(Note: This post is part of a series called “Entrepreneurs of Waco.” The series is collaboration between the McLennan Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Professional Writing program at Baylor University, and Act Locally Waco. The McLennan Small Business Development Center offers technical assistance, business mentoring, training, and resources for all stages of small business. For more information, visit their website: www.mccsbdc.com. To see all the posts in this series, click here: Entrepreneurs of Waco. – ABT)
By Shannon Lesko
Two minutes to throw, three minutes to assemble and stamp, another minute to trim, two days to fire, 30 seconds to glaze, and there you have it– a finished Magnolia Market mug. At the end of the week Black Oak Art has 1200 Magnolia Market mugs, at least, that’s what they’re averaging these days.
Meet Jonathan Martin, the mastermind behind this production. As a Baylor graduate Jonathan is, in some ways, back home in Waco, although he originally hails from Los Angeles. At Baylor he thought he might end up teaching for a living, which he did for a while. Then he returned to Los Angeles where he and his wife, Sara, helped plant a church. After living with their first child in a small one-bedroom apartment, he decided to move his family to Waco. He admits, “When we came back to Waco it felt like a defeat, but somehow I felt like God had spoken to me and that we were coming back into the promised land.”Jonathan smiled, almost in disbelief in what he was saying, “We had all these dreams in our hearts for whatever reason, and we had this sense of hope that God was going to bring us into those when we came back to Waco.”
Waco was not always the “promised land” though. Jonathan did his time as a “starving artist.” Well maybe not starving, but as he says, “peddling my wares wasn’t quite cutting it.” Initially he would fill his truck with boxes of pottery and drive around, stopping any place he thought might sell his pottery. Thinking back on those early days, he laughs.
It was a college friend who ignited Black Oak Arts workflow. Joanna Gaines, owner of the now famous Magnolia Market and star of HGTV’s hit show Fixer Upper, took note of Jonathan’s craftsmanship. “Joanna’s first order was for these gift baskets she and Chip would give to their realty clients, but at that point no one really cared if their logo was on the side of a mug.” That original order was for 25 mugs; now Jonathan is trying to get 1500 out the door every week.
Needless to say, Jonathan is not a one man show anymore. He has assembled a team and his dream of cultivating a workplace where potters could collaboratively create pieces together has come to life. That doesn’t mean that Jonathan has stopped getting his hands dirty; his clay splattered Black Oak Art apron can attest to that. While he maintains a friendly banter with the other potters, his hands carefully begin morphing a lump of clay into a cylinder and then, in one graceful motion, he gently draws out a recognizable shape. Effortlessly it seems, he lures a mug out of the shapeless lump. Jonathan explains that it’s not an exact science, and even though they try to get the same look every time, each one ultimately is unique – that is the magic of it all.
“There is something tangibly different about a hand-made piece,” Jonathan knows. At the Magnolia Silos, the patrons recognize that each piece is different. They carefully sort through the mugs to find the right shape, size, and look to complete the experience of enjoying their morning cups of Joe. Since the opening of the Silos in October, twenty-four thousand handmade mugs have gone home with Magnolia fans; that’s a whole lot of mornings that Jonathan gets to be a part of.
Jonathan’s dreams for the future include more than mugs. “I have these really cool pots and wall pockets in the works for Magnolia,” he says. Black Oak Art also plans to open a new storefront called Gather. “Gather is a sort of marriage between my passion for artisanship and my wife’s passion of entertaining,” Jonathan smiles. The retail store will hold tabletop treasures, all designed and hand thrown by Jonathan himself, ready to enrich the homes of patrons in new and unexpected ways.
Jonathan smiles as he remembers back to the days they only had twenty mugs on dock for a month, now he produces three hundred times that, “but it’s cool to look back and see that when we came back to Waco it really wasn’t a defeat but God was bringing us into this new thing. I don’t necessarily feel that we are promised years and years more of this, I mean, I could be back peddling my wares again someday, but I’ve learned it’s one day at a time.”
The entrepreneur…Black Oak Art is a local ceramic shop in Waco TX. Founded by Jonathan Martin a 2000 Studio Art graduate from Baylor University. Black Oak Art specializes in custom ceramic designs. We work with each client to create the pieces that match their needs and personality. We sell both wholesale and retail pieces.
The writer…Shannon Lesko puts her degree in Professional Writing to good use at the intersection of business strategy and creativity, as a Content Strategist. She is a lover of words, beginnings and Waco. You might find her around town exploring hidden gems, hiking, or brainstorming her next project with her husband. She believes there is power in telling stories and cultivating the dreams of the people behind them.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
By Ashley Bean Thornton
Ten years ago this summer I took a trip to New Orleans that changed my life. I went there for youth camp with the kids from my church. The camp had a focus on “missions,” and the “mission” that year was Hurricane Katrina clean up. Even though it had been a year since Katrina, the Ninth Ward where we were working was still the biggest mess I have ever seen or ever hope to see. The devastation from the storm was terrible, but that’s not what changed my life. It was like the storm had ripped the lid off the city so that it was easy to see the poverty and the wealth and everything in between. It seemed like the mess was already there, the hurricane just laid it bare.
I was 45 years old and I don’t think I had ever thought about “the systems” of a community and how they worked, much less whether they were fair or good. I think for my whole life I had been mainly just a “consumer” of my community. Busy using what I liked – schools, hospitals, roads, fun things to do — I hadn’t given much of a thought to what a community “should” be like, or the work that goes into shaping a community, or that I might have some responsibility for helping to create a good community.
That week in the Ninth Ward flipped a switch in me. I felt like the systems in New Orleans were broken – that all these people living in poverty was a terrible waste of potential and that our society couldn’t afford that waste. When one of the youth on the trip reminded us that the rate of poverty in Waco was just as bad as that of New Orleans, I began to feel a personal responsibility. I began to feel strongly that for all our sakes, we had to do better. I started trying to learn more about poverty, about what we could and should be doing, about what I could and should be doing.
Learning about poverty has been like dropping through Alice In Wonderland’s rabbit hole into a whole confusing, tangled spaghetti bowl of problems and opinions and statistics and theories and theology and political stratagems and turf issues about education and workforce development and affordable housing and health care and neighborhood development and all kinds of other interwoven issues. I learned that there’s a name for these kinds of tangled up messes where nobody knows what to do to make it better – they’re called “wicked problems.” Appropriate name. Trying to work on the “wicked problem” of poverty here in Waco has been an exercise in self-doubt and generally always feeling overwhelmed and ignorant.
All that to say…I wish I had never gone on that trip to New Orleans!
Ha! Kidding! (sort of…) It is frustrating, but it also feels like work worth doing, and I am in love with the idea that a community of people can work together to set goals and solve problems and accomplish things together if we can only figure out how and stick with it. Ten years in, I would like to think I had figured out a few things in that regard…kind of a unified theory of how to get things done…but I haven’t. All I have to show for my efforts is a pile of random, half-formed ideas. Here are a few of them…maybe you can help me make sense out of them as we are working together these next ten years…
- Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. – We want a great community for everyone who lives here, not just “not poverty.” Keep the real goal…the higher goal… in mind.
- When it gets right down to it, relationships are what make things happen.
- Have faith that the faith you have is enough faith to keep going and to do some good.
- Participate and help at least ten times more than you criticize.
- It’s not enough to just be compassionate; we have to also try to be smart. We have to learn to use information better. But, we have to be compassionate too.
- Work with the people who want to work with you…if the others come along later, great, but don’t waste time and energy trying to drag them.
- Don’t feel like you always have to invent a new thing. Chances are, someone is already doing something. Listen to them. Learn from them. Build on what they are doing.
- It does cost money to do stuff. Not everything can be done for free or cheap. (But if you don’t have money, there is still stuff you can do.)
- Try things – they might not always work, or work like you think they will, but you will almost always learn more than you would by talking and not trying.
- It’s easy and more comfortable for White people to ignore the role that race plays in all this. Don’t ignore it.
- When in doubt, err on the side of boldness.
- Do what you think is right – people are going to gripe at you either way, so you might as well do what you feel good about.
- If you don’t have any ideas about what to do, go around the table and have everyone share their ideas. There is probably some quiet person who has a great idea, but hasn’t said it.
- Sometimes you don’t need a new idea, you just need to apply the ideas you already have more consistently. Sometimes, though, you need a new idea.
- Keeping up with the details – the to-do list, the email list, the meeting notes – is half the battle.
- When in doubt, over communicate.
- “Them” is always us.
- Art and song and dance and joy and play and fun are central. They are not “fluff” to be ignored until we are done with the “important stuff.” They are the things that fuel the creativity and energy and passion we need to do the “important stuff.”
- Don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you.”
This Act Locally Waco blog post is by Ashley Bean Thornton, she works at Baylor, helps out with Act locally Waco, and facilitates the Waco Foundational Employment Network which is a part of Prosper Waco. She likes to walk and doesn’t mind at all if you honk and wave when you see her.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
By Major Anita Caldwell
Dear Waco,
Over the past twenty-seven years as a Salvation Army Officer, I have learned the many journeys of those in poverty. There are those who seek lasting change in their lives. There are those who manipulate with great skill. This blog is written to consider the pan handler. There are generally three or four types:
The desperate pan handler is that person who is desperate for alcohol or drugs. My first experience was in El Dorado, Arkansas, on a cold Christmas Eve with a drunken man, his sign and his little dog, Joshie. When we got him to the local hospital, he had $300 in his pockets. In that small, Christian community everyone was giving him money. He then took it a few steps to a nearby wine store, purchased his drink of choice, slept under a nearby tree and returned the next day to the same corner.
The professional pan handler is that person who is skilled to the point that he or she can make as much as $300 or $400 per day. This person will use any and all types of “crutches.” Locally, we have a man who pan-handles using a wheel chair. At the end of the day, he wheels to his vehicle, stands up, folds up his wheelchair, gets into his car and drives home.
The syndicate pan handler gathers a group of people and uses them to collect money. These people are much like traffickers because they only give their pan handlers food and shelter but gather the remaining income for their own purpose. In Moscow, Russia, where we lived for six years, pamphlets were placed in all expat locations such as clinics with a clear warning to not give to any person begging because they were all part of a crime syndicate. They would place an elderly person in the metro and pick her up at the end of the day, take her money and continue the same routine day after day. These organized groups are here in Waco as well.
Finally, only on very rare occasions, will there be a truly needy person asking for money. However, they generally go to the many social service locations in town and seek the help needed.
Pan handlers prey on giving people. They will find a giving community and gather in that giving city. Waco is a Christian community with Christian people traveling here to visit our fair city. The pan handler has the best of both worlds in Waco: new people and giving, caring people.
The Salvation Army has developed a small card you can give to the pan handler so they can have a free meal and you can be guilt free. We don’t fear that too many people will come; the pan handler typically wants money, not food, not gas for their car. Please send them to one of the many local agencies who can help them. Our commitment is to build a relationship with those who are willing to overcome their needs and to seek how we can best support their pathway to hope.
Should God speak to you and ask you to give, follow His guidance and give, but please do not give purely out of guilt. Such guilt does not guarantee that you will assist a genuine need.
May God bless you and bless those in need.
Major Anita Caldwell
Major Anita Caldwell was born in Olean, NY, to a family of ministers. She attended and graduated from Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute with a BA in Religion. Her MA is in Pastoral Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University. She and her husband, Bradley Caldwell are Majors in The Salvation Army and are Regional Coordinators for this area. They have served as ministers of the gospel in The Salvation Army for 23 years. After serving in three USA appointments, they were transferred as Regional Leaders in Moldova, Romania, Russia and the country of Georgia over a twelve-year period. They received their Waco assignment after serving at International Headquarters in London, UK.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
By Dr. Emma Wood
Humans need touch. I was reminded of this recently while listening to a podcast in which a woman shared about her partners’ struggle with cancer treatment. The treatment caused touch to be unbearable for her partner, and in turn caused her a different kind of pain- the absence of touch. She shared that she would often leave the hospital and get a manicure just so that she could be touched by someone.
This story, poignant in many ways, reminded me of the necessity of touch. Most people fall on a spectrum of interacting with touch. Some people are “touchy feely” types who hug everyone they meet. This does not describe me, but I do enjoy being friends with those sorts of people. You can always expect a warm embrace when meeting at common grounds or Cameron Park. Other people only like touch when it is offered by a loved one, or a partner, and a handshake or high five is sufficient for their day to day interactions. Most of us probably fall somewhere on a spectrum between these two people. But all of us have in our human DNA the need for physical touch.
I remember during my first semester at college feeling starved for physical touch. I was 7 hours away from home and knew no one. Relationships take time to build and discovering how touch will be received by a new friend is always a bit of a risk. Eventually I found my friend group, some of whom were compatible with me in terms of physical affection, but it wasn’t until my sister joined me at college that I really felt a secure sense of physical comfort.
The touch I am talking about is clearly non-sexual in nature. It is about nurturing, sensing, conveying compassion and acknowledging our physical selves. The mind-body connection is a significant pathway. If you have taken Psychology 101 you might have heard about Harry Harlow’s Monkeys, who chose a fake furry mother to get comfort over a wire mother that provided milk. The monkeys chose physical connection over sustenance; Harlow concluded that “contact comfort” was essential to the psychological development and health of infant monkeys. There have also been studies that show infants that are not touched often display developmental delays and often develop life-long relational deficits that prevent them from feeling intimacy in relationships. Other studies have shown that absence of touch in infants may account for failure to thrive and even death.
The importance of touch to emotional health and wellness has also been well established with research showing that touch triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone that decreases stress-related responses. Additionally stimulating touch receptors under the skin can lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, effectively reducing stress.
Being mindful of your need for touch can be an important piece in your mental health repertoire. It can come free in the form of hand holding, pats on the back, hugs, and casual touch in our relationships. Another wonderful tool, as mentioned at the beginning of this blog is a professional service.
Massage is one of the healthiest things an individuals can do to improve the wellness of their mind-body connection. I know that often massage is a luxury one may struggle to afford, but what differentiates the expense from other ways we spend money is that it has lasting effects for our physical and emotional wellness. Getting a massage causes muscles to unclench, a racing heart rate to slow, heightened blood pressure to fall, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol to drop. In that relaxed state, your body is able to regroup and recharge. Additionally massage can help to create a more robust immune system. Knowing what the research shows it is clear that massage is not just good for our muscles; it’s good for our entire physical and mental health.
Michelangelo said “To touch can be to give life.” Act Locally Waco and LaBella Visage want to help you reduce your stress and increase your mind-body health by offering readers 20% off massage services for the month of July. When you book use coupon code ACTLOCALLYWACO20.
Whether through massage or the hug of a dear friend, make sure you get your vitamin T this summer.
Dr. Emma Wood is a licensed clinical psychologist, public speaker, trainer, consultant and blogger in Waco. You can see more of her work and get more information about the services she provides at www.dremmajwood.com
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
By Craig Nash
I had to learn a new lingo when beginning my work at the Texas Hunger Initiative, and it was challenging. (The very use of the word “challenging” in the previous sentence is an example, and proof that I have begun to absorb the lingo, choosing a more tame term over a collection of other, more colorful, words that I would have chosen before.) And it wasn’t just the acronyms connected to social services that were, uh, challenging. It was a whole new lexicon full of words meant to convey how we are doing our work, but words that are usually used with different meaning outside the non-profity world in which we exist. Words and phrases like “value-add,” “capacity,” and, my personal favorite, “bandwidth,” would often leave me looking around the room wondering if I am the only other person suffering from a mental condition that prohibits me from understanding. I eventually picked up the pace and figured the new language out, although I am still much slower at translation that most of my colleagues.
One word, though, that resonated with me early on is the term “access,” often used when describing how easy or difficult it is for a particular person or group to receive basic human needs. In other fields of conversation we may say that someone can or can’t afford a particular need, or someone is or isn’t able to provide for themselves or their families. But access opens up a different line of thought altogether. It guides us into a more compassionate mode of thinking for those without it, as well as for those who have it. It equals the playing field, if you will.
With regards to access to food, there are a number of reasons someone may or may not have it. Money is one, but so is availability, location and safety. I’ve witnessed an army of people in our city whose very job and mission is to make access more widespread.
One way that Waco and La Vega ISD’s Child Nutrition departments have been making access to food more widespread to our local children is through their mobile meal-bus programs. If location is a barrier (there’s another one) to access, then they are working to remove that barrier. Rather than requiring children to come to one of the dozens of stationary Summer Food sites around town, they are bringing Summer Food sites to neighborhoods, parks and clinics all around the area. Like the other sites, food on the buses are free to children under 18, and require no id to, um, access.
One way you can help increase access is to spread the word. All summer sites can be found by visiting Summerfood.org. Below is a list of Waco and La Vega ISD Meals on the Bus location stops and times.
Waco ISD “Meals on the Bus” – Monday through Friday
Bus #1
Waco Apartments, 2724 Robinson Drive 10:40-11:00am
South 18th Street Community Center, 1800 Gurley Lane 11:10-11:30am
Elm Street Community Center, 609 Elm 11:45am-12:05pm
Waco Central Library, 1717 Austin Avenue 12:20-12:40
UBC, 1701 Dutton Avenue 12:50-1:10
East Waco Library 1:25-1:45
Bus #2
Scott & White Macarthur Center, 2201 Macarthur Dr. 10:40-11:00am
Family Health Center, 1000 Delano Street 11:15-11:35
Barron’s Branch Apartments, 819 Colcord 11:45am-12:05pm
Estella Maxey Apartments, 1000 Delano 12:15-12:35
Guthrie Park, 7400 Brookview Drive 12:50-1:10
La Vega ISD “Lunch Bus Express” – Monday through Thursday
JMJ Wrecking, Corner of Campground Road and Harrison St. 10:10-10:30am
Maranatha Church, Ashleman and Latimer Streets 10:40-11:00am
La Vega High School Tennis Courts 11:10-11:30
Brazos Village Apartments, Lakeshore and Gholson Rd. 11:40am-12:20pm
Brame Park, Hogan St. and Briarwood 12:30-1:10
Craig Nash has lived in Waco since 2000. Since then he has worked at Baylor, been a seminary student, managed a hotel restaurant, been the “Barnes and Noble guy,” pastored a church and once again works for Baylor through the Texas Hunger Initiative. He lives with his dog Jane, religiously re-watches the same 4 series on Netflix over and over again, and considers himself an amateur country music historian.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
(Note: This post is part of a series called “Entrepreneurs of Waco.” The series is collaboration between the McLennan Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Professional Writing program at Baylor University, and Act Locally Waco. The McLennan Small Business Development Center offers technical assistance, business mentoring, training, and resources for all stages of small business. For more information, visit their website: www.mccsbdc.com. To see all the posts in this series, click here: Entrepreneurs of Waco. – ABT)
By Allison Le Grice
“I love owning a business where I only succeed if my clients succeed,” Melissa Pardun explains as her dog Josie leaps onto her desk to lick the palm of her hand. Along with her husband Rick Pardun, Melissa owns Maker’s Edge. Maker’s Edge is a “maker space,” a full-featured do-it-yourself studio for anyone from teens to hobbyists to high-tech entrepreneurs who want to make things. According to the website, Maker’s Edge is a “…a space that brings together a community of DIY people with wonderful fabrication equipment in a way that supports collaboration, creativity, ingenuity and personal development.”
Melissa, with her thick royal blue rimmed eyeglasses and zebra print nails, sits in her office conveniently at the front of the maker space. This allows her to shout a greeting to every member who walks in. “Community is our number one emphasis,” Melissa says, pointing to a banner in shop that reads “Look around you, here are your fellow doers. Here is your creative team.”
Upon walking into Maker’s Edge, you see a huge open workspace with tables and stools where members work on their projects in the presence of other members. Surrounding this open space is a collection of private working spaces — Wood Shop, Metal Shop, Welding Shop, and Electronics Shop, to name a few — that are available to members upon completing proper training.
“Once we finally got started, our biggest battle was having to define what a maker space was. No one knew what the heck we were,” Melissa chuckles. Even among the engineer and maker community, it was rare that people in Waco had heard of, much less been to, a maker space. Small town curiosity helped. People were constantly wandering in to ask about Maker’s Edge; some of those curious visitors stuck around to become members. Now some of those members are making products that are being sold at Magnolia Market.
Maker’s Edge is one of the largest maker spaces around that isn’t a part of a franchise. This is largely because the Pardun’s decided to establish a for-profit business instead of the more typical non-profit maker space. The for-profit model allowed them to get big quickly and fill the shop with mostly new, efficient, and precise tools. Additionally, this business model allows Maker’s Edge to team with Circle Hardware to provide an in-house mini-hardware store for those “forgotten materials”. And a hidden benefit of avoiding the non-profit makerspace “club” approach: members never have to take their turn cleaning the bathrooms!
Maker’s Edge charges membership fees. Members use the space and everything in it for a monthly fee that goes towards the maintenance of the building, tools, and material that makers wish to use. The membership types range from “Unlimited Open Shop Membership” for $125 a month to a “Youth Membership” for $30 a month. There’s also an “Entrepreneur Package” that provides 24-hour access, an enclosed office, a professional address and mailbox, and more benefits for entrepreneurs.
The idea for Maker’s Edge came about when Rick Pardun, an engineer, grew frustrated with engineering applicants who could not design well. They had all the education necessary for their job, but they couldn’t physically do anything because they had never touched a tool. As an avid reader of Make Magazine, a magazine dedicated to DIY and all types of building, Rick was aware of the maker space movement and thought that it might be a good idea to start one with his wife Melissa, who was very familiar with nonprofit work.
Initially they worried that Waco would not be the ideal place to start a business, but Melissa did not want to leave Waco until her children were out of school. Waco eventually proved itself to be a fine location – big enough to ensure business in the shop, but not big enough to attract much competition from the franchises. The Parduns grew up in that small town environment. They appreciate that Waco seems to embrace a small town feel despite not being a “small town.” They wanted to be able to have a business where their members appreciated that the owners treated them like neighbors.
Melissa and Rick decided to get help actually creating this business idea.
First, they sought some advice from Bradley Norris, an entrepreneurship instructor at Baylor University who was familiar with teaming up technology with entrepreneurship. Bradley had played with the idea of creating a maker space himself, but never had the time or the means. He offered Melissa and Rick some guidance on the technicalities of starting that kind of business as well as constant emotional support. Next, they got help from the LAUNCH program. This program included a three-day intensive workshop, where entrepreneurs gathered all of their business ideas and proposals together in order to actually begin the process of starting their business. After this, they got in touch with Jane Herndon of McLennan Small Business Development Center. Jane helped Melissa and Rick create a cohesive plan to present to a bank. Finally, Melissa and Rick got access to the most important part of the business process: connections. The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce provided the Parduns with access to other business people who could help them get started and helped them get their business name out to more entrepreneurs around Waco.
“One thing I would tell entrepreneurs is that an independent spirit does not work…We live off a community philosophy,” Melissa says with a large smile. “It takes a community to start a business. It takes a community to complete a project. It takes a community to do everything in this life. Embrace it.”
The Entrepreneurs…Melissa Pardun is the Executive Director of Maker’s Edge. Melissa is a life-long thinker and maker and strongly identifies with teaching the ideals of the DIY spirit to the next generation of innovators. Rick Pardun is the Chief EDGe-ineer, the creative force responsible for initial workshop design and ongoing training and tool acquisition. As a mechanical engineer, Rick has 18 years of experience in prototyping and design in the aerospace industry.
The writer…Allison Le Grice is an English student at Baylor University. She is passionate about literature, mental health, and recycling. In her free time, she is most likely binge-watching “Chopped.”
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
by Jesse Harden
Nearly four years ago, my family moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Waco, Texas, to attend Baylor University. I had never been to Waco, and knew nothing about it. My family’s time in Waco is now complete, and we will be returning to Albuquerque. In this short time, Waco has become more than a space we have occupied, it has become a place that has shaped us.
The concept of place speaks of the physical space we occupy at a given moment as more than the geographic boundaries of our existence, those in which we live, work, play and worship. Conceiving of place goes deeper than mere geography to the intangible ways our environment (its history, beauty and inhabitants) begins to have formative power in our lives. Dale M. Coulter (in an article found HERE) delves into the formative power of place,
“As much as humans seek to carve out the land they occupy, more times than not, it carves them. It turns ordinary humans into Southerners or Midwesterners or New Englanders”
In Short, where we are forms who we are. We are a product of the places we have lived. In the four short years my family has been in this place, we have, in many ways, become Wacoans. This place, its people, geography and culture have captivated us, and we are forever changed.
Two significant aspects of Waco that have forever carved their mark in my family are the prevalence of concern for the common good and the many assets that this community has to leverage toward this concern. First, as I have lived in Waco and have interacted with various members of this community, I have been overwhelmed by the general love, pride and concern each has had for this city. I worked as an intern, both with Communities in Schools and Mission Waco as a part of my studies. Additionally, I pastored at Highland Baptist church for two years. In each of these settings, I met people who love Waco deeply, and are dedicating their lives to see Waco flourish.
In my work at Mission Waco, I was primarily involved with their work to bring an end to North Waco’s food desert, working with the community to establish Waco’s first non-profit grocery store, the Jubilee Food Market. Among my responsibilities was to promote and process the OASIS Shares that Mission Waco is selling to raise funds for the market. I was privileged to see the name and generosity of each individual, foundation and organization that gave generously to this effort, providing nearly 75% of the needed funds in just a few months. The response of the greater Waco community to the opportunity in North Waco to provide fresh and affordable food to their neighbors was a truly humbling and inspiring experience (Shares are still available, by the way, and can be purchased HERE).
In addition to the generosity and concern of Wacoans for the common good of their city, I have been overwhelmed by the number of assets Waco has available to work toward a truly thriving, fruitful and just city. Waco has so many strengths waiting to be identified, connected and leveraged! As a part of my internship with Mission Waco, I partnered with North Waco residents to complete an asset map of the 3.5 square miles surrounding the Jubilee Food Market. Our team chose just five categories of assets to map, and identified 105 assets! Imagine the potential of these assets being connected together. Imagine the number of assets within Waco as a whole!
Very few people have the opportunity and platform to thank a city for their hospitality and formative role in their lives. I have such an opportunity now. Thank you, Waco! You are more than a space in which people live, you are a place by which people are formed. You have welcomed my family and allowed us to become Wacoans. And, though it grieves us to leave, we will carry our new identity to Albuquerque, inspired by your generosity and passion to see your community prosper.
Jesse Harden just graduated with his Masters of Divinity and Masters of Social Work from Baylor University. He is a church planter and community development practitioner in Albuquerque, NM.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
By Roman Novian
It happens all the time. I meet someone new and during the course of the conversation I am asked what high school I attended. I respond, “University High School!” Then, like clockwork, their eyes grow huge. By now I know what the next questions will be. “Were you scared”? “Did y’all have to pass through metal detectors every day”? And on and on. No, I was not scared and no, we did not have metal detectors and actually, I loved every minute of it! I will admit, I was definitely scared my first day as a freshman. Of course being an awkward freshman on the first day of school is nerve-racking for anyone, but the rumors and comments from the public surely didn’t help. As the first day turned into weeks and then months I realized that I was in a great place. I started making great friends and becoming involved in many of the activities that were available through the public school system. I realized that all of the negative comments that I had heard over the years were completely erroneous. I received a top-notch education, extracurricular activities that helped me discover myself, and an unparalleled support system from my educators that went beyond the textbook to help me prepare for the real world.
Today, I am one of the top real estate agents in the country. I can certainly say that my time in the Waco public school system has helped me to be the person that I am.
I recently created the Roman The Realtor scholarship fund for local high school students. I believe it is important to give back to our community and there is no better way than education. Through the Waco public school system I was given an opportunity to succeed and I did.
The “Roman the Realtor” scholarship is open to University High School seniors who have been accepted and plan to attend college. Students should be ranked in the top 11%- 25% of the class and have demonstrated community involvement and volunteerism. Specific application requirements will be announced in early 2017. To learn more about the Roman the Realtor Scholarship, please contact University High School and ask for Mindy Place or Lisa Cain. The Waco ISD Education Foundation manages several scholarship funds for Waco and University High Schools. A committee of Education Foundation members, teachers, counselors and/or administrators reviews applicants and selects recipients. Those interested in contributing to or setting up a scholarship may contact the Education Foundation at 254-755-9517 or [email protected].
Roman Novian is a top producing real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Jim Stewart Realtors in Waco, Texas. He was born and raised in Waco and attended Waco public schools. His recent accolades include being among the top 1% of real estate agents worldwide for Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker 30 under 30 award, The National Association of Realtors magazine 30 under 30 award, and Waco’s most loved Realtor by Locals Love Us.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
Dear Friend:
Welcome to Waco!
The boundless summer skies in Central Texas are filled with the savory smoke of family cookouts, the lazy tunes of summer concerts and care-free laughter from parks and summer pools.
Summer is also a time of transition.
As you unpack your bags, I pack mine.
Waco is my home of three years and I will greatly miss it as I leave to serve as the chief fundraiser at a Habitat for Humanity branch in my hometown in Maryland after serving in that role here at Waco Habitat. With some difficulty, as I will explain later, I draft this letter as a means to provide orientation to you and a farewell to our community.
Keep Those Sleeves Rolled Up – Waco Needs your Talents
You have moved, made your first trip to Waco Habitat for Humanity ReStore, found some great paint to redecorate a room or two and you probably made your first trip to a magical grocery store that holds everything your heart, soul and stomach could ever desire in three initials: H.E.B.
You may wonder about your first steps towards getting involved in your new community. Well, you made the right step in reading Act Locally Waco.
Three years ago, I met the founder of Act Locally Waco (ALW), Ashley Bean Thornton, who created the site initially as a “one stop shop” for nonprofits, businesses and individuals to post upcoming events, and job opportunities. ALW is now a critical communication tool in our community.
Ashley and I met at Common Grounds. Three unexpected things happened during the meeting: 1) I noticed and respected Ashley’s incredibly red converse shoes that brilliantly matched her joyful spirit, laugh and intelligence, 2) I placed a random order for a coffee drink called, “Pig Swig”, a decision that forever changed the course of this coffee drinker’s life for the better and 3) Ashley invited me to write about housing issues and how national policy impacts affordable housing here in Waco; a natural fit for someone who works at Habitat for Humanity. I did not know that this invitation would make me the first blogger of what is now a series of talented, well-respected Wacoans who serve as peer-bloggers about diverse issues that range from food, health, fitness, racial issues, education and many topics in-between.
Three years later, it is mighty difficult to find a meaningful way to say goodbye to a community that has meant so much to me between 500-1000, non-rambling (non-sappy) worded blog post.
Sure enough, before I knew it, I realized I was writing around emotions and not truly writing about the true impact our community had on me…it was easier to write about my favorite coffee spots (Common Grounds as mentioned before, Dichotomy is also highly ranked in my heart) and provide a survey of their must-eat menus than to share the heart of the matter. In the spirit of embracing vulnerability (Brené Brown), I rephrased this letter to do just that.
I am a better person because I called Waco home.
I edited this letter several times to unbury the questions: “what about Waco made me feel at home…what about Waco made me want to dig deeper and work harder for our community?”.
The soulful, truth-seeking expedition started above my keyboard and made me feel like a paleontologist at our Waco Mammoth National Park…the “day to day” of three years, commutes on Franklin Ave and I-35, hours of meetings, errands to H.E.B., and highs and lows we all have in life needed to be brushed aside so I could see that truth.
That truth is that Waco’s strong communities of worship and the outstanding service opportunities & associations of our town made the three years a rich, life-giving experience.
Communities of Worship
There are nearly 365 houses of worship in the Greater Waco area based on one recent survey conducted by a local nonprofit. I was able to call Calvary Baptist Church, Acts Church and later Antioch Community Church my spiritual homes during my time here.
Each church was stuffed with timely friendships and messages of encouragement that were sorely needed and allowed for opportunities for me to give back as well. Antioch’s life group network is among the best communities of faith I have been part of and I’m thankful to have the good problem of scheduling more goodbye visits with brothers and sister than there are hours in the day.
You may have the good problem of sorting through which house of worship is a best fit. If you are to be a long-term member or have a membership that reflects mine, know that no matter where you land, you will find a great spiritual home.
Service Opportunities & Associations
For each community of faith I encountered, I found that the mission to put the Gospel into action was highly encouraged and space was provided in service to share about upcoming volunteer or giving opportunities.
Likewise, I’ve had friends who were not part of any community of faith but also cared deeply about Waco and their friendships had an equally powerful influence on my personal growth.
Often times, I would meet diverse people from different professional, ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds as we discussed positive ways to build our community. We all seemed to share the courage to push the status quo while we also shared mutual respect for each other.
The following nonprofits and civic groups provided space for that personal growth (learn more by clicking on the service opportunity):
- Caritas – Caritas provides the vital service of food and nutrition in addition to other services to our community. Contact them to learn how to volunteer, donate financially or learn about what items are most needed in the food bank ministry.
- Waco Community Development Corporation – Community engagement and affordable housing are some of the focus areas for Waco CDC. Contact them to learn about their homebuyer education courses and learn how to donate to their mission. Their Executive Director, Mike Stone, is going on Mike’s Hike during this summer to raise funds for much needed home repairs in Waco. Call their office to learn how to support this work.
- Citizens for Responsible Lending – A grassroots group focused on the healthy alternatives towards payday lending. Contact Alexis Christensen at Waco Community Development to learn more (see above link).
- CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of McLennan & Hill Counties – CASA stands in the gap for children in the foster care system as CASA staff and volunteers serve as the child’s advocate. Contact them to learn about how to become a CASA volunteer or how to give to their incredible mission.
- Waco Habitat for Humanity – Habitat brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. Habitat builds affordable new homes, repairs existing homes and operates ReStore. Contact the Habitat team to learn how to donate, volunteer or to hear about our latest inventory at ReStore.
- Association of Fundraising Professionals – Professional mentorships, trainings and online resources provided by AFP empowers regional fundraisers to excel through ethical fundraising practices (annual membership in June is discounted $50, contact chapter admin Susan Duecy at [email protected] for more info).
- Prosper Waco – An effort designed to look at education, health and financial security and how our community can move along a collective impact, data-driven model towards each category. Contact them to learn how to join committee work.
- LeadershipPlenty – Leadership training for Wacoans at no cost, LeadershipPlenty is made of facilitators from the community who teach a proven curriculum. Local leaders graduate and apply lessons learned to deepen their existing leadership roles in the community. Contact Catherine Bauer at [email protected] to learn about the application process.
- Nonprofit Networking Hours – Sponsored by the Cooper Foundation, these trainings in management best practices also allow space for news and local events to be shared. Click on the “Nonprofit Networking Hours” link to learn about past and upcoming events.
- Board Trainings – The Waco Foundation annually holds board trainings so that local organizations are well-equipped to lead their mission-work responsibly. Contact Nicole Wynter at n[email protected] to learn more
- City of Waco Council Meetings – Held at the Waco Convention Center on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month. The hearing of the visitors officers a time where you as a citizen can speak for about 3 minutes about any topic and City staff follow up with you about your concerns. This is a great way to have your voice heard.
- Chambers of Commerce: Hewitt, Waco, Central Texas African American, and Hispanic chambers offer social hours, networking events; Waco’s Young Professionals host professional trainings.
Do Not Wait to Unpack
Living in Waco is not a spectator’s sport.
You can engage the above partnerships or match your skillset to others (by no means is the above list comprehensive of all the partnerships in Waco).
Some common themes run throughout the on-going work of many Waco-based organizations. The above partnerships deal with ongoing issues such as affordable housing, racial disparities in our community and poverty that cannot be addressed alone as it takes your participation, time and resources to make a difference.
I have lived in four states and several different communities and I have never before witnessed any other community like Waco where effective collaboration makes such a positive impact.
We have achieved a great deal together and can still do much more. Further progress greatly relies on open access to the discussion on how to make Waco a place we can all call home.
Using ALW to first learn about said issues and then to later participate in events is a realistic progression towards engagement.
Don’t wait to unpack your skills – jump right on in; Waco will embrace you as you embrace Waco.
What are perceived social or economic challenges are tremendous opportunities for partnership and growth.
No matter how long you may call Waco home, you will be changed for the better and our community will greatly benefit from the gifts you are willing to unpack, share, and develop with your new community.
All the best.
Phil York
For the last three years Phil York has been working at Waco Habitat for Humanity, most recently as Director of Development. A self-described “policy nerd;” he has also been the Act Locally Waco housing and homelessness policy blogger. Now he is moving back to his home state of Maryland. We’ll miss you, Phil! Thank you for diving into Waco! We are better off for your having been with us for a while!
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.
(Note: This post is part of a series called “Entrepreneurs of Waco.” The series is collaboration between the McLennan Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Professional Writing program at Baylor University, and Act Locally Waco. The McLennan Small Business Development Center offers technical assistance, business mentoring, training, and resources for all stages of small business. For more information, visit their website: www.mccsbdc.com. To see all the posts in this series, click here: Entrepreneurs of Waco. – ABT)
By Allie Drain
Spin Connection is nearly empty by five p.m. Classic rock and modern pop songs play from the speakers, mixing with the soft rustle of plastic – the sound of customers flipping through records.
It’s a comfortable atmosphere. Relaxed. Posters from popular bands and movies, both modern and vintage, plaster the walls behind the displays that line the sides of the store. In the middle are two rows of wooden displays, each row made of eight total bins. These displays show the real treasure of the store: they hold the thousands of vintage records that Spin Connection is known for.
It wasn’t always like this. “When we started, we had a couple of these racks set up,” Stan Wojciechowski explains, pointing his thumb at the bins in the middle of the store. “We were having them built, and so we just had like four racks and about five hundred, eight hundred albums out here.”
“I never thought I would have my own business,” he says. “A few years ago, we did the Austin Record Convention, which is one of the biggest record shows in the United States if not the biggest, and we decided we’d maybe try to have a store here in Waco because vinyl was having a comeback of some sort. Not a huge comeback, but a comeback nonetheless.”
Stan and his wife, Alicia, opened Spin Connection about two and a half years ago. Stan had come to Waco in 2007 for his work with industrial equipment—a job that he still holds on top of running his store. He’d always had his own collection of records though, which he started selling even before opening Spin Connection to help with bills and his children’s tuition.
“I think it’s something that he’s kind of wanted to do for a while and when he did it, his determination, I think, just made it happen,” Stan’s son, Josh, says.
Josh, who helps out at Spin Connection on top of going to school and working, recalls his father’s lifelong hobby of going to flea markets and auctions for music, which often turned into family trips with his parents and older siblings. He didn’t always appreciate it when he was younger until he started learning more about the work behind having a stall or a small business, something he’s become more aware of with his father’s store. “To me, I would say it gives me some inspiration on how to find that something you like doing and turn it into something that you’re proud of,” Josh explains, clearly impressed with his father’s accomplishments.
One of the most challenging parts of owning a record shop is finding the right inventory. With very few exceptions, the records which fill the racks of Spin Connection are all vintage, brought in by either customers looking to sell, or found through an auction of some sort. “I just have to find them, because I want to find them for a good price so my prices are reasonable for the customer,” Stan explains. “Some of the titles we can’t keep. Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, we can’t keep it. The Wall, also by Floyd. Michael Jackson’s Thriller, it doesn’t stay very long. Those kind of albums, you put it out here, ‘Ahhhh, look!!!’ It’s gone.”
While Spin Connection is never as busy as the chain stores, there is a steady flow of people from all ages and walks of life. There’s a good number of Baylor students who are part of the new record culture, but also plenty of older people. Many of them, Stan notes, come in looking for albums or artists they were fond of in the past, and some come in looking to sell. “You hear them out here laughing and looking like ‘Honey, look at this,’ and they’re laughing. It’s not even a comedy album, it could be anything. They just get a kick out of it.”
Spin Connection’s customers are drawn in mostly by word of mouth, however Stan also mentions the importance of location in starting a business. “You wanna be where there’s a lot of traffic,” he says. For that reason, Stan opened Spin Connection at 3703 Franklin Avenue, right near the intersection with North Valley Mills Drive. Beneath the upbeat music of the store’s soundtrack there’s a steady thrum of passing cars on the street outside. Traffic is a constant on Franklin Avenue, proving the worth of Stan’s words. The location provides Spin Connection with the opportunity to both attract more customers and avoid the heavy fees that helped close some smaller businesses he knew in the downtown area. “Waco is a good place to open a business, but you have to know what you’re doing,” he says. “Do your homework.”
“Having more live music would be good,” Stan says about his future goals. Bringing in bands is one of his favorite parts of the business. “We had a band up here from Austin that was really good and they did an acoustic set. They were doing headbanging music in clubs, but I asked them if they could do acoustic and they said yes,” he recalls. “It was really good.” The live music adds to the unique atmosphere that sets Spin Connection apart from many other music stores.
“He’s involved in all facets of the business,” Josh explains about his father’s work, “and I’ve learned that if you find something that you really like doing, you should really just do it. There are risks involved. My dad didn’t know how exactly it would turn out for him. I guess that’s part of the fun, but his resolve to just open the store and just take that risk … I guess I’ve learned that I should take risks for stuff that I love and try to really focus on those things that I love.”
The writer…Allie Drain is a recent graduate of Baylor University, Class of 2016. While at Baylor, she focused her studies on English and Creative Writing while also acting as Co-Editor in Chief of The Phoenix, Baylor’s literary magazine. She loves reading, writing, and sharing stories, and hopes to one day enter the publishing industry.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.