It is a beautiful summer day here in February in Johnson City. It's about 68 degrees, says my watch. It's unbelievable. We're living in Florida in the mountains. It's crazy! The weather is not why you guys are listening. Every time I start that, and you're probably like, why is he talking about the weather all the time? Because it's crazy here. Just wait about 15 minutes, it'll change and you'll, you'll be glad it did. It snowed last week. It was like 10 degrees. Whole shi town shut down and then outside now it's hot and sunny. So it's just awesome. Um, I'm excited though. Not about the weather. I am excited about the weather, but I'm also super excited because we have, Miss Frankie Bailey with us on the podcast. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. Is this your first podcast you've ever done? It's my absolute first podcast. Well, welcome to the world of podcasting. I'm sure you're going to do great. Can you talk? I can talk. So that's good. We got that covered. I can ask questions and that's pretty much how it goes. Easy. Done. Yeah. Okay. First thing. Johnson City Living Podcast. What do you love most about Johnson City? Well, I love that because I live in Elizabethton. So you love Elizabethton the most, is that right? I love that I'm here in Johnson City because it's all about regional love and support. And I think the biggest thing, even being just 20 minutes down the road in Elizabethton, that's what I call home in my business. But I love Johnson City too. I'm here all the time. I've got family that live here. So you come to the big city a lot. I come to the big city, absolutely do get some of the traffic. Um, but it's perfect. It's lovely. I love to eat. I love, um, to come into the label here in town. Yeah. Um, I like to go to the Ale House too, with friends and family, so it's just great. It's a good, it is a great, it's a good spot. So you like, it sounds like you like the downtown food and. What a place to be in cocktail situations. I do, I do. Yeah, it's a good spot! There's a lot going on down here. There is a lot! You've got great people leading charges here in the Henn Johnson Cities. Alright, let's talk about the Frankie origin story. Where were you born? Cool. So I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So about 12 hour drive up north. It's a little chilly up there. It is a little chilly, yep. It's definitely more like what it was last week as far as weather goes. Yep, lots of snow. Lots of snow. Um, born and raised there. Uh, great community, great family. I've got two older brothers that are twins and a younger sister. Um, and then, you know, when I hit about 20, I was kind of ready for some changes and decided that Northeast Tennessee was the place to travel to. Um, at the time, my boyfriend was here and so it made a lot of sense to continue our relationship and travel down into Northeast Tennessee. I like it. How long have you been here? So, I originally moved down in 2006. Okay. And then I had a, we had a period of time where we actually moved back up to Michigan. There were some great opportunities for work, um, up there. So I lived there, was back up there for five years, and then we moved back down. And that's, of course, two kids later, um, and, and all that good stuff. But when I was in Elizabethton the first time, um, I actually worked at the coffee company. I don't know if you knew that about it. I don't know that I knew that. So when I moved down into Elizabethton, one of the first places I went, um, after some promptings was go to the coffee company, talk to John Bunn, maybe he'll hire you. And I said, great. So I knocked on the door, went into that amazing business. I met John and Lisa Bunn, sat down for an interview and he said, can you work tomorrow? And I said, absolutely. Man, you must have made an impression. Oh, well, it was quick, but it was so much fun. So I literally was working at the coffee company in Elizabethton for about two years. Um, and I loved it. I love the people. I love the community. Um, John and Lisa were amazing bosses, great, um, influences on my life. I just really enjoyed it. I enjoyed, even more than the food and the coffee. I love coffee. I drink coffee all the time, every day, but it was about the environment that the coffee company offered. So I enjoyed working there and being with them. And like I said, fast forward now, when we were moving back down to Northeast Tennessee from Michigan, it was like, well, what, what next? And we got in touch with John and Lisa and said, what's, what's the temperature of downtown? What's going on? And at the time they were ready to step away from the coffee company and the restaurant world. Isn't the Lord's timing perfect all the time? It's perfect. And I would have never imagined. I mean, when I worked for them, you know, back in 2006 and seven and a little bit of eight, I would have never thought that I'd be where I am today. Isn't that super cool? It's very cool. Now tell me a little bit about the building. I mean, I've been there. It's beautiful. Thanks. Yeah. Old. It's old. It was built in 1937. Um, it was a men's store. So it was built in the 30s for the purpose of a men's store. So we do have some advertising, um, old advertisements on the window or on the, uh, walls downstairs that showcase kind of some of the first ads that they had to get people in, um, during the holidays, of course, too. So, and a lot of that, what you see. In our building are old cabinets so they were housing shirts and belts and any number of men's clothing items So we still use that cabinetry in the shop for yeah for our purpose There's we've got all kinds of things for our food service and all that that we use those for which makes it definitely very unique And special it does it's really it's just got a really good feel I love the old hardwood the high ceilings Carly loves old buildings, too. Yeah, we just love coming there It's a lot of fun, but you also own some space upstairs too, and rent that out? So I actually don't own, so I'm not the property owner, but Kent Eden's owns um, the building and he's been phenomenal, we do a lot of work together, which is awesome, and so upstairs he's going to do some co working spaces so that's exciting, so that'll be something that'll happen this year, um, office space for people to come, rent for the day, or have something more stationary and hang out on a month to month basis, so that's, that's exciting. Now, have they always served food? Or is it just coffee? Like early on. That's a great question. So, I actually just sat down with John and had lunch with him last week. And it was neat. We got to talk about, again, like, what is the story of the coffee company? And it started with just coffee. And at the time, I mean, you're talking, the coffee company opened in 1997. Oh, wow. There was not many Starbucks. It wasn't like what you, what we see now. There wasn't seven brews on the corner or anything like that. So, in small is about then. John thought, Let's do this coffee thing. Um, and started roasting coffee to a friend of his stopped roasting. And then John bought that equipment and started roasting. And then the coffee was just enough to keep going. But then they realized there was a need for food. So people would come in, they were doing little sandwiches on one side of the restaurant, which is kind of our barista side. Um, and at the time, Lisa was running, um, a women's clothing boutique next door. Oh. Um, well then eventually the food grew, they knew they needed more space for that. Took the wall down in between the two, and now we have the coffee company footprint as everyone know and love it today. So, we've got food, we serve lunch from 11 to 3, we have breakfast sandwiches, um, from 7 when we open until about 10. 30. So. Lots of good stuff. Catering, all kinds of in house events. You have catered too. Yeah. Yeah, I do. I know. Surprise. What are, what are, what's your favorite thing on the menu? The favorite? Let's say breakfast food first. Oh, you know, I just like a good sausage biscuit. Yeah. I love a sausage biscuit with some cheese and a tomato. It's perfect. Oh, nice. Uh huh. Got to have that acidity. Okay. What's your sweet thing you like on the menu? Um, I would say the triple espresso brownie is my favorite. Ooh. We put espresso in it. We bake it with espresso so it just has a really nice flavor. You can taste the coffee and it's great. That sounds delicious. Alright, let's talk about lunch. What do you offer for breakfast besides just the sausage? Um, we have like breakfast plates. We do croissant sandwiches. We're more of a sandwich shop. So we're gonna see a lot more of those. We don't do biscuits and gravy and all that good stuff. But it's a pretty good menu, right? It is. It is. We got it. We got a great menu for folks looking for that. And then we've got city market down the road. They do an awesome job for those bigger breakfast. Outings as well. Jerry Williams made me get a cinnamon roll, which was unreal. It was like as big as the plate and it was just covered in icing. It was probably a few thousand calories. Oh, I'm sure. It was well worth it. Oh, well worth it. Yeah, people love the cinnamon rolls. I mean, those were staples. When I worked there, you know, almost 20 years ago, those were what people know and remember and have kept eating over the years. And just keep making them. Yeah, we do. Now do you have a pastry chef person in the house? We do. I've got two bakers. I have Beth who's been with the company. She was there when I worked there, which was great. So she was there, um, she's been there, gosh, probably almost 25 years now. That's cool. Yeah. And, uh, so it's been really fun working with her. And then Irene, um, also is a baker and she's, was at the coffee company when I worked there. So, she's been around for a very long time, too, and she's fabulous. It's wonderful. I think that's fun. I've made cinnamon rolls. I don't know that I want to make them every day. I know. I don't know how the bakers do that. Like, they just, they are gifts. They are absolute gifts. The word made them very specifically for being patient and just doing the same thing. That's true. It's just so, but they, they, I mean, you can tell this made with love. It tasted fantastic. Well, thank you. All right. Let's talk about lunchtime 'cause Oh yeah. I mean, Jerry Williams is in there every day for like, feels, we see Jerry all the time. Yeah. Yeah. You charge him rent. Yeah, I know. We need to, yeah. Taking up some tables, personal stuff. Double . Yeah. Good. Yeah, for sure. It's good. Yeah. We have, um, we have an awesome lunch menu, so. You know, we've got, it's more your soup, salads, um, so we have awesome sandwiches, paninis, and then my favorite currently is on our seasonal menu, it's the pear and goat cheese salad. We have candied walnuts on that. I always add some protein, so I add some chicken to that. And what's cool about our candied walnuts is they're actually, um, made with coffee. Oh! So they have a nice little coffee flavor, um, which makes it extra unique and special. That's cool. But that's, that's my favorite on the menu now. That's cool. But we've got a great new lunch special, which has been awesome during the slow season, because it's time of year. Everyone wants to stay warm and they don't want to get out of the house. But they drink a lot of hot coffee. They do. We do. We definitely see people lingering more. A lot of students from ETSU Milligan coming in studying, which is awesome. And then we have a fun lunch special for a half a sandwich and a bag of chips. So, hoping to get folks in just to enjoy something. How much is that? 6. 99. Dude! Yeah, yeah, it's great. 6. 99? Yeah, people are liking that. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. That's great. Yeah. And you got all these extra half sandwiches you can eat for a little bit. Exactly. Someone's got to eat the other half. Somebody's got to eat the other half. I mean, come on. That's a genius move. Genius. Alright, so what time do you guys close? Because you don't do dinner. Correct. We don't do dinner, so we close at 5 o'clock. Nice. And then we are closed on Sunday. What time do we open? We open at 7 a. m. Okay. And then we serve breakfast, like I mentioned, from 7 and then lunch from 11 to 3. Okay. So that's that unique sweet spot. And then we're closed Sunday. We do have, um, once a year, we have our Christmas open house, which is a really fun, amazing thing that we do in downtown, and we're open for lunch that day. So we get to see a lot of folks coming in for lunch after church and getting to celebrate with their families and be with us during the holidays, which is fun. That's fun. Yeah. Yeah. It's good. Yeah. Yeah. Now, how long have you been the proprietor? Going on seven years. What? I know. I would have thought, I would have said you bought that like four years ago. I know. Maybe three. It's really, it's really crazy how fast time goes. Time flies. Yeah. All those old guys will say, it's a blink of an eye. I know. And you're like, whatever, you're old. But now I'm the old guy going. It is. Yeah. I'm like, oh, it is a blink of an eye. You were right, old guy. And now I'm the old guy. Well, what's funny, too, is like, I remember customers from when I worked there. So, I mean, we're talking 20 years. Some of these people have been, I mean, it's just, it says a lot about, um, you know, Our community in Elizabethtown and even regionally, because we have some regulars that come in from Kingsport, you know, and dear people that we get to know over the years that come from all over the area. Isn't that cool? It's, it's incredible. It's like a, uh, yeah, it's just kind of like a, a spot where you Get to know the baristas. You just kind of feel loved, you know, you want to come back and love on them and you know, it's just cool. I think coffee shops are just really neat. Yes. Yes, they are. And they are. Yeah, a lot of people that's only maybe the only connections they get that day, you know, and so it's true. It's pretty special. Special. Okay. So, you don't just run the coffee company, you're also on some boards, I think you mentioned. Let's talk about what you do when you're not making coffee, which sounds like a lot of time, like not much of the day is left. Yeah, right. Well, we have a full day. I am very, I will say. incredibly fortunate to have an amazing staff. So there's about 25 on staff right now, and they just are incredible. So they come in and they work hard and they're building those relationships alongside me, too. So it's not even just me. Not one person can pull off what everyone does. So I have amazing leaders and a GM and Just an awesome staff that allow me, allows me the opportunity to then step into other things for the community and see growth at an even bigger scale than just my business, which is really exciting. So I do, I'm a part of the Elizabethan, uh, Main Street Elizabethan Board. Um, I'm the president of that board currently. And it's been, Cause we're going on six years of that organization and it's just been incredible. So that board, we really focus on the downtown footprint. So it's about growth and revitalization in that downtown district. Um, and that is just been a blast working on projects and events and just seeing growth and economic growth in the downtown, more businesses coming in, getting excited about being in Elizabethan, which is awesome. And did you, uh, I bet you had a lot of work when the floods happened. I mean, that was probably a pretty hectic time to be a president of a downtown city. Oh, yes. And probably, too, I also sit on the chamber board. So, a lot of what our, our chamber did was really work with, um, what is it? The, uh, the Tennessee Development District. They were giving away, um, they had some checks to help with small business, and there's so many amazing efforts in the region as a whole. I mean, it's really incredible to see. How quickly people were like, how can we have, think, what can we do? Yeah. I think our region really stepped up quickly and Yeah, it is, it was incredible. Not only just giving out money, but serving, I mean like showing up and our church went a couple times. Yeah. I mean, like we, yeah. It's been, and we're still going at it. It's, we're we're still rebuilding Hampton, right? I mean, that place was Oh, yeah. Devastated. Yeah. It's just unbelievable. And you, and you see a lot of that, in fact, such a small world, but. Um, my dad who works for me at the coffee company, he came in, I was working on something in the office, he said, Frankie, there's someone here, um, their daughter knew you from high school, so I'm, we're talking Michigan, Rockford, Michigan, you know, in that area, and they were, they're down helping with the church from Rockford, Michigan, helping, um, some folks in Mount City. How cool is that? And so they knew I owned the business, and so they wanted to come in and buy some coffee and some mugs and see me, and then we got to FaceTime their daughter, Who is a friend of mine in the high school years and it was just, it's just a small world and there's a lot of people wanting to help and see this community in this region thrive and overcome what we've been through. Yeah, so yeah, we'll be digging out for a while. It feels like, but I think it's making us closer and stronger and I would agree. Yeah, I would agree. What do you see the future of downtown looking like? Oh, I see it as bustling. welcoming, which is all the things that it already is. It's definitely a welcoming community. It's very Andy Griffith. I know a lot of people say that we're very Hallmark experience. Elizabeth in downtown does feel very Andy Griffith. They've got these old signs hanging over the businesses. It's three lanes one way, and if you don't know what you're doing, you can get a little crooked. And we see a lot of people getting all crooked too. They're coming down the wrong way, and we're like, what's going on? What are you doing? Turn around. Um, but yeah, it is, it's just, there's, there's, we've already seen so much growth, really. Um, and so it's exciting to think, we just have to keep working. And I know, as well as a lot of people, especially in government too, things take time. I mean, it's just not like a let's make this happen tomorrow and it just takes effort and it takes people with a shared mission and vision of like, this is how we're going to move forward for our community. And we have a lot of really great leaders in that position right now. And I mean, there's things that we're talking about of, um, really mobility plans of what we can do for downtown to make it more walkable. Could we change traffic? And so there's a lot of things in the works and bubbling to help. support where downtown wants to go, because as you know, it takes time, but then, you know, what works works. So like, how do we, how do we still keep being innovative and changing things for the better for the future for our kids? Yeah. And to want them to stay in the community or maybe come back and start their own businesses. Yeah. What are some of the newer businesses that have shown up? Well, we've got made on out because she's been here probably over a year now, but, um, Ashley's awesome. And she does pottery and does. Uh, spinning classes, and now she's partnered with, uh, Crossroads Craftworks and Tony. So now they're at the top of town, which is great. Art's been huge in our community. I think it's been really fun to see that being fostered, because you come up with these great strategic plans, right? Right. You know, you sit on the boards and you're like, this would be awesome to see. But then how it manifests and what it's for. It takes people to come bring those businesses. Yeah, and you might see that, wow, we've got a lot of love for art. And now there's businesses that are really helping speak into that. And how do we support that? Um, and then we have some great clothing stores and boutiques. And just a lot of people with great ideas. And coming to a community where we're open to, to inviting them in. And with big arms. It's a lot of fun. Let's say you're listening and you're like, I'd love to move to Elizabeth and start a business downtown. What's missing? What would be something good that you'd be like, we need a, I'm just going to say a frozen yogurt shop. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. We, we need restaurants, which is funny because as a restaurant owner, you know, but we need it because there's enough pizza for everyone. There's enough pieces in that pie. And then the more there is, the more options there are in downtown means more people will come. So I see that as a benefit. We, we would love to have like a dinner spot. Something nice so that people can stay in Elizabethtown to enjoy a meal that's in downtown. Because really, our downtowns are the heart of where all the exciting things happen. It's where your big events happen and your festivals and We're families together. Car shows, true, very true. So many car shows down there. So many car shows. Is it like every Friday night they do that in the summer? It's every Saturday currently. But with, so because of the flood we had damage to the bridge. Um, Broad Street Bridge. And so now all traffic is funneling through downtown. It's kind of a double edged sword. It's great because now there's a lot of people coming through, but it's challenging because people are coming through fast. Right. Right. They're trying to get to the east side of the city, not so much stop and shop or visit. So, um, but because of that, it really did hamper our events that we had at the end of last year because we couldn't, um, we couldn't host them and block streets. Yeah, that's right. We don't really know what it's going to look like. The bridge will be fixed. Are they working on it yet? They haven't worked on it yet, but I know there's hopes for Um, I've heard made, but I don't know the damage that is done. Yeah, I mean, because I drove that way the other day and I was like, Oh, I can't get through there because it's closed. But it didn't look like super messed up. But yeah, it's probably one of those that lots of engineering guys are going to look at. Hopefully triple check it and figure it out. Either if we repair it or tear it down and build a new one. But all that to say that does impact. What that means then for events and how road closures work. So we don't know what the car show will, what we'll do this year for all that. Gotcha. All the old guys will have to find some park or something. I know, but there's a lot of places in the county, so we'll see what happens. Yeah, it'll be fine. We'll figure it out. We'll see what happens. We'll figure it out. Okay. So a restaurant, anything else you could think of to add to downtown's just wonderfulness? Oh my goodness, yes. We need an evening place to eat. Um, uh, we need more boutiques too. And a lot of people like entertainment. Now our Bonnie Kate's under, um, restoration now. So they, they've closed off. They're doing some really awesome renovation work. They received lots of funding. one of our four spots out here. We have amazing grants. So the Coffee Company, we actually partnered with the Bonny Kate Community Theater Group, and they did a fun 1940s radio show a few weekends ago, which was a really sweet. So community members came out and watched a play and some awesome. Just singing in great comedy. It was a really special show. That's fun, and we did three nights of that at the shop is red chili Still in there. Yeah Yeah. And I love that chili. But it's so sometimes. It's challenging because you're like there and you're like, it looks like they're closed. Yeah. But the hours say they're open. It can be confusing. It can be a little. Yes. They're on a different clock over there. They are. That's just fine. What was your first job ever? Oh my gosh. What a great question. Yeah. I was a beef jerky girl. What? Would you believe it? Okay, so my little downtown, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I don't know. I don't think a big jerky girl. I know. Well, my story will, well, this is good. But, um, so I lived in Rockford, which is a suburb of Grand Rapids. Yeah. Um, and we had a small downtown somewhere that was about then. And we had a trail that ran through it and people would bike and run all that great stuff. Similar to our Tweetsie trail. And I was 15 and I guess I was ready to work and find something to do and um, this gentleman was making beef jerky and he had this itty bitty, teeny, like a closet of a space along the trail and I was with my best friend and we just sold beef jerky for a summer. It's great for runners, walkers, hikers. You want some jerky? Give me five. Give me five. Beef jerky. We got it all. Stop. I can't stop. Alright, I'll ride along my bike. Let's go. Pretty much. So, beef jerky. So, you've kind of been like a little entrepreneur all your life. Well, and it's funny because I hadn't really thought too much about that. But, um, I suppose so. Then I went and worked for a toy store. She was Aunt Candy's Toy Company. Nice. She was the best. I've had really incredible bosses. Yeah. And I think that's Isn't that cool? Whoa, it's so cool. It is cool. Because you can learn the wrong ways or you can learn the right ways. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I've had very compassionate bosses. Yeah. And, uh, that I just, I glean. I like to learn from people that Do things and different and grow so that was a really fun job and I did that through high school and then worked at a tuxedo shop and what's been your favorite job? Um, I would say outside of running the coffee company and doing all that because I love that. Um, but, um, I worked for a production company in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Storytelling Pictures. I did film work. And I was a, uh, production assistant and then more of a producer and worked with clients and, uh, planning schedules for all this amazing film work. It was awesome. That's cool. Yeah. I had incredible bosses there too. So much fun. That's fun. It feels like that would be a perfect place for Hallmark movies. I don't know. Like, it just seems like it would be. Yeah. It's great. Yeah. Uh, okay. So, um, sorry. Who have been some of the people that, like, You'd like to, I mean, John Bunn, what, tell me, he still, is he still roasting? Yeah. So John is John Bunn, um, and Will Hedrick and Gabe over there. They roast the coffee for not only the coffee company, but a lot of different shops in the region too. So they're a sister company. And their name is? Dover Roasters. Dover Roasters. And they are, they are a stone's throw away. So, um, I get fresh coffee pretty much almost daily depending on what's going on. That's what you guys serve, right? Yeah. Yeah. And it started in the coffee company. So John was actually roasting right there. On the back wall at the coffee company. That's a pretty big deal now, right? I mean, he's shipping coffee all over the place. Yeah, yeah. Which is pretty cool. Which is cool. And so we even, the coffee company, we have an online store too. So we've got folks all over that can order coffee from the coffee company. And we can ship it right to their door. Look at that. I know. Yeah, so John's probably been influential. Who else? Yes, absolutely. Who else has been one of your good leaders? Um, like professionally or personally? Either one. I know, I like John. This is your conversation. This is my conversation. Um, I think, um, I love, I love just When I meet people, when you just talk, just talking to someone, just asking a question or listening, it's amazing all of a sudden you're at a coffee date and you're learning something new and you're like, holy cow, I sat in an interview process, I was on an interview panel yesterday and there was something a woman shared and I was like, oh, that's brilliant about schedule building and how, and I'm like, I've got to sit down with her because sometimes it's hard as an entrepreneur and business owner to know how to, uh, structure your day. It can get very overwhelming very quickly. Yeah. Um, so I think there's so been so many people along the way professionally that I've just that have poured into me and just helped me just little tidbits. Um, absolutely. Um, personally, I love that avenue to there's a woman that's been a mentor for probably six years now. She's just incredible. Her name is Carolyn and she lives in town and Elizabeth just has been with me just every step of the way through the ups and downs and hills and valleys and everything. It's really good to have people of deep faith and connection to just what's most important and help you walk through stuff. So she was, she's just a blessing, like a huge blessing to me. Good segue into what are some of the difficult times? Cause I mean, it sounds like it's rolling, but being an entrepreneur is difficult, right? So what are some of the valleys that you've had to deal with? Um, well, I took over the business and then pretty much COVID hit. So like everyone was just trying to figure out what to do. It was interesting to. Being so new to something, to running a business that we were all on the same playing field. It didn't matter if, if you had owned a business for 30, 60 years or you had just started because we were all like, okay, calling the bankers, what do we do? Figure it out. Yeah. You just kinda have to figure it out. Um, so that was a really interesting time because you're balancing and having a large staff mm-hmm . You're balancing just different ideologies too and beliefs of what should happen or shouldn't happen. Yes. Um, and so there were a lot, there was. very just big. Yeah, like I can't be anywhere near anyone. And this is a whole scam. And, like, let's hug him. Exactly. So, like, finding that balance and meeting people where they were and loving them where they were, but also knowing it is a huge blessing to be in the state of Tennessee, running a business to be able to be open instead of up in Michigan, when my brother couldn't work and people were writing down people's cell numbers that were out and about, like things got really crazy in other parts of the nation. So I felt really grateful. And also, how do we do this in a safe way? And how do we respect and appreciate other people's ideas of what this should look like? But then also, really trust my gut. You know, like, it's, that's the balance, I think, being a business owner, is how do you make these hard calls, but you know what you gotta do. You know, it's hard letting an employee go. It's hard having hard conversations. Because I'm a Um, I like peace, I'm a peacekeeper, and I'm an Enneagram 9 if you do the Enneagram. Okay. Are you an Enneagram? I am an Enneagram. I'm a 3. Okay. Carly's a 6. Nice. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. So what's a 9 again? 9 is the Peacemaker. So I don't care for conflicts. Gotcha. Which is clear in, in how I like to lead. But it's also really important. So I think God then brings me opportunities to like step into it. Um, but I think too over the years, like having um, Um, Policies and procedures so that it's not personal. It's just business and that balance of you've made choices that are going to invite yourself to not work here. Yeah, you're choosing to not work here because of your behavior. Yeah, but it's just it's hard. It doesn't make it easy. It doesn't make it. You care. You care about everyone really coming through those doors. It is hard. It's not fun. Yeah, but it's also an opportunity for them to grow. Yeah, and sometimes you gotta I mean, I lost my job. Yeah. Um, at September 11th, um, when I was working in a, um, uh, work for Marriott golf and right around ground zero, we lost four hotels for Marriott. Nobody's traveling. And I didn't do anything wrong. I'm still just working in Kingsport trying to build a golf course and keep it going, you know, and, uh, but I lost my job and however, the Lord had a plan, right? I mean, like to go from there to. Get into real estate. It's just unbelievable. Met Carly through real estate. Unbelievable. Right? I mean, just like you're like, thanks, Lord. I mean, like it's like it seemed at that point, like this is terrible, but it really worked out. Well, what's interesting about that, too, is I think sometimes I can get lost and we live in this world of immediacy, right? Like we have our phone. It's so easy to, like, have solutions or have your product to your house. But then when you're talking about, The God's plan, it could be 10 years from when you were like, why is this happening? And then down the road. Yeah, I mean, you can go for updates to people, but I haven't gotten like specifics. Yes, exactly. Yeah, I haven't gotten that either. I feel like, I'm going to do this and it's not going to be like, yeah, like on August 12th of 2028, you're going to, you know, be. I'll be ready. That's right. I'm ready. Don't hear that, Lord. But I wouldn't mind it. It'd be kind of cool. Yeah. Yeah. It's just, it's a process. It is a process. Yeah. And you just be faithful and keep. Keep moving forward, and yeah so give a little tip to a coffee owner who might be listening to this What's what's like one of your management tips? Oh, yeah? Definitely good partnerships make sure you're getting coffee from the best roaster around. That's huge Because you do go to some coffee shops, and I'm like this coffee is terrible Absolutely, and we live in a world to where quick coffees make sense right so people are doing these quick drive thrus And these are all really automated systems So, you might get it quickly, but they're pressing buttons, whereas, you know, places like Los Gatos, and the Moon, and the Coffee Company, and Blues, we're all hand crafting. It takes time and effort. And there's a lot of people that are phenomenal at latte art and do an incredible job of creating really amazing drinks. Unbelievable. Yeah. So, for my advice, going back, good coffee is huge. Um, you know, know your weaknesses too, like it takes, it, it's helpful if you know, like numbers aren't my thing, get a good accountant, you know, surround yourself with people that you can learn from and that, I mean, that's for anyone, friendships, anything, like when you're with people that are going to do that, yep, absolutely. 100%. So that's huge. That's great. I love it. Um, what's your favorite coffee drink that you guys make? It's great. Well, honestly, I drink black coffee every day. That is my favorite. Just black coffee? Thank you. I think when I first took over the business, I was like, yes, lattes. And then I was like, I, I can't drink these things every day. It's too filling for me. So really just drinking coffee and tasting the flavor. I just love the way I'm like, I love a vanilla latte. Like that's my favorite thing to go to. And I'm just, and I'm every time I'm going, I should just, cause I do, it does fill you up. I've got all this dairy in me now. You're like. But maybe I should get to the black coffee stage. My buddy Matthew Little is like, just do it, just drink it for two weeks straight, you'll be fine. It's not for everyone, you know. I think it would be, and then I feel like I miss a lot of the, the notes and the coffee and the different. Yeah, different regions. There's a lot that goes into a coffee bean and how it tastes. So it's, it's great. What's something, um, exciting you're working on that's coming up? for the coffee company. Ooh, what a great question. You can, uh, yeah, this will be top secret until it I know, right? Well, I don't even know if I really have anything top secret, honestly, at this point. Are we going to franchise? Is there going to be a coffee company? That's sweet. I definitely always am thinking about opportunities. Yeah. I think in the past I've felt a little overwhelmed by that because it's It takes a lot, because the coffee company is a restaurant too, so that requires a lot of things. You don't have to do that, right? Yeah. I mean, that's just what people would probably like. They're like, hey, let's do it. Let's make a, you know, let's 40 of them. Well, it's 40 more headings. Exactly. Well, and I've had people talk to me about coming into this Johnson City area or Kingsport, and, um, I mean, I think that's, it's lovely. So, I don't know, I don't know where it'll go, but we'll see. Yeah. We'll see. I'm not opposed to that. I think, uh, it feels like there's a lot of coffee in Johnson City. Yeah. Like, they're popping up those seven brews, which do pretty well. You push a lot of buttons, and it's just okay, right? Like you said, it's speed coffee. Um, are there any threats to you guys? Cause it doesn't seem like, I don't know of any other coffee companies in a little bit. Yeah, not so much your brick and mortar, um, boutique coffee shops. Yeah, there's old guys going to Hardee's. Yeah, exactly. And the pojangles. But, um, but it's interesting, though, since we have seen, um, because since I took over the business. So within seven years, we've had Starbucks. Now there's a Duncan and the seven brew. And that does impact, especially our morning because we don't have a drive through. It's a bit more effort to get in. And then if there's a line, you know, and so all that kind of plays into it. So really, I'm always kind of trying to see What processes have worked in the past and how do we need to be innovative and find new ways to work with the customers? Yeah, and also to the beautiful thing about the coffee company where it's been around for so long people like the way it is So it's kind of this balance of honoring what's been done being okay with how things are going but then also saying But our culture needs to change Ways to do things maybe differently Um, even at lunch. You know, when you go into like Asheville or bigger cities, it's quick service. It's here's your number and go sit down and you know, having to think about different options like that for the future is reality. Um, just with how things move and how folks move. So we'll see. Um, what do you like to do for fun in Elizabethan? Oh, for fun. I like to run and exercise. I like to walk. Um, definitely love my. Tell our listeners what you like to walk in. And Elizabethan. Well, I And the river crossing the old bridge. Yeah, yeah, there's um, Sycamore Shoals State Park. Yeah. They have a beautiful trail. That is an awesome place to go and enjoy. That is a good idea. Um, and then I live, I'm fortunate enough to live really close to downtown. So I can walk downtown and it's just great. We have the covered walkways, which is really great if it's raining. Um, and then bring the dog and the kids. And the Tweetsie Trail is wonderful for bike riding and walking and running. Yeah. So, it's the two options. I heard it's gonna get, the Tweetsie Trail is gonna get Like, Terminate at Roan Mountain, is that right? Yeah, it is. They are moving it on. Moving it in through Carroll County. It's great. It's going to be great. That's a long haul. Yeah. Like, literally you could ride from Johnson City to Roan Mountain. Which is pretty crazy. And it cuts right through downtown. Yep. It's right behind you guys, right? You can stop and have lunch, get some coffee, do a little shopping, hit the road. Get some jerky, maybe. I like it. You can have that on. That's right. Innovative. Yeah. Coffee and jerky. Here you go. You're going to be set up. I love it. This will get you down the, down the trail. Yeah. Um, what's something that, uh, I didn't ask that you wish you could share? Or you're like, Oh, I'd like this. Well, I don't know. You covered a lot of bases. I think it's It's really nice to be in a community where there's a lot of teamwork, you know, people lift each other up. We want to see progress and growth and I think a lot of visitors, when they come in, they experience that and they see that, which is really fun. It's really special to be a part of a community that has that, that feel. Yeah. I mean, I think, um, we say it all the time. It's the people here that are just so amazing, that make it so amazing. Um, and we're getting a lot of people rolling in, but I feel like a lot of the people who are moving here. Cause we've helped a bunch of them, and they all are great people. Yeah, it's awesome. Um, yeah, it's just fun. So I think we're just, the synergy that's starting to happen, the new ideas, new businesses, new things. It's pretty cool. It is. Um, we've got a lot of people who are like, well, it's a lot of traffic and a lot of this and that, which isn't cool, but overall, it's, um, I'm, I'm, I'm excited to see how it goes. And that just means more people who need more coffee, right? Exactly. Exactly. Sausage biscuits. Exactly. All the good stuff. Ham and cheese sandwiches or whatever you guys make. What's your favorite sandwich? Oh, my favorite sandwich. TBC. Turkey, bacon, cheddar, provolone, lettuce, tomato. A really great, uh, mustard on there. It's great. That sounds delicious. It's a hot sandwich. It's great. Do you guys make your own potato chips in house? We don't make our own potato chips. Okay. We bring those in. We do have the potato salad, which is Irene's recipe from Germany, so that's really good vinegar based. It's a very wonderful German potato salad? Chicken salad's the best. Nice. Yes. Yeah, I think Flora had chicken salad last time. She loves it. Yeah, a lot of people love that. A lot of people love it. How do people connect with you, Frankie, online? Oh, they can find us on Facebook, the Coffee Company, um, TN Coffee Company, uh, for Instagram. So, I mean, you can find us. You can find us. We're not on TikTok. Don't know if I'll ever go down that route. We'll see. Yeah. But. It may get shut down. Why go down the route when it's going to get shut down? I know. That's a good point. And then, um, you're right downtown. So like, if I wanted to direct somebody to you, you just got to go downtown. Yep. Historic downtown. I'm in the 400 block. So if you hit that big monument at the circle, you've gone too far, but that's where the beautiful cover bridge is. So they can look at that and then swoop back around, spin it back around. Did the cover bridge have any damage with the, no, thankfully, which is, I mean, remarkable because at the time we were getting reports that homes were coming down the river. So like. I mean, at least we're there. I mean, it was just, it was a lot. It was a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Well, thankfully that didn't have any damage, but we're going to, there's going to be lots of renovations at Covered Bridge Park. There's a lot of great things in the works for our community, which is exciting. It is exciting. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Thanks for having me. I'm excited for you guys to go, go to the coffee company, buy a cup of coffee, get a chicken salad sandwich. Get this one you really, that sandwich sounded amazing. Oh yeah, the TBC. TBC, taking care of business. Yeah, exactly. Through CB. Ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha. Taking business care. I don't know. Um, but yeah, it, it's, um, it's a great space. I wish you the best. Thank you. I know it's gonna continue to flourish and we'll just pray. Thank you. We'd love another 20 years. That'd be great. Yeah. Yeah. Growing. Oh, where do you go to church in Elizabeth? You know what? I, I don't, I I don't currently have a You not to church? No. I don't currently have a church. I thought you were at Redstone Elizabeth. I was. I was at Redstone. I was Redstone Elizabeth. And a plug. I know. Nigeria's awesome. But I've been, I've been actually visiting Calvary too a bit here. Okay. And, and I've enjoyed that. But I was raised Catholic, so. My parents go to St. Elizabeth. Oh, yeah. My brother goes there. Oh, really? Yep. He does. He and his wife. So I will often go there with Mom and Dad too. That's cool. Hang out there. Gotcha. Well, never mind. Sorry. Yeah, that's alright. Go to Elizabeth and Redstone. They're great over there. They are great over there. They're awesome. They're awesome. Thank you again, thank you guys for listening, if you want to move to Elizabethan, we've sold, gosh, I don't know how many homes are in Elizabethan over the years, hundreds. I'm sure a lot. And so, uh, yeah, we'd love to connect you with Frankie, she's just an awesome person, there are a lot of just amazing businesses downtown Elizabethan and Johnson City, but our whole region is just killing it. It's just awesome, so, call me, we'll move you here, we'll help you invest in real estate, we'll help you build wealth, if you like. Rental property, we manage a ton of that too, so you start buying some rental property and let us manage that. Yeah, and so, uh, yeah. Until next time, I'm Collin Johnson with the Collin and Carly group, and I hope you have a great day.