Tag Archives: Business

Church hosts inaugural opening of Caraway Market Days

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New market showcases goods from local proprietors

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, November 10, 2023

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Caraway Market Days, a new farmers’ market arranged and hosted by South Caraway Baptist Church in Jonesboro, opened for the first time last Saturday. The event which lasted from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. featured many local vendors and food trucks.

Caraway Market Days at the new farmers’ market.

According to Caraway Market Days Administrator Anna Powell who is a member of the church, the idea for the event begin developing in mid-September. According to Powell, the church has an extra fellowship building that wasn’t being used much which prompted congregants to brainstorming ways to utilize the space.

Several church members craft their own goods and have small businesses and decided a farmers’ market would be a good way to help sell their goods and connect with the community.

“We thought hey, let’s invite people in, provide this safe space and this regular environment where we could have events on the weekends, and allow local small businesses to sell their items here,” Powell said.

“We thought hey, let’s invite people in, provide this safe space and this regular environment where we could have events on the weekends, and allow local small businesses to sell their items here,”

– Caraway Market Days Administrator Anna Powell

Additionally, the group wanted to provide a way for people to “shop small” during the season in which other farmers’ markets are usually closed. The church plans to continue hosting the market every Saturday through April, excepting holidays.

“As a small business myself, I know that it’s really difficult in between market seasons when the local markets end in the fall, and they don’t start back up until May or June,” Powell said. “We really wanted this to be an opportunity to serve our community in between and allow a space for people to sell because so many of us know what that’s like to be kind of stuck through the winter season.”

In early October, Powell expected at least 30 vendors to show up; however the group unexpectedly was still receiving applications by that time and eventually became confident the space would be filled.

Only three or four vendors were from the church. Most of the expected vendors came from the outside community. In addition to handcrafted goods like clothes, some vendors were selling baked goods and candy; there was also availability offered for fresh produce and flowers.

All of the vendors’ tables were set up inside the Family Life Center. The food trucks were outside in the parking lot. Powell said that there may be some overflow of vendors outside on days of nice weather.

“It’s just going to be a really relaxed atmosphere,” Powell said. “We encourage families, friends, and groups of people to come just check it out, interact with all of our vendors and all of us that are going to be volunteering there. We’re just hoping for a really fun day.”

A large variety of homemade goods such as jewelry, clothes, art, embroidery, charcuterie boards, were featured, along with baked goods and candy.

Candace Brailsford owner of Charis Cottage Bakery in Jonesboro sells artisan sourdough, such as loaves, buns, rolls, and sandwich bread baked from her home daily. She also makes sweet treats like cinnamon rolls, scones, and cookies.

Brailsford started selling her bread in January of this year after receiving feedback that people loved eating it and were interested in buying it. Along with farmers’ markets, she sells from home and takes requests online.

One of the younger vendors at the market, a 19-year-old Abigail Sanchez, who sells a variety of handmade crafts like jewelry, keychains, and more. Sanchez started her business, Nightmareclaw’s Creatives, a little over a year ago.

Sanchez is mostly self-taught, while picking tips from her grandmother. She usually sells online and recently started selling at the Judd Hill Farmers’ Market before she heard about Caraway Market Days.

Coming from a family of seven, Sanchez uses the money from the business to help support them as well as her pet pig.

Stephanie Gibson of Momma G’s Embroidery was there to sell her handmade embroidered crafts. Gibson has been in business for about a year and doing embroidery for three years.

She primarily embroiders shirts, bags, blankets, and baby items, and sells them either at markets or online. She does it on the side along with her full-time job. She taught herself to embroider from YouTube.

“I’ve sewn since I was a kid when my grandmother taught me, so it was just a shift,” Gibson said.

Trisha Gooch, a watercolor artist, was selling her artwork. Her table displayed several originals as well as prints. Gooch paints mostly nature, including animals and landscapes. 

She’s been painting for 25 years and selling her work for 20 years. She primarily sells on the Fine Art America website as well as her own website. She also does commissions. 

In 2021, she moved from Hawaii where she was retired. She’s been selling at fairs in addition the Judd Hill Farmers’ Market, the Delta Arts Festival in Newport, and festivals at the Craighead County Jonesboro Library.  

Doula Kara Pifer was there to advertise her services. Her business is called Cultivating Arrows Doula Services. She’s studied to be a doula for 2 years and got her certification at the end of 2022. 

Originally from West Virginia, Pifer moved to Jonesboro last June and started her business in October. She has 6 children of her own and birthed the last 2 at home with the help of a midwife and another doula.

“I’ve seen how much of a big difference that it made, and I have such a passion for children and babies and pregnancy,” Pifer said. “When I saw that I could easily do a certification program myself, I immediately started after the birth of my second child at home.”

Along with delivering emotional and physical support during labor and delivery, she provides postpartum support, which means she assists with the baby after birth. Pifer gives encouragement and and provides education to new mothers while teaching pain management and relaxation techniques.

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Avery Jones

Avery Jones is a junior in the department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Essential workers provide much needed care during winter weather

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Preparation and precaution is needed during winter weather

Delta Digital News Service

By Cameron Bandy | Contributor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Business and public services are especially important during winter weather because crime and hunger don’t stop during extreme conditions. People need police, nurses and businesses like grocery stores to help them survive the cold.

   Winter weather pummeled Northeast Arkansas bringing an abundance of snow, sleet and freezing rain which caused multiple power outages and traveling issues. Inclement weather prompted many businesses like Pak Mail, Cracker Barrel, Jets Transit and surrounding schools to close. Police Officers, nurses and grocery stores are necessities in cold weather and must stay open to assist the public. These professions don’t get the choice of staying home.  

   Bill Brown has worked as a police officer 14 years on patrol and is now a detective for the department. Winter weather can be a struggle for police officers and preparation for any type of weather is important.

   Brown said, “When it gets closer to fall, officers will get prepared by getting their cold-weather gear out.  The cold-weather gear is different for different officers.  Mine consists of thermal layers to keep in my vehicle along with gloves, thermal beanie, coat and HotHands hand warmers.  I will also keep a blanket or two just in case I have a call where people are stuck in the weather, till they’re able to get back indoors.”

I will also keep a blanket or two just in case I have a call where people are stuck in the weather, till they’re able to get back indoors.”

– JPD Detective Bill Brown

   Brown expressed the importance that all officers should become acclimated to all weather conditions. At any time of the year, officers have no idea what the next call will be or how long they will be in the elements with the number one goal of providing safety. 

Being prepared for the weather is part of the officers’ responsibility. During winter weather accidents, officers will do what they can to keep the drivers warm and dry. Some calls might be to direct traffic at an accident scene where the temperature is cold while containing many forms or precipitation, or out looking for a lost juvenile or an elderly patient that walked away from the nursing home.

   Hanna Koons is a respiratory therapist at St. Bernards Hospital and has been for about 15 years. Hospitals are essential for those needing medical assistance during car accidents, the current pandemic and with helping other medical emergencies.

   Koons said, “Generally, falls and wrecks are the most reported incidents in snowy weather.”

   During winter weather, the hospital allows all staff to use rooms that are available to sleep if they’re not comfortable driving home during winter weather. Koons expressed the importance of getting to work during winter weather, “With the option of staying at the hospital, there is no excuse not to make it to work, she said.” Medical emergencies don’t stop during winter weather, so doctors and nurses can’t either.

“With the option of staying at the hospital, there is no excuse not to make it to work, she said.”

– Respiratory Therapist Hanna Koons, St. Bernards Hospital

   Danny Phillips has been an asset manager at Walmart on Parker Road for nearly eight years. Grocery stores must stay open because people must be able to get groceries in case of weather-related emergencies like the 2009 ice storm that left many residents without power for weeks. People always rush to grocery stores to pick up the usual milk and bread along with other necessities; so, these stores must be prepared.

   Phillips said, “we try to keep pallets out of customer’s way” to have efficiency as people shop for what they need. Safety is the main concern of grocery stores as they have an influx of people preparing for the storm.

 “The rugs get cleaned during rain and we have a snow-removal contract with a landscape company that helps clear the parking lot for customers,” he said.

   Preparation and efficiency for businesses and public services are vital to helping the public prepare for extreme weather. Without police, nurses and important businesses, people couldn’t survive, especially if an accident, injury or lack of food impacted someone. These professions can’t call into work because of road conditions or weather because they help others survive.

OPINION: TikTok’s Dilemma in U.S. — Should it be banned?

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By Yu Bai
Delta Digital News Service

Yu Bai is a Chinese national and multimedia journalism major at Arkansas State University.

JONESBORO – TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service by ByteDance, and is used to create videos such as short music, lip-sync, and comedy of 3 to 15 seconds. The app’s most popular function amongst its users is to create lip-syncing and dancing videos. It is simple but omnipotent. TikTok includes interesting videos like Youtube, music like Myspace, filters like Instagram or Snapchat, and communication like Whatsapp.

Recently, President Donald Trump suddenly announced that the U.S. government would consider banning the use of TikTok because of concerns about national security. The executive orders argue the Chinese government can access data from TikTok which utilizes an artificial intelligence algorithm to grab content from its user’s information stream and push it after deep mining, which can be potentially leveraged for espionage or blackmail.

I think this is absurd hegemonic behavior of the American government. The Chinese government responded strongly believing the U.S. has blurred the concept of national security, and made resumptions of guilt and issued threats to relevant companies without any evidence, which violated the principles of market economy. TikTok should not be banned and treated in such a threatening way.

TikTok operates strictly in accordance with the laws of the United States. As a short video application, it aims to provide entertainment for the public. Donald Trump should not use political means to suppress U.S. competitors. It is an example of extreme protectionism, which directly disrupts the free market economy.

According to investment bank Piper Sandler’s report, TikTok surpassed Instagram in the United States and became the second favorite social application amongst teenagers.

Also, the ban has been widely resisted by well-known bloggers on TikTok. Nine bloggers with around 54 million fans stated in an open letter to Trump that TikTok has achieved interactions that cannot be achieved on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. TikTok gives them a platform to show their talents and bring joy to other people. If the platform is banned, they will lose a major source of creativity and their happiness in life.

I disagree with the argument that TikTok is an urgent threat to U.S. national security. Like all Chinese technology companies, ByteDance must comply with Chinese censorship laws, which forces the app to provide user data to the Chinese government. But TikTok’s content review work is led by the American team and is not effected by any foreign government. In addition, if TikTok is a threat to American national security, so then are popular video games such as League of Legends, whose maker Riot Games is owned by China’s Tencent.

If all countries in the world use imaginary risks to make things difficult for these popular social platforms, will there still be common applications in this world? If such unfounded national security principles are promoted globally, the biggest losses will undoubtedly be American tech giants such as Apple and Microsoft.

For people who are not American citizens, such as me, an international student, this ban order will have a great negative impact on our lives. TikTok is a platform for us to communicate with family and friends far away in the United States, and it means that we will lose the opportunity for long-distance communication if it’s banned. Trump’s executive order is going to make the U.S. a hostile place to visit, study in, or immigrate to. For a diversified immigration country like the United States, banning TikTok is not a wise decision.

The current series of American crackdowns on TikTok are actually an act of anger under the failure of competition. Behind the legitimate success of Chinese companies and the suppression of a Chinese app that is highly recognized by the American people, is an unfair ban that attempts to obviously make the Trump administration gain favorable interests.

If the government really cares about privacy and data collection, then it is better to find an unbiased solution to their problem than to ban the app by using mandatory administrative orders.

COVID-19 hampers holiday, economy

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By Yu Bai
Delta Digital News Service

The first Monday in September is the traditional Labor Day in the United States. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, most people recognized the holiday at home rather than attending public settings.

Jonesboro physician Chance Smith stayed home for the holiday. “I did have a barbecue, and I swam with friends and family only on Labor Day,” said Smith.

Smith practiced safety precautions by staying home and only being close to those familiar to him.

To contain the spread of COVID-19, the city Jonesboro strongly encourages residents to keep social distance and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

Businesses such as restaurants and bars are limited to takeout or delivery while personal care services, and gyms have been closed.

Slowing customer traffic has caused small businesses to have limited profits limiting funds for overhead costs. The city provides some grants and loans to help these companies survive the temporary closures and loss of customers.

Director of Communications for Jonesboro Bill Campbell said, “We have built reserves to get through what we call ‘rainy days,’ which means the periods of emergency or catastrophe or anything like that.”

Employment in the leisure and hospitality industry has always been a dominant area of Jonesboro’s economy, and the permanent closure of these businesses will make many people in Jonesboro unemployed.

Labor Finders is a temporary staffing and employment agency in Jonesboro, which provides good short-term services for those who are unemployed. It can immediately provide jobs for people who need to find a job and pay a daily salary.

Debra Dunaway, the assistant manager of Labor Finders, said, “ We provide construction workers and construction clean up, and we give them money right away when they’re in need.”

However, Dunaway said that they did not recruit too many workers to work in recent days compared with before because so many things are shut down right now.

Jessica Tran is a local resident whose parents have a business. “My parents were forced to close their business for a few months due to a mandate ordered by the governor. As for me, I actually had a job as a desk assistant. However, when the virus started spreading more, everyone was sent home, including me.”

The epidemic has suppressed the development of many private small businesses, and it also has diminished the government sales tax. Companies continue to develop their business while expanding social distancing requirements to stimulate economic recovery.

Nurse practitioner fulfills dream with art gallery business

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By Tristan Bennett
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — Local artists have an avenue to profit from their craft thanks to one very busy business woman with a passion for art.

As a college freshman, Angela “Angie” Jones first declared her major as art before ultimately ending up in the healthcare field. Now a nurse practitioner, it is not surprising that her love of art stuck with her.

Artist Angela “Angie” Jones owns the Art House art gallery in downtown Jonesboro. Jones opened the gallery during the pandemic.

“I’ve always gone back to it,” Jones said. “Painting walls and furniture when my kids were growing up, always having a craft project.”

Now an empty-nester, Jones decided to dive back in to her love of art in the time she used to spend at ballgames, dance and choir performances. She began taking art lessons with Gussi Causey, a retired Jonesboro Public Schools art teacher, and a big problem gave her a big idea.

“She had mentioned one day that there was really nowhere for her students to exhibit their work,” Jones said. “We had just moved downtown, and we had a commercial space below us that was empty.”

In June 2019, she opened Art House, a gallery in downtown Jonesboro for local artists to showcase and sell their work.

“So what started out as being something that maybe 10 to 15 artists could use to have a random art show here and there turned into the Art House,” Jones said.

Today, Art House has hosted 11 art shows and represented over 50 local artists.

One of those artists, Braden Walls, considers himself to be a drawer. He bases his style on that of Picasso: cubism. He said his involvement with the Art House has been a great experience.

Walls said before Art House opened, other galleries operated in the area but were selective about whose art they showcased.

“Angie opened up Art House and was like, ‘Everybody come put your work in and display it,’” Walls said. “Which, nothing like that has ever happened in Jonesboro before.”

Jones gave all local artists a chance to profit from their passion, and for that, local artist Sheila Guinn is thankful.

“We’ve needed this. We have other art galleries in town, but this one seems to be targeted to everybody. Every age. Every walk of life. All kinds of art and all kinds of people” Guinn said.

When her Art House journey began, Jones was shocked at the number of artists in Jonesboro as well as the lack of opportunities those artists had to showcase their creations.

“We have a lot of resources, we just don’t have a lot of avenues for local artists to get their work out there,” Jones said. “I believe we created that avenue for people to display their work, sell it and get it in the public’s view, and for people to realize that there are talented artists.”

Even in the middle of a pandemic, Jones continued to serve Jonesboro’s artists. She shifted from hosting large public shows to online galleries and private viewings. Jones said she thinks that will expand in the future on top of the traditional shows.

Not only does Art House support local artists, but Jones used art to help her community as well. When the pandemic hit, many restaurants downtown went to curbside-only dining. This meant fewer people on the sidewalks and fewer people visiting other businesses. She assembled a team of five local artists to create murals downtown designed specifically for selfies. That team was dubbed “The Mural Squad.”

“Our goal was to get more traffic downtown, and it’s something fun for people to do when they come down here as well,” Jones said.

The murals’ success led to a contest for more artists to add their own selfie backdrop to the wall, and the Squad has more plans to paint downtown in the future.

The work Jones does for the community requires a delicate balance in her life, and she said she could not do it without her husband, Scotty.

“He will do anything I ask him to and take on any project I ask,” Jones said. “He has been there to hang the art, there to help me with all the other stuff and give support as well.”

Her efforts do not go unseen by the artists she represents.

“She’s doing what a lot of people have wanted to do but just didn’t,” Guinn said. “It takes a lot of effort to do what she does, and we all really admire her for doing this.”

Jones is in the midst of moving the Art House to a new space downtown and plans to continue to advocate for local artists as well as bring art into the Jonesboro community.

Note: Featured photo submitted.

 

 

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Housing development delayed by city council

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By Crystal Carter Harrell
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The Jonesboro City Council motioned to postpone a zoning request at 1130 Greensboro Rd. on April 7 and left an African-American entrepreneur waiting another 60 days for his project to get the “green light.”

The rezoning request, made by Jackson’s Construction CEO and licensed realtor Rickey Jackson, managed to garner 86 signatures on a petition causing the delay according to Councilman Charles Coleman.

Coleman said the citizens on the petition do not have any problem with the request, but they want to appear in person to voice public opinions on the matter.

“When it comes to things like that, I would rather people be in front of me to voice their opinion. If I was in that area, I would feel the same way,” Coleman said. “I’m very impressed by Mr. Jackson trying to do something with the area. I understand, but I’m only going to vote with my conscience.”

Councilman Chris Moore said he had also received considerable objections to the request. He moved to second the motion of postponement for 60 days. Restrictions because of the COVID-19 virus pandemic prevented the public from attending the meeting in-person at the time.

The council received a zoning ordinance map amendment application for the 8.84 acres of land in December. Before the application, the property sat vacant for 10 years.

Jackson has worked as a licensed residential and commercial contractor since 2006, building duplexes for private owners and investors for years. He currently holds contracts with the highway department and has plans to develop a new roundabout connecting Harrisburg and Caraway Roads.

The first property solely owned and developed by Jackson, at 1130 Greensboro Rd., is five minutes away from Arkansas State University.

“Instead of apartments, I want to build stand-alone homes that serve single individuals or small families. I only want to place 41 homes in the area. I could go up to 53, but I do not want to congest the area. I’m only asking to build variant home sizes. I only want to help the area, not hurt the area,” Jackson said.

Each all electric unit in the 41-unit housing complex will range from 1,000 to 1,300 square feet. Some of the units will have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a garage. Fencing will be put up for privacy in backyards.

The rental cost with utilities could be between $800 and $1,000, but nothing has been set in stone. Jackson plans to break ground as soon as rezoning is approved at the third reading by city council.

“I’ll abide by what the city council decides and take it from there. It is setting me back, but I am an entrepreneur.”

Editor’s Note: Feature photo by Ivan Bandura on Unsplash

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.

Grocery store offers all-natural foods

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By Melissa A. Palumbo
Delta Digital News Service

MOUNTAIN HOME – Local grocery store Truck Patch offers bulk foods and spices, all-natural beauty products and plant-based meals. 

Named after small farmers’ markets from the 1800s, the Truck Patch grocery store opened May 23, 2010 in Mountain Home. From there, the store added a larger Jonesboro location.

“We don’t currently have plans for another location, but we’re always open to expand,” said Mountain Home Manager Virginia Embry. 

Truck Patch sells ingredients by bulk, allowing customers to bring their own reusable jars, bags and containers with which to shop. 

Tori Forkum, assistant manager at the Truck Patch Jonesboro, said they tare the container before the customer shops. 

“You can bring your own jar and we weigh it,” she said. “Then we take the weight of the container off the final price.”

Many ingredients cost less to to buy in bulk than in individually packaged portions, such as spices and grains.

Olivia Simpson, an employee who works in the kitchen at the Jonesboro location, suggests reusable glass bottles and jars to cut back on waste.

“Buy bulk and ditch plastic,” she said. “Use glass whenever you can.”

The store carries plastic-free, plant-based and biodegradable household products. Products made from plants have a lower environmental impact than hard plastics made from oil, and paper packaging decomposes much faster than plastic wrapping. 

They also sell pet products, like biodegradable doggie bags, organic treats and food.

Truck Patch focuses not only on reducing plastic packaging, but also increasing healthy eating. Employees at Truck Patch help customers find ingredients to suit any diet, from vegan to paleo. They also help those with allergies, diabetes and other health needs find appropriate meals.

“Our staff is well versed in different diets, and we are more than happy to help,” Embry said.

Camron Collins began working at Truck Patch as a cashier about four months ago. He said he was drawn to his job because of his interest in health-conscious eating and reducing environmental impact.
“When we started damaging our environment, it was fast,” he said. “We’re starting to revert that now. It took a lifetime to realize it, but we’re a force.”

Truck Patch strives for zero-waste within the business and community, according to Embry. Because of the large population of farmers in the area, the Mountain Home location established a composting system. 

“We are considerably smaller than the Jonesboro location, but we do pack a big punch,” Embry said. 

The Truck Patch Jonesboro plans to carry composting supplies in the future.

When the Jonesboro location opened in 2015, the Stem and Spoon Cafe was added within the store. The cafe offers a variety of sandwiches, salads, sides and drinks. All the ingredients Truck Patch uses stay organic and hormone-free.

“We use ingredients from the store,” Forkum said. “The kitchen workers will ‘grocery shop’ for the cafe.”

To avoid waste, fruits and vegetables that aren’t as pretty as the rest are turned into smoothies. Food that doesn’t sell is often given to employees.

“We don’t throw anything away,” Embry said. 

Editor’s Note: Photos by Melissa Palumbo.

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