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