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| Tallahassee Grapevine: A Unique Way to Educate by Tony Miller |  | | If you are a business owner, you know how frustrating getting your message out can be. When a potential customer calls you on the phone or steps foot in your office, you have the opportunity to educate them and answer their questions – but what about those potential customers that are unaware of how you can help them with a solution to their problem? Over ten years ago, when customers became aware of a problem, need or a want, they would head to the phone book or go to the vendor’s place of business to find answers. But now, they go to Google and ask their questions there. Statistics show that 70% of buyer’s have already researched their solutions on the internet before they even pick up the phone. The internet is becoming your salesperson. (See My Article on “The Buyer’s Journey” for a more in depth discussion on this topic.) Are you the one giving them answers? ... or are your Competitors? | | A lot of marketing consultants advise their clients to write blogs and articles to educate their potential customers – they then take these articles and post them on a blog site like Wordpress, or on your own website, or in your monthly newsletter. All of these are great and they are advising you correctly but … |  People are becoming more savvy and are skeptical of typical ads. They all blend together and become white noise. | | Just how many people find your blog on Wordpress? Wordpress statistics show that 350,000 blogs get posted on their site every day and that they account for 55% of the world’s blogs. That means that over 700,000 blogs get posted on a blog site every day from all over the world – and your blog is mixed in there somewhere. How do you get your potential customers to read your blog or watch your You Tube video? Remember, most blog site visitors are the bloggers themselves and they are all over the world – so what are the odds a local customer is going to stumble upon your article? I mean, it's nice to get advice from a doctor in Topeka - but that doesn't do the doctor much good if I am in Tallahassee. The only way to get local people to read your article is if YOU drive them to it. Sure you can post a link on Facebook and get a few clicks (mostly from your friends) or you can put your article in your monthly newsletter so your current customers can read it (I do recommend this.) | | You should also educate people on your website. If a potential customer has a problem, whether it is a roof leak or a muscle spasm, you need to be the expert giving them advice or they will move on to another website – specifically what they should be doing before they call you, i.e. “Take 2 Aspirin and call me in the morning.” |  If you are not giving the web surfer the answers, they will find it someplace else | | So what does Tallahassee Grapevine do that my website doesn’t? We have local traffic. We are now surpassing 100,000 local views a month and our weekly newsletter “Tallahassee (In a Nutshell)” has over 6,100 local subscribers. We also have over 3,100 Facebook fans and 1,100 Twitter Followers. We have a sought-after demographic. Our audience is made up of local people. We did a study of all the IP Addresses that have visited the site and 92% were based out of Leon County, 7% were based out of surrounding counties from Thomasville & Cairo down to Apalachicola. 88% of our readers are family-oriented age 25 to 55. The most popular page is our homepage where people are linked to the featured articles of the week. Our most popular area is the events calendar, which drives a lot of traffic to the Grapevine. We now have the most comprehensive event calendar in Tallahassee. The articles are extremely popular, especially the first week they come out – they are featured in the newsletter and on the homepage where they get the most local traffic. This is the perfect way for you to educate potential customers and establish yourself as an expert in your field. | | After that first week, our articles get more traffic via search engines, like Google. Google knows that people are searching from Tallahassee, so they want to give them the most relevant content. Since Tallahassee Grapevine is crawled by search engines often, due to the amount of linkbacks out there in cyberspace and the fact we are always adding new content every day. Your article on Tallahassee Grapevine typically ranks higher than similiar articles on a blog site or on a business website. | 
Tallahassee Grapevine gets 10's of 1000's of Traffic through Google searches every month | | Our articles are not ads. They are educational or entertaining but they are not ads. We have a classified section for that. These are a soft-sell, advice-oriented that allow the readers to get to know you and your business. They give them trusted advice that helps them justify their decision to move forward or not. We help you with the articles! We will help you brainstorm topics, we will coach and consult you on writing your articles – you basically write a rough draft and we are your editorial staff. We do the layout, add the photos, schedule it and publish it for you. We will also assist with keywords for search engine optimization. Whether you are already writing articles and want to broader, local audience – or if you know you should be writing articles but have not started yet – sponsoring the Tallahassee Grapevine is your best option. | |  Grapevine is the key to the city for many online surfers | You would also be supporting a valuable resource for the Tallahassee community. From promoting cultural events and fundraisers on the calendar and in the articles to our Ultimate Guide to Tallahassee Music to our Groups feature to notifications of upcoming 5K's and youth sports registrations. People depend on the Grapevine to stay involved with this great city. (Right at their fingertips - and we are, and always will be, free for the public.) | | Tallahassee Grapevine is locally owned and operated. We are a Tallahassee small business that employs 5 people – and we want to grow even more. We are affordable – we really are giving local small businesses the most bang for their buck. If you sponsor as an “Education Campaign” and submit articles every 2 to 3 weeks, that would be 15 to 20 articles a year – you would be in front of potential customers around 600,000 times a year! Call Tony Miller today at (850) 445-6592 to set up an appointment to learn more about this fantastic opportunity. |
| 1st Annual Beer & Snacks Drive for the Needy Football Fans Sponsored By TallahasseeGrapevine.com |  | | The Big Game is only 2 weeks away and many of our Tallahassee neighbors cannot afford to buy beer and snacks for their football get-together. With rampant unemployment, a tough economy and the rising cost of necessities and taxes, many people will find themselves drinking iced tea and eating Vienna sausages. As a civil society, we cannot allow this to happen. Tallahassee Grapevine is sponsoring the 1st Annual Beer & Snacks Drive for Needy Football Fans campaign from now until February 4th. Donate 6-packs, 12-packs, 40 oz, or even a single can of beer can make a difference. Don’t forget the chips or peanuts. Any brands will be okay, but let’s agree none of that O’Douls stuff, okay? That’s just evil. Drop off weekdays at the Tallahassee Grapevine offices at 200 John Knox Road. If you want your business to be a drop off location, please notify us so we can list you on here. All you need is two boxes – because you can’t put the beer on top of the chips (Duh.) If you know anyone in need, please let us know, so we can give them much needed assistance. Anything you can do to help the needy in Tallahassee. Have a heart, Donate Beer. For more information email us at BeerDrive@TallahasseeGrapevine.com | | | |
Joint Statement from the City of Tallahassee and the Family of Rachel Hoffman
January 6, 2012
The City of Tallahassee and the parents of Rachel Hoffman - Irv Hoffman and Margie Weiss - tonight agreed to a settlement in the amount of $2.6 million regarding Rachel's death while serving as a confidential informant for the Tallahassee Police Department in May 2008. The settlement was voted on in a special meeting of the Tallahassee City Commission, following a 5:30 p.m. Executive Session at City Hall.
Rachel Hoffman was murdered by Andrea Green and Deneilo Bradshaw, who are both serving life sentences for her death.
"In reaching this settlement, the City wishes to express our deepest sorrow for the loss of Rachel Hoffman," said City Attorney Jim English. "We once again want to offer our most sincere condolences to her parents, Margie Weiss and Irv Hoffman. Each of us knows that no amount of money can soften the grief and pain that comes from losing a child and our sympathies will forever be with them."
"We must always be accountable for our conduct and we acknowledge that in this case, mistakes were made, and the life of a young woman was tragically lost," English added.
The terms of the settlement include a payment of $2.6 million to the parents of Rachel Hoffman. $200,000 will immediately be paid by the City and the City agrees to actively support the family in seeking legislative approval of a claims bill for the remaining $2.4 million by the 2012 Legislature.
"We stand by and have the highest regard for the men and women of the Tallahassee Police Department who put their lives on the line for us every day," said City Manager Anita Favors Thompson.
"Within TPD, procedural changes have been implemented to help ensure something like this never happens again. We have steadfastly vowed to live up to our obligations both to Rachel's family as well as the taxpayers of this community. Today's settlement marks an equitable agreement by all parties in this matter with an eye towards moving forward."
View the Settlement (PDF)
 | Local Family Needs Help
This is a photo of Nicole & Hannah Powell.
If you follow the news, you may know that a couple of weeks ago, they were tragically killed in a car wreck. Hannah was only 5 years old.
One of the greatest things about living in Tallahassee is how much the community cares about each other. We take care of each other when we need help and we celebrate each other's accomplishments. | Nicole was a stay-at-home mom for Hannah and Hannah's brother, Braden (age 8). The father, Billy Powell, works as a plumber. As with anyone in the construction business, times are lean.
Billy needs to get back to work but has no means to get Braden into a summer camp or day care. There are also some hovering medical expenses from the accident that was not covered by insurance.
Braden has had a rough couple of weeks and I hope we can rally around and get this boy into a summer camp where he can be surrounded by new friends.
Anything will help.
Please find it in your heart to send some money to:
The Nicole & Hannah Powell Memorial Fund
c/o Mr Rooter Plumbing
500 Capital Circle SE
Suite B2
Tallahassee, FL 32301
We have faith in you, Tallahassee. Thank you!
- Tony & Renee (Head Grapes) |
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| Tallahassee Grapevine is the ONLY Local Site with VIDEO Classifieds! And we keep them Spam Free!* | | Tallahassee, FL - April 20, 2011 TallahasseeGrapevine.com thinks they are onto something here: Not only are their classifieds FREE and LOCAL but you can Stream Video To Yours! Imagine if you want to sell your motorcyle... now imagine being able to post a free classified ad on a high traffic site with a video of the motorcycle revving up and driving off! Imagine looking at ads for Free Puppies and being able to see a video of the puppy making eyes at you! Most people can take videos on their cell phone or own a Flip Video Camera. But then what? Take a short video of the item you want to sell with your cellphone or video camera. Upload it to your computer. Now you may or may not have your own YouTube account. They are Free and Simple to Start and Simple to Use. Go to www.YouTube.com and start one. This is the simplest and fastest site to upload video to. Now come to TallahasseeGrapevine.com and sign in with your email address and password. Hover your cursor on the CLASSIFIEDS Tab and Click on "Create a Listing" Fill in the blanks. Choose the correct category. Below this area you will see a little designer. At the top are 4 rows of buttons. For the most part, this works like Word or other word processing programs. You can change the font, the color of the words, center, bold, etc etc. You can also add a photo by clicking on the Green Button on the top row. You can then Resize that photo by clicking on the photo first (to hightlight it) then clicking on the other green button in the top row. To add video: Go to your video on the YouTube page. Highlight the URL Address at the top of the page. Right Click on it and click on COPY. Go back to your Classified ad. Make sure your Cursor is in the spot you want the video to be. In the bottom row, click on the YOUTUBE button. A box will pop up. Put your cursor in the line in this box. Right Click then click on PASTE. Now hit the OK Button. A box will appear in the design box that says "Flash" all over it. Once you are done creating your ad, Hit SUBMIT (below the design box) and your ad will be posted on the site immediately. That "Flash" box will be the video from YouTube. Once the item is sold, you can delete the video on YouTube and delete the classified from The Grapevine! *Now why can we say our Classifieds are Spam-Free? Because our staff checks them several times a day and deletes anything that is considered spam. If someone is abusing this site, we can even block and ban them. Now, if you do happen to find spam or something suspicious in our Classifieds, please email us at spam@tallahasseegrapevine.com and let us know. But more than likely, it was posted before we inspected the newest listings and we would come across it ourselves anyway. We are very excited to offer this free service to Tallahassee! I can't wait to see the cool things you offer up for sale in our Free Classifeds! Peruse Current Classifieds Or Post Your Own HERE |
Tags: Tallahassee Free Classifieds Classified Ads
SLOW DOWN! Lessons from This Morning's Commute by Tony Miller, Tallahassee Grapevine This morning I left my house around 6:30 and it was still dark outside. I was headed up Wakulla Springs Highway with the flow of traffic (around 50 to 55 MPH) when I see a vehicle a few cars back decide to pass four cars. It was a commercial van and it yanked out of the traffic and had to punch it well over the limit to pass such a long line of cars. I noticed a car was heading towards us. I had to slow down thinking he was going to cause a wreck. He yanked back into our lane in front of the car in front of me, causing us all to push our brakes. The van was still stuck behind other cars. I noticed the design on the van. The company logo displayed boldly on the side and the back. Hmm... if they make bad desicions while driving, wouldn't I assume they make bad decisions if I hired them? Not to mention they just made a bad impression on 5 potential customers. So I continue my drive and I see the van passing and jerking in and out of our lane, and I watched that company logo upset even more potential clients. So I don't let that fool get to me, although he put his own and everyone else's life in danger. I just make a mental note to not recommend that company for any work I come across for them. The irresponsibleness reflects the entire company. I am now on Capital Circle coming up on the Woodville Hwy intersection approaching a red light. I stop and look to my left and directly in the lane next to me is that van. I think, "Well, what the hell was the use in all that back there?" I mean, he put everyone in danger, made us all upset, ruined his company's reputation and is still stuck at the same exact red light with me stuck behind other cars. Light turns Green and HE IS OFF At The Starting Gate! (in a big clunky van, mind you...) I watch him weave in and out of traffic and I come to the red light at Apalachee Parkway. Look to my right this time and guess who is right next to me... The lesson today is patience. Driving like a maniac does not get you to your destination any sooner. What it does do is cause wrecks, scare people, get you a ticket, and, For Heaven's Sake, if the name of your business is on the side of the van - then that is downright stupid. If I was your boss, I would fire you. Maybe we can transfer this over to life or business. Scrambling doesn't save time. It makes you vulnerable, it makes you sloppy, it hurts your reputation, and it doesn't get you to the destination any sooner than if you followed the rules.
Tallahassee Grapevine's Weekend April 8-10th Who says there is nothing to do in Tallahassee? I have lived in other cities and had extensive stays at other's still and I say, Tallahassee has the same or better. We have a mall, we have movie theaters, bowling alleys, pool halls, etc. But we are also close to beaches and rivers and nature trails. There was a lot going on this past weekend: Tallahassee Film Festival, Po Boys Crawfish Festival, Peace in the Park, The Jazz & Blues Festival, Earth Jam, Worm Gruntin' Festival, Pops in the Park and a lot of new films, and the Baroque Art exhibit at the Brogan. You would be hard pressed to convince me there's nothing to do. TallahasseeGrapevine.com owners are in their 30s and have an 11 month old baby. So Friday night they stayed in. I rented a dvd, I Love You Philip Morris and my wife opted out of joining me to watch it. Probably a wise decision as the movie was not so bad I turned it off, but I can't say I would recommend it. It was a cross between Brokeback Mountain and Fun With Dick & Jane with a little Man on the Moon thrown in for good measure. Then bedtime because I knew Saturday was going to be a long day. We got up early to attend the Pioneer Breakfast at the Tallahassee Museum. It was great. All you can eat sausage (mild or spicy), scrambled eggs, pancakes, grits, coffee, milk or orange juice all served at a historical farmhouse. Then while waiting for the bands to begin for the Jazz & Blues Festival we took the baby for a walk around the nature trail and exhibits. There is a vulture there that comes right up to the cage hoping for a snack. When you keep walking, it follows you. If you speed up, he speeds up. I swear it thinks it is a dog. The bald eagles were beautiful. The otter was playful and adorable. The alligator was huge, the bear was asleep, the foxes were active, the panther was hiding and all in all, we had a great time. Inside a building were 2 baby alligators. Now those were pretty darn cool. There was also an ongoing exhibit about The Blues in Florida which was very interesting. By the time we got back to the stage, the first band was performing and did an excellent job. We listened as we let the baby play on the playground. Later on, we decided to go to Peace in the Park in Midtown because we knew people with booths there. Jim Crozier was playing when we arrived and we made our way around from booth to booth seeing friends we knew, and meeting new people. We let our baby play at the water table and sandbox at the Tiny Steps Learning Center booth and he decided he was hot so he poured a bucket of water over his own head without even flinching. Next, we decided to go to the Animal Shelter and visit the dogs and cats up for adoption. The Animal Shelter pets are a regular feature on TallahasseeGrapevine.com and something near and dear to our heart as we own 2 rescued dogs. Our 11 month old loved the cats. It's a shame he can't have one because our 11 year old is allergic and there were some sweet cats there that needed a home. Of course, we love meeting the dogs. My favorite site is seeing young couples trying to decide which pet to bring home. They take dogs one by one out to the yard or one of the side rooms and play and visit and try to decide which would fit best with their lifestyle. I love seeing I'm Adopted signs on the cages. There is always a couple dogs there that I wish I could take home if I did not have 2 big dogs already. Now this was a great fun day with beautiful weather. The only thing that would make it better is a good dinner. So we went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for Chicken Pirlau chicken breast, bacon, crushed tomato, green bell pepper, onion, brown rice and broth. It came out delicious and there is enough there for days worth of leftovers. There was so much going on that we could not even find time to do it all. Tune in again to learn about our favorite places to bring the kids over summer break. Till then, if you are looking for events in Tallahassee, visit our event calendar athttp://www.tallahasseegrapevine.com/event/calendar/ Come Join in the Conversation at Tallahassee Grapevine at http://www.tallahasseegrapevine.com/ The ONLY Site that has Free Classifieds that you can Stream Video To! Imagine being able to show video of the motorcycle you are selling or the puppy that needs a good home! Find it here: http://www.tallahasseegrapevine.com/listing/viewall/
(In My Humble Opinion) Why Groupon is Bad for Business (and Bad for the Local Economy) By Tony Miller (The views expressed in this post are mostly opinions and theories based on evidence I have experienced) Full Disclosure: Yes, I work for TallahasseeGrapevine.com and yes, we depend on business sponsors to survive. But I am a proponent that our sponsors do not use Grapevine as their sole form of marketing. I would love them to include us in their marketing budget, especially since we are growing bigger every day, but there are other forms of marketing that will also work for them depending on the industry they are in. Okay, let's start this discussion. I say Discussion because these thoughts and theories are meant to spark a friendly debate and get the conversation started. Sincerely, Your Chum, Tony _________________________________________
Groupon is an exciting craze right now. What consumer wouldn't want to get their favorite things for half the price? But let's pull back the curtain for a moment and see how this sausage is made. First, you must understand how Groupon works. Groupon is based out of Chicago and there are no locally based sales reps here in Tallahassee. All sales are done over the telephone and internet. Groupon approaches local businesses, or vice versa, to participate in a daily deal. They agree to the terms such as limit of deals available, how many an individual can buy, and what the actual deal will be. Typically, it is 50% off a gift certificate for that business. On the day of their deal, Groupon sends the offer via email to over 30,000 Tallahassee subscribers. If the subscriber decides to purchase they buy the gift card on the Groupon site and the payment goes to Groupon. Groupon then gets of the and mails a check to the business for their . Which means the business gets of the normal cost of the items sold. If the item sells for $20, the business gets $5. The business justifies the expense as advertising that will get people into their location to try them out and hopefully, these people will come back and spend full price. One day. Or that they will spend more on that first visit than the amount they have in gift cards. First let's do the math: Joe's Restaurant decides to offer $30 gift cards for $15 on a Groupon deal. They sell 1000 deals. Groupon collects $15,000 and Joe's Restaurant gets $7500 of that. Normally the cost of a menu item is 35% of the listed price on the menu. (This is just for the ingredients and does not include salaries, utilities, etc.) So Joe just spent $10,500 on ingredients alone and got paid $7500. So he just spent $3000 for one day's worth of email advertising. Groupon has 30,000 subscribers in Tallahassee (give or take). The average open rate on email marketing is 15 to 22%. But let's be generous and say Groupon's open rate is 30% (Open Rate means the amount of people that actually open the email instead of just deleting it.) So of those 30,000, only 10,000 opened the email. So Joe's visibility was only 10,000, not the 30,000 Groupon claims. Of those 10,000, there were 1000 deals purchased. Joe had agreed that an individual can only purchase up to 3 Groupon deals each. Most meals at Joe's are between $8 and $15 each. So a person that purchased one deal could take a guest and not have to spend any cash except the tip. If they have a larger family, they more than likely would have planned ahead and purchased up to 3 of the deals. So the justification that they might spend more than the deal offers, is minimal at best. Most would not go more than $5 over the deal. The last justification for participating is that they will keep coming back because our food and atmosphere is so good. There are 2 arguments for that: The Surge and Consumer Cannibalism or what I like to call The Groupon Mentality Why ever spend full price again? THE SURGE: Joe sold 1000 Groupon deals. The people that purchased them are excited and plan on going within the next couple of weeks. Since Joe has 30 tables, there is now a 1 hour wait for a table and the customer service suffers because of the crowd. The quality of the food suffers and the kitchen runs out of some key ingredients. Regular full price, cash paying customers are put off and do not want to wait the hour and do not appreciate the lack of service that they came to expect. Since most of the customers for the next 2 weeks are Groupon customers, Joe still has to pay his staff and all his normal overhead but is not taking in as much full price orders so his cash flow suffers. The new customers that Groupon brought in are not exactly impressed but it is hard to explain that the food is normally better, the portions are normally bigger and the service is normally faster to each new customer as they leave. CONSUMER CANNIBALISM: Joe sold 1000 Groupon deals. How many were to his regular cash paying customers that normally ate there once a month? What if they saw Joe's on Groupon and decided to get 3 because they eat there already. And then had their wife buy 3 more? Now they converted a full-price paying customer into a 75% off customer for the next 6 months. I read and watched some news stories about Groupon. The reporters interviewed some Groupon customers and they all basically said the same thing: I am never paying full price again. In other words, they will only eat, shop, get their hair done, etc at a place that offers a Groupon deal. Think about it, if there are at least 2 local restaurants offering Groupons every week, then a customer would not have to return to Joe's Restaurant for full price in the future. They will just go to the restaurants offered up on Groupon that previous week. There are a lot of great restaurants offered, with a variety of cuisines. Want Sushi? They had that Groupon last week. Want Italian? That Groupon was yesterday. You could literally have a wallet full of Groupons just waiting for a craving. This Groupon Mentality means they won't come back to Joe's until Joe offers another Groupon deal. It's unsustainable. Are these the customers Joe wants? They are not exactly loyalists. I feel it is only a matter of time before business owners catch on. The only one prospering is Groupon as they take advantage ( my words) of local businesses. And Groupon cannot survive without local businesses participating. Slowly, one by one, hopefully after the first try, businesses will realize the true costs and not opt in again in the future. Oh Yeah, THE LOCAL ECONOMY Not only are the local small businesses losing money and functioning at a deficit, half of your purchase goes to Groupon in Chicago and stimulates THEIR Economy, not YOURS. Joe's cost has become much more than just the $3000 loss. He lost cash paying customers during this time period as well as a few weeks of trying to play catch up with his normal overhead bills. Paying $3000 to have his name in front of 10,000 local consumers in one day in one fleeting email (QUICK! Name yesterday's Groupon! How about last Wednesday's?! unless you purchased it, you already forgot it.) I think Joe could reach much more consumers for a lot less using other methods of advertising, give them a solid call to action to drive them to his location, and get the right customers in his doors - not those only looking for an unbelievable deal. Here are some marketing ideas that will drive new customers to your door without you buying the farm. - A good call to action marketing campaign offering a discount or incentive is not a bad thing but do the math first. I will use our own Open Door Advertising gift bags as an example. They go out to 5000 local families each month. Even if you did a deep Groupon style discount at 50% off, at least you keep the full 50%. And since they use the certificate when it is convenient, and did not pay up front for it, they will not all show up at once. So for the few hundred dollars a month to be in the bags, you reach 40,000 local families a year. - Don't discount but add a value. For example, instead of offering 25% off their meal, offer a free appetizer with their meal. This is just as inviting but less costly to the restaurant. If you own a store, offer a free gift with $50 purchase. It will give you a chance to get rid of those items you were about to put on the clearance rack. - Offer such amazing service that people rave about you. Word of mouth is still the best form of marketing and this is one reason TallahasseeGrapevine.com has grown to have so many users. There are some industries where Groupon would work. Memberships to country clubs, museums or gyms, for example, would work. Since a membership is for a year, a Groupon shopper would be hard pressed to not come back. And when they do come back, they normally spend money on concessions, a round of golf, etc. But since they need an offer every weekday, Groupon cannot survive on these industries alone. Okay, now discuss away below in the comments section. I encourage it. You don't have to keep reading but I am going to do a breakdown of another industry: The Local Salon (if interested, keep reading.) Curl Up & Dye Salon decides to use Groupon to advertise. They have the ability to service 40 customers a day but currently tend to have approximately 25. The offer is $50 in services (not products) for $25. They decide that Groupon can sell only 1 per customer and can only sell 500 deals. Now this can only work if the employees are paid by the hour if they lease their booths or get paid commission, it would never work in the salon's favor. Every stylist would have to agree to participate and most cannot afford to take a pay cut that huge, even if it is just for 2 weeks. Okay so back to the salon- Groupon sells 300 deals and collects $7500. They mail Curl Up & Dye Salon a check for $3750. Remember, Curl Up normally had appointments booked for 25 regular customers each day. They had room for another 15 per day. Most of their regulars make their appointments a month out as they leave the salon. Their Groupon hits on the 15th of the month. The regular appointments for the next 4 weeks are already scheduled. They are only open on weekdays so with 300 Groupon customers calling for an appointment, it will take 4 weeks to fit them all in. Unless they double-book, open on Saturdays, or book them a month or more out. If they double book, service will suffer. Regular customers will be upset because of the wait or how long they are in the chair waiting for their stylist to return to them. The Groupon customers will not be impressed and they don't care about the but it's a Groupon influx excuse. If they open on Saturdays, now the owner has to pay the employees' overtime. Plus the employees are about to mutiny because they are giving up their Saturday. If they book them a month out, the Groupon customers will be upset about the long wait to use their gift certificate. The cash paying regulars that normally book a month out as they leave today's appointment will be perturbed that their normal monthly styling is now pushed out to 6 weeks. Let's do the math: The stylists make $20 an hour and the Groupon customers are paying $12.50 for their do's. Even if they spend more than the $50 gift card and it is $60 for the highlights, the extra $10 is barely helping them break even. If the employees are salary plus commission, then forget it. They are in a hole. Their hope was that these Groupon customers would become regulars, but think about it. If they were loyal to a salon, they would not have purchased your Groupon offer to begin with, they would have stuck with their current salon. And next week, The Tangled Tango Spa will offer a Groupon they just can't refuse.
Tags: Tallahassee Groupon Deals Opinions Editorials
I am so excited about the future of the Tallahassee Grapevine!
We have steadily been getting between 1200 and 3000 views a day! Our goal is 80,000 to 100,000 a Month!
The concept keeps bringing people back and as new people discover us, they also keep coming back.
This past weekend, The Tallahassee Museum let us set up a booth at their Saturday Matinee of the Arts and we had a blast! I loved it when people came up to the booth and said, "I was just on the Grapevine yesterday!" and others say they found out about the festival from the Grapevine's event calendar.
I got to show the site on the 32" Flat Screen to very interesting people and they told me what they would use the site for. Some to just peruse while others want to add their church, add their events, add their group, or even write blogs and articles.
Today, I was invited to appear on the Good News Show at noon on WTXL 27. I dressed up as well as I could since I only own one tie and it is still in the packaging. I am going to head over there shortly. I think they archive the past few days shows on their site wtxl.com and click on Good News Show on the left hand side.
We have also been tracking our demographics and I learned a LOT about the local people using the Tallahassee Grapevine.
92% are Leon County/Tallahassee, 7% are surrounding counties including Thomasville and 1% are Other.
Of these they are 65% Female, 35% Male
Age Ranges: 55% are aged 25 to 44, 18% 45-54, 15% are 55+, 12% 16 to 24
This was exciting news because, as we fill up our Business Directory and Grapevine Marketing Plans, local businesses like the fact that they will be exposed to the people that make the buying decisions in their households.
We seem to be attracting local residents with families, which explains why our Tallahassee Event Calendar is so popular.
As people learn to use the Tallahassee Grapevine, it will become a household name and overtake Craigslist (Since we allow you to stream video to your classifieds), it will overtake all the other Tallahassee Events Calendars because ours allows everyone to publicize their event for free - from churches to local bands.
Speaking of Local Bands, we are now introducing a Guide to Local Bands and Musicians ( find out more HERE) which will be a Comprehensive directory of local music by category. Bands will be able to post YouTube video or put their player box on the page as well as sharing contact and booking information.
I will write about my experience being on television tonight. Till then Enjoy The Grapevine - It's YOUR Magazine, Tallahassee! Take Ownership!
Who in the World is The Sauce Boss and
Where In the Universe is Planet Gumbo?
By Pedro Sempertegui
The Sauce Boss will be performing Saturday night, February 5th here in Tallahassee.
Bill Sauce Boss Wharton is a musician who likes to challenge convention when he puts on a blues concert. His live show kicks down the barrier that separates the artist and the audience. First, he gets you stomping and clapping along with his unique brand of swampy Florida blues, enough to work up mighty hunger, and then he gives you a bowl of some piping hot gumbo that's christened with his own secret Liquid Summer Hot Sauce. Surprisingly enough, it really completes the whole experience. He blends the nurturing power of a delicious gumbo with the soul searching sounds of the blues.
Before he got into the gumbo game, Bill was into making his special hot sauce for friends and family at home. It was going well for a while but a problem quickly arose. The friends kept using up all the sauce. He started making more and, after that was gone, he started to make even more. Soon enough he was making large enough quantities that the idea to start selling them became all too obvious. He began bringing them to his shows to sell after his set. After one of his Miami shows in 1988, he sold a substantial amount of his special sauce and one of his buddies at the end of the bar declared, You da Sauce Boss. Ever since then he's kept that name and continued commercially producing his Liquid Summer Hot Sauce.
About two years later, during his 1990 New Year's Eve gig, he came up with the idea to cook up some gumbo to show off his special sauce in action. At that point he had successfully melded together two major institutions of southern culture; blues and gumbo. Since then, he's been lugging around his signature stew pot and he's served over 175,000 bowls of gumbo for free.
After making gumbo at the gigs and serving it for free since 1990, I had the feeling that I could do more to help those who could REALLY use a bowl of gumbo. With that, he began his nonprofit organization Planet Gumbo in 2002. The five tenants of the organization are: 1. To feed the need--body and soul. 2. Give hope and sustenance through music and the gospel of the gumbo. 3. Raise community awareness of the problems and solutions to the problems of homelessness.
4. Provide a clearinghouse for information about programs that can benefit homeless.
5. Assist local organizations in their efforts to help those in need.
Since the birth of the organization, he's been donating his time to cook and perform for free at homeless shelters and soup kitchens throughout the United States. He and his band play a live set while the Sauce Boss cooks up the gumbo. He uses the music and food to deliver a positive message to those in need and helps raise awareness for those of us who have no real clue of what's going on in our own cities. It's hard to try and help something you have no idea is happening.
While he uses the gumbo to quench the audience member's appetite, the Sauce Boss also uses gumbo as a metaphor for life. A good gumbo is made from ingredients that come from from all over. The okra comes from Africa; the roux came from France; the Fil (ground sassafras leaves) comes from Native American and the crawdads, shrimp, oysters, crabs came from the ponds and gulf waters around Louisiana. When stewed together, all these ingredients from many different cultures blend together beautifully. It doesn't take too big a jump in rationale to compare the delicious medley that is gumbo with the people of our great land. So many people come from so many different places, especially when you see the great culmination of different cultures in Florida.
The Sauce boss himself states that This is life a huge melting pot a rainbow a culture. We should take note of the folks in Nawlins, Lafayette, Breau Bridge, who have been living together with differences for hundreds of years. So here it is. I'm a gumbo. You're a gumbo. All of us together are a big ol' pot of gumbo. And if we can sit down at the table, forget about our differences for a minute, share a meal together, then maybe we can work some of this stuff out.
This Saturday (February 5, 2011) is the annual fundraising event The Sauce Boss Blues & Gumbo Show. Every year Bill Sauce Boss Wharton plays some tasty blues and serves up some pipin' hot gumbo for the audience to enjoy. It's happening at the American Legion Hall on Lake Ella Drive. The Doors open at 8:00 pm and there is a $10 cover at the door. Alongside the great music and food, there will be a silent auction going on that is featuring some great items donated by local artists and businesses.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENT CLICK HERE
Check Out The Sauce Boss in Action in This Video!
Tags: Tallahassee Everything Blues Live Music Events
Tallahassee Grapevine offers the ONLY event calendar without a submission approval process and the ONLY one that lets you customize your own page!
Have a band or performance coming up? Stream Video from Youtube straight to you Event Page or your article on the Tallahassee Blogs Page!
And it is all FREE!
To stream the video just copy the URL from Youtube (in the address bar), put the cursor in the box where you want the video to go, click on the YOUTUBE symbol in the dashboard above the box and paste the URL in the appropriate line.
When you submit the event, the Video will be on the page!
Tallahassee Grapevine offers one of the most comprehensive event calendars for both those looking for events to attend and for those holding the events!
This weekend - Jan 6 thru 9, 2011 there are a lot of Events in Tallahassee.
Since there are only 2 films being released this weekend - Season of the Witch and Country Strong - neither of which sound worth the $9 ticket - you and your family and friends might want to find something better to do.
Thursday, Jan 6th - Demp Week is finishing up with the Celebrity Basketball Game to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce is hosting Business After Hours Networking at Betton Place. Grapevine staff will be attending this event so if you come, be sure to say Hello.
Friday, Jan 7th - The Color Purple - The Musical Version Live on Stage at the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center is Friday Night. I saw the film, not sure how they can set it to music. Sounds depressing. Don't bring any sharp objects with you.
First Friday Gallery Hop in Railroad Square - Now this is a Fun Thing to do. Walk from gallery to gallery to see the art and exhibits, then there is normally a live band on 2 stages. Tallahassee Grapevine will have a table inside The Other Side Vintage's Gallery Side (the doors to the left of the stage) Come In and Say Hi!
Renditions Art Space is showcasing Local Art at their gallery in Railroad Square for the month of January. They are kicking it off during the Gallery Hop. Come Support Tallahassee Artists!
Demp Week Continues with the Blueprint Bash at the Fairgrounds. (not sure what that is but it sounds fun)
Randall "Big Daddy" Webster is playing Blues Music at Barnacle Bills.
Saturday Jan 8th - Here Comes Demp Week again, this time with a Fashion Show at The Moon.
ECHO Benefit Concert - fundraiser for ECHO, a local outreach program.
Satellite Males Live in Concert at Floyds (I'm sure your teenager knows who they are... I don't)
World Ballet's Open House (I would go to learn about classes for an overweight, middle-aged guy but I can't stand on my toes while sitting down, nevermind do what they do)
Sunday, Jan 9th Demp Week is over today. I promise. They have a Celebrity Car Show - filled with celebrity cars or cars owned by celebrities. One of the other.
Then it is the Demp Week Comedy Show at the Moon at night.
Whew! For More Information on These Tallahassee Events go to our Event Calendar HERE
To Learn More about What is So Great About Tallahassee Grapevine's Event Calendar and How You can Post your Events on it - CLICK HERE for a blog I wrote about it.
Tags: Tallahassee Event Calendar Events Concerts
Before You Apply for the Jobs you Find on The Tallahassee Grapevine Job Boards - Read this article as you get Ready for That Big Interview.
THE 7 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY IN A JOB INTERVIEW By Kaitlin Madden
You dry cleaned your suit. You've got a dozen copies of your rsum, just in case. You arrived early -- but not too early. You silenced your cell phone. You made small talk with the receptionist, and you're pretty sure the two of you will be best friends one day. Now, you're about to confidently head into an interview for a job you're dying to land. Don't ruin it all by saying any of the following to your interviewer: 'My last boss was an idiot' No matter how terrible your last boss was, or how glad you are to be free of your previous company, keep it to yourself. Not only will you look immature and negative if you start griping, but you also never know whom your interviewer is connected to. Your interviewer and your former boss may be old fraternity brothers, for all you know. "Do not gossip or speak badly about anyone you've worked with or for, even if they're currently serving time in state prison for what they did," says Gayl Murphy, author of "Interview Tactics: How to Survive the Media without Getting Clobbered." "Even if the [interviewer tries to] push you into it. Remember, it's all a test. Be graceful and polite, you could be talking about [his or her] brother-in-law." 'Yes. Yes. Yes. No.' Unless the interviewer asks you if you're so-and-so here for the nine-o'clock interview, you shouldn't be using one-word answers. An interview is your time to convince the employer that you have the qualifications for the job. Even if the questions don't seem open-ended, answer them as if they are. You don't need to drone on and on, but use every chance you get to prove why you're the right person for the job. "You want to use as much color and detail as possible when describing your background, experience and your professional journey, but without being long winded because, in reality, it's about your skill set and your valuable experience and expertise. Be specific: use names, dates and places," Murphy says. 'Let me tell you what I think about religion and politics ...' Like a first date, an interview is no time to bring up religion or politics. If these touchy subjects can spark heated debates amongst even the closest of friends, imagine what kind of argument you could get into with a stranger. "When being interviewed for a job, deciding what to say and what to keep to your self has always been challenging, especially since there are so many different opinions out there," says Murphy. "[But] unless you're going for a job as a pastor or rabbi, it's best to steer clear of religious tenants." Ditto for politics; unless it's a key part of the job, it's best to avoid sharing political opinions. 'Of course I know HTML coding/ my way around China/ the nuances of quantitative behavioral finance!' An interview is not the place to embellish your work or personal experience. If an interviewer asks you about something you don't have experience with, fess up and tell them how willing and able you are to learn new things. If you claim to be something you're not, chances are you'll be found out sooner or later ... maybe not during the interview process, but when you find yourself lost in the middle of China a few months after landing the job, your gig will be up. "Don't make up anything about what you've done that isn't true. It's too easy these days to get busted for anything like that. And they are looking at anything and everything," Murphy says. 'Hey man, do you want to grab a drink after this?' No matter how well you hit it off with your interviewer or how great your conversation goes, your interviewer is not your friend -- even if you find out you're both getting married on the same day or you're both obsessed with college football. The relationship is still a professional one, so resist the urge to spill too many personal or off-topic details, or to start calling your interviewer "buddy," "girl," "hon" or "man." 'Hahahaaaaa! AAAAAhaaahahaaa!' Okay, so someone cracked a joke. It's probable that in the duration of your professional career, you'll come across an interviewer with a good sense of humor. It's even okay to laugh at a joke made during the interview. Just don't die laughing. No one looks professional with cackle-induced teary eyes, teeth and gums-a-blazing. Should you find yourself surpassing the point of no return in your fit of laughter, take a deep breath, and think about how awful you'll feel if you don't get the job. It may seem like a buzzkill, but there's a time and a place for everything, including hysterics. "I mean, I'm not THAT great" Now is not the time for modesty, false or otherwise. While you don't want to come across like a used car salesman, you are there to sell yourself. Or, as Murphy puts it "Know in your bones you have an awesome product." And don't be afraid to sell it.
Two major astronomical events occur Tuesday. The first is the last eclipse of the year, a total lunar eclipse. The second is the moment winter begins -- the winter solstice. Because the eclipse occurs early in the day (from 12:29 a.m. to 6:04 a.m.) and the moment of solstice occurs late in the day (6:38 p.m.), the eclipse will occur while fall is officially still in session, just slipping under the end-of-fall wire. Lunar eclipses always occur at a full moon, when the moon and the sun are lined up on opposite sides of the earth. So, naturally, you will see the full moon at its highest near midnight. Shortly thereafter, the penumbral phase of the eclipse starts at 12:29 a.m. Tuesday. Shadows have two parts, the umbra, where the light source is completely obscured, and the penumbra, where portions of the light source are still visible. The sun appears about one half of a degree in diameter from the moon (or the Earth). As the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, the light gradually is dimmed until all of the sun's rays are completely blocked. Since the moon appears to be about one half of a degree in diameter as viewed from the Earth, one edge of the moon is just entering the penumbra at about the same time the other edge of the moon is contacting the umbra. When the moon enters the umbra, it begins the partial eclipse. This is a dramatic moment with a large contrast between the darkened part of the moon within the umbra and portions still in the penumbral shadow. This will occur at 1:32 a.m. Tuesday. Gradually the dark circle of the Earth's umbra will cover the moon. It will take until 2:41 a.m., when the moon is completely engulfed in deep shadow. Even then, there is some bending and scattering of light through Earth's atmosphere that continues to make the moon visible. The moon will not pass over the center of Earth's shadow, though one edge will come very close. Even so, there will be a long period of totality lasting 72 minutes. The darkest part of the eclipse is likely to be at 3:16 a.m., when the moon passes closest to the center of the Earth's shadow. No longer appearing to be a shining orb of light, the moon will appear in its true garb: a dingy, dark rock, an intruder among the self-luminous stars. If you want to see the end of the total lunar eclipse, get outside and look to the north-northwest before 3:53 a.m., the end of totality. You can still see the some of the partial phase until 5 a.m., when the moon leaves the Earth's umbra. Sunrise isn't until 7:11 a.m., so the sky should still be quite dark.
Tags: Tallahassee Lunar Eclipse Times December 2010
TPD Partners with Target for Shop with a Cop Event
On Thursday, December 16, 2010, at 5:00PM, the Tallahassee Police Department will partner with Target at 2120 Apalachee Parkway to host "Shop with a Cop." Forty children from the local Tallahassee Boys and Girls Club will benefit from the generosity of Target.
The Tallahassee Police Department's Community Relations Unit received a grant totaling $2000.00 to be used specifically for "Shop with a Cop". The goal of this event is to provide underprivileged children with a gift during this holiday season and provide a positive interaction with law enforcement. Officers will be paired with the children, as the children select a gift of their choice using the $50 gift card provided by Target.
For more information about "Shop with a Cop", contact Sergeant Rhonda Scott of the Tallahassee Police Department's Community Relations Unit at (850)891-4339. Contact: David McCranie, Public Information Office, (850) 891-4255
| Tallahassee Museum 2010/2011 Day Camps | - For: Grades K-5
- Camp Hours: 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
- Extended Hours: 7:45 A.M. to 5:45 P.M.
- Fee for Each Camp: $25/child/day for members and $30/child/day for non-members
- Fee for Extended Hours: $8/day
- To Register: Call 575-8684 Ext. 126
| | Download/Print the complete schedule | | Monday, December 20 | Florida's Prehistoric Animals | | Did you know that Florida was the home for some very large animals such as mastodons, mammoths, American lions, and saber toothed cats. Through the use of reproductions, videos, games and a craft, you will learn more about what Florida was like during the Ice Age and why these animals wanted to be here. | | Tuesday, December 21 | Games and Puzzles | | Play some of the best strategy games, solve puzzles, and make a puzzle or game to take home during this fun filled camp. You will also go on a scavenger hunt through the Museum's Wildlife Florida exhibit. | | Wednesday, December 22 | Natural Treasure | | Explore ways to use natural materials, earth friendly materials, and some recyclable items to make jewelry, toys, arts and crafts, and games. | | Thursday , December 23 | Birds and Bird Stories | | Hear some great stories from around the world as you learn more about birds. You will have a great time as you meet some of the Museum's birds, make crafts and play games. | | Monday, December 27 | Dig It! | | What rocks and minerals are found in Florida? Learn about them, how they are formed, why we need them and how some have been used in the past and are used today! You'll get to dig in the Museum's Fossil Dig Site, too. | | Tuesday, December 28 | Terrific Trees | | Learn about how trees are so very important to our survival. What do they provide? How do we use them? | | Wednesday, December 29 | Airborne Animals | | Discover these animals that jump, glide and fly! Through animal encounters, nature activities, crafts and games, you will learn about how they take to the air. | | Thursday, December 30 | Florida's Black Bears | | Do they hibernate in Florida? How are they the same and different from other bears? What do they like to eat? Get the bear facts on these Florida mammals. | | Friday, December 31 | Games, Stories and Nature Fun | | Play indoor and outdoor games, listen to and tell stories, have fun with nature oriented arts & crafts, and learn through nature activities. | | Monday, January 3 | Canine Explorations | | How are wolves, foxes and your family's dog alike and different? How do they communicate? What do they like to eat? What part do they play in nature? Games, stories, crafts and nature activities are included. | | Monday, January 17 | Eagles and other Local Hawks | | Did you know the bald eagle is a hawk? You will learn about these impressive birds and the other local hawks. | | Monday, March 21 | Water Works | | Lots of water exploration in this fun filled day. We have lots of activities and games to help you understand this very precious resource and what it means to you. | | Tuesday, March 22 | Pond Explorations | | Get your feet wet as we explore the pond at the Museum to see what is happening there in the spring. This is a wonderful place to learn about food chains and webs, relationships between living things and identify pond critters. | | Wednesday, March 23 | Reptiles Rule! | | You may have already seen some of these critters at your home as the weather warms up. What do you need to know about them, what should you do if you encounter one, why do we need them? You will enjoy making a craft, playing games and encountering one of the Museum's reptiles up close. | | Thursday, March 24 | Why Do Animals Act the Way They Do? | | Spend the day with a wild bunch, the animals that live at the Museum. You learn to observe animals like a naturalist, look at their adaptations, and figure out why they do certain things. Camp includes a craft, games and animal encounters. | | Friday, March 25 | Who is Living in the Gardens? | | See who is living under the leaves and dirt in the Museum's gardens. What animals visit these gardens and why? Do the plants need the visitors, or do the visitors need the plants? Exploration activities, a craft, an animal encounter and games included. | | Monday, March 28 | We Wear Our Skeletons on the Outside | | Which critters are these? You find them everywhere in Florida. Some we like, some we don't but we need them all. Learn more about them and what they contribute to our world. | |
Tags: Tallahassee Day Camps Winter Break 2010
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| | Temporary Cold Night Shelter Open Tonight/Tuesday Night Closing Time Extended One Hour to 8 a.m. - With low temperatures forecasted to once again drop below 35 degrees for three or more hours tonight and Tuesday night, a team of area human service agencies, local government and the faith-based community will open a temporary cold night shelter. Any adult who needs temporary shelter from cold weather tonight or Tuesday night, Dec. 14, may stay at the former Belle Vue Middle School (shelter located in the school's gymnasium), 2214 Belle Vue Way. The temporary shelter, coordinated by the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, opens at 8 p.m. and remains open overnight. The closing time has now been extended one hour to the following morning at 8 a.m. The facility is open to adults only. A temporary shelter telephone line, (850) 205-6030, offers a recording of the cold night shelter's status on any given evening. Officials will reconvene throughout the week to discuss shelter operations beyond Tuesday night. Families with children are advised to proceed to The Shelter at 480 W. Tennessee St. StarMetro, the City of Tallahassee's mass transit system, provides transportation between The Shelter on West Tennessee Street and the temporary location at Belle Vue Middle School, when open. Two trips are scheduled, with departures from The Shelter at 8:30 p.m. and a second at 9:30 p.m. if required. There will now be three return trips to The Shelter from the temporary location the following morning. StarMetro provides return trips at 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., while an 8 a.m. trip is provided by the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. Volunteers from the local faith-based community continue to provide assistance at the Belle Vue location. Snacks and water will be available for those staying the night. The facility has showers available in addition to cots and blankets being provided by the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. Security is maintained by staff from the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. A total of 62 guests used the facility last night, including 49 men and 13 women. For more information or for volunteer opportunities at the temporary shelter location, including donations of food, towels, other supplies and funding, please call the Big Bend Homeless Coalition at 205-6021 or 205-6005, or visit the Coalition's website at www.bigbendhc.org. Contact: Susan Pourciau, Executive Director, Big Bend Homeless Coalition, (850) 205-6005 |
Press Release Written By City of Tallahassee
PRESS RELEASE -- City continues to expand safety program - The City of Tallahassee will activate three cameras at the Capital Circle NW / W. Tennessee Street intersection as part of the Red Light Camera Safety Program. On Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 12 a.m., a safety camera will begin monitoring the eastbound approach of W. Tennessee St. Later in the month, two additional cameras will be activated and focused on the westbound and northbound approaches. Cameras are also being installed at the Apalachee Parkway / Magnolia Drive intersection and Apalachee Parkway / Capital Circle SE intersection. The exact dates of activation for cameras at both intersections will be announced once confirmed. Currently monitored intersections include: - Tennessee Street/Monroe Street
- Killearn Center Boulevard/Capital Circle NE
- W. Tennessee Street/Ocala Road
Drivers who run red lights at monitored intersections will be mailed a Notice of Violation with a $158 fine.
Tags: Tallahassee City Red Light Cameras
Why Buy Local & Ten Reasons to Shop Local First
Local First, a Grand Rapids. Michigan based organization that encourages sustainable, locally-based economies has made a simple but effective illustration of how money flows if it's spent at a locally owned business versus a non-local business. They explain their top ten reasons to shop local first: 1. Significantly More Money Re-circulates In Tallahassee. When you purchase at locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned, more money is kept in the community because locally-owned businesses often purchase from other local businesses, service providers and farms. Purchasing local helps grow other businesses as well as the area's tax base. 2. Non Profits Receive Greater Support. Local business owners donate more to local charities than non-local owners. 3. Unique Businesses Create Character & Prosperity The unique character of Tallahassee is what brought us here and keeps us here. Our tourism businesses also benefit. 4. Environmental Impact Is Reduced. Local businesses make more local purchases requiring less transportation and usually set up shop in town centers rather than on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution. 5. Most New Jobs Are Provided By Local Businesses. Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally. 6. Customer Service Is Better. Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise for better customer service. 7. Local Business Owners Invest In Community. Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community's future. 8. Public Benefits Far Outweigh Public Costs. Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure and more efficiently utilize public services relative to chain stores. 9. Competition And Diversity Leads To More Consumer Choices. A marketplace of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. 10. Investment In Tallahassee Is Encouraged. A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.
Tags: Tallahassee Buy Local Business Saturday
Meet Jo:  Jo has heartworms but that is absolutely treatable and the heartworm treatment costs will be covered. Jo lives at the animal shelter at Tom Brown and is looking for his home. The Animal Shelter Foundation is looking for a foster home for a few months.
Jo is a Neutered Male and estimated to be about 5 years old. He has been at the Tallahassee Animal Shelter since Oct 21, 2010 If you or someone you know is willing to provide a temporary home for Jo, please email info@tallyasf.org for more information.
Tags: Tallahassee Animal Shelter Adopt Pet Dog
I am very excited about how much support the Tallahassee Grapevine is getting. If you could see what I can see, looking at the list of members that post events on the site - it reads like a who's who of Tallahassee. Every organization from The Brogan to the Tallahassee Museum to local churches and non-profits like Big Brothers Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity are taking the initiative and posting their own events to share and inform us all.
I can't believe we took this site from zero visitors in June 2010 to over 15,000 hits in October 2010. In just 4 months! I could not have done it without all the people who have seen the potential in the site and want to see it succeed. You know that this is a good thing that Tallahassee needs and are willing to bear with us as we go through our growing pains.
Believe it or not, we here at Tallahassee Grapevine are on a modest budget, just like you. We were waiting until we got our traffic up to the current levels before attempting to sell sponsorships to local businesses. Now that our number of guests are high and growing, we feel it is a value for businesses to get involved with a yearly page in our Business Directory & Coupons Page and then with monthly banner ads.
If you know someone that owns their own business, encourage them to contact us to learn more about how the Tallahassee Grapevine can help local businesses. We would be happy to sit down with them. And as a friend of The Grapevine, I hope you patronize our sponsored businesses and let them know you saw them on the Grapevine!
So now for the Big News!! We are launching our weekly email newsletter, "Tallahassee (In A Nutshell). It will be sent out every Thursday morning and let our friends know what is happening that very weekend from local events to the new movie releases. There will also be a couple "Grapevine Spotlight" articles so you can learn more about events, organizations and attractions here in your hometown. The debut newsletter will be out on November 18th, 2010 and will feature articles on the Capital City Kingsmen competitive drumline and Master Craftsman Studios.
We want to expand our community articles and we could use your help. You can write your own weekly column on your school, your club, your hobby, your expertise, movie reviews, restaurant reviews, Whatever You Love! This is YOUR Magazine! I really hope you take advantage of this opportunity. Instead of being lost in the millions of anonymous blogs on national blog sites, why not keep it local for your neighbors to read something close to home?
I am rambling because I am so excited about this adventure I am on. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this site and the people of Tallahassee that are, hopefully, becoming more connected because of it.
Tags: Tallahassee Email Newsletter Events Limelight
Three weeks in and I could not ask for more support from the community. We are so excited and, obviously, there was a need for an interactive site for our community. One week after taking over this site, The Democrat announced they were going to begin charging. The Grapevine is always going to be free! We are going to promote the site at local events with some cool interactive booths. Look for annoucements about where we are going to be. As of right now, we will be at Railroad Square for the Jazz & Blues Festival on July 24th and we will be at the Tallahassee Food Festival on September 11th. We are going to have a contest to kick start the Forums. The discussion boards were very popular at the Democrat and we want them to be a bastion of free speech, education and fun! Are you a member of a local group or club? If you start a group on here, you get a listing in our Group Categories so local people with similiar interests can find your club! Your club page has it's own Discussion Board and Event Calendar. Check out the Local Coupons page. We plan on being THE place to go in Tallahassee for local coupons for local businesses. If you know anyone that owns their own business, have them contact us to learn more. Thanks for supporting us in the beginning of this adventure. A year from now, you will say "I joined them when they were just starting out" - Sincerely, Thank you for bearing with us as we grow. Tony & Renee Miller Tallahassee Grapevine Owners
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