admits her opinions have change, and she feels like she’s part of some-thing new in downtown Johnson City.

“We’re trying to bring some new people downtown, people who wouldn’t normally

come downtown,” she said. “We’ve seen and heard a lot of things from people who seem super excited about what we’re bringing.”

Wilson said the times are changing for Johnson City and she thinks this energy is taking root.

“We’re super excited about the momentum that’s happening downtown,” she said. “We’re happy to be a part of the beginning stages of what is going to be a great downtown.”


Local bookstore owner Dr. Glen Moody, says trends in the book business go in what he describes as, “spiral cycles.”

“Trends tend to repeat every few decades, but the repeated trend is a variation of the previous trend,” said Moody, who owns and operates I Love Books Bookstore in the Kingsport Town Center. “As a consumer-driven business, the book business is obviously highly affected by the volatility of economic trends.”

Moody attributes the decline of the retail book business in 2008 and 2009 more to the national economic decline than to trends and factors in the book business itself.

“The rapid increase and rapid decline of the e-book phenomena took place between 2010 and 2012, and is now considered a short-lived fad by many veterans in the book business,” he said.

From 2010, when Moody relocated his store to the Kingsport Town Center, he began to focus heavily on books about local and regional topics

of interest. He also included a significant num-ber of books by local authors, both nationally published and self-published.

“Kingsport area residents have a voracious ap-petite for regionally oriented books, like the cur-rent book about the Facebook-related murders in Mountain City,” said Moody.

Moody says that, contrary to popular opinion, most things in business and the book business aren’t as they appear from a quick glance.

“The fall of the Borders book empire and the decline of Barnes and Noble are less about Amazon and e-books and more about the lack of experience of CEOs that head the compa-nies,” said Moody. “The current CEO of Barnes and Noble has four months of experience in the book business, all of those as CEO. Borders had six high-paid CEOs in the last two years of the business — none of which had any experi-ence in the book business. Experience, as Ben Franklin said, is a dear teacher.”

Moody says I Love Books Bookstore really took

off when the business moved into a larger space in the mall two years ago.

“That time frame also coincided with a general resurgence in the independent bookstore busi-ness and an improvement in the national eco-nomic climate. Annual sales have tripled since (our) first year in the mall,” Moody said.

Moody says he anticipates 2016 to be I Love Books’ most successful year.

“(Our) focus on important national titles as well as local authors and local related titles balances well with (our) strong sidelines of es-sential oils, loose-leaf teas, organic herbs and spices, and local honey products,” he said.

I Love Books is located in the upper level of the Kingsport Town Center, near JCPenney and is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 1 to 6 p.m., Sunday.

For more information, call (423) 378-5859 or visit I Love Books Bookstore on Facebook.

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19OCTOBER 2015 | GOTRI MAGAZINE 19MAY 2016 | GOTRI MAGAZINE

More resources for starting a business seem to exist today than ever before in our region.

For those interested in a business start-up, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has this basic advice:

• First, check the availability of the proposed name of your new company.

• Next, define what your business legal struc-ture will be, like a limited liability company, for instance.

• Identify the basic tax obligations (like pay-ing a franchise and excise tax) of operating your business in the state you will be doing business in.

• Will your business employ additional staff?

• What departments or agencies will your business be required to register with?

• Lastly, what other resources can assist you with your business? The state of Tennessee claims to have a strong tradition of entrepreneurship. From HCA to FedEx, Tennessee business start-ups have a history of solving problems, creating jobs and strengthening the state economy.

For entrepreneurs, the state created an entity called Launch Tennessee to help them create new businesses.

Launch Tennessee positions entrepreneurs to receive consulting and capital assistance. There are also regional entrepreneur cen-ters across the state to help. The regional entrepreneur center in Northeast Tennessee is called AccelNow, headquartered at the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce. AccelNow is led by former Kingsport City Manager John Campbell.

Campbell described AccelNow as a “miss-ing link” that is part of the region’s overall economic development effort.

“It’s not just a matter of someone being able to respond to starting a new business, but how do you create this greater entre-preneurial environment where you increase income levels and increase jobs,” Campbell explained. “I think it’s important this region have a strong effort in terms of an entrepre-neurial environment ... Entrepreneurs for the most part don’t worry about city or county boundaries. They think about who can help them. We see it daily ...This region has so much talent and creative ability, it’s a matter of drawing that out.” Also at the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce is the Kingsport Office of Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship (KOSBE) and the Small Business Development Center ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office.

The organizations have introduced a new expanded GrowthWheel program for 2016 to help small businesses grow and create new jobs. GrowthWheel is a new business tool for deci-sion making. It offers small business owners and entrepreneurs a way to view their busi-ness holistically, get focused, set an agenda, and take definitive steps to grow.

Before small business owners can participate in a GrowthWheel work group, they must at-tend the GrowthWheel Introduction, which is a two-hour primer, in which attendees complete an individual GrowthWheel 360° Screening for their business. The screening is supposed to help business owners identify areas where they are doing well, as well as decide what focus areas they need to address.

The program work groups meet twice a week on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Each week zeros in on a single GrowthWheel focus area.

KOSBE Executive Director Aundrea Wilcox says there are four types of entrepreneurs or business people: The “Inventor” who likes coming up with new ideas, products and so on; the “Teambuilder” who loves working with people and loves motivating others; the “Rainmaker” who is all about selling and making connections but doesn’t necessarily stick around for the grunt work that must also take place; and the “Backbone” who likes working behind the scenes and out of the limelight.

“The focus areas that you typically spend the most time on are directly correlated to the type of entrepreneur you most identified with,” Wilcox said. “GrowthWheel is a system developed around finding challenges and op-portunities; and identifying the decisions and actions that need to be taken in a particular business. At the end of the day, it all comes down to actions — the real reason some companies grow and others do not.”

The cost of the program is $250 per partici-pant, which includes a basic toolbox contain-ing 100 worksheets — five for each of the 20 GrowthWheel focus areas. Participants can choose to make a one-time payment, or choose a payment schedule with a deposit of $100 plus three payments of $50.

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When shopping at thrift stores, most people do so to snag a few items at really good prices. But the deci-sion to shop thrifty also has other benefits – if the store is operated by a non-profit organization, shopping there helps that organization, and it generates much-needed sales tax revenues for local governments and schools.

From folks looking to find some bargains to people on a limited budget to resellers looking for profit — thrift store operators say shop-pers have been known to frequent the stores once a day in their quest for bargains.

One well-known thrift store is the Salvation Army Family Store located at 1409 E. Stone Drive in Kingsport. The store supports the operations of the Salvation Army downtown, which includes a seven-day-a-week soup kitchen that serves more than 135,000 meals a year, emergency temporary housing, and family services allowing people to get free clothing at the store with vouchers.

Major Alan Hill of the Kingsport Salvation Army said the stores sell “a little bit of everything,” from clothing to furniture and housewares. It’s open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Any usable item is what it’s about,” Hill said of the operation. “It’s a pretty hard business” and “a real challenge” to keep stock fresh and rotate items out.

Some of the more interesting items to come through the store include jewelry, military patches and badges dating back to World War I. Like most thrift operations, the Salvation Army will take donated vehicles or boats as long as they work and can be moved. Clothing that doesn’t sell or is too ragged for use is recycled for rags, and metal items in that condition are recycled, too.

“It can be a sad thing sometimes. People donate albums full of photos or medals from veterans. You assume no one is left in the fam-ily to take the items,” said store manager Dave Reynolds.

Reynolds used to work in for-profit retail and said he likes the Salvation Army store, adding that Eastman Chemical Company employees have volunteered to help paint the store and install new energy-efficient LED lighting.

Store staff, some paid, some volunteer, sort through all types of items. “We do get some collectible things,” Reynolds said, adding that the goal is to sell such things below full eBay retail. The store moved to its current location about eight years ago and sometimes receives donations from Habitat thrift stores.

The Community Clothes Closet in Church Hill, on the other hand, grew out of a women’s circle of the First United Methodist Church of Church Hill. It is a separate, not-for-profit entity. Store Manager Jo Seals said it has operated since 1995 at 106 E. Main St. from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“Since ’95, we’re very close to putting $2 mil-lion back into the community,” Seals said.

The operation is mostly volunteer but has a few hired workers at minimum wage to keep the doors open during operating hours. Money goes to support a local community chest, food pantry, the Church Hill Free Clinic, Friends in Need, Hawkins County Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, the Pregnancy Hope Center, CASA, and fire departments in Church Hill, Carters Val-ley, Goshen Valley and Mount Carmel.

It also gave 15 college scholarships to Volun-teer High School students, based on income, and donates to individuals, organizations and groups such as teachers needing classroom equipment, bands, libraries and non-traditional adult college and technical school scholarships.

“It just depends on what we get,” Seals said of the inventory. “The clothing side is always con-sistent.” The operation also gives away dishes, clothes and other items to those in need.

“We sort of limit resellers,” Seals said. “Most of it is grandparents with children who can’t af-ford to spend $35 on a shirt.”

Sometimes, the Clothes Closet staffers get surprises. Once, Seals said volunteers found a pistol in the pocket of an antique jacket that had belonged to a lady who had died.“I just called the police and they came and got it,” Seals said. “There were bullets in the other pocket.“

Another time, someone left live chickens in front of the store, which she said were handled by the Humane Society, and that a man once bought a first edition book there worth $600 for $1 but kept it instead of reselling it.

And the store recently sold an Evel Knievel action figure in the box for $270 on eBay.

Everything in the store is half price the first full week of each month Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

In contrast, at the Habitat ReStore (750 E. Main St., Kingsport) Store Manager Milburn Lane said about a third of the shoppers are resellers. Each Tuesday morning, he said that of about 30 that line up at the front door at opening time, 20 are resellers, including antique dealers and store owners.

The store moved from a small shop in Five Points, where it started in 1991, in June of 2012. In March, he said the store took in $470 an hour being open 18 hours a week. The store is the only Habitat store for Holston Habitat for Humanity, but a second story may open later this year in Johnson City.

“It’s a lot easier to say yes to donations re-quests here,” Lane said of the former Holston Building Supply warehouse space.

“We ended this past February making $1 million in sales for this location,” Lane said.Unlike most thrift stores, Habitat has a three-day-a-week schedule: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Proceeds, after expenses, go to pro-viding homes to eligible people who help with the construction and/or work in the store.Lane said he and a part-time truck driver are the only paid employees for Habitat, which re-lies on volunteers. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. but eventually will lengthen to 5:30 p.m., Lane said.

“We get donations and shoppers from Mor-ristown to Marion and all parts in between,” Lane said, adding that some come from eastern Kentucky and Newland, N.C.

In the past 30 years, Holston Habitat has provided 262 families homes and runs on a 65 percent profit margin for every dollar taken in, Lane said. Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry that builds with people in need regardless of race or religion. It was founded in 1976 in Georgia.

“Very rarely do donated materials go into a build. All our builds are new items,” Lane said, with a few exceptions of donated new stock that go into some homes.

Habitat will accept clothes and around the holi-days in late 2015 began putting them out at a price of $1 a bag for clients who needed them. However, Lane said most clothing is donated to the Salvation Army. Each summer, the store had ReArt at the Restore, where artists use items from the shelves to make are items, which are then auctioned off or sold at the store.

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Items for sale in the store range from house-wares and furniture to books, records and an 1850 grand piano Lane plans to sell this summer around the time of Fun Fest. The “warehouse” has building supplies, appliances and larger items, which he said draw older folks, new homeowners, apartment and rental property owners and others. This summer, the store also plans to sell Beatles items, including vintage fan club newsletters.

Other interesting items, he said, include a paint-ing by a recently deceased Yugoslavian artist, which went up from $200 to $1,200 after the death. Cars and other large items sometimes are donated and sold, he said.

“I have a sign up in the processing room that says if you don’t know what it is, don’t price it,” Lane said.

Volume items available in 20,000 square feet of retail space, served by 10,000 square feet of processing space, have included Ikea beds sold for $50 versus retail of $300 to $400.

Goodwill Industries stores are another popular place for deal-seekers and thrifters. Goodwill Industries of Tenneva has 14 stores in 17 coun-ties in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by a Methodist minister. According to Goodwill of Ten-neva, “Our busieness is changing lives.”

Unlike the other stores that rely mostly on volun-

teers, Goodwill’s mission is to employee people. All Goodwill employees, about 160 across the region, are paid at least $8 an hour, 75 cents more than the federal minimum wage.

“We enrich the lives of people through work-force development to people who have barriers to employment,” said CEO Bob Miller, noting bar-riers could include physical and mental condi-tions as well as past drug and alcohol problems or felony convictions. “We use no volunteers in our stores.”

Sales at Goodwill stores fund the organization’s job training, and employment services.

“Our bread and butter is right out here,” Miller said, pointing toward clothing in the Green Acres Shopping Center store.

Unlike the other not-for-profit stores, Goodwill donations are taken to a central processing facility in Kingsport and then distributed among the 17 stores in the region.

Store manager Glenna Collins and Miller said the Green Acres store each Monday has a truck come in with processed items from the process-ing center and then picks up donated items, making a second run Friday to pick up more donated items. Collins said the clothes must be out in two days, with the rest of the items spread out each day over the week.

“We have people who come here every day,” Collins said of clients that include the elderly. “Most of them buy when they come.” Some are

resellers, including a woman Collins said resells purses.

Some of the items are new, bought by Goodwill for resale, but Miller said the amount of new goods sold has decreased from about 30 per-cent of sales when he first came to Goodwill 10 years ago to about 12 to 17 percent now.

Collins said T-shirts are popular among teenag-ers and once a woman resold a coin set she bought for $1.97 plus tax for $450.

Goodwill stores are open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 1 – 6 p.m.

For Holiday hours contact your local store or main office at 423-245-0600.

The Kingsport stores are: John B Dennis: 105 Indian Center Court; Allandale: 4528 W Stone Drive; and Green Acres: 1185 N Eastman Road.Stores in Johnson City are: Johnson City North, 3010 Bristol Hwy.; Johnson City South, 2004 S. Roan Street, Suite 50 and Johnson City West, 2606 W Market Street, Johnson City.

Stores in Bristol are: Volunteer, 1812 Volunteer Parkway and Bristol, 2691 W. State Street.The store in Greeneville is located at 3190 E. Andrew Johnson Hwy.

Stores in Virginia are: Big Stone Gap, 1941 Neely Road (Powell Valley Square Center); Chil-howie, 1205 Lee Hwy.; Richlands, 2510 South Front Street; Wise, 205 Ridgeview Road SW and Abingdon, 15811 Porterfield Highway.


Tax Dollarsat Work By J.H. Osborne

No matter where you shop, as long as you keep it somewhere within the county where you live, you’re providing an essential funding stream for your local school systems.

Plus, you’re also helping fund other services provided by the local governments, such as road projects, police protection and recreational programs.

How does that work?

It’s all about “local.”

Shop local and the “local option” sales tax you pay is just that: local. The lion’s share goes to school funding.

If you travel outside the county, or across state lines, you’ll be paying someone else’s local op-tion sales taxes — and supporting their schools and government services instead.

Sales tax revenues are generated when money is spent on goods and services at businesses throughout the county and its cities.

When a consumer pays sales tax locally, busi-nesses send that money to the state, which re-distributes it to the county and its cities based on the collection site.

Sales tax revenues generally come back to the localities two months after they are collected by local merchants. January sales tax collections, for example, come back as revenue to area cities and counties — as well as the school systems — in March.

Local option sales tax revenues are split 50/50 — with half going to school systems in the county and the other half going to the local government where the collecting business is located.

Every dollar of local option sales taxes col-lected in Kingsport, for example, generates 50 cents for the county’s three school systems (the money is split based on average daily atten-dance) and 50 cents for city coffers.

If you look at Sullivan County’s tax collections, so far for the current fiscal year, sales tax revenues are up across most of the county, compared to the same time a year ago, accord-ing to the most recent monthly report from the county’s budget office.

As of that March report, sales tax revenues countywide had totaled $36.6 million, a growth of 7.49 percent (or about $2.55 million) com-pared to the same point last fiscal year.

And sales tax collections from businesses within the city of Kingsport continue to make up the bulk of all such collections, with nearly $23.38 million of the $36.6 million coming from within the Model City.

Businesses inside the city of Bristol generated $8.25 million of the $36.6 million.

Where did the $36.6 million in revenue, so far this year, go?

According to the accounting office’s report (all numbers rounded):

• The city of Kingsport’s non-school share of taxes totals about $11.69 million.

• The Kingsport City Schools system’s share is more than $5.77 million.

• The city of Bristol’s non-school share totals about $4.13 million.

• The Bristol City Schools system’s share totals more than $3.6 million.

• Sullivan County’s non-school portion for sales taxes generated outside the cities totals more than $2.15 million.

• The Sullivan County Schools system’s share is about $8.92 million.

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Local Art Galleriesby Zach Vance

Nelson’s Fine Art Center and Kingsport’s Art in the Heart are two of the few art galler-ies found in the Tri-Cities.

And there is likely a reason for that.

“Art’s a tough business,” said Dick Nelson, owner of Nelson Fine Art Center. “People sometimes come in and say ’I need something to go in a den’ or they’ll come in and they’ll love a piece so much that they make their den work around the piece.”

Nelson said the more likely choice is someone searching for something that fits into their home, which can be tough to cater for.

“Usually the art has to speak to you before anything else does,” Nelson said.

From photography, to clay pottery to abstract paintings, Nelson’s business model revolves around leasing spaces inside his gallery to artists.

The gallery also focuses on framing paintings, photography and objects, whether it be a violin, bridal bouquets, puzzles, sports medals or military memorabilia.

Nelson purchased a framing business in 1990 before moving and expanding to the cur-rent location at 324 East Main Street in Johnson City.

Art in the Heart Gallery, on the other hand, is a nonprofit organization managed by the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts, a division that promotes art culturally and economi-cally.

Art in the Heart Gallery began as the Flying Pig Gallery which showcased Kingsport’s Carousel Project. The project involved over 300 volunteers involved in the creation of a carousel in downtown Kingsport. The carousel is a unique piece to Kingsport featuring hand-carved wooden animals, chariots and original paintings on a refurbished machine.

Kingsport’s gallery, like Nelson’s Fine Arts Center, also offers fine art for sale, and focuses of local artists.

Over 40 local artists are represented at the Art in the Heart Gallery with oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastel paintings. Pottery, wood pieces, photography, stained glass, mosaics and assemblage are also featured at Kingsport’s gallery.

“It’s all local,” Nelson said referring to everything at Nelson’s Fine Art Center. “And it’s all for sale. The only thing that may not be local is if we have a student show from the university.”

Nelson also credits his gallery as being where downtown Johnson City’s “First Friday” originated. On the first Friday of every month, East Main Street is closed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. More than two dozen locations, like retail shops, museums, restaurants and bars, participate in the event.

Art in the Heart Gallery offers artistic classes, like fused glass and pet portrait classes, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

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