A Marketing Company and a Christmas Story

When your goal is to help others to "never blend in," it's probably important that you yourself never blend in. Karen Stanley's Neon Frog is a marketing and public relations business located in Columbus that is seeking to stand out further by moving its storefront to 517 Main Street, in the old Odd Fellows building. Stanley said when looking for a new location it was important to her to remain downtown, where so many of her clients were already based and she was very pleased to find the location on Main Street. The new location offers a larger office space for Neon Frog with an open floor plan allowing designers freedom to operate with each other, providing a free flow to ideas.

As part of its marketing services, Neon Frog offers cost-efficient services tailored to clients' needs, ranging from logo design and print advertising, up to event planning, web design and even employee training. Its the company's goal to help clients shine in their best format.

Stanley says she was a very reluctant entrepreneur, the start of her business finding itself in the downsizing of her previous employer. She was first encouraged to open Neon Frog by friends who offered office space for the marketing business. Karen's first client at Neon Frog came from a strange text message from a close friend. The message questioned Stanley what her average power bill was for her home. After sending her response, Stanley found a reply the next morning while praying for a sign. The reply offered a small marketing fund that would cover her monthly power bill in exchange for her services. There was one other hill to cross before Neon Frog could truly come to life.

It happened about a week before Christmas, while seeking to cement the Neon Frog name, taken from Stanley's first car, a blue Dodge Neon, and the idea that one might judge property by the status of the local amphibians, she found a business that had already reserved the desired url, though it was unused. Karen pursued the phone number given as the owner's contact information and spoke with an older gentleman who said he was the owner's father. His son was also a marketing designer. After discussing her intentions briefly Stanley was told that the owner had passed away a few years ago and his parents had not sold the domain despite several offers from other businesses. Stanley apologized for uprooting the emotional story. The next day she spoke with the gentleman again, who said he and his wife had a good feeling about her, and asked what she might be able to offer in payment for the domain name. Being of limited resources and not certain what she could offer, Karen asked that the couple provide her with a price. Several days passed with no response.

After nearly a week, Stanley's phone rang, the voice on the other end, that of the father, told Karen that after some consideration, he wanted her to take the domain name as a Christmas gift. They felt that their son would have wanted that way, and believed she would give the frog the care it deserved. With such outstanding tales behind them, how could Neon Frog not stand out?

Karen, along with her assistant Allie, works with free lance designers to provide price appropriate marketing services to her clients. The use of free lancers allows the company to cut down on overall price by employing these various types of designers as the necessity arises. Prior to opening Neon Frog in 2011, Stanley worked as a marketing director for various companies for several years. She graduated from the Mississippi University for Women and entered the professional marketing field in the late '90s.

#NeverBlendIn #NeonFrog #ColumbusMS #GoldenTrianglebiz #Mississippi

You'll find my column in the Commercial Dispatch and Starkville Dispatch Business section, every Thursday, under the name "The Sherman Business Report," that's right, the Sherman Business Situation's name has been changed. You'll still find my embellishments here though, whenever I get a chance to write a bit more in depth about what's going on in the Golden Triangle! If you live in the Golden Triangle and have some information on a new or old business, please don't hesitate to hit me up at CWSherman93@gmail.com!

Thanks for Reading
#CWSherman

A Late Retirement in West Point, Plaza Drugs

Plaza Drugs Co. in West Point, MS, closed down Friday, July 29, 2016, after nearly fifty years of service. J.C. Thompson, the proprietor of the cozy store, located next to Sunflower Food Store, 545 E. Main St., is retiring after 67 years in the pharmacy business. His family presented him with a cake to celebrate.



Johnson graduated from pharmacy school in 1949 and obtained employment with Barrett's Drugstore, now Barrett-Hodges Drugs, in Greenwood, MS the same year. He remained at Barrett's for seven years before moving to West Point in 1960, where he entered a partnership with fellow pharmacist Greely Nash. During this partnership, J.C. served on the State Board of Pharmacy form 1960-1964 under Paul Johnson. In 1967, J.C. achieved his dream of owning his own business in Plaza Drugs.

J.C. was assisted in running the store by his son, John, starting with his graduation in 1982. Mr. Johnson said without his son he could never have run the business as long as he did. His wife also assisted with record keeping and around the store. J.C. says he was fascinated with drugstores and dreamt of owning his own business, and John would maintain the store if possible, but the requirements on independent pharmacies are too high to continue.

Prior to his work in pharmaceuticals, Mr. Johnson served in the Marine Corps in Okinawa. He previously had two years of college in Union University in Jackson, TN before he returned to school in June of 1947 and graduated in August of 1949. He celebrated his 90th birthday in November of last year.

#GoldenTrianglebiz #WestPointMS #Mississippi 

You'll find my column in the Commercial Dispatch and Starkville Dispatch Business section, every Thursday, under the name "The Sherman Business Report," that's right, the Sherman Business Situation's name has been changed. You'll still find my embellishments here though, whenever I get a chance to write a bit more in depth about what's going on in the Golden Triangle! If you live in the Golden Triangle and have some information on a new or old business, please don't hesitate to hit me up at CWSherman93@gmail.com!

Thanks for reading!
#CWSherman

A Church Serving COFFEE?!

Truly, this has been a good time for me to eschew caffeine. In two weeks I've done two stories on coffee. A third may very well follow at some point. For now though, let's talk about a quaint little coffee shop.

In downtown Columbus, Mississippi, on 5th Street, there's a small little coffee shop, simply called the Coffee House on Fifth. A daily visit for many in the Columbus area, Coffee House on Fifth provides the downtown area with much of its daily lifeblood. A month ago this Coffee House went up for sale, and a group stepped forward to ensure it remained an upstanding environment.

The pastors of Columbus-based Life Church, located at 419 Lock and Dam Rd, C.J. Andrews and Jody Andrews, purchased the coffee shop in hopes of keeping it in local hands. I stepped into the coffee shop a few days before the sale became official, expecting to get a contact number for the new owners, instead I was readily greeted by Mrs. Andrews who was busily studying the ins and outs of the coffee biz. She readily cleared out a spot for myself and my small notebook (which I took almost no notes in) so that we could chat.

C.J. was very open with me, explaining that when they saw the coffee shop was up for sale the couple knew they had to buy it. I questioned her whether any major changes could be expected, assuming the coffee house might be converted into a sort of downtown ministry center that serves coffee, but I was assured that the business itself would continue to function as usual, no major aesthetic or business functions would change. In fact, she explained that they planned to hire on a few new baristas and extend the evening and morning hours. As is, those who want coffee in the downtown area before 7:30 either have to drive to a fast-food place or Starbucks, but Pastor Andrews explained they planned to begin opening the shop at 6 a.m. starting in August. 

When I questioned why the church went out of their way to purchase the establishment, C.J. gave me a pretty typical, but very correct answer, they wanted it in good hands. A major portion of coffee house work is centered on customer service. It requires friendly people who know how to be friendly. Mrs. Andrews explained that the coffee shop was just one more way to better young people in the area, by offering new employment opportunities that helped to teach them about interaction with other people. This is possibly more important in the modern day than ever, as impersonal conversation is becoming a main stay (see also: please do not call me, just text me or email me). 

Coffee House on 5th, prior to my new caffeine free diet, was my favorite place to visit in downtown Columbus, when I heard it was being sold I feared for the handsome little shop's life, I can not express how delighted I am that not only will the coffee house remain standing, but it will be improved upon and expanded over time.

#CoffeeHouseon5th #ColumbusMS #GoldenTrianglebiz #Mississippi #coffeeculture #LifeChurch

You'll find my column in the Commercial Dispatch and Starkville Dispatch Business section, every Thursday, under the name "The Sherman Business Report," that's right, the Sherman Business Situation's name has been changed. You'll still find my embellishments here though, whenever I get a chance to write a bit more in depth about what's going on in the Golden Triangle! If you live in the Golden Triangle and have some information on a new or old business, please don't hesitate to hit me up at CWSherman93@gmail.com!

Thanks for reading!

#CWSherman

Delightful Candles and a Two Man Army

"[The] candle is a symbol of light, progress, comfort and hope that obviously can show and shine one's way of life."

-Sarkawt A. Sabir

Perhaps not the best start to an article about candles valued for their rich natural scent, but then again, there are seldom ideas that are perfect. Specifically though candles call to mind both light and scent, more often than not, scent. I seldom think of a candle as a source of light unless the power happens to be out. In this respect I spoke with a group located here in Columbus, MS, called Grassroots Candles.

Grassroots is currently located at 118 5th St. N., but don't be fooled by their small storefront, the company provides service to over 15 states. Recently the storefront on 5th St. has been closed down due to a necessity for renovations after some severe weather damage. Melissa Rushing, the owner of the location and operator of Bella Derma Spa located next door, explained that they plan to have the storefront back open by the end of July. In the meantime I was assured customers could obtain their delightful candles from the Bella Derma store front, or by ordering them online or over the phone.

Now we get to the embellishments of the article.

I have noted that Grassroots offers its candles in more than 15 states, what I did not mention was how many people brought these beautiful candles to those states. Well, I'm sure there are numerous unnamed USPS and UPS employees that help, but the store itself is operated near solely by two people, the Vice President Joel Moore and the only other full time employee, Lauren. When I was invited into the back, where I may have gone without invite had I been able to smell the delightful blood orange candles through brick walls, I found them there, rapidly pouring up about 50 the candles there on their counter.

Joel informed me of the process, explaining that he preferred to mix the materials himself and hand pour them instead of using a pump, fitting, I thought, as the candles themselves are crafted from all natural ingredients, no artificial enhancers.

Between the visit to the two storefronts, my entry at Bella Derma and interview at Grassroots, I found myself treated to a tour of the in-between section. Once three entirely separate buildings, Grassroots and Bella Derma are now bound together by an intermediary courtyard, a beautiful second story area consisting of Italy imported tiles and lanterns from Morocco, centered around a lounge and pool area. It was a delight and a surprise to see such isolated beauty, a small oasis, in the center of Downtown Columbus.

#BellaDermaSpa #Grassroots #Grassrootscandles #ColumbusMS #GoldenTrianglebiz #Mississippi

You'll find my column in the Commercial Dispatch and Starkville Dispatch Business section, every Thursday, under the name "The Sherman Business Report," that's right, the Sherman Business Situation's name has been changed. You'll still find my embellishments here though, whenever I get a chance to write a bit more in depth about what's going on in the Golden Triangle! If you live in the Golden Triangle and have some information on a new or old business, please don't hesitate to hit me up at CWSherman93@gmail.com!

Thanks for Reading
#CWSherman

Nitro COFFEE: EXTREME Cold Brew Coffee

Summer is upon us, it is time to eschew hot drinks for cooler alternatives. In the blistering heat of the day this becomes even more apparent as exhaustion sets in. Many of us are coffee drinkers, but hot coffee simply does not sit well under the blazing summer sun. So, 929 Coffee Bar presents an alternative.

Hello there, I am Caleb Sherman, and this is the Sherman Business Situation: Embellishments Edition. Why? Well I've recently been requested to write a business column with the Commercial Dispatch, and as such I have to go around asking people about what their business is currently up to. As much as I'd like to just drone on and on about things in said column, I really can't. It's important to keep things concise and to the point. Thus the "Embellishments Edition," as much as I like to write colorfully, it simply cannot happen on it's own.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brian Bullard, the manager at 929 Coffee Bar, in their establishment at 106 E. Main St. in Starkville, MS.  The storefront, nestled in amongst several other businesses on the Starkville Main Street, did not immediately draw my eye. A shame really, as beyond the doors was a terrific, cozy scene. But, the bar itself is not what called me to 929 Coffe, an intriguing cart of sorts had been brought to my attention and I sought Brian out to bring some clarity to the machine. They call it their "nitro cold brew bike," and the shop plans to put it into operation at the farmer's market this Saturday. 

The brew-bike is essentially a tricycle with a cooled chest mounted on it's dual front wheels. Inside this chest is a sealed container filled with cold brewed coffee and a canister of compressed nitrogen. The cart and container serve to keep the coffee cold and fresh throughout the heat of the day. The nitrogen helps the coffee to make it's way from the chilled container to a thirsty patron's cup, something I witnessed first-hand. The nitrogen infusion adds a certain "mouthfeel" of thickness to the drink, while also lending the coffee a frothy head, similar to a stout or porter beer.

While the immediate plan for the brew-bike is to provide service at the farmer's market, Brian says they plan to implement the bike with other business outings and potentially in a local route. Alongside the nitrogen infused cold brew coffee, 929 will still be offering hot refreshments and food from the shop at the farmer's market.

929 Coffee Bar is owned by Neil Couvillon and Havilah Couvillon, and employs 11 people locally. The coffee beans they use to brew their coffees are purchased from Counter Culture out of North Carolina. The "brew-bike" or "nitro-cart" or whatever you so wish to call it, comes from a company called Icicle Tricycles.

It's worth noting, or perhaps not, but I'm writing it so I'll embellish some more, that I went into this fine coffee serving establishment and was immediately met with the terror that is facing a minor addiction. Coffee isn't exactly like, I don't know, cocaine, but after cutting caffeine entirely from my diet I found the sweet aromas calling out to me. I'll confess, I had a sip of that nitro-brew, but it was for science darn it!

#929coffeebar #coffeebike #coffeeculture #nitrocoldbrew #StarkvilleMS #GoldenTrianglebiz #Mississippi

You'll find my column in the Commercial Dispatch and Starkville Dispatch Business section, every Thursday, under the name "The Sherman Business Report," that's right, the Sherman Business Situation's name has been changed. You'll still find my embellishments here though, whenever I get a chance to write a bit more in depth about what's going on in the Golden Triangle! If you live in the Golden Triangle and have some information on a new or old business, please don't hesitate to hit me up at CWSherman93@gmail.com!

Thanks for reading!

#CWSherman