Transcript
Speaker: Steps on the concrete down by the old town hall Smithfield Sidewalk Stories. In the center of it all. From the heart
Speaker: walk story
Speaker: Hi, Heidi. Hey, Helen. Hi, Natasha. Hey, Calvin. How are you today? We are great to cover you today. Lovely. Good. I am so excited that we have Natasha with us today. For those ah that are listening and don't know, Natasha is... one of my dear friends downtown, but she is she's on our board of directors for the DSDC.
Speaker: And she is one of our business owners. and
Speaker: and you know an entrepreneur truly in heart i don't you can be a business owner and not have a real entrepreneurial spirit but natasha is through and through an entrepreneur and she's she's going to be so much fun to talk to you today so yeah so thank you for being here here's my here's my introduction for natasha natasha armstrong owner of two downtown businesses first choice home care and triangle iv hydration and wellness member of the dsdc board a NCCU graduate, registered nurse, wife, and mother of two boys.
Speaker: Yay! Welcome Natasha. Thank you. Natasha, what is your connection to downtown Smithfield?
Speaker: Well, my connection to downtown Smithfield is I own two businesses downtown, also but also I'm a native of Johnson County. I'm a native of Selma, North Carolina. So Smithfield is very familiar to me and it's like home. Do you have any good Smithfield childhood memories that you'll share with us? Yeah, my grandmom and my aunt used to live in Pine Acres. So we're very familiar with Smithfield, of my church, my home church um in Smithfield, St. Peter Church of Christ. And I spent most of my summers in Smithfield. One of my favorite restaurants is in Smithfield. Shout out to the chicken bar. Love the chicken bar. Go there almost every day. So yeah, I will say that I spent most of my childhood and most of my...
Speaker: adult time in Smithfield. Awesome. So... You are a registered nurse. What led you to that career? Well, honestly, it was a really... funny conversation with my dad. I really wanted to be a beautician. I had no desire to be a nurse but we had a conversation.
Speaker: And his exact words were, baby, when folk don't have no money, they put their own perms in. So you need to go to school for something else. And it was funny at the time, but when I thought about it, he was right. And I've always loved taking care of people. I've always loved.
Speaker: seeing people get better, so I enrolled in nursing school at North Carolina Central. You know, I can see that connection. Being a beautician is a level of caregiving for people, right? So nursing and and beauty, they kind of come together. They do. They do. And I do care about... beauty and how people look at how I look. so
Speaker: nursing just kind of fits you i was i have never not seen you in an outfit that is like dressed to the nines your nails are always beautiful she's always silent um That's right.
Speaker: So what made you change from nursing to running your own business? Well, to be honest, I got laid off from my job as a director of nursing. and I had a baby and my baby had special needs. Sometimes when you work a full -time job, it's hard to be a devoted mom to a special needs child because there are a lot of doctor's appointments.
Speaker: He was a preemie. He was born at 24 weeks. Oh my gosh. He's a miracle. He's my miracle. And... and there were appointments literally daily so you know we still have to have money to function in life and at the time they had given me inseparance. package. So I use my Cerberus package.
Speaker: And I started a business in what I've been doing for the last 15 years. I have a passion for home care. so I feel like it's important to take care of patients in their home. I feel like that's a better, you know, in the hospital, no one likes to go there. Everyone hates the hospital. When they get there, they're mad that they're getting poked and prodded and ass removed. their clothes and they mad about the bill and
Speaker: This is not a happy place where if I can take care of them at home, regardless of what kind of patient it is, they're always happy because you're in their home and and they're proud of you to be in their home. So I just.
Speaker: fellow level home care and I've been doing it ever since and I wanted to do it on my own. So how did you get into the IV hydration? So you've got
Speaker: You've got the home health care, which totally tracks with you. what Where did that ID hydration come from? My specialty is infusions. So i'm as a registered nurse, I don't do the actual caregiving. I do more so the treatments, the skilled nursing. And we would give a lot of infusions. That was a lot of my role with the clinical trial company that I was working with. And a lot of new drugs, they were infusions. So I was the one that was given the infusions. I really liked infusions.
Speaker: because for me seeing someone go from like zero to 100 in a matter of minutes or while they're actually getting the medication you can actually see their face getting brighter you see them feeling better they go from not talking to talking so i really like the reaction i will get from giving the medication so i took a couple classes for iv hydration and then i decided to start it here in smithfield because we didn't have one in smithfield at the time that i started it
Speaker: And I felt like it was important for me to bring this business to my home community. And that's how I i got into it. It just really started off as, okay, I... I'm just doing it for it's treatments and then It can be done for wellness as well. People tend to
Speaker: it is a luxury service for the iv hydration however there are times where you need to get vitamins and minerals in a lot faster than taking an a pill so i wanted to be the person to provide that service and have it here for people who need um to get a fast infusion of vitamins and also What I've been seeing lately is my outside workers who were as extremely pe dehydrated and working in the sun.
Speaker: day in and day out. They can't physically drink the amount of water that they need because they're outside all the time.
Speaker: It's just taking all the water they're drinking. So being able to infuse them with water faster so they can stay on their jobs and, you know, be healthy and not be really sick from the sun was something I wanted to do to help my community. I love that you're talking about that because community is such an important piece of of what we do. I know that a community is important to you. Can you kind of just sum up what community means to you?
Speaker: Teamwork, working together, being there for one another. Understanding that we all have loves, likes, dislikes, differences, but helping each other, like being a person, a resource for your neighbor. I'll use crickets as an example. Sometimes I had a patient and they were really, really sick, having cramps.
Speaker: And I was infusing the water as fast as I could.
Speaker: But I'm old school as well. I knew mustard could do it. I said, go to Cricket's, ask her for all her mustard. She literally gave us the whole full cup of mustard. And the patient eventually stopped. The cramps went away. so to me just having a neighbor. that you can reach out to in the event there's a problem or and they'll they'll help you without expecting you to have to pay your you know, just having a person I can call on if there is a situation. or problems. I love that. So I think that's something that's kind of gone by the wayside a little bit, is people
Speaker: Maybe this is technology that's done it. you know We're on our phones and we're texting back and forth. But but you're right. and like Going next door and borrowing a cup of sugar, like just being that kind of person, that neighborly person, is it is community. It's relationships. I love it. And Natasha has also been a great neighbor to us when we had our intern here. so so Sweet Emma, she blistered the back of her feet so bad walking around downtown and she she was wearing those heels and she wore them all through downtown and the...
Speaker: backs of her ankles were bloody and natasha was the first place i had to go and say please please help well you know not only was she incredibly neighborly about that but we were displaced out of our office oh my gosh And I was like...
Speaker: I don't know what to do. I can't be outside of downtown. I've got to be somewhere close, but we don't have it. We're a nonprofit. We don't have money. You know, and Natasha, God bless you. You said.
Speaker: I gotta run! Oh, come on! over. And we we camped in your office for like five months. Yeah. It was fun. Sleepover. I know. I loved it. she was great You're awesome. All right, so I want to move on to a really fun subject. August is National Black Business Monday.
Speaker: Yay! Yay! so What does this designation mean to you personally? you know, you're you're a black business owner. You're also a black woman. business owner. And you're in downtown Smithfield, not just North Carolina. Well...
Speaker: I guess I don't think of it as a designation. It is and I'm thankful for the recognition. I'm excited that other people get to see and think about. But it's a smile. it makes me happy to know that i'm thought of as a black business because not long ago i didn't have a business yeah so i'm i'm a baby i'm like three years in the game and it's just
Speaker: very... good to know that my community is celebrating me in August. So... Johnston County, Smithfield.
Speaker: I see a really serious significance. When I first started this job, And just trying to get to know everybody in this community and and get a feel for what downtown Smithfield was like. I come from the Pacific Northwest, so all I don't know the people here. I don't know the culture, the climate of everything. So one of the first things that was said to me was, the black community doesn't feel comfortable in downtown Smithfield.
Speaker: We don't feel like it's here for us. And I thought, what a unique challenge. So my question to you in this space. is I'd love to get your thoughts on your experience in downtown Smithfield.
Speaker: as a Black business owner. Has there been unique challenges to that? is that Yes and no. I think as a woman, it's challenges. especially as a black woman here in johnston county because historically johnston county is nice.
Speaker: a diverse county historically. and But we are moving. towards more diversity. For me, I'm a very outgoing person.
Speaker: And I'm very friendly. And I feel like my personality has helped me. in spaces. that are not so diverse i'm familiar because i grew up in johnson county and so i'm kind of familiar with The lack of diversity?
Speaker: But it... does present more of a challenge at times by being in downtown Smithfield because there are some things that were harder for me. in the beginning.
Speaker: Uh -huh. that I was not aware of. I can't say that it was because of race or gender. But I did feel... somewhat disconnected. to downtown and I didn't feel like I had a champion team until the latter end of me starting to process when I ran into Heidi and she did
Speaker: try her best to help me get set up in the beginning so there were a little scenarios, things that happened that took a little bit longer. Boy... I also felt that It could have also been because my business was so new. And it.
Speaker: being that I am a Black woman. I'm also starting a business that has never been started in Smithfield. To start with. So... educating people around what I do, how I serve, how it's going to affect the town. In addition to me being a black woman, I think all of that together.
Speaker: just kind of was a different. perspective for people around. to adjust to. Yeah, there was... The whole layer of like education that had to write go on top of. Right. And I'm a new business. So I'm a new business. I'm doing a new service. I am a black woman. I don't have.
Speaker: a partner, you know in the business world.
Speaker: So everything does follow me. So I do think there's a layer of uncertainty. Oh, she's a new business. She's bringing something new. Is this something that plan to stay or a business that plans to stay? And I do plan to stay. I signed a five year lease. I plan to stay. Yes, I'm not going anywhere. But it did take a little bit of time for local people to start to. support the business and understand what services we offer. I do feel like it's easier now. because I am active in the DSDC. I'm active with the chamber.
Speaker: I'm in the sorority. I feel like all those things together helped me. spread awareness. but I also still feel sometimes disconnected.
Speaker: to be as existing. community of downtown Smithville, if that makes sense. So do you feel like it's it's because of the type of business you're in or you know where you're located? Smithfield, downtown Smithfield's in unique in that we've got two different like little towns all in one strip because we've got the way it's zoned, you know the B1 zone versus the B2 zone. So at 4th Street. you get a very different feel.
Speaker: to the the business that's on that side of 4th Street. your side versus the side that's on the historic side. Do you think that that plays into it or do you think it's... It's just community.
Speaker: Understanding. I think it's a little bit of both. I think is... It's new. but i'm also new oh i'm a young black woman i'm i in my 40s so You know, am I trustworthy? Can people trust me? Do they feel safe coming?
Speaker: to my office Do they feel safe with me taking care of them? Do they feel comfortable in my space? So I think it's a little bit of everything. I also think... initially why would i need a shot or why would i need an iv i i don't want to see her there's no reason for me to come in.
Speaker: until I started explaining Hi. These are things that you may need on a regular. If you need like African -Americans, we need vitamin D because. it our body with the melanin it contraindicates with the with the melanin in the sun we need vitamin d other races need vitamin c like there are things that naturally we need help with and that's what wellness centers like mine can provide but if I don't have the opportunity to educate. then It becomes a challenge. yeah
Speaker: for me to even try to tap into. Other. community members that may wouldn't use my services on a regular basis. Well, and trying to find a a captive audience. When... ah So many people are on a Where the thing...
Speaker: could be your client. is it Exactly. So how are you, how are you trying to overcome those challenges? Like what you said, you're part of the DSDC. and you're also a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Speaker: I'm sure you're using those platforms, networking, things like that, but how are some of the ways that you're trying to overcome Like those challenges of getting out into the community and creating awareness and trust.
Speaker: Well, I think it's consistency. I think that I can't change how people... look at me and see me i'm a black woman and i'm a southern black one i'm a proud southern black woman like I'm all the things, the stereotypes that come with that. so i'm comfortable in my skin and i hope that shows when i care for people and when i take care of people and if they consistently see me at downtown events regardless of if they have some
Speaker: diverse each you know issues with diversity, they're going to know well she's a nurse. I can trust her. She's consistent. We see her on social media. We see her at, you know, working with the patients in the community. We see her in her office. So I think being consistent is one.
Speaker: And also... working with Everybody, not just working with minorities, not just working with children, working with women, working with men, working with all races.
Speaker: I think that helps develop trust. And I also think me bringing somebody younger than me, maybe a minority, helping them to not go through some of the same challenges that I went through, encouraging other minority businesses to come to Smithfield. because regardless of what Smithfield used to be,
Speaker: It's not like that anymore. Lake Smithfield is changing, is becoming diverse. People are moving here because we're an amazing town and they want to be a part of it. so before it may have been issues with segregation and racism but now things are changing And either they're going to be a part of the change in the movement or they're going to be moved out of the way. I mean, it's just just one of those things that's happening. And I personally...
Speaker: I'm here because I want to be a part of the change. But I have to be here to be a part of the change. I can't. say, oh, I don't want to go to Smithfield because they're racist and separate. Yeah.
Speaker: Bye. 10 years from now, it won't be that way. yeah i love that and you know in just the last couple of years i've even seen kind of a change we've got just Just the climate of downtown, the feel of the businesses, the way we're working together and talking to each other. And I think that is holy in part to people like you who come in and say,
Speaker: you're in this together folks you know this is our town this is our space and and i love that i think that's a really important a really important feature and i know something that we've been working hard on too From our side of it. Yeah, y 'all were very intentional about that. And me as a doctor.
Speaker: Black women. I appreciate that I see. I see the effort. and and sometimes And I don't know what it feels like to not be a minority. I don't. But I do see. both of you actively trying to encourage and increase diversity in spaces that you can.
Speaker: I see it, I feel it, and I hope others see it and feel it too. If you had a piece of advice to give to someone that was thinking about starting a business? there are ah There's some big eyes in the doctor.
Speaker: Mm. My life would be... Do as much as you can to network. Don't be embarrassed to ask for help. because that was my issue in the beginning. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help.
Speaker: People may not help you but they may know somebody who can. Referrals can be your best friend. and just Barter? I did a lot of my stuff in the beginning, like keeping things. moving because of bartering everything you don't have to purchase everything if you need things Other people may have those things and you can barter to kind of help get started to stay low on costs.
Speaker: Also read the laws, like go to the town website, find out what you can and can't do. because I bought a sign twice because I didn't know there were sign halls. So that's something I would highly recommend is making sure that all of those things are done accurately as far as the zoning and the permitting and all that stuff because that stuff is can be a hidden expense and just being a walking billboard for your business i really try to
Speaker: Have... of representation. of my business Most of the times I'm out. because it can be a conversation starter and a conversation starter can turn into a pay claim. Yeah, you are very good about that.
Speaker: More often than not, I see you in branded... yeah gear and You are a very outgoing and friendly person. I don't know that I've ever seen you meet a stranger. so All very, very sound words of advice. And I will tell you that No.
Speaker: like you also have done this very well too is know who to go to like my Part of that networking is finding out who can help you. So as it turned out that day when I walked in your office, you were talking to... to Andy with the chamber of commerce. He introduced me and then it was like, Oh, a resource that can help me with the town, you know? So yeah, those are, those are all very, very sound words of advice. Thank you.
Speaker: So... In honor of August being Black Business Month, I have pulled some Smithfield black entrepreneur history. And I will say it was very challenging.
Speaker: Yeah, interestingly enough, there really hasn't been a lot of
Speaker: There's not a lot documented. I mean, there probably has been plenty of business owners in the history of Smithfield that were black, but... But there's not a lot of information about them. We did find some more information about Ashley W. Smith, though. If you all recall listening a couple episodes ago with Mary Reese, her building was built by Ashley Smith. So I'm going to read here. Helen was gracious enough to put down some notes. so He purchased his first lot in 1875.
Speaker: and a small farm outside of Smithfield thereafter and by 1885 Mr. Smith owned 36 acres of land and three town lots. And then by the early 1900s, he'd become one of Smithfield's wealthiest business owners. um And what I think is really interesting is that he had built...
Speaker: and owned several commercial properties along south. Third Street, so. Thank you. for all those beautiful buildings that really are historic downtown the 100 block south third street is one of our prettiest little spots and we hold events there because it's a great spot to have them and You were telling me, Helen, that...
Speaker: That was kind of the segregated area of town. That's where the black businesses were supposed to be. yep um And so he helped establish that as a hub for the black business community in Johnston County. That 100 block where Mary's building is, and I think it's everything from Mary's building up to...
Speaker: about where Jules is. We're all his... businesses that he built in that space. And it was to create businesses for the black community. So the Taylor seamstresses, his wife was a seamstress and she owned a space in there, barber shops, a grocery store, general mercantile. And then, uh, in Mary's building. that had private offices ah for
Speaker: Black lawyers and other professionals to operate out of because they couldn't operate in other parts of town. Fascinating.
Speaker: So we know there are probably a lot of great stories that came out of those business owners. I wish we had. access to. Yeah. but Seriously. There were a few other notable black entrepreneurs. Charlie Smith, who is Ashley's son, and he took over operations into the... 1900s. He was drafted into World War II. And so after That is whenever the businesses no longer belong to the Smith family. Then there was Charles Lofton, who was a contemporary of Ashley Smith, who that... owned spaces. that
Speaker: Ashley had built. And then Isaac W. Woodard Sr., and he is a horseshoer, blacksmith, and under to undertaker, such funeral director and a World War I veteran. So.
Speaker: Horseshoer, a blacksmith, and then undertaker? Yes. How does that work together? That's crazy. Sounds like something out of Montana. All of the side hustles.
Speaker: That's right. Yeah. great. Oh gosh. This has been such a great conversation, Natasha. Thank you so much for being part of it. Oh. We celebrate you. We love you. Thank you. I love y 'all.
Speaker: I'm here to stay. Yay! That's what we want to hear. All right. Well, should we move on to what's coming up next? Yeah, absolutely. First Wednesday in September, because somehow August is already almost...
Speaker: Completed? Yeah, what happened? I don't know. ika Where did summer go? where Seriously, there's some of us that are like, okay, it's about time to be over. We're ready for our pumpkin spice and some cool weather. But Wednesday, September the 2nd from 12 to 5 at First Presbyterian Church. There is a blood drive and we encourage you all to go to theredcross .org. You can give them a call, go to their website, sign up for your time, or you can also just walk in and and donate. You don't need an appointment.
Speaker: We also have a couple more Smithfield Signature Fresh Markets. These are our farmers markets downtown that are held every other Saturday. So September 5th, Town Hall Park, those run from 8 a .m. to 12 p .m.
Speaker: And then we have our first fall Friday concert series at the Noose Little Amphitheater. Friday, September 11th, 7 p .m. Antique Outlaws will be playing. Do you know? I don't know the Antigone. I don't know don't know them either, but it says a little bit of country rock and roll and everything else. Sounds like a good time.
Speaker: So be there on September 11th, 7 p .m. We also have applications open now for the Essence of Ava Downtown Smithfield Scholarship Spotlight Pageant. If you have not heard about this yet, this is an excellent opportunity for high school -aged girls in Johnston County to earn a scholarship. It is a pageant, but it's not like your traditional pageant. This is all about embracing... the essence of Ava Gardner and if ah We'd love for you to go research this. Go to avagardner .com.
Speaker: but Ava Gardner was she was true. true to herself spirit. She never compromised who she was, even though she was this amazing Hollywood starlet in the golden ages of, you know, era of Hollywood. She still remembered her hometown roots and it really was who she was. And so this pageant is kind of wrapped around. that we want to hear from our girls about what makes them unique and special and wonderful and how that's going to be a tool for their future.
Speaker: So this pageant is a little bit of we want to know some talent. We're going to ask you some questions and have an interview. And we want you to express yourself in the vet you know your own. fashion sense, just the things that make you feel most comfortable. But then part of the application process is a video essay instead of you writing us a letter or telling us on an application form what makes you a good fit.
Speaker: We want you to videotape yourselves and Share about yourself. So a lot of times we're starting to get some uh feedback so not not quite feedback but there's a nice hum in the background uh the landscaping that started at the amphitheater has encroached closer and closer to the hastings house so sorry listeners if you hear that little hum there they're just trying to make our space beautiful ah ah
Speaker: So yes, if you apply by September 30th, you get a ticket for the Ava Gardner Festival on October 2nd for the Essence of Ava. So you can learn a little bit more about.
Speaker: Ava Gardner and get that chance to to dress up and and go to the gala. Speaking of the Ava Gardner Festival, I have the full lineup of events. So the Ava Gardner Festival is going to be October 2nd through the 4th, so Friday through Sunday. On Friday night, October 2nd, 5 to 8, there's the Red Carpet Gala, a night in Madrid.
Speaker: It will be at the Ava Gardner Museum. It is a black tie event. Ava in Spain is the theme. So there will be flamenco dancing, Spanish music, charcuterie, and brand new exhibitions. That is a ticketed event and they are $30 per person. And you can go ahead and buy those now through the Ava Gardner Museum website in their gift shop.
Speaker: $30 per person for a black tie event in one of our nicest little museums down what a perfect date night Perfect. It's awesome. I love it. So Saturday, October 3rd, they continue the festival. There will be a film screening. of Pandora the Flying Dutchman, which will be in the smith worldum list excuse me the Smithfield Performing Arts Center.
Speaker: which is old theater on South 3rd Street, so 141 South 3rd Street. The tickets for that are $10 per person. And that's at 10 a .m. And then also on Saturday, October the 3rd from 9 to 4, there will be festivities at the Ava Gardner Museum. ah Wine tasting with seven jars of celery.
Speaker: the Ava Gardner wines. And then of course, Going, touring the museum, seeing the new exhibits that would have debuted the night before. And all of that is included in the admission price. So just the admission to get into the museum. And Sunday morning. From 10 a .m. to 2 p .m., they're doing breakfast at Ava's. Breakfast at Tiffany's, only better. It's at Ava's. It's at the Ava Gardner Museum.
Speaker: and this would be um it's a light homemade continental breakfast that's followed by a screening of the angel who or red in the screening rooms. So advanced purchase of these tickets is also encouraged. Then the following Saturday, October the 10th, is our third annual Oktoberfest, a German street festival, beer festival. We'll have live music. There will be the Beerlympics games. And your German food. We'll have lots of good German food. That is also located on South 3rd Street and Johnston Street, so another place to celebrate our South 3rd. area. Yeah. And then finally, the Wine Walk is going to be on Friday, November the 6th. Tickets are available for purchase now. They are $25 each. We will have stops all through our downtown. The theme is Starlight Wine Walk. So we will have some astronomers that will teach us about stargazing and we'll get to enjoy hopefully some beautiful Smithfield stars that night.
Speaker: And not only is it our fall line walk, which we do share proceeds of this with Harbor House, which is a great partnership for us, but it is also another River Jam concert, or excuse me, a fall... The Fall Fridays concert. Yeah, it's a concert at the amphitheater. Yes. And Soleil and the Superband is coming to play. at that concert oh my gosh and they are so wonderful they've played ham and yam festival a couple years in a row now they are high energy So entertaining. So get your wine walk tickets, come explore downtown, gaze at a few stars and enjoy a great concert. Natasha, are you going to come to any of our events?
Speaker: I plan to be at the wire wall. Yay. Hopefully. I can have some more.
Speaker: Wonderful. Okay, well. Until then... We'll see you on the sidewalk. These are the Smithfields Sidewalk stories.
