Monthly Archives: December 2019

Art grounds local culture

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By Melissa A. Palumbo
Delta Digital News Service

One of the oldest forms of expression, art comes in many different forms and can be found in just about any corner of the world. 

Many artists in the United States work independently, with one-third being self-employed according to a study done by National Endowment for the Arts; half work with private companies and studios.

Jonesboro-based artist Jacquelyn Nicole Young said art can be vital in the development of a community.

“It brings people together,” Young said. “People who would never speak to each other or give more than a moment’s glance suddenly have something big in common.”

Companies like Hobby Lobby sell ready-made art available in large quantities, so people who want to enjoy art at a low cost are able to do so. David Green, store manager of Hobby Lobby in Jonesboro, as well as the corporate office, had no comment on this.

The industrialization of art, beginning in the 1800s, led to wider, easier access to art for anyone to have in their homes. Because prints can be duplicated quickly at little cost, more people are able to obtain art in the 21st century than any other time in history, according to a paper done by J.N. Nielsen, an author that studies the politics of art. 

On the flip side, though, the mass production and growing industry mean a decline in employment and commission opportunities for local and independent artists.

Jonesboro brought art back to the roots of the city, though, with businesses making efforts to present and display the works, sounds and creations of local artists. 

The Edge Coffee House, located near the Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro, rotates art done by local artists regularly. Sculptures, paintings, prints and much more can be found within the coffee shop.

The Edge buys art from the community of artists to display in the coffee shop as well as to display for sale. They plan to expand their art scene and allow artists to post their work for commissions once renovations are complete.

“Local art gives culture, plain and simple,” Brian Nobles, co-owner and operator for The Edge, said. 

Artists who choose to sell their work through galleries and displays create the piece first. Then, if a person wants to purchase that piece, both the artist and the business may get a cut of the profit. Commission-based jobs allow artists to work with clients to create something new and original. 

“Local art stimulates the economy and defines a community more than corporate,” Nobles said. 

Many businesses in Jonesboro support the local art scene by showcasing undiscovered artists – not just for fine arts, but also for musicians, singers and bands. 

Creegan’s Irish Pub, a bar in downtown Jonesboro, hosts live, local bands.

“Almost every night of the week we have live music here, that’s what we shoot for,” Danny Nanney, a bartender for Creegan’s, said. “It was $2 bottles and tacos when I started here — now people come in every night expecting good music, and we deliver.”

Arkansas-based bands and artists can perform live for the community and get their name out, Nanney said.

“A lot of folks here consider us the music capital of Northeast Arkansas,” he said. “But there’s a difference between supporting local music and shitty music, so you have to be good to play here.”

The bar has hosted a number of locally-famous bands, including Shugar Pills and Bera Bera, as well as individual singers, guitarists and performers. Nanney also said the crowd turnout goes up when local bands play live at the bar, especially on the weekends. 

Nathan Smith, a vocalist and bassist, performs with Conway-based band Bera Bera. He began playing music at 6 years old, and he said local music pulls communities together.

“When a local band is touring the area, there’s a really big turnout for those businesses,” Smith said. “People come out to see their friends, support local art and have a good time.”

Bera Bera has performed at Creegan’s as well as White Water Tavern in Little Rock, Backspace in Fayetteville and Bearden in Conway, as well as other venues around Arkansas. 

“It feels like we’re all together in this,” Smith said. 

Another local musician, Jo Fore of Harrisburg, said local art flourishing shows signs of a community doing “something right.” Fore has performed covers of many genres, from rock to jazz, all around the state, including at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. 

“Local artists showcase their unique talents cultivated by their hometown and bring a sense of elevated culture as well as revenue to the table,” she said. “As long as art has been around, it has been used to inspire and bring people together.”

Because art comes in many sounds, shapes, colors and feelings, strangers can find a common ground on which to stand and communicate. According to Young, no two artists see the world in the same light, which offers more perspectives in a community. 

“Art brings people to a bigger picture – seeing something as a whole instead of just one perspective,” Young said. “I think that can really help sculpt a community.”

Editor’s Note: Feature Photo by Melissa Palumbo

Buying Local – Small business owners share their stories

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Students from the Multimedia Reporting course report on the benefits of buying local

Editor’s Note: Feature Photo shows The Edge Coffee House owner Brian Nobles as he examines his shop’s gardens. Photo by Krishnan Collins

Corporate vs local – a never-ending battle

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By Maddison Smith
Delta Digital News Service

   According to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, 99.3% of business in Arkansas are small businesses and 47.8% of employees are employed by small businesses, as well. 

   Chandler’s Salon and Spa owner Angelia Austin said she feels secure and does not feel jeopardized by larger corporations. 

   “In a small business, we can be more loyal to our customers, with more detail,” Austin said “I have clients that will call me and say ‘hey, can you pray for me’ when times are tough. I can bring my own product in and do my own thing but, having the funds to bring is new stuff and have what you need is the hardest part,” Austin said.

   Drake Hill, a customer of Chandler’s Salon, reflected back to his first time with Austin.

   He said he went to several corporate owned salons because he did not have much money.

   “I always got my hair cut poorly and I am big on appearance,” Hill said, “It made me feel like they did not care about me. A small business cares about the customer and they thrive on repeat business.”

Hill also said he kept going back to Chandler’s because of the customer service.

   Chandler’s Salon uses only Jon Amico products and is designed for all hair types.

   “Our mission is to fight diversion and to fight against the big box retailer, supply houses and dry stores,” Austin said “As a Jon Amico member, I only use Jon Amico and you can only get this product in salons, not corporate salons.” 

   Chandler’s Salon and Spa has many good reviews on Facebook.

   “Angelia was fabulous! Took more time than planned to make sure my cut was exactly what I was wanting. Not to mention, how supportive she was knowing I was so nervous,” customer Jennifer Lyn Roach said.

Another satisfied customer reviewed Chandler’s Salon and Spa.

   Customer Karla Blackford said, “Love, love, love my haircut and highlights! Angelia is so friendly, listens to what you want and is able to give you honest feedback. Very comforting atmosphere!”

   Austin said she feels like she is making a difference in the community. Austin said, “Owning a small business shows my son and his friends that you can do anything you set your mind to do.” 

    Austin relies on Chandler’s to help support her and her family and has built her life around her brand.

   “I don’t know what I would do if I lost my business,” Austin said, “It’s like getting to see my grandmother every week and that’s how I feel about my clients. It would be devastating.” 

   Austin said giving her employees good benefits is hard in a small business. “I don’t feel that I can give them good health benefits because the deductible is so high vs if you were in a large corporation, the deductible would be much cheaper,” Austin said.

   Austin said she cannot give her employees paid vacation whereas a large corporation can, which is a problem.

   Austin said, “What I can give my employees is me, my time, my love and my person.” 

   According to the official Sport Clips website, Sport Clips has 1,500 stores in the United States and Canada. 

   Sport Clips assistant manager Jessi James said she feels secure in her job, but like every job, there are several disadvantages and advantages. 

   “We have corporate come in every three months to check and see if we are doing well and sometimes it’s a little robotic what they want you to do,” James said “I can also move anywhere in the United States and still have a job because we are everywhere. You get what you pay for every time, its consistent and it’s a professional environment. We do extensive training and classes for our employees and all of our products are professional.” 

  Each employee is equal, even though there are managers and assistant manager, James said. 

In a CNBC special report, Sport Clips Haircuts franchisees was featured among the “Top Franchisees in America,” according to Sport Clips press release.

   While Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and provides haircuts through “haircuts with heart.”

   Facebook reviews show some of Sport Clips customers are not satisfied with their work. 

   “Uneven sides and sideburns and choppy. Back uneven. Kept pulling his head/hair. Terrible job,” customer Lindsey Cullen Burgess said. 

   Customer Christie Selfors left a review on Facebook as well, she said, “Thanks for ruining my fiancé’s hair today, by advising him that the hair cut he wanted ‘wouldn’t look good on him’ and then continue to buzz his hair off.”

 

Local downtowns experience a business renaissance

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By Tristan Bennett
Delta Digital News Service

PARAGOULD – Downtowns in the Delta undergo a renaissance thanks to local businesses.

Paragould’s Main Street houses many local businesses. Photo by Tristan Bennett

The resurgence of boutique-style shopping led to a growth in the downtown areas of Jonesboro and Paragould. They became destinations for both local and national businesses that work together to attract customers to the area. Lindsey Wingo, Downtown Jonesboro Alliance executive director, assists downtown business owners by promoting them to the public.

She said, “Downtown is the heart of Jonesboro, in my opinion. Five years ago, the main thing was shopping malls and different things like that, and really you see downtown on the uphill trend of things.”

In both cities, local owners occupy almost all of the downtown buildings; Only one Dollar General sits on the outskirts of downtown Paragould. Gina Jarrett, Main Street Paragould executive director, said local businesses occupied downtown since its beginning.

“Downtown started when Paragould started, and there weren’t franchises then,” Jarrett said. “We’ve always been mom-and-pops.”

While many of downtown Paragould’s businesses continue to survive after decades and ownership changes, Jonesboro’s downtown just flourished in the past 10 years. Many of the businesses followed Gearhead Outfitters and other developers into the area.

Jonesboro’s Main Street became a destination about 10 years ago. Photo by Tristan Bennett

From its humble beginnings in Jonesboro, Gearhead owner Ted Herget grew his company into a regional company quickly, and recently, the company bought Rock/Creek Outfitters and Uncle Dan’s Outdoor Store to further expand their reach to Chicagoland, Illinois.

Gearhead marketing director Whitney Eldridge said, “Downtown businesses and the boutique retail format have made a resurgence in recent years. The environment tends to be more personalized and close-knit. While we try to provide this environment whether in a mall setting or not, a downtown or neighborhood business tends to have a more pronounced presence in the community, which contributes to the neighborly and warmer feel that a mall store may not be able to provide.”

National businesses in downtown spaces can be helpful to small businesses. They possess the potential to draw more customers to the area, and hopefully, to the stores around them.

Wingo said, “All of the places that are down here, just like any other business started in a local community. It’s so important to not see people as competition always but also as help.”

Even with all the help chains bring, local downtown owners feel the effects of national business in their stores. Cynthia Allison Jones owns Addie’s Soul Food & Grill located in downtown Jonesboro. She said she sees chain restaurants negatively affecting her business

“I think they take business away from us,” Jones said. “It’s hard, but I’ve cut down on staff and hours of operation.”

Kayla Gramling, owner of The Tiny Twig Boutique, sells homemade gifts and offers services such as flower preservation in her downtown Paragould shop. National businesses caused her to adjust her pricing strategy.

“We charge what we have to have but try to keep it as low as we can, too, and we try to offer different stuff that you can’t find anywhere else,” Gramling said.

Creating an environment like a downtown takes planning and hard work. The DJA and Main Street Paragould exist to ensure these areas continue to draw customers to the businesses there. Walkability and catering to pedestrians continues to be a crucial of a part of the downtown experience.

Jarrett said, “Because downtown is walkable, everything is brought down to the pedestrian’s level. The signage, the window displays, everything is for the pedestrian, and that’s what people want nowadays. They want that comfortable, strolling feel.”

Customers cannot have that comfortable feeling without feeling safe. Recently, Wingo and the JDA took part in an initiative to add lighting to downtown Jonesboro so customers could feel more relaxed while in the area at night.

“We felt like there was definitely a stigma that downtown wasn’t safe,” Wingo said. “We felt that the reason people thought that was because it was dark down here, and when things are dark people don’t feel safe.”

In the past two years, over $20,000 worth of lights came to the downtown Jonesboro area because of the JDA along with $60,000 more from the city of Jonesboro.

The JDA and Main Street Paragould offer a way for owners to work together to promote the area and drive traffic to businesses downtown by planning events to take place in the downtown areas.

Gramling said, “There’s a lot of different events that are held downtown, so that kind of gives us an advantage. People walk around more than if you were just a free-standing building out in the middle of town.”

Both cities belong to the Main Street Arkansas organization, so downtown business owners can take advantage of an interior and exterior designer and small business consultant at any time. Both also receive grant money to help with improvements to the area and certain businesses.

Jarrett said, “We can mini-grant out that grant funding to help people make improvements in their buildings. It’s for what you can see: exterior improvements, and we go as far as the inside of the storefront windows.”

Improvements happening in both downtowns work to preserve the areas’ history. This revitalization of the downtown couples with a revitalization of the two cities’ histories. Downtowns once served as the only marketplace in small towns across the Delta, and this seems to be becoming more common again.

Wingo said, “Whenever you visit somewhere, you want to know what their downtown is like. That’s where the history of the city is, it’s the heart of the town, and in my opinion, for it to be a vibrant community there needs to be a vibrant downtown.”

Editor’s Note: Feature Photo – Main Street Paragould operates out of an old train caboose. Photo by Tristan Bennett

Local coffee shops raise the bar

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Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – In a time when craft and speciality coffee seems to be a major trend, a variety of passionately run local coffee shops conduct business in Jonesboro and beyond throughout the Delta. 

   As a consumer, one’s options prove numerous when deciding what coffee to pick up on a morning drive to work or on an afternoon study break. The consumer might choose a coffee giant like Starbucks, but the consumer might also know of a place in town that feels just like home. 

   Brian Nobles took over operations of the Edge Coffee House in August. The Edge sits right off the edge of Arkansas State University’s campus and the shop actually used to be a residential home. 

   “An experience,” Nobles said. “It’s really about the experience that you get from a mom and pop type shop. The charm and the quality and the characteristics of an old actual house turned into a coffee shop gives it all the unique characteristics.”

The Edge Coffee House owner Brian Nobles examines his shop’s gardens. Items grown in the gardens will be used for dishes at the Edge.

   The Recovery Room, in downtown Jonesboro, also boasts an atmosphere that is welcoming to people of all backgrounds. Since the Recovery Room is a small locally owned shop, employees do many different things to help out the shop. 

   Pat Warren, a woman of many trades at the shop (which includes making the pastries), said some customers first assume the Recovery Room is too fancy of an establishment for the everyday coffee drinker. But in reality, the shop opens its doors to anyone of any background.

   Warren describes the Recovery Room as a home for students and businessmen alike, and really anyone who enjoys a good cup of coffee or a great meal. 

   “Downtown Jonesboro has its own unique atmosphere,” Warren said. “You’ve got the old buildings. We get a lot of students that like to come in and study. We have the nice soft seating, the sofas and we have Wi-Fi. We’ll have students that come in first thing in the morning and maybe sit here most of the day and sit here and study while drinking coffee.”

   The culture and atmosphere represents one aspect of a local coffee shop, but the product has to be good too. A lot of local coffee shops also use locally roasted coffee;  the Edge is no exception. 

   “We use local, local as in Arkansas. We use an Arkansas based company out of Eureka Springs,” Nobles said. “They’re called Mountain Bird Coffee. They’re really great, nice people. They’re fair trade, they’ve got a great product and we’re proud to be able to use something from Arkansas.”

   The Recovery Room also fits the bill of a shop that uses local coffee. Warren said that just because coffee is locally roasted does not mean it automatically becomes good tasting coffee. The fact that locally roasted coffee can be great-which she said the Recovery Room’s coffee is excellent-truly makes the idea of locally roasted coffee so special. 

   Also based in Jonesboro, the Coffee Gallery prides its use of Westrock Coffee. The Coffee Gallery’s owner Nicole Townsend holds family ties to Westrock. Westrock’s owners use to own Alltel, which was based in Little Rock. Townsend’s dad worked for Alltel and a connection was born. 

   “We were really excited to partner with a local coffee roaster that also has ties with my family,” Townsend said. “We’ve known them since before I was born. We have a really close connection with the owners of Westrock. Their coffee is just wonderful. It’s roasted in west Little Rock. They bring it right up to us so everyone gets fresh roasted coffee.”

   While the main attraction of many local coffee shops might be the coffee itself, a lot of shops put a major emphasis on food. The quality food just adds another level to the overall offerings of a locally run coffee business. For the Edge, the food aspect came naturally. 

   “For my partner, my wife, that’s her realm,” Nobles said. “That’s her forte. That’s what she does and she does it really good. We want to ramp up the other areas of this restaurant that makes it more appealing to a broader audience. So we’ll have the coffee and we want to make the food something that makes it stand out by itself.”

   The Edge takes food to another level when it comes to the idea of local. The Edge boasts multiple gardens in the back, growing a wide array of foods including mushrooms and lettuce to use in dishes made in the kitchen. 

   The Edge also plans to put a bar in the upstairs section of the house. Nobles’ background comes from the restaurant and bar industry; adding a bar to the Edge just adds something else to attract a broader consumer spectrum.

    Mugs Cafe, a coffee shop based in the historic downtown area of North Little Rock known as Argenta, serves breakfast and lunch all day. Owner Michael Hickmon commented on just how important food is to Mugs. Hickmon said food stands as a way to differentiate coffee shops in the market and provide something else than just coffee. Mugs hosts an event every Saturday and only on Saturdays where customers can purchase all you can eat pancakes for $6. Most Saturdays, customers also find a special flavor of pancakes available like cinnamon roll pancakes or many others. 

   “We wanted something, especially on a Saturday, a special something that is unlimited,” Hickmon said. “(We wanted) something you can only get once a week and you can only get it here. It creates an excitement we feel like with customers.”

    The Recovery Room also puts an emphasis on food. 

   “We have an award winning chef,” Warren said. “At 5 p.m. we turn into fine dining. We have excellent food. It’s needed. We serve duck here. We have a great Sunday brunch here with crepes. You have to be skilled to call yourself a fine dining restaurant.”

   Involvement in the community represents another aspect that makes local shops stand out from national chains. 

   “We’re really involved in the community,” Townsend said. “For example, we have a Santa Claus coming to let the kids take free pictures. On top of that, we do a lot of donations. We donate to a lot of the charities, the marathons, the golf tournaments, the local schools, the football programs and everything like that.”

   Hickmon said just simply shopping local also supports the local community. 

   “In just kind of the movement of shopping local is (the fact) that you’re supporting your local community,” Hickmon said. “When you get a national chain, the coffee is not crafted locally. It’s crafted in some other state and shipped here. That was a big thing for us. From the actual coffee roasting side, we’re creating quite a few jobs here locally. There’s a huge difference between craft coffee and coffee you would get from a really large chain. We put a lot of tender, love, and care into all of our processes from coffee selection, from the bean selection to roasting it.”

   While many of the shops spoken to did not really see Starbucks or national chains as a major threat due to the different niches of a national grab-and-go chain compared to a local coffee house, many did acknowledge the power of advertising and reputation Starbucks boasts. Townsend said the Coffee Gallery makes coffee better than Starbucks, but the Coffee Gallery just cannot spend tons of money to make a commercial about its products. 

   Hickmon noted how Starbucks basically owns convenience in coffee, but how there are many other niches to be filled.

   “I wouldn’t call them a threat because they can’t compete with what we do as far as our relationships with customers,” Townsend said. “But, of course, whenever I drive by and see a big line around Starbucks, it makes me wonder why are they not trying us out.”

   Warren said people sometimes just do not realize what a local coffee shop has to offer. Starbucks boasts a worldwide reputation built over years and years, which makes people build habits of visiting chains. 

   “They don’t really try anything new,” Warren said. “But once people try our coffee and come in and catch our vibe here, they’re hooked.”

   While both local and national coffee shops have their advantages and disadvantages, Nobles said it’s all about the love when it comes to the local shop. 

   “I think with just like food and anything else that comes down to somebody hand making things with recipes and stuff like that, it comes down to love,” Nobles said. “You put a little love in it and you can taste all the difference.”

Editor’s Note: Photos by Krishnan Collins

Christmas trees bring holiday fire hazards

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By Tristan Bennett
Delta Digital News Service

LONOKE – With the holiday season upon us, large fire hazards enter homes across America in the form of festive decorations.

The tradition of the Christmas tree dates back to the 16th century, and many still prefer a live tree over today’s artificial models. Truth is, both could be a hazard in homes. Jennifer Winchell, a Little Rock firefighter, experiences many fires each year due to holiday decorations.

She said, “Christmas tree fires are a huge issue because most people consider them to be safe and do not educate themselves about the dangers.”

Read on for some tips from the pros on how to stay safe this holiday season.

Hydrate your tree

   Live trees need near-constant watering. Patty Hibbs’ husband owns Schilling’s Family Christmas Tree Farm in Lonoke, and she works in their office. She said they work all year to ensure the freshness of each tree on the lot.

“It’s a year-round job. We have to water them, fertilize them; my husband has to sheer them three times a year,” Hibbs said.

After cutting the tree from its roots, the job becomes much harder. Hibbs said cutting causes the sap in trees to seal the trunk, making it more difficult to get water in.

Get your tree in water as soon as possible to keep it from sealing and drying out. The drier the branches become, the higher the chance of a fire. Most purchase tree stands that hold water to help with this, but the owner must remember to keep the stand filled with fresh water. Pets may also get into a tree’s water supply, so be sure to keep an eye on them.

Becky Smith and her family purchase a live tree each year from Schilling’s.

“We keep it watered. Sometimes I put Sprite in the water,” she said. “It gets dry by the end of the year, but we’ve never had any problems with it.”

The citric acid and sugar in Sprite may help preserve the tree longer, and it is not harmful to pets.

Be sure to dispose of the tree properly as soon as possible after the holidays.

Keep away from heat sources

The traditional picture of the Christmas tree next to a crackling fireplace may be the cause of many holiday fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, one in four holiday fires occurs because of a heat source too close to a tree.

One stray ember could send the whole tree up in flames, so make sure to leave adequate room between any fire, including candles and the tree.

Hibbs recommends not placing your tree under a heating vent as well. Hot air dries out branches as it heats, making the chances of a fire increase.

Winchell said, “If you’re using a space heater, try to buy one with an automatic shut-off or tip over feature. Keep it at least three to four feet away from anything that could catch fire.”

She also said blowing out candles and unplugging lights when going to sleep or traveling helps to prevent overheating, which may cause fires.

Look for electrical hazards

The holidays often lead to crowded houses full of loved ones, but never crowd outlets. Circuits within those outlets only hold so much electricity, so plugging in one too many strings of lights may cause overheating in the wires. As the insulation on the wire melts, sparks may appear.

If the spark happens near a Christmas tree, whether live or artificial, it could ignite.

Winchell said, “It is very important to never overload a wall outlet or an outlet strip. Less is best!”

The NFPA recommends immediately replacing strings of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections and only connecting the number of strands recommended by the manufacturer of the lights.

Consider flocking

Flocking not only helps achieve the look of a snowy Christmas tree indoors, but it also protects against fires when done with the correct products.

Hibbs said, “It’s not like the spray can you get. It’s a commercial based flocking we use, and it does have a flame retardant in it.”

Schilling’s charges $9 per foot to flock a tree with their high-quality materials, but if someone wants to do it on their own, they should look for a product with a flame retardant included.

Be prepared

Christmas tree fires prove damaging nearly every time and sometimes even deadly. If something goes wrong, stay calm.

Winchell said, “If there is a fire, immediately remove anything you can (outside is best), and always have a charged fire extinguisher in reach.”

She also said look at batteries in remotes and light strings to check for corrosion.

The NFPA recommends regularly checking smoke detectors and sharing an escape plan with holiday guests. Ask guests who smoke to step outside and keep their materials on them and out of reach from children as well.

Note: Feature photo shows Schilling’s Family Christmas Tree Farm. The farm has been operated by the family for over 33 years. Photo by Tristan Bennett

‘THE ROOST’ PROVIDES COMPETITION FOR CHAIN STORES

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By Christine Miyawa
Delta Digital News Service

POCAHONTAS – Walking into The Roost, one may mistake the furnishings on sale as brand new. The touch of snow-white color exudes the ambiance of a rich country with a splash of Bohemian flavor.

The merchandise may look new, but most of the furnishings are from a different era. An era when quality and functionality trampled the mere aesthetic value. Quality quite elusive in most of today’s house furnishing. But don’t be mistaken, the store refurbished all the furnishings.

From a hobby to a full-time occupation, Kimberly Jo Chaffin started refurbishing and selling furnishings while still in college. She did it for five years while in business school. Chaffin taught herself from watching videos.  She began by painting her furniture.

“I had junk furniture and did not have a lot of money, so I painted it to make it look nice. I would disassemble the furniture and play around with the pieces to create a new pattern. It takes practice and patience,” she said.

It wasn’t until a year later when she could paint a profitable furnishing.

“I look back at the furniture I did when I started and say, ‘Geez, did I do that?’”

After attaining her degree from business school, she worked in the public school system for eight years. Chaffin said she felt she needed a more flexible schedule to cope with family demand.  She decided to revisit her old hobby, rented a booth in a store in Walnut Ridge and engrossed herself into refurbishing.

In 2016, she moved the business to Pocahontas. She opened her store in 2,200 sq. Feet building across the road from the Pocahontas Municipal Airport along Highway 67.

By the seventh month after the store opened, the business expanded so fast she needed more space. She moved the store to its current location in 7,000 sq. Feet building along Highway 62. She named the store “The Roost”.

Chaffin said the name ‘The Roost’ started with the coming to Pocahontas of Peco Foods Company a chicken processing plant.

She said Peco made a big difference in the economy of Randolph County and they wanted a throwback to Peco.

“I affiliate the name “Roost” with chicken and since our store theme is a farmhouse, we thought, why not use the name “The Roost,” she said.

Chaffin buys used furniture, mostly made of wood like hickory and White Oak. She refurbishes and re-sells them.

“All the furnishings in the store are mostly real wood,” she said.

Chaffin said most of her buyers like the looks of the items. The piece may remind them of their childhood. The store focuses on the farmhouse look, which most locals like. The store custom paints too.

She said to buy a dresser in a store chain, one would pay over $1,000. Whereas one can come to the Roost and find something trendy, midcentury look or farmhouse look for a fraction of that cost. Sometimes a third of the cost.

Recently, a refurbished hardwood dresser at The Roost went for the price of a new vanity dresser with a similar design at Bed Bath and Beyond, a chain store for furnishings and housewares.

“We are not a flea market. We are an upscale resale store. We base our prices on what we paid for the item,” Chaffin said.

In setting her price point, she factors in the cost of hiring someone to run the store while she moves around sourcing for items.

She sources furnishings from Texas, Illinois and upper western Arkansas. Sometimes people call them or send them messages on their Facebook page to pick up items for re-sale.

“A lady I sold to a piece of furniture two years ago and she wanted to re-sell it again, so I went, looked at it and saw it was still in good shape. Bought it and resold it a few days after,” she said.

Chaffin said her business extends to the states of Missouri, Tennessee and most parts of Arkansas. She markets her goods on Facebook and receives customers from as far as South Dakota.

“A customer was sending children to Williams Baptist College and arranged to have a two-sitter glider set shipped from The Roost to South Dakota,” she said

Myra Alexander, a frequent customer at The Roost, said she likes shopping there because the store sells authentic items.

“They are livable; they are comfortable with my grandkids. They have good stuff,” she said.

She said the store calls her when they bring in items she may like.

“I couldn’t find something for less than 1,500 at Hesner, so I called The Roost, told them what I wanted, and they went looking for it and called me. They are personable with me,” Alexander said.

She said her living room contains a modern section and she uses items from the Roost to blend her furnishings. Alexander said the art of painting furniture also inspires one to get creative and do something beautiful to their old furniture.

She said she likes shopping at places like Bed Bath and Beyond, but their products are too commercial looking, and they produce many pieces of the same thing.

“The Roost sells authentic and different items you won’t see anyone where else. If you see something at The Roost, you better get it because next time it won’t be there and it’s not like you can get the same kind at Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond,” Alexander said.

Chef Donald Smith moved to Pocahontas from New Orleans six weeks ago to work as the new executive chef of Rolling Hills Country Club in Pocahontas.

Moving into a new town, Smith needed furnishings for his new house.  He first bumped into the Roost by chance as he walked across the road from a nearby supermarket.

“I’m the type of guy that likes antique stuff, so I don’t mind if it’s refurbished.  If it’s nice, I buy it and the price point at the Roost is good. Some of their prices are not expensive at all, but I didn’t find what I wanted,” Smith said.

Smith wanted a TV stand and not finding one at the Roost, he decided to look at Walmart. He said even though he did not find the TV stand at the Roost, he will go back there to look for other stuff.

Human resource manager at Walmart, Sherley Ringo said she knows there are other stores out there, but she is confident about the products Walmart offers.

“Walmart stocks a variety of items to meet higher demand,” Ringo said.

If spoilt for choice on a place to shop for furnishings, Smith said, “I prefer buying at the Roost because it’s local and the money stays within the community.  If I buy in stores like Walmart, the money won’t stay here in the community.”

Chaffin said the benefit of shopping at a re-sale, refurbished shop like The Roost can replicate looks at a fraction of the cost.

So far, two individuals approached her and asked if she would consider opening a branch of The Roost in Missouri. The second one offered to run the store three days a week if she would open a branch in Paragould. But Chaffin said the present store takes all her energy and leaves no time to spare nor desire to open branches.

She does not consider franchising either because she did not patent the name “The Roost.”

She said her goal is to give customers pleasant shopping experience. She wants to help them get what they want without looking through a bunch of junk to get it or spending so much money on a low-quality item at a chain store.

Chaffin said her main challenge is to keep the right attitude when running behind on a customized item. She said working with family member poses its kind of problem, especially when dealing with illness in the family. However, the store allows her flexibility to take care of her ill mother.

The popularity of her refurbished goods continues to drive up the cost of the materials she uses for refurbishing, which in turn, raises the price of the items. But the niche market for her kind of goods continues to snowball.

A-State African Students Association gives a hand to the homeless

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By Christine Miyawa
Delta Digital News Service

PARAGOULD – The A-State African Student Association visited the Mission Outreach of Northeast Arkansas, a homeless shelter based in Paragould, to donate consumables, which included; disinfectant wipes, detergent, tissue paper and paper towels.

In 2018, the first time when the AASA students visited the same shelter, they prepared African dishes and brought to feed the homeless people at the Shelter.

The outgoing president of AASA Samuel Noi said the purpose of the visit was part of AASA’s community outreach program.

“Coming here today is about giving back to society. It’s not only about being students but, being compassionate, fulfilling the needs of others who are less privileged. We called before coming and they told us what they needed and that’s what we brought,” Noi said.

About the Shelter. 

Cheri Peters, the executive director of MONEA, said the shelter is the largest homeless shelter in Northeast Arkansas. She said it holds 58 beds and houses men, women, children and families.

The shelter contains three family dorms. Currently, 11 children are at home.

Peters said helping homeless people get back on their feet is the purpose of the shelter.

They assist homeless people with employment, transportation and health insurance.

Management requires residents at the shelter who have jobs to save 75% of their earnings once they start working.  Teaching them how to save and budget so they can stand on their own once they leave the shelter.

Peters said the shelter offers benevolent services.

She said they have a food pantry open to the public and a soup kitchen that serves three meals every day.

People come from all over Arkansas for the shelter’s services.

Peters said Jonesboro has the Salvation Army which only has 14 beds. Because the shelter is located in the ‘boot heel’ of Missouri, they get a lot of people from the state of Missouri, too.

She said most of the people are referred; few are walk-ins.

“We have a website and get phone calls every day for placements. Many people who come to the shelter are experiencing drug addiction, meth and mental illness. We have a therapist here at the shelter and recommend that anyone who comes to the shelter receives counseling services,” Peters said.

She said those who come to the shelter seeking help could live at the shelter for up to two years.

“When someone is homeless, and all they have is clothes on their back, you can’t get them to be where they need to be in life in 90 days. They have to get a job, get a vehicle and decided to move out and those things take time,” Peters said.

She said if the residents at the shelter follow the rules and goals set, they can stay for up two years.

“We have repeated, but we don’t want to enable people,” Peters said.

The management carries out random alcohol and drug tests on residents.  Once someone has come and stayed at the shelter three times, they must pass a drug test to come back in.

The program doesn’t work for some people. They must be ready to change their lives for it to work.

Peters said 60% of their support comes from residents of Greene County in the form of donations and 40% is from grants.

“Providing paper towels for over 50 people gets very expensive. And so, we rely on donations like what the AASA students gave,” Peters said.

The majority of the volunteers lived at the shelter at some point. They want to come back to give back.

This year marks the sixth year since Peters’ started working at the shelter. She says it’s a blessing but a challenging job.

“It’s not a job you can leave at work when you go home. You take it home with you. When you see people struggling with addiction or mental illness and when you see children in need, it doesn’t leave your mind when you go home,” Peters said.

Peters comes from Mississippi. She worked for a hospice and nursing home before moving to work at the homeless shelter.

“I like working with people and helping people. It’s a rewarding job,” Peters said.

She said the mission outreach is 37 years old and she hopes that they can add more dorms to enable them to accommodate more people.

Peters said the shelter received a grant of $200,000 from the Arkansas Developmental Council to carry out renovations in the toilets, bathrooms and dormitories.

“Every day is a challenge when you work here. We are not just here for the people who live in the shelter, but we are for people on the street too. We have people walking in and say, ‘can you help me get on rehab.’ We have molested children and victims of domestic violence,” Peters said.

She said they take them to doctor’s appointments.

Peters said all the local churches in Greene County are so involved in helping the shelter. The majority come to serve and people will be coming to serve during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Some of our children here, this will be the best Christmas they ever have,” Peters said.

Peters said her dream is there would be so many mission outreaches out there because it works. She said if it didn’t, the shelter wouldn’t be here for 37 years. She wished there was an outreach like this in all the communities that needed it.

‘If there was an outreach like this in every community that needed it, we could solve this problem,” Peters said.

Meet Ashley Smith- A resident at the shelter.

Ashley Smith, one of the residents at the shelter, came from Kennett, Missouri. She lost custody of her children while in Missouri. Smith said the state of Missouri took the children when a neighbor called in to alert them of children left at home alone. Smith said she left the children at home without adult supervision whenever she went to work.

She said she initially moved to Missouri from Memphis to get away from people using drugs around her and to be somewhere no one knew her who would want to give her drugs.

Smith said she started experimenting with marijuana when she was 11 years old.  She said she was adopted, grew up in foster care and lost her foster mom when she was 20. She said she did not have anybody and turned to the streets to cope with the pain she was experiencing.

“I just wanted to fill an empty spot in my heart, so I started popping pills, doing cocaine and drinking and it just got awful and that’s how I ended up in Missouri,” Smith said.

She said while in Missouri, she did not have any support with the children. Smith has four children.

She said she was off drugs for a year while in Missouri before the state took her children, after which she relapsed.

“So, during summertime, I left my children at home as I go to work. I felt I would check on them. That’s how the state took them,” She said.

Smith said the father of two of her children is deceased, another’s father is not a part of her life and another’s father was convicted for sex trafficking and is serving 55 years in prison.

Smith said Peters and Jana Burnett, the resident case manager, went with her to her court date scheduled approximately three weeks at the time she arrived at the shelter. She said the two helped her get back custody of her children and they currently live with her in the dormitory at the shelter.

“I feel like the shelter has terrific people. They are not doing it just for doing it. If I didn’t come to this shelter, I would still be living in hotels mixing with the wrong people, drinking heavily and doing cocaine because it was within my reach, right in my fingertips,” Smith said. “I  was lost without my children. I become delusional. I just thought everyone was out to get me. I was crazy and paranoid. I was under depression. If you had met me then, you would say, ‘ is this girl crazy? What’s wrong with her?’ My mind was not right,” Smith said.

Smith said the shelter helped her find a good job. She said she thought of going to settle for a job at a fast-food restaurant like McDonald’s, but she works at the American Railcar Industries making $14 an hour. She said she is saving her money and plans to get a house for her and her children when she gets out of the program.

She said she stayed in a shelter before and did not get much help but, the shelter at Mission Outreach is in touch with what the residents are doing and try to lead them in the right way.

When she is not at her regular job working, she volunteers at the soup kitchen in the shelter.

Burnett said she does the intake of new arrivals. She assesses the need, set goals for them. If they need identification cards, birth certificates, or if they are disabled. She meets with the residents regularly and follows upon them to ensure they are doing what they need to be doing.

She said the shelter does not take people in a wheelchair because the accommodation has two flights of stairs and no ramp. She said they do not accept sex offenders either or violent felons because of the presence of the children and the safety of the children is their priority.

She said the soup kitchen is open three times a week and anybody can come in and eat. She said the shelter is part of Feed America and gets their food supply from Walmart and Kum and Go.

Cassie Grant’s Story

Cassie Grant, 32, of Marked Tree, Arkansas, also received help from the shelter. Following her release from a hospital admission in Jonesboro after a short illness, she went to the Salvation Army to find shelter. Because the shelter did not take her in, a man brought her to Mission Outreach. Grant was on the streets for a while before she went seeking help. She was doing drugs. Grant was 25 when she started using drugs.

She moved to New York, where she met a friend who influenced her into drinking and using drugs. For her, it was peer pressure. She got sick a lot and got tired. She said she used to “pin handle,” which is standing at a gas station and request to pump a customer’s gas for change. She would then spend the money on drugs.

“I just felt like the black sheep of the family. I didn’t care about life; I didn’t know which way to turn, so I turned to drink and using drugs. I felt like the family disowned me. I felt like nothing; I felt like I was all alone with no one to turn. I felt loved in the drinking and dragging, yet after I drunk, everything went wrong,” she said.

Grant said she grew up in the church.

“I’m a Christian. I want better things in life. So even deep after drinking, I got tired of doing it, it got old,” she said.

Grant said she looks at other families and other people not on drugs, dressed up and looking good and she said she wants. She said because they are dressed-up does not mean they have no problems, but when drinking and drugging everything goes wrong, nothing good comes of it.

She said some family members understood her and did not judge her while others laughed at her and disowned her. She said even when she tried to get help, it did not matter.

“The people who helped me prayed for me, spoke positive words, they gave me money and support,” Grant said.

She said she loves the Lord. And the Lord brought her through the darkest moments.

Grant said there are plenty of times she just wanted to give up in life. She said some people showed up and gave her hope. They told her, regardless of what she is doing in the streets, they were there for her if she wanted someone with whom to talk.

Grants say when she gets out of the program, she plans to get herself an apartment, come back to the shelter to volunteer. She wants to join a missionary church, go to Africa and other countries and volunteer, help feed the hungry and build churches. She said she wants to help people.

She said she doesn’t hold any grudges towards her family members. Now she knows she doesn’t have to prove a point to anybody; her heavenly father is her best friend.

Grant said she is in a place where she gets the needed help and has faith; she is going to do better. She said she would love her family from a distance.

Grant goes to True Life Church in Paragould. She was 7 years old when she got baptized at St. Johns Baptist Church in Marked Tree, Arkansas.

She said she is taking a day at a time. She plans to leave the shelter in a month.

She would like to advise people out there dealing with drug addiction not to give up.

“If you’re running from your problems, know there is someone out there who loves you and when you feel like you are alone, there is your heavenly father by your side. Stand on your own two feet as a woman and a man and take one day at a time. Keep faith, hope and believe and know that anything is possible if you keep your mind to it,” she said.

Joseph Cox’s story

It’s four years since Joseph Cox become homeless. He said he battles paranoia and schizophrenia’.

He thought people were out to get him.

He said he is tired of living in the street and would like to start a different life.

At the age of 3, Cox joined the foster care system and when he was 6 years old, he got adopted.  When he turned 17 years old, he wanted to visit his biological mother, but the court terminated his mother’s rights to see him. His adoptive parents took him to Searcy, where his mother worked at a restaurant. He stayed with his mother for three months until he turned 18 years old.

Cox said he found out that his family has relations with outlaws and gangsters and he did not want to be part of it and because of schizophrenia so, he left home and started hitchhiking to Texarkana, Texas, where he lived in the street.

His mother came for him in Texarkana and brought him and his adopted brother to their adopted dads’ home in Jonesboro.

He said at his adopted dad’s home, his other adopted brother and adopted dad did not like them, so he and his adopted brother moved to live in a friend’s house but his friend offered them an insulated doghouse to live in instead. At that point, they met a man who brought them to the Mission outreach.

He said he hopes the shelter will help him obtain documents like social security numbers to enable him to find work. He said someone pickpocketed him and stole his social security card.

He said the shelter promised to enroll him in medical insurance to enable him access treatment for Schizophrenia and Paranoia.

Cox said he found Jesus hitchhiking through the desert. He was so tired and almost passing out when he saw Jesus and said, “bring water my way,” two Hispanics appeared from nowhere with two bottles of water. He remembers when hitchhiking to Texarkana, he was tired and almost giving up when he picked a rubber band on the side of the road written “press on” and after just three miles someone came along and offered him a ride to Texarkana

Cox said no matter what someone is going through; God is always going to be by their side.

Victor Omowonuola, the incoming president of the association, joined other female members of the association in serving food. When dinner was over, the male members of the association cleaned up the cafeteria.

Peters and Burnett thank the AASA for their kind gesture.

Lawrence Yawson, the vice-president and events co-ordinator of AASA, said the shelter is welcoming and he looks forward to the association coming more often to Mission Outreach to help the homeless people.

Waste and Recycling – Recycling Systems

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By Melissa A. Palumbo
Delta Digital News Service

CRAIGHEAD COUNTY – Arkansas recycles more than average thanks to extensive programs implemented to make recycling clean and easy.

Of about 254 million tons of solid waste generated in the United States every year, 34% gets recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency; on average, Arkansas recycles about 45% of waste produced.

In many regions, third-party companies chiefly manage recycling. For Jonesboro, the Sanitation Department handles all curbside garbage and recycling, according to Cindy Schweitzer, supervisor of Jonesboro Sanitation. 

“We take garbage and recycling cans,” Schweitzer said. “Trash goes to Legacy Landfill to be buried that day, and recycling goes to Abilities Unlimited to be sorted.”

Both companies work directly with Jonesboro Sanitation — and other cities in the county — to ensure proper management of waste.

Any recycling brought to the Abilities Unlimited Recycling Center goes through a sorting process to separate different materials, which are then packaged for shipment.

Other companies can buy the raw recycled products to make new products while using less energy and producing less waste. 

Items that can be recycled include plastic bottles and containers, metals, cardboard and newspaper. Glass can not be placed in cans or dumpsters, but can be brought directly to the Abilities Unlimited Recycling Center. 

Legacy Landfill, the only landfill in Craighead County, also promotes recycling. Old or broken electronics are stripped of recyclable materials, and tires are collected for repurposing as well. 

Angela Sparks, deputy director for Legacy Landfill, said the landfill donates to Jonesboro and public schools for recycling services.

“We give about $2,000 dollars each month to local schools for recycling,” Sparks said.

Even with these efforts toward recycling, the Jonesboro Sanitation Department pays over $1 million in fees involving disposing of waste at the landfill. Schweitzer said if more people utilized recycling as a form of waste disposal, this amount “would be cut down remarkably.” 

Two years ago, the Jonesboro Sanitation Department switched from blue bag recycling to a can recycling system. The blue recycling cans get picked up on a schedule like grey garbage cans, usually every other week. 

The problem, Schweitzer said, lies with the separation of trash and recycling. While the department sees more participation from the curbside can pickup, apartment complexes face issues with residents treating the blue recycling dumpsters as garbage dumpsters. 

“It’s blue for a reason,” Schweitzer said. 

Superintendent of the Jonesboro Sanitation Department Donny Gibson said less people participated in recycling after the switch to cans. 

“It’s not up to what it used to be when we first started,” he said. When the city first started offering recycling services, about one-third of the Sanitation Department’s 30,000 customers recycled. “We’re at about 8,000 now,” Gibson said. 

Recycling not only reduces the amount of waste in the county landfill, but also cuts costs for individuals. Additional new curbside trash cans cost $75 – recycling cans cost $25.

Schweitzer said they require all trash to be inside the container for curbside pickup. “If there’s a house with a lot of loose trash,” she said, “we do suggest to them start recycling. Those bottles take up a lot of room, you don’t realize it until you don’t have them anymore.” 

Gibson encourages customers to recycle more. 

“In my household,” he said, “we bought a recycle container and my trash service has gone down by two-thirds.” 

Editor’s Note: Photos by Melissa Palumbo

Waste and Recycling – How Waste Works

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By Melissa A. Palumbo
Delta Digital News Service

CRAIGHEAD COUNTY – An almost inevitable part of everyday life, garbage takes a long journey from a kitchen bin to a landfill.

Larger corporations hire independent sanitation companies to remove waste. For most people, whether it is put into a curbside trash bin or an apartment dumpster, waste gets taken away by the city sanitation department.

The sanitation department in Jonesboro services about 30,000 people, according to Cindy Schweitzer, supervisor of the Jonesboro Sanitation Department.

“We have seven to eight trucks that pick up residential and three smaller trucks for rear-door and disabled services,” Schweitzer said. They use different types of trucks for different needs. “We also have two rear-load, one front-load and one side-load truck for the apartment dumpsters,” she said.

The operators for the trucks drive different routes each day of the week, according to Jerry Murrell, operator one for Jonesboro Sanitation 

Once completing the garbage pickup routes throughout the city, the Jonesboro Sanitation Department takes all of the waste directly to Legacy Landfill. Their trucks sometimes make two-to-three trips to the landfill a day, Schweitzer said.

Arkansas is divided into 18 regional solid waste management districts, and waste generated in each district must be disposed of in that district, according to Angela Sparks, deputy director of Legacy Landfill in Craighead County. 

Districts vary in size, with some spanning as many as six counties. Craighead County, however, is a single-county district. Incorporated in 1985, most garbage in Craighead County goes to Legacy Landfill.

The landfill can’t take everything, though. Different types of permits allow for waste disposal; Legacy Landfill attained a class one permit, Sparks said. A class one landfill is the only class that is allowed to take residential trash, but it can also be used for disposal by businesses. 

The landfill in Craighead County won’t take any waste that is flammable, corrosive, ignitable or radioactive. Fire being a hazard for landfills, they can not accept any grass clippings, leaves or small tree limbs — those are brought to an incinerator at the Sanitation Department.

The landfill also won’t take large amounts of liquids to reduce leaching. 

Leaching results from waste disposal and, if it isn’t done properly, can cause damage to the environment. Toxicants and harmful liquids, like bleach or other chemicals, can seep into the ground and poison vital groundwater, as well as harm ecosystems.

Legacy Landfill’s system redirects any leaching into tanks outside of the landfill, which is then transported to a water treatment facility.

“We use PVC pipes at the bottom with gravel over the top to catch liquids that seep through,” Sparks said. 

Under the pipes, two feet of compacted clay and a thick layer of plastic further ensure protection.  

According to Sparks, the landfill is large enough to last “another 100 years,” but she said there’s a good chance we won’t need it for that long. 

“That’s assuming waste is disposed of the same way from now on as it is right now,” Sparks said. “Waste is not disposed of the same way now as it was 50 years ago, so there’s no reason to think that 50 years from now it’ll be the same. It’s going to change.”

With more green-conscious thinking and the emergence of the zero-waste lifestyle, people are trying to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills. 

An environmental concern about landfills is the production of methane, a greenhouse gas that can contribute to global warming. It comes from the decomposition of organic materials, like food scraps, when there is a lack of oxygen. 

Not only is methane a danger to the atmosphere, but it can be ignitible and explosive. Because the gas is colorless and odorless, this can be very dangerous and hard to detect. 

Legacy Landfill has implemented a gas collection system – a series of tubes that removes all the methane – to be flared off in what Sparks called “the eternal flame.” This reduces the risk of fire as well as cuts down on the landfill’s impact on the environment tremendously. 

Sparks said the landfill is working with the energy company Integrity to find a way to use the excess methane as a source of renewable energy. 

“Integrity did a survey on the area, and they think we’ll be able to use the gas as an energy project,”  Sparks said. “We’re hoping to get that up in the next couple of years.”

As one of about 2,000 operating landfills in America, Legacy Landfill is working toward reducing the harm waste does to the environment. 

Editor’s Note: Photos by Melissa Palumbo

Tuckerman organization takes students above and beyond

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By Krishnan Collins
Delta Digital News Service

TUCKERMAN – Behind the guidance of an extremely hardworking and passionate woman, an organization brought Tuckerman schools’ report cards to an A grade and provides support for communities in the Delta. 

   Jan Paschal’s organization, Every Child is Ours, provides support for students in Tuckerman and also helps people in the community get the amount of food they need. 

Jan Paschal stands with Nelson Mandela. Paschal worked with leaders around the world like Mandela and President Bill Clinton to help students gain a better education worldwide.

   Paschal aims to help less fortunate students succeed in the classroom. Paschal said she believes every student can obtain an education; some students just do not have the same opportunities as others.

   “I think we have different expectations for poor children than we do for rich,” Paschal said. “I think that’s wrong on every level. I think rich and poor children can all succeed if they have equal footing. I think we as Americans need to look at education in that way.”

   Paschal worked with people like Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela as she helped students gain an educational footing all around the world. Despite Paschal’s ability to reach different corners of the world, she moved back to Tuckerman and made an impact. 

   One of Paschal’s main points she emphasizes allows students to feel like they are loved and to feel like they are believed in. In Tuckerman, ECIO puts on multiple events for students of all ages to show they are loved and to let students get involved in the community. 

   Perhaps one of the most moving of those events is the bunny cake event. Students in fourth grade individually bake bunny shaped cakes after an important state mandated test every year. After they bake those cakes and decorate the cakes themselves, they write a letter to the person who has helped them the most in education. 

   “The letters are incredibile,” Paschal said. “Maybe you don’t even know that the grandma has come over and read to this child forever. We had one little boy who graduated and went to Lyon College. His grandmother helped him because his mom had a drug problem. He had to be outside under the steps. That’s where he was all the time, under the steps of his house. That little boy was an honor graduate of this school.”

   One annual event that truly represents what ECIO and Paschal are all about. Tuckerman High School principal Michael Holland noted many of the events ECIO puts on in Tuckerman, but he only called one the main event. 

   While a lot of schools may schedule a day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Tuckerman schools do not schedule the holiday off. However, that day is seen as a day of service with ECIO as students prepare meals including soups, chili and sandwiches. Students deliver the meals to elderly residents in the community. 

   “When those kiddos, I drive the bus, those kids get off the bus and knock on the door,” Holland said. “Sometimes those kids will come back to the bus with a tear in their eye. I say ‘Hey is everything OK?’ and they say ‘Yes that was wonderful.’”

   Holland said the day of service stands as his favorite day of the school year and he is proud to be a part of the event. 

   Arkansas State University also participates in the day of service. Gina Hogue, an associate professor at A-State, said the impact of the day of service was so major on a student that the student told Hogue she still remembered her trip to Tuckerman and getting to work with Paschal from two years ago. 

   “I am so inspired by the work she’s doing and providing food and clothing and encouragement for students,” Hogue said. “When Jan walks into a classroom and introduces herself and looks in the eyes of every single student in the class, they know they’re special. She tells them that they’re special. She encourages them to become the very best student they can be.”

   With Paschal’s work in Tuckerman, an expectation of college or some form of higher education is placed on students. Paschal, of course, has a way to encourage that expectation. 

   ECIO brought A-State students to Tuckerman schools and had the students talk about what it was like to be in college. Athletes and student government members alike talked to Tuckerman students and Paschal pointed out the athletes did not talk about their ability on the field, they talked about what life was like in the classroom. 

   According to Paschal, the student government members from A-State received the same amount of love just as the athletes. Young Tuckerman students just wanted to know what it was like to be in college. 

   Hogue, a first-generation college student from the Delta herself, knew the importance of A-State students sharing their college experiences. 

   “I’m a first generation college student from Bay, Arkansas,” Hogue said. “My parents encouraged my sister and I to get a college education. But a lot of the students we grew up with, did not have that family support. They didn’t know they were really capable of going to college.” 

   After teaching and just being in the Delta, Hogue said she realized a lot of students had never thought of the idea of going to college. She called Pascal’s work of encouraging students to get a higher education “critical work.”

   Bringing multiple Tuckerman schools to an A rating took work from everyone in the community. Paschal noted ECIO worked like the glue of everything that was going on to increase students’ productivity. 

   “We have so many kids who have substance abuse problems,” Paschal said. “Not them but people in their homes. (We have) poverty and we don’t even have a grocery store here. What we’ve almost become is the glue. We’re what holds everybody together.”

   Holland acknowledged this glue effect and praised his own faculty and staff at Tuckerman High School. 

   “If a student is lacking in food at home and they have to come to school hungry, I just think it helps and works hand in hand,” Holland said referring to ECIO’s side. “If we can help provide them with food, it’s only going to help their learning.”

Holland talked about his faculty and staff next.

   “I really feel like it’s a one word answer: family,” Holland said about what makes his staff so successful. “I feel like this is the best overall staff I’ve had in place since I’ve been here.”

    Another aspect of Paschal’s work includes encouraging teamwork and kindness. With the help of Dillards at Tuckerman’s Middle School campus, Dillards built a boutique where students can buy clothes. The twist happens when students earn special currency that can be spent at the store by just being kind to one another and then informing the act of kindness to their teachers. Paschal said it is hard to open a door for yourself at the middle school because everyone is working so hard to be kind. 

   ECIO even provided McDonalds meals as a treat to every student in a class if everyone completed all the tasks given to them on a checklist in an event before Christmas break. This taught accountability and teamwork as students made sure everyone completed their tasks so they could receive a tasty treat. 

   From widening students’ worldviews by having them talk to students in overseas countries like Jordan, to encouraging high school students to help older people in the community by unloading food at the food pantry, it seems like Paschal never runs out of innovative ideas to transform a community. Her passion for education flows into the community and the people around her.

   “Children everywhere can learn if they have the right conditions and the right books and all the things that we try to give to ours,” Paschal said. “We need to make sure that in the USA every child is valued. I don’t care what that child’s problems are, what color their skin is or what their religion is. We should as Americans have the standard that every child matters. That’s the name of our organization, Every Child is Ours.” 

Editor’s Note: Feature photo courtesy of ECIO: Jan Paschal stands with the students after the annual Bunny Cake event. After the cakes are made, students write a letter to the person who helped them the most in their education.

Brooke Caraway to head to Miss Arkansas

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By Maddison Smith
Delta Digital News Service

BLYTHEVILLE – Miss contestant competes in 17 prelims before winning a title. 

   Brooke Caraway is the winner of the Miss Lights of the Delta pageant. She received the Talent award and the Claudio Raffo “Dreamer Award.” 

   Brooke Caraway also won $6,700 of scholarship money and will be competing in the Miss Arkansas pageant June 13 through the 20 of 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

   Director of the Miss Lights of the Delta, Miss Northeast Arkansas and Miss River Delta Denise Holdaway said she wants someone that will proudly represent the lights and the Delta. 

   “What matters is that she is passionate about her platform and has an understanding of how they are representing the community,” Holdaway said. 

   “She nailed her interview and I thought her onstage talent was very creative,” judge Tiffany Hoskins said, “Her private interview went very well, and she was an overall great contestant.” 

   Caraway’s talent was a speed painting to a “Patriotic Melody.” 

   Caraway said this was the 17th prelim that she has competed in and she is excited to serve the Blytheville community.

  Caraway’s platform is foster care. “I’m looking forward to getting plugged into organizations throughout the state and see more foster kids find their home.” Caraway said. 

   Caraway will have her own lights display in the Lights of the Delta as well. 

   First runner up and other awards include: 

  • Katherine Beasley; First Runner Up, $500 scholarship prize and sponsorship into next year’s MLOD, MNA and MRD.
  • Apple Dennie; Second Runner UP, $200 scholarship prize
  • Apple Dennie; Evening Wear/Social Impact statement, $50 scholarship prize.
  • Katherine Beasley; Izzy Baughn Leadership Award, $100 scholarship prize. 

Editor’s Note: Feature photo courtesy of Susan Smith Photography 

 

Local boutiques thrive during challenging times

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By Crystal Carter Harrell
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The fashion world appears to be in dire straits as big fast-fashion retailer companies file for bankruptcy and close stores down.

Stores such as Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Dressbarn, Payless ShoeSource and Gymboree register among the many brands shutting doors, yet still maintaining an online presence.

FOREVER 21 FILED FOR CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY THIS YEAR

Forever 21, the fifth largest specialty retailer in the United States, filed for bankruptcy in September. The family owned business, first introduced as Fashion 21, operated for over 30 years before making closing announcements. Out of 460 stores across the country, up to 178 Forever 21 stores anticipate closing. According to USA TODAY, 111 stores in the court records and additional locations may close. 

Locations include Avenue at Murfreesboro and Hamilton Place in Tennessee, Eastern Shore Centre and Outlet Shops of Grand River in Alabama, Lincoln Park and Loop Chicago in Illinois, Lake Charles in Louisiana and Willow Bend in Texas. Only 13 stores received a closing date of Dec. 29. Arkansas locations remain open. Holly Rutledge, Forever 21 Red store manager in Jonesboro, welcomed the announcement. 

“Yes we’re staying open for now,” Rutledge said.

Ronica Versie of Jonesboro appreciates the in-store Forever 21 shopping experience versus buying online.

“Usually when I come here, I always get great deals. I can find a really cute shirt to wear for $3. I can try my outfit on. I don’t have to deal with it coming in the mail and me not being able to wear it. It’s just my go-to place whenever I shop,” Versie said.

CNN Business reported Forever 21 was “burdened by expensive store leases, unprofitable markets and continuing disruption from online shopping.” 

GAP INC. SPLITS COMPANY IN TWO

Earlier in the year, Gap Inc. announced its closing of 230 stores and making Old Navy its own company. The separation will consist of two publicly traded companies: Old Navy and a company comprised of other Gap brands. Old Navy, named after a bar in Paris, became the first retailer to reach $1 billion in annual sales in less than four years of operation in 1997. It has grown to $8 billion in annual sales since it opened its first store in 1994, according to CNN Business. Old Navy locations continue to operate in-store and online.

Christy Harvey and her family shop Old Navy for leggings and T-shirts. For Christmas, Harvey partners with Central Baptist Church to buy clothing for orphaned children.

“I prefer online shopping, but my better deals come from in the stores,” Harvey said.

BELLABIRD BOUTIQUE CLAIMS SUCCESS

Bellabird Clothing Co. began in 2012. A sign posted on their Jonesboro location claims the business was voted best boutique in Northeast Arkansas. The store sells sweaters, jeans, jackets, dresses and more. The owner, Sydney Oliva from Batesville, expanded the business and created an online page in 2017. 

“We have been very successful in the Jonesboro area. We keep our prices affordable and don’t do a high mark-up,” Oliva said. “I definitely get more local business, especially in Batesville. In Jonesboro, I am getting to know and establish relationships, which is very nice. I love meeting new people!”

Oliva plans to grow her online business instead of expanding to more locations.

Mollie Breckenridge of Mountain Home works for Bellabird Clothing Co. in Jonesboro. She said the store offers giveaways and special promotions on social media to gain customer retention and sales.

“We do online where you can order, but I would say most people buy stuff in-store,” Breckenridge said.

LARGER CHAINS ARE FIGHTING BACK

Kohl’s began shrinking some it stores and leasing its space to Planet Fitness earlier this year. Kohl’s partnered with Amazon in 2017 to offer free returns and began a relationship with the Aldi supermarket chain.

In October, Dressbarn announced it will “begin the final stage of its planned wind down by commencing store closing sales at all of its brick and mortar retail stores.” The company sold the intellectual property assets of Dressbarn and will transition its e-commerce business to a subsidiary of Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC.

In a press release, co-owner of Retail Ecommerce Ventures Tai Lopez said, “We believe the future of Dressbarn is bright and we are excited to grow and expand the online presence for the brand.”

Chico’s, a women’s apparel store, holds 1,400 locations in the United States and Canada. According to Yahoo Finance, the company is closing up to 250 stores beginning in 2020. However, Chico’s recently began partnerships with Amazon, QVC and ShopRunner to help turn things around.

NEXT STEPS FOR RETAIL EMPLOYEES CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

Express Employment Professionals work with job seekers to help them find the right job for their skills and experience. 

Jonesboro Workforce Development Committee partnerships between education and industry, gives employer-driven training and arranges face-to-face industry visits. While they personally do not work with retail employees, they point them in the right direction.

“There are several great agencies that can help people find their next job that can lead to a career,” Craig Rickert, Jonesboro Unlimited director of communications said.