One-stop shopping trips can be convenient, especially when you can buy a pearl necklace, a dresser, a night gown, and cereal bowls at one store. No, this isn’t Walmart. It’s the new Vendor’s Treasures, recently opened in Erwin.

The store, owned by Peggy Hankla, is an extension of Kidz Kaboodle, 1106 Jackson-Love Highway. After several inquiries to sell consignment items, Hankla expanded her business to include vendor booths and named that portion of the business Vendor’s Treasures.

“I didn’t want to do consignment,” said Hankla, who took over Kidz Kaboodle in February. “I rent the space to vendors. They put the stuff in and price it, then I sell it.” More...

The start date for a Unicoi County farmers market has been delayed by one week, organizers said.

The delay will push opening day for the Erwin/Unicoi County Farmers Market from July 31 to Aug. 7, said Ty Petty, a University of Tennessee extension agent for Unicoi County and one of the market’s organizers.

The market will be held in the parking lot at Erwin Town Hall, and a conflict with another event led to the one-week delay. More...

Updated July 13, 2010 11:39:25 AM

Sisters share ‘shear’ joy of togetherness

After six years of styling hair in the same salon and a lifetime of working together, sisters Ruthie DeHaven and Janie Casey have now made the move to be in business together.

The two women opened Sisters and Shears, a family hair salon on North Main Avenue in Erwin, so they can continue to working side by side, something they have done most of their adult lives.

“I love working with my sister,” DeHaven, who funded the start-up, said. “That’s the one reason we came over here. They stopped letting us work together.” More...

Updated July 13, 2010 11:27:51 AM

A brush with kindness

( / )

More than 80 years have passed since Dot Shelton’s family moved into a two-story home perched high above Elm Avenue.

Grant Shelton was serving as Erwin’s first mail carrier when he moved his wife, Ann, and their three children, including Dot, to 416 Elm Ave. In the big new home, there was room for the whole family — and Ann’s colorful flower garden in the big backyard.

“I’ve been in this house since I was in the second grade, and I’m 16 now,” Dot said as she lets loose an infectious giggle. More...

Updated July 10, 2010 08:48:18 AM

Momentum builds for return of the Clinchfield No. 1

Some call her “Old Number One,” while others refer to the nearly 128-year-old steam locomotive as the “Clinchfield No. 1.”

Sometimes, it’s simply, the “No. 1.”

Whatever name the locomotive is called, there seems to be one clear consensus for railroad and local history enthusiasts — bring her home to Erwin. More...

Updated June 11, 2010 09:56:19 PM

Discount tobacco chain chooses downtown Erwin

( / )

Location. Location. Location. In the world of business, it can make or break you.

Allen and Carolyn Hampton considered Bristol, Kingsport and Greeneville before finally settling on Erwin for the latest location in their growing chain of discount tobacco stores.

Judging by Tri-City Wholesale Tobacco’s initial success in Erwin, the Hamptons apparently made the right decision. More...

Updated June 11, 2010 09:56:36 PM

‘Small Store, Small Prices’

( / )

Bigger isn’t always better.

Just ask Carolyn Williams, who has just opened Variety Closeouts, a new women’s clothing store on North Main Avenue in Erwin.

Williams has worked in retail for 20 years, including a stint with industry behemoth Walmart, but for Williams, her store motto — “Small Store, Small Prices” — fits perfectly into her business plan. More...