Selling Sofas While Planning A Festival And Raising A Baby

An 80-year-old furniture store doesn’t last by accident, especially in a town that’s changing as fast as Black Mountain, North Carolina. I’m sitting down with Olivia Tyson Warren, a Black Mountain native and third generation leader at Tyson Furniture, to trace the real story behind a legacy business that started in 1946 and still earns deep trust today. We talk about the early pivot that shaped the company, why customer loyalty is built one relationship at a time, and how a local showroom can grow into a Southeast delivery operation without losing its hometown feel.

Olivia also gets honest about what modern small business ownership looks like now: learning social media marketing on the fly, keeping everything in-house, and trying to stay visible while platforms and algorithms keep moving the goalposts. Her path includes leaving home, working in Atlanta furniture retail, and then returning to Black Mountain with a clearer sense of purpose and perspective, which is a lesson for anyone thinking about family business succession or small town entrepreneurship.

Then we widen the lens to community life. We get into the behind-the-scenes effort it takes to pull off major events like the Sourwood Festival, what board leadership really demands, and how all of that changes when you add new motherhood. We also talk about why Black Mountain is becoming more attractive to young families, how outdoor play can beat screen time when the option is right outside your door, and why “digital detox” might be the most honest tourism pitch around.

If you care about family owned businesses, community events, chamber of commerce work, or raising a family in a mountain town, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves small towns, and leave a review so more people can find Exploring the Valley.

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Transcript

Welcome And Meet Olivia

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Olivia Tyson Warren. I am so glad you're here today. And I appreciate you coming. Tell me your story. Where are you from?

SPEAKER_00 0:08

I am from Black Mountain, born and raised.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Really?

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Wow. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Wow. Amazing. There aren't a whole lot of people like that, but there are. But it's because so many people have joined us that it feels like there aren't a lot from here, but there really are. Very cool.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

The dynamic of town has changed a lot. A lot. Yes. So Owen High School. Yep. Okay. Owen through and through.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

All right. All Black Mountain primary through. There you go. When did the high school? When did the when did it become a like when did they add a primary school? Do you know?

SPEAKER_00 0:35

I have no idea. No idea. So before you. Before obviously. Yeah. Because even my parents didn't go to the high school when it was the elementary school. Like the elementary school used to be the high school. Right. My parents didn't go there. So it's been a minute. The elementary school was the high school. But it was Black Mountain. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Okay. And your mom went to Swantanoa.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Yes. My mother moved to Swantanoa in middle school.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

But she went to the high school in Swantanoa. Right? Yeah, yeah. But my dad told me that story. And yes. Loved that story. But yeah. Someday I'm going to get him on here and he's going to answer that question. I just love that story. Yeah. I love that story. So clearly, Tyson being your middle name

Growing Up In Black Mountain

SPEAKER_01 1:09

or your first part of your last name. I don't know how you do that. Anyway, you have Tyson in your name, Tyson Furniture. Granddad started that. Yep. So I'm third generation. That's cool. A furniture store. Yeah. Very cool. And tell me, tell me, tell me the history of the furniture store.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

I mean, yes. Originally, uh, my grandfather wanted to it. We're celebrating 80 years this year. So he started 1946. And my grandfather originally was wanted to start a car dealership. Um, and it was in like our our building that we consider our main building where our salespeople sit was gonna be the car lot because next door was an empty lot at the time. And so the cars were gonna be there. We had sales where they were, but then after the war, it was a lot easier to get furniture instead of cars. So my grandfather chose to sell furniture and we did furniture, appliances, whole homes, so like draperies, carpets, everything. Yeah. And then, you know, my I don't think any of us ever thought we'd be in a third generation furniture store at this point in our life. But dad wasn't gonna do furniture as he was a CPA. You know, he was living in Boston, thought he was gonna be an accountant for the rest of his life. And then, you know, the phone calls start trying to get someone to come back. And so my parents moved back in the 70s and have been running it since then. And then my brother and I moved back home. I guess it was 2016. I think we moved back home, 17, maybe somewhere in that point. And 10 years. Yeah. Okay, that's yeah. I never ever saw myself living here after college. And after I moved to Atlanta for a little bit after college. And how come I didn't know that? I don't know. A lot of people don't know that because it's you know a little bit of a blur. I was working for Haverty's furniture. Of course. Again, never thought I'd have a furniture background. I should have known better, but I even went to High Point University and thinking still won't be involved in high in furniture, but here we are at High Point. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I don't know what I was doing, but uh Be the school with Jennifer Haverty.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Uh Jessica Haverty. It's she's a Haverty. Melissa. Melissa. Oh, I don't know. She's a Haverty. She's one of those Havertes. Okay, yeah. Anyway, yeah. So that was a minute ago. I got it. Sorry, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Worked at the Buckhead location in Atlanta and on the road. Learned the road I lived on. That's hysterical. Yeah, yeah. And was ready to move back home. Atlanta was I loved Atlanta, but it was not for me. And so I was ready to move home. And fortunately, there was a sales spot open. So I had to wait until she retired and we had tables at my father's pizza. Okay. Until the sales spot opened and then we came back. So then I've just been doing furniture since then.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Very cool. You always have like 350 salespeople in there. It's amazing to me how many people come in there.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Right. So I mean, we have currently we have 11 salespeople. We're always trying to hire somebody, you know, more sales, but it's hard to find people. Um but yeah, we deliver multiple states. We have a pretty big following, and we're really fortunate because we have all of the uh camps, the different, you know, between that's true, you know, that have a big feeder and they come into Black Mountain for their day off and they come and look at all the restaurants and shops and they pop into Tysons and we deliver to the entire Southeast on our own trucks. Okay. And then we do nationwide delivery as well. So I mean, it's we we're really fortunate. We have a really good following. So very cool. Yeah, we had to have big sales staff.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Definitely have a following. My dad, who is just he's adorable. He I said to him, he's I was trying to get them to get a new mattress. And I said, Well, Daddy, we could go, you know, look at mattresses. We can go, you know, lay on them. We can, I'll take you. We'll go to he goes, I'll just call Joe Tyson and whatever he tells me to buy is what I'll buy. I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

So yeah, it's pretty easy because like I'll be like, Oh, this is what my parents sleep on. And then they're like, That's it. Joe Tyson has it. Joe Hyson. That's what I want. That's funny. Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

But no, it's it's been fun. Okay, good. All right, so you grew up here, you went to High Point, came back, not directly. No, you left High Point and went to Atlanta? Yeah. Somewhat, yeah. Have you ever lived anywhere else other than those three places?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

I did a semester in Raleigh, been to NC State for a minute.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

So that's okay, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

Then went back to High Point. Okay. And so, but yeah, that was, you know.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

They have an amazing chamber in High Point. I want to be like them. It is really awesome. So someday maybe. Yeah, we can do a field trip. I'm ready. Let's go. Yeah. No. So what's funny is I was going to visit a friend in Farmville, Virginia, and you were like, oh yeah. Green, green front. Green front furniture. And you're like, you've got to go there. And I'm thinking, I don't need any furniture ever. And

The Origin Of Tyson Furniture

SPEAKER_01 5:35

if I did, I would be in trouble if I didn't buy it from Joe Tyson. You're like, it's still cool. They have the best social media.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

You have great social media. But y'all's social media is kicked up. It's pretty awesome now. We're trying. It's definitely, you know, we everything we do is in-house. So like every we even put like we've even done the stuff signage on our trucks. I mean, like, if we could print the billboard ads, I think my father would let us do that too. So learning how to navigate social media at all. So are you doing the social media?

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Really? I am on top of everything else that's on my plate. So that's why it comes and we try to get it scheduled out. And then, you know, it it's a lot because it's just there's so many trends and stuff going on. So much more work than just posting a picture.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Right. So well, that's one thing that I've had to take on, and I don't know anything about it. And I'm I'm figuring it out. I mean, it's fun to figure out though. I enjoy it if it wasn't so time consuming.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Yeah. And it's like as soon as you think you figure it out, it changes. Meta changes everything and the the algorithms and it's it's always something. But it's fun because then you're learning something every new every day. But that's good. It's challenging. That's good. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

And so the other thing is that I get all this credit for sour wood. Like, oh, Cheryl, you did such a great job with Sourwood last year. It was fantastic. And I'm like, just say thank you. But the truth is that the secret sauce is Olivia Tyson Warren. I mean, I think last year you learned your lesson. Thank you. You you you took on more than you should have and didn't ask for help and learned how to do that. You've learned a lot about committees and running committees and things like that. Yes. But you really are the secret behind Sourwood for the last couple of years. And I really appreciate it because I I can do events that have done them for many years, but that one's bigger than probably any that I've ever done before. So people don't know how much is involved in that. And we still count on you to make it happen this year too.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Just so you know. I mean, I don't think even I knew like my mom is like an event master. Like she does everything. And I'm like, okay, like I I've learned a lot from my mom. Like I can do this. And then the sour wood is a whole other ballgame. Like it's such a massive festival that's not.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Isn't it funny? I mean, I think we have mothers that are similar. They may not have the same skills, but they have mad skills. And they both are amazing at everything they do. They're excellent. And we assume that it's genetic. Right. And so I take things on and I'm like, you thought you could sew something? You thought you could cook without practicing? Like you just thought you could do I can't do all those things. My mom's amazing. And I just think it's genetic. It's not. No, I know. And she always makes it look so effortless.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

And like she did so many great, especially with the Swan of I museum. Like, she did so many great, huge events with that. And she always made it look like it was so effortless. And then here I am, like, sure, I could develop a sour every single day. And I'm like, how did you do this so effortless effortlessly?

SPEAKER_01 8:22

And still she's very you went to bed and I worked for hours after you went to bed. Exactly. So we'll throw a little, I'm gonna say monkey, but monkey wrench in last year's sourwood, what a week after Sourwood, we had a new friend in the family.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Four days. Four days. Four days, yeah. Cause Sourwood was ended on the 10th and he was born on the 14th. So well, and oh my goodness. That was just that was just crazy.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

But he is so he is such a delight. He's just I've never seen him. I'm sure he does, just don't ruin it for me. But I've never seen him cry. I've never seen him pitch a fit. Nothing.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

No, he really, I mean, we've only recently started seeing him crying because he's teething. Oh, but no, I mean, yeah, 10 months he'll be 10 months next. I mean, soon. Yeah. And he's and it he's it's crazy how much they move and grow and do live, but he's a happy kid. I mean which makes doing all of this a lot easier. A lot easier. You can't imagine having an upset, you know, fussy child trying to do what I'm trying to pull off. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Well, well, you do a great job with it, and we appreciate that. But you're also on our board and uh let's see, vice president this year. Vice president this year. And I think they want you to be the president after that. That's what I've heard, just so you know.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

What I've heard too.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Yeah. Yeah. I guess we need we need we need to talk to the boyfriend husband about that first. But yeah, yeah. We'll see. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

unknown 9:41

No.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Throwing a baby in there makes life a lot more complicated. It's funny because truthfully, there were three of you that were having babies within a month and a half of each other last year. And all three of you were like, Well, I can do this. I can do it and I the whole time I'm thinking, I am the old bat here, and I know that they don't know how much work a first baby is. Yeah. A second one and a third one are a lot of work too, but they're not nearly as much as the first the learning curve is is tackled pretty much. Yeah. But uh, but anyway, it was fun to watch y'all. And then Holly Jolly was the same thing again. Somebody else who was having a baby and they were like, it's gonna be fine. And I'm like, huh, yeah, you have no idea. But when I have all these young people on the board and I mean everyone having babies and it's having babies, it doesn't work that way, people.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, around major holidays.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Yeah, but y'all all pulled it off and holly jolly got pulled off. Everything, yeah, it all worked off.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

So by some miracle, everything got pulled off and was beautiful and wonderful. And we will take it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

All right. So you're in high school. Yeah. You are um Did we have a job? Did we work at Tyson?

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Did we work anywhere? What did we do? So I was always required to work during the summers. And so did a little bit at Tyson's, but then you know, the cool place to work was always my father's pizza. Well, yeah. So, you know still is, still is, still has, yeah. And so it was all of us working and uh waiting tables and hosting, and it's a great place to work in summers. You make a lot of money, as especially a high school kid, my god. Yeah, the most money I'd ever made. That's true. And um, and it's so fun. You get to meet everyone in town and you see every I mean it's still the hub. I mean, you still see everyone every whole

Leaving Then Choosing To Return

SPEAKER_00 11:10

time. And I've never seen you there. Never, never see me there. But no, it's shout out to Andrew. Yeah, great. And Chloe. And Chloe. Yeah, yeah. And Chloe, whatever. So, but no, it's that was where I because it my dad was always it's important to work somewhere else before working in a family business, which teaches you so much, whether it be in the same industry or not. That is the Kathy rule at Chick-fil-A.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

You're not allowed to work at Chick-fil-A until you have worked for another corporation. Yeah. They send a lot of them to the Ritz-Crawlton to to do clean rooms or whatever. Yeah. But they they go through the Ritz-Clalton training before they come to work at Chick-fil-A if they work for him, if they if they are a family member. And I think that's a great rule.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Your dad's a smart guy.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

He is. And I mean, he wanted, I mean, I don't think he ever wanted us to feel like we were stuck coming back to the family business. Um, and so he really wanted both my brother and I to go off and do something else and make sure we're happy being here. And now that, you know, even going to college somewhere else and then moving somewhere afterwards, like I find this community like I love it so much more than I ever thought possible. And so I'm glad to be back in the community. Yeah. Good. Well, we're certainly glad you're here.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

All right. So obviously there's a lot of time, not that we ever see each other at my father's pizza, but what else do you like to do that's maybe not eating or hanging out in town other than taking care of a child? Where do you take your little man? I'm not gonna say his name.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

You can't.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

I mean, yeah, it's the little man's name's Henry. Okay, because uh and yeah, we I mean I'm trying to think where we do where do we do that?

SPEAKER_01 12:41

What do we do?

SPEAKER_00 12:42

We eat sleep, we go to bed. We eat, sleep, Tyson furniture, sour wood. Like that's our like that's what we do. It's yeah, our our dynamics in golf. But we no, we he's everywhere. I mean, I feel like he comes with us everywhere we go.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

That kid got to go to the masters this year.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Well, he didn't go to the masters, he went to Augusta and we went to the Masters. I didn't get to go to Augusta this year. I've been before, but not this year. So yeah, no, he's he, I mean, we're so fortunate because he can just go anywhere with us, and so we can take him everywhere. I mean, whether it be a restaurant or, you know, he loves the Perry Social House little kids play area, which makes it so nice.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

I I just learned about that maybe well, maybe a year ago. I don't know. I don't know, but I think that was a brilliant move to put that out there and then have the window so you can go get a drink and like you're what you don't have to go inside. I don't know. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

I thought that was so smart. Literally the last week I've been like, I need to say thank you to Kat because I'm just like we try to get drinks somewhere else with Henry and it was nightmare fuel, and I was like, I'm never doing this again. And now I'm like, thank goodness we have a place. I mean, there's lots of places that are super kid friendly, like of course, but she's really gotten a great model to move. That was a brilliant move on her. I guess she has little. Does she have little? She has kids, yeah. Yeah, okay. And but it's just like it's so nice to be able to go there and be able to have a safe environment that I can have a drink and he can still like roll around their swings. I mean, it's wonderful. There's plenty to do. Yeah, so I would say that's one of his other than my father's. He does love that and yeah, got a lot of old.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

I think he's got his own office at my father's. I've seen him in the office before. So yeah, he takes a lot of good naps.

Social Media And Doing It In House

SPEAKER_01 14:15

That's right. The office of my father's pizza. So you and Chloe, who who owns My Father's are are like lifelong friends. Yes. And best buddies or whatever. I'm sure you have other best buddies that I just left out. Sorry. No, yeah, but but yeah, but yeah. That's your girl.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Yeah, that's my girl. She and she's she stayed here. Like she she moved away for a little bit when her husband got a different job, but then moved back. She loves, I mean, she's she's always wanted to. I mean, that's of she's watched that family business as well, and now she owns it and is trying to take it onto a new legacy. And I mean, technically she'd be third generation. She's third, yeah, third in line. Third, yeah, third person. Yeah, kind of taking care of this business. Because her mom's not related to the correct, no. They just she they got it from the friends. You know, Chloe was raised calling them aunt and uncle, and okay. So she was really involved in the family, and so it's family. Yeah, for a generation. We'll give her a yeah, 100%. And so, but yeah, she's really I mean, it's it's been fun to watch a lot of, you know, these younger people my age coming back and trying to do you know, improve town and improve all this stuff.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

I mean, well, and in until I started seeing you more often and sour wood and things like that was uh is I really didn't realize how many little babies there are in this town. Like there are so many of them. Now I I go to a church Valley Hope that they they they the children are in the nursery and then they bring them back for communion. And the while they're in the nursery, you you're like, oh, this is just a normal church. It's you know what they bring them back in and I swear the population of the room doubles. I mean, it is so rowdy. I mean, it's rowdy, it's really cool. It took me a minute to think it was really cool, but I do think it's really cool now. Yeah, but um, but just that church also helped me start to see how many kids there are in this town. But you know, I just I talked to Dawn Rookie early when I got here. Like, how do how does the chamber work with the high school? And she goes, You've got to figure out how to get more families to live here. I'm like, I think I did it. I'm pretty sure I did that for her. But uh, but yeah, so there are a lot of children here. I really just thought it was kind of a retirement town, and I was completely wrong.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

I've been like, I thought that too, and I was always like, my goodness, like, you know, we went from when I graduated Owen, I mean, it's still a tiny high school, but we had, you know, at least over 200 kids in my class. I mean, I think we were yeah, like that's and that's still a lot. Yeah, it's just still tiny in the grand scheme of things. And it was great because you got to know everybody, and now it's like it is getting smaller and smaller. And I was worried, oh my gosh, like I want like Henry to grow up in the Owen school district. Like I loved

Sourwood Festival And New Baby Life

SPEAKER_00 16:50

it. My parents are big Owen people. I mean, like, we're war horses all the way through. And uh, but and it is getting smaller and smaller, but I think there's also perks of that because you know, there's you get to know people a little bit better, there's you know, smaller class sizes, all that kind of stuff. But I think Black Mountain's really starting to become more attractive to younger families, and there is so much going on. And I mean, I don't know, it's a wonderful place to raise a family. I mean, it's I'm so excited to be able to raise a child here.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

One of the things as an old parent who who brought children here a lot, but didn't live here when they were little. But I was here, you know, pretty much at least once a month.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

And but my kids are right before the iPad and iPod and all that stuff of whatever it is, you know, all the screens. Yeah. My kids are right before that. So they loved to play in the woods, they loved to play in the creek and they they just did all the things that we did. I did when we were kids. I guess you did them when you were kids too, because you didn't have that stuff either. But now your kids are gonna be born with screens in front of their face, whether you want them to or not. That's just how it is.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

But people often say, you know, we need something for kids to do here. I'm like, oh my goodness. Look around you. There is so much to do here that, you know, you don't have to entertain them all the time. There's no so much to do.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

I think changing your thought process on it too, because like you look at these larger cities that have I mean, like Charlotte Greenville, like they have these massive, I mean everywhere you look, there's some sort of like childlike something of it. And I'm like, yeah, but we have like mountains and rivers and hiking trails. And I think that's a really great way because you learn just as much putting your toes in a creek and you know, than climbing on some foam. I mean, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

I I think it's a great time to well, I think we have an opportunity that a lot of people elsewhere don't. I mean, like if if my kid is gonna choose between doing something in front of a screen or playing outside, they're probably almost always gonna choose the screen just because that's it's addictive and blah, blah, blah. We can go on and on about that. But but if the option's right there and people like take advantage of it.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

So our friend Lisa was over at KOA Campground. It's hysterical. I was talking to her. She said, Yeah,

Raising Kids Here Without Screens

SPEAKER_01 19:02

we're struggling because we still haven't gotten the Wi-Fi intersect connected back up at KOA because you know, after the storm, we lost all almost everything. And and we haven't gotten the Wi-Fi, we've got to do that. I said, Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Marketing 101 Digital Detox. Yeah, claim it, name it that, do that, bring don't tell the kids, just take them. We're going camping and they're gonna get there and their phone doesn't work. Yeah, guess what?

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

I said, that's great. She's like, so that they've actually changed it, and that's yeah, that's what they're doing. So it if kids could learn to to the difference, I think it would make a difference.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

I think that I mean that's right here, everywhere we go. Oh, I know. And I think that's wonderful about our community, other than some where it's like this very multi-generational community, and you have everyone kind of involved everywhere, and you can go anywhere and talk to I mean, like I look at even our church at Black Mountain Presbyterian, and like it is a multi-generational church, and you have every age group involved in everything. And I think when you have that kind of knowledge feeding into a child, like you can learn so much more than just from a screen. So it's really just a matter of like seeing those around you. Yeah, be sure they are in front of all the people, all the things like I don't I mean, you look at a community like Black Mountain, and I mean there's opportunities everywhere to get involved, no matter your age. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

I mean, well, and I mean, we had uh Jacob Gio last week on the podcast, and he's the new parks and nope rec and parks director. And we were talking about just that you know, making it fun to go outside and to exercise makes a difference. And for people like me who don't really love to go hiking just because it's exercise, make it fun for me, I'm all in. And I think that's what our our parents did. And the the other side of that was my son said he called it low stakes what did he call it? Low stakes freedom. Because anything you do in Black Mountain, somebody else is gonna see you doing it and it's gonna be back to mama and daddy before you get home. Yeah. And that's still true today. And I think that Henry's gonna see that too. So yeah. He's never gonna get away with anything. But no, but that's what I think. I mean, but that's what's cool. It's like low stakes. Right. If something bad happens, somebody's gonna scoop you up, take you home. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

It's gonna, it's gonna be fine. Yeah, no, a hundred percent. And I I mean, I I grew up going to like the Montreat Youth Conference, even though we sure were down the road and we loved it. And you know everyone up there, because like half the church either lives in Montreat or there are people there. And I remember walking back from you know, small group one afternoon, and someone just automatically like we were doing nothing. We were literally just walking back to our house to have lunch, and they're like, Oh, we see you, and like calls our parents and tells them what's going on. And I'm like, mom's like, I'm pretty sure they were just like hanging out, but thank you for like for letting us know. Like, yeah, you know, I can't imagine she's up. I mean, not that I was a travel maker by any means, but like, but it's true, and but you know, and when you're 17, 18, you don't love that. But now I'm like, wow, that's really like I grew up in such a safe community to do whatever I want. I mean, straight, there's always somebody looking out for me. That's for me. There's gotta be somebody telling.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Yeah, that happens to me now. I'm 58 years old. My parents are 84 and 89 years old, and mom will tell me what I did today when I get home. Yeah, she lives next door, not home, next door, but she'll say, Oh, I hear you went to whatever today. I'm like, how do you know that?

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Yeah, it still happens, dude. My parents hear about Henry all the time. That's right. Yesterday, my mom's like, I just feel like everywhere we go, people are like, Oh, we saw Henry yesterday or we did this. And I was like, I just I don't know where he was because he was with me.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Yeah, nobody saw me. They just saw Henry.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Exactly. But I I mean, it's yeah, I mean it's a great place to be able to have that. I mean, it's fun. Great place to raise a family. It is. I mean maybe I'll start over. Yeah, there you go. Think it's too late.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

But join the join the rest of the crew over. Sure, I'll just have another baby. Yeah, we can have tons of chamber babies. No, it's not happening. I don't think I think the factory's shut down. But anyway, is there anything you can think of that I didn't ask you or that you want to say or something? It's okay if you don't. I just always throw that at the end to see if there's anything.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

I have no idea. I mean, I feel like we I covered it.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Yeah, I mean I mean we could you and I could talk for six hours. That happens a lot. Yeah, but anyway. But well, thank you for coming in today. Yeah, and thanks for all you do for the chamber. Y'all are also chamber champions, which is a huge help. The um chamber champions are Givens, PC Productions, Town of Black Mountain, You, and Best Buy Metals. There are five right now. We're working on a couple more, but y'all give us a chunk of money at the beginning of the year, and it makes it where we don't bother you all year asking you to sponsor everything, but also um it is a huge help to keep the chamber afloat because membership dues alone do not cover everything we do. So thank you very much for

Chamber Support And Closing Thanks

SPEAKER_01 23:55

doing that. And and tell your mom and daddy I said hey, and thank you very much for doing that too. Yeah, thank you. Thanks for joining us on Exploring the Valley. Until next time, keep celebrating the pride of our community and discovering the magic of the mountains. In the meantime, you're free to move about the valley.