Supremely bright

At Supreme Building Products, they say the customer's always supreme. That isn't just a catchy jingle ingrained into the minds of many Warren countians, it's a philosophy which has helped the lumber and hardware store survive in business for over 60 years.

Supreme's latest and flashiest addition is a new sign with a brilliant LED display catching the eyes of motorists on Bobby Ray Memorial Parkway and drawing passers-by to the store at 770 N. Spring St.

Reece Moore said the family-owned-and-operated business which began in 1963 was due for a fresh look. "It was time for a new sign so we were just trying to update and innovate and get better exposure on the highway," Reece said.

The sign may have changed, but the focus on the customer has not. "We're still catering to the local community. We're proud to say we've been very fortunate and blessed with the building even with some of the bigger box stores coming to town. We pride ourselves on customer service. We provide a home-town feel. Our team is very knowledge-based. We know our customers on a first-name basis and if we don't know them, we get to know them pretty quickly. We've seen a lot of new people come in from out of town and they say it feels like their local lumberyard from where they came from and that makes us feel good. We just try to treat everyone like we'd want to be treated and service is our No. 1 priority. I want customers to have a great experience and feel like they want to come back to either do business with us or even just come get a free cup of coffee," Reece said.

Supreme has seen many changes in its over 60 years, weathering many ups and downs in the building industry. While many businesses were hit hard during the pandemic, Supreme saw the opposite effect. "COVID actually increased our business," Reece said. "The supply chain got hurt but our business increased. Everyone was staying home so people wanted to do projects. And now we're seeing a lot of people from bigger cities coming to McMinnville, so we're still truckin' along. The name of our game is customer service," Reece said. 

Of the ubiquitous jingle that Supreme is so known for, Reece gives credit to his brother, General Sessions Judge Ryan J. Moore. "That was probably part of Ryan's doing. He was a lot bigger marketing and advertising guy than I am. He did a really good job of getting our name out there," Reece said.

Reece and Ryan's dad, David Moore said the store originally started in Depot Bottom in '63, then moved to Sparta Street before settling in its current home at 770 N. Spring St. In 1994, the store saw a major expansion and added masonry. When asked about the long success of the business, David is quick to deflect the credit elsewhere. "The Lord Jesus is the owner. We just work here. Reece runs the show and I just kind of take orders from him, now," David said with a chuckle.

Supreme Building Products can be reached at (931) 473-9663 and is opened Monday - Friday from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 7 a.m. - noon.

Cato leaves mall

After the recent closure of Shoe Sensation at Three Star Mall, its former neighbor, Cato, has followed suit in announcing its permanent closure. 

Both Shoe Sensation and Cato were damaged by flooding incidents. They were the latest in a long line of issues that have long plagued Three Star Mall due to a deteriorating roof. Since the acquisition of the mall by Warren County government last spring, the county has made fixing the roof a priority, but the fixes couldn't come quickly enough to save the two stores. 

I reached out to local Cato store manager Holli Morton for confirmation. She was quick to point out, while the water damage was a factor, it wasn't the sole cause for the closure. "Cato is indeed permanently closed. My store flooded over two weeks ago. Warren County offered to renovate Cato and make all repairs. The county wanted Cato to sign a 12-month lease before starting repairs and the Cato home office declined. A big part of that is because we did not get the foot steps we needed. We didn’t get the support and enough sales to continue the business. There were actually about 50 Cato stores that shut down between December and January. Apparently the store was hanging on by a thread as far as sales go and the flood was just the cherry on top of it all," Holli said.

Warren County Chief of Staff and acting mall manager Jason Hillis echoed Holli's statement. "I can confirm Cato has chosen to not renew its lease which expired Wednesday. The county, along with Porter Roofing, offered to give the store a full remodel, floor to ceiling, but they declined. I can also confirm that Cato Corp. closed 50 stores in the month of December, including the one in Tullahoma," Jason said.

Though the loss of Shoe Sensation and Cato is certainly a setback, the county's vision for Three Star Mall remains undeterred. "The plan for the mall and the renovations haven't changed and remain on track. The business model resembles the city of Nashville's plans for Hickory Hollow Mall. We have reached out to two retail groups and plan to fashion a deal to get them here. Those talks are just talks but it's an ongoing and ever-changing process," Jason said. 

With the state of the mall at the time of the county's purchase, turning the mall's fortunes around was never going to be a quick or easy process. Now, however, there is a plan in place and an owner motivated to bring new life to the mall by bringing the Health Department, Senior Center and, hopefully, new retail stores. That's a glimmer of hope which was much harder to see under the mall's previous ownership. Only time will tell.

A whole lot of good

A T-shirt design from Coffee County created quite a stir in Warren County, prompting an amazing coming together from both individuals and the Warren County business community. 

It all started with a statement on Thunder Radio in Manchester during a recent matchup between Coffee County and Warren County saying, "Not a whole lot good comes out of Warren County 'cept Hwy 55 and Prater's." 

It was a harmless jab like you'll find in any good sports rivalry. As a Nashville Predator season ticket holder, I'm used to much worse. It's part of the fun of sports to tell the other team they suck whether you think it's true or not. 

Apparently not everybody feels the same way as the audio clip of the statement was posted on social media and was decried as a "classless" act. The radio station, ready to have a little fun with the unexpected attention, introduced a T-shirt for sale bearing the statement with approximately $3 of each shirt sale set to go to the Dream for Weave scholarship fund. 

The T-shirt caused even more pearl clutching among some while others took it for the good-natured ribbing it was intended to be. As a graphic designer who has designed more T-shirts than I can count, I was more offended by the rudimentary design of the shirt than by the rather unoriginal joke, but the shirt was the unlikely impetus for a heartwarming movement.

Having been mentioned on the shirt, Prater's BBQ turned the tide of this whole situation into a feel-good story for local businesses and for McMinnville Special Games. Prater's posted that it would donate 10 percent of its Friday sales from anyone wearing Pioneer gear to McMinnville Special Games. That started a ball rolling that was picked up by Chris Cope of Crisp Springs Market. Chris also pledged to donate a portion of his sales to both McMinnville Special Games and Dream for Weave. First National Bank then jumped in and Chris helped launch a point pledge, challenging local businesses to give $1 for each point the WCHS girls and boys scored in the Coffee County game to McMinnville Special Games. Some even upped the ante such as J's Restaurant which pledged $5 per point scored by the Pioneers and Lady Pioneers.

From there, a deluge of individuals and businesses from both Warren and Coffee counties pledged to give money to both the Dream for Weave fund and McMinnville Special Games, leading to an overwhelming amount of money for two worthy organizations and fostering a sense of community among local businesses which is to be applauded. 

In the end, although Warren County lost both games, over $14,500 was raised for McMinnville Special Games and over $27,000 was raised for the two causes combined. Good job to both Warren and Coffee County businesses. A whole lot of good and fun came out of a situation which could have gone differently. 

Wild Bill's BBQ leaving

In addition to the buzz sparked by the Warren County - Coffee County basketball game, there was also a fair amount of talk generated by an announcement on Facebook on Friday by Wild Bill's BBQ and Grill.  

The restaurant, which was opened by Bill Davis and his family in the former VFW building at 3340 Sparta Hwy., will hold its final day in business on Sunday, Feb. 25. 

The statement on the restaurant's Facebook page read, "We regret having to let our friends know that we had no idea our property was being sold until a wonderful customer  informed us last Friday that there was a deal being made that we did not know about. We reached out to our landlord and were told that talks were going on but no paperwork had been signed. Tuesday morning, Jan. 29, our landlord called and surprised us by telling us that he sold the property and we had 30 days to vacate the premises. We have tried through the week to reach out to everyone personally before making it public, please forgive us if you didn't hear it personally. We have been very blessed to have wonderful friends who have supported us, prayed for us and blessed us with every visit. We love you, every one of you, and will miss you dearly! Our final day will be Sunday Feb. 25 and no, unfortunately, we will not be able to relocate."

State property records indicate the owner of the property is Scottie Keel. Requests to Keel for comment were unanswered as of press-time.

Until next week,

same biz day,

same biz page

Thanks again for reading. If you have any business tips or know of a local business you would like to see featured, please let me know at editor@southernstandard.com.