Life on .the Corner...an update

Hi friends. Wow, last time I blogged was a month after opening Historic Corner House. As they say, blink, and time flies right by you. And how true it is - almost every aspect of my life has changed in that short 1 1/2 year period. But fortunately, every aspect change has been a good one for the most part.

I've backed off on the medical work, I've felt the satisfaction of becoming completely immersed in a life of creativity and I feel like I am living the life I've wanted to live, well, for my whole life! And my husband, Perry, is having the time of his life now "disassembling" barns and rebuilding these old pieces of history into new pieces with a story for each home.

I had a guy from the NFIB visit the other and yes, I joined the NFIB, which is a small business organization. He was asking about economic times, gripes and complaints, and basically anything he could take back to lobby with. Maybe my answers surprised him.

Yes, gas is high and going up every day - but I hope that if people choose to spend their vacations at home, that Corner House can help them make their outdoor space a retreat in its own right with some of our outdoor iron products and our barnwood Adirondack chairs, and that Cross Plains, TN, can become a day destination for those who will venture just a few miles outside Nashville.

Yes, economy is slow and jobs are hard to find - but I find that necessity is the mother of invention, and that some of those exact situations are what catapulted us into starting this business. John Maxwell once said "you can't control the hand you were dealt, but you can still play the game to win". I see the spirit of overcoming and ingenuity in people all over, and I see more optimism than pessimism.

Yes, the unemployment rate is up - but I want to be a part of the movement that promises at least 90% of its inventory is from American made companies, or repurposed, vintage or antique. I think buying local and American is one way to begin to bring jobs back to the U.S. And I'm committed to being a business that has that as part of its mission statement. Don't complain too much about jobs until you've done what you can to keep Americans at work!

I see some really cool things now through the lens of a small town retailer. People want local, people want handmade, people want American made, people want earthy, authentic, real, and unique. People regularly now look at the labels to see where things are made, people are developing a new-found pride in their communities, people are choosing the mom and pop establishments over the Wal-Mart and Starbucks establishments. It's a grass roots movement at its finest that just seems to be sprouting up and taking root like kudzu in the country!

What else do I see? Oh, from my spot in the swing on the corner of East Robertson and Hwy 25, I see lots of farm implements going down the road, Harley Davidson bikes roaring down the road every weekend, some mooing cow trailers, horse trailers, teenage boys with loud trucks, the school buses and kids in the afternoon, locals, travelers, and day trippers, and a little bustling "city" in the middle of some of the most beautiful farm land this side of heaven. I see real, I see authentic, I see heartland, I see perseverence, I see America...