400 Life March 2021

400 LIFE MARCH 2021

Self made

Amy Lyle levels up with newly-released TED Talk

Fountain’s Food Adventures takes you on a journey for healthy, tasty cuisine RE/MAX Regency team weighs in on strong housing market despite pandemic

Also: Local woman takes new career path with business Bins Galore | Community rallies around young entrepreneur

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contents from the editor

Welcome to March — where the promise of warmer weather and longer days are on the horizon.

This month we talked to Amy Lyle — who many of you may know — about her newest venture. Lyle has a few books under her belt, she co-hosts a TV show, and recently her TED Talk, ‘Finding the Funny in the Crummy,’ was released on YouTube. Her advice on connective humor is something we can all benefit from these days.

We met another local woman who reinvented herself after she was laid off last April, opening her new store — Bins Galore — near downtown Cumming. The store has products that have been returned or overstocked items from major retailers.

Everything is $5. You can lose yourself sifting through the bins (don’t ask me how I know.)

We also met an amazing young man who started his own business, Red Ryder Woodworks, and he’s in the third grade. The third grade. His wood creations can be found in some local shops. He’s on track for a bright future.

This month, we followed Fountain’s Food Adventures on the quest for healthy fare available at some of the restaurants in town. If you’ve abandoned your New Year’s resolutions by now, this list will definitely get you back on track.

— Tracie Pike

4 Amy Lyle broadens her horizon with TED Talk Local comedian Amy Lyle filmed a presentation that TEDxBeaconStreet, an offshoot of TED Talks, recently released on YouTube. Lyle’s Ted Talk, “Finding the Funny in the Crummy,” describes connective humor, where a bond can be created between the teller and the listener.

12 Fountain’s Food Adventures discovering healthy and tasty David Fountain, a local foodie and our communities Best of Forsyth financial planner and investment advisor continues his monthly mission to uncover FoCo’s culinary favorites.

contributors Publisher Stephanie Woody Managing Editor Tracie Pike Staff writers Sabrina Kerns Kelly Whitmire Special contributors Nicole Bader Jones Chris Campbell

Director of Revenue Leah Nelson Advertising Tim Anderson Stacy Clark This magazine is a product of the www.ForsythNews.com Sign up for daily newsletters at ForsythNews.com Cover photo by Lily McGregor Photography

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REALTORS ® Jennifer Baxter, Local boy started his own business — Lisa Gelber, Kim Horner and Red Ryder Woodworks. Some of his Stephanie Baxter are part of the creations can be found in local stores.

RE/MAX Regency team. There Bins Galore — Local woman’s new store a are three local offices for buy- 8 ‘real-life treasure hunt for bargain shoppers.’ ers/sellers to choose from.

March 2021 | 400 LIFE | 3

‘The whole point was I wanted to spread this message of how can you learn to see the world through a lens of humor if you don’t.’

Amy Lyle’s TED Talk “Finding the Funny in the Crummy” is available on YouTube.

Photo by Lily McGregor Photography

‘Finding the Funny in the Crummy’

Local comedian hosts TED Talk on power of connective humor Story by Kelly Whitmire

B

etween her stand-up comedy career, web series and being a regular guest on other shows, Amy Lyle is used to public speaking and being in front of a crowd, but, according to her, a recent endeavor was unlike anything she’s ever done.

In January, TEDxBeaconStreet, an offshoot of TED Talks, posted Lyle’s presentation, “Finding the Funny in the Crummy,” where the comedian discusses connective humor — a phrase Lyle coined for jokes — even from things that might not have been funny at the time, that creates a relatable bond between the teller and the listener.

In her talk, Lyle gives an example of falling “all the way down” a flight of stairs while at work. Lyle said she remembered being humiliated at the moment until a woman who helped her asked, “But did you chip your teeth?”

“She had chipped her teeth in a great fall, and in that moment, we laughed,” Lyle told the audience, “but more importantly, we connected. By sharing her great fall, I felt better about mine. The healing power of humor is much stronger than we think.”

In a recent interview with 400 Life, Lyle spoke about what it was like writing and performing a TED Talk, which is a bit more academic than most comedy and what lessons she hoped viewers walked away with.

“It was just great,” she said. “The whole point was I wanted to

spread this message of how can you learn to see the world through a lens of humor if you don’t. Naturally, I see the world that way, but other people don’t, so I went through the steps of that. It’s like looking for gratitude every day. It’s a muscle, and if you start looking for gratitude, you see gratitude.

“It’s the same for humor. If you start looking for humor every day, you see humor.”

In the presentation, Lyle cites two studies that look at the impacts of connective humor.

The first was a study that looked at one group of American POWs from the Vietnam War who, compared to other captives, came away with less PTSD or other issues, which the soldiers and researchers said was due to maintaining a sense of humor.

“Even though it was morbid and horrible, in that moment, that’s what they clung to, and it saved their sanity,” Lyle said.

Similarly, Lyle said there were several studies looking at humor for those who have fought breast cancer and a friend who is a breast cancer survivor was able to give Lyle her take on it.

“I love this quote. She said ‘being able to find the funny in the notso-funny’ made her feel better, but it also made the people around her feel better because they didn’t know what to say to her because she had breast cancer,” Lyle said. “And, of course, breast cancer is not funny, but there was some funny things going on at that time.

March 2021 | 400 LIFE | 5

Amy Lyle filmed her TED Talk at The Punchline Comedy Club in Atlanta.

Like, for example, she said her dad asked her about WATCH LYLE’S TED TALK Youtube: Amy Lyle | her ‘autopsy’ on the day of her biopsy.”

Finding the Funny in the Crummy Lyle has written two books, “The Amy BinegarKimmes-Lyle Book of Failures,” a humorous WATCH ‘IN THE BURBS’ memoir of her own failures, and “We’re All a Watch the show at uimedianetwork.org, Mess, It’s OK,” a collection of Lyle and others Facebook Live, YouTube and talking about their failures, and co-hosts ‘In the other podcasting apps.

Burbs,’ an online talk show with Gina Ryals, featuring a variety of guests.

She said signing up to do a TED Talk was unlike tation was a little more rigid with less room from anything she had tried before, but still included a improv and involved a lot of memorization, good bit of failure. which she described as “scary.”

“The first thing that you have to do is get an “Most of my standup is about my husband invitation, and coming from the girl who wrote and my kids, so it really doesn’t matter what ‘The book of Failures,’ it took me 100 applicaPhoto by Lily McGregor Photography order it’s in, so if I forget a joke, I can throw it tions,” she said. “I had to hire a company to help write the application. I’m a humor writer; it is very in later and nobody is the wiser,” Lyle said. academic, it’s a lot of CEOs that run the TEDx orga“But preparing for a Ted Talk, it was some nizations, and I needed my good intentions talk of seeing the world humor stories, but also some academic things that you wanted to through the lens of humor to come across more academic.” make sure were perfect, then there was a how-to section, so it was After applying to TEDxBeaconStreet, Lyle received an invitation, organized into like a first act, second act, third act. but like everything else in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic meant So far Lyle said she has had a pretty good response to the TED things had to be done a little differently since the talks could not be Talk, not only in terms of views but also from those who said they held in Boston as planned. are taking on Lyle’s challenges in the video to find five funny Luckily, Lyle was able to call on friends to help her prepare her things a day, sharing the humor from their own life writing down material, help with production and even offer up The Punchline their worst moments and revisiting them in 30 days.

Comedy Club in Atlanta as a venue.

“A lot of my humor is from ‘I made this mistake’ or ‘I fell down in “I think it would have been a different energy walking on the stage public’ or something humiliating,” she said. “What I found out is in Boston and having 200 people there,” she said. “I think it would when you share something like that, people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, be a different set up where they have a 100-foot screen set up for you’re not going to believe what I did,’ and it instantly kind of bonds that, but it was still fun, and it was still amazing.”

Compared to a standup set, Lyle said giving a semi-serious presen- you to that person because you know they are authentic and real.”

6 | 400 LIFE | March 2021

BINS GALORE

Bins Galore is a “real-life treasure hunt for bargain shoppers,” said Karen Kunz, owner of the store that opened in December.

‘Come in and have fun’

Forsyth County resident renews her career with bargain retail business Story by Sabrina Kerns

K

aren Kunz worked in Information Technology for more than 20 years before she was laid off from her job in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of applying for new jobs in the same field, she decided to try something entirely new.

The Forsyth County resident turned away from the corporate world, opening up her own business — Bins Galore. She described the store on Veterans Memorial Boulevard as a “reallife treasure hunt for bargain shoppers” as she sells a variety of products — food, skin and hair care products, tools, games, clothes, technology and much more — all for only $5 each.

“I had visited a similar store in South Carolina when visiting friends that I really enjoyed where you could have the fun of not only looking for a bargain, but also possibly getting something really cheap that was potentially worth a lot of money,” Kunz said. “So I looked around, and I noticed that there weren’t very many in Georgia and none in this area.”

She opened the store in early December and created a Facebook page for the business where she posts photos of some of the products she thinks customers in the community would be most interested in. She quickly gained a following of local residents that started to come to the shop every weekend just to look around at all of the bargains.

These customers are almost never disappointed. The shop is open three days a week: Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and Kunz puts new stock into the store’s 24 different bins as often as she can.

She puts out new items every Saturday and Sunday, and any8 | 400 LIFE | March 2021

thing a customer finds is $5. Then, on Monday, any items that are left in the bins are $3. When the shop is closed on Tuesday, she said they clear everything out and start with entirely new products the next Saturday.

“We have couples who that’s like their couple time,” Kunz said.

“They come and shop or sometimes they bring their kids because you can literally come every day and potentially see something different.”

Many times, Kunz said not even she knows what exactly is in the bins. Unlike other bargain stores, such as Five Below or Family Dollar, products at Bins Galore are often returned or overstocked items from major retailers.

“A lot of stores these days that work with online retailers like Amazon — when people return stuff — they don’t know whether or not it’s broken or whether or not somebody just didn’t want it,” Kunz said. “A lot of times, people say something is broken because you get a free return …. Well, a company like Amazon doesn’t have the time to go through and check things when they come back, so they figure it’s better if they just sell [the returns].

All of their returns and excess stock, they sell it to liquidators.”

Kunz buys her stock from various liquidators by the truckload, and she never knows what she is may get.

She unloads and stocks products that come in different boxes and bags, some detailing exactly what they contain while others remain a mystery.

“Whatever shows up, I put out in the bins,” Kenz said. “And oftentimes, I’m just as surprised as anybody else when someone

walks up and says, ‘Look what I just got!’”

Kunz said much of the fun of coming and shopping in the store is the time spent hunting for and possibly finding something one never would have expected to find. Customers can sort through the bins and even ask a store employee open an unmarked box at the unboxing station to see what’s inside.

They ask that customers to not open boxes at the bins because small pieces may fall out and get lost or items may not get back into the box correctly. As employees open the boxes for customers each weekend, sometimes others will stop by the table, eyeing the box and throwing out guesses as to what it might be.

Kunz remembers a couple in the store one day asking her to open a small, brown box. She had no idea what it was, but when she opened it, it was a Samsung Galaxy S9 cell phone. Worth more than $300 at some retailers, the couple purchased the phone that day for $5.

They weren’t the only customers to hit the jackpot at Bins Galore. One customer came to her recently saying he had just purchased three small computer components, valued anywhere from $350-550, for $15. Other customers found wireless earbuds, computer keyboards, toys for kids, Keurig coffee makers, food, skin care products and more — all for, again, $5.

“Granted, there are some things that are just worth $5,” Kenz said. “Sometimes we tape things together. Like we often get food, so we’ll get boxes of cookies or something. A box of cookies isn’t worth $5, but two or three boxes taped together and sold as one is. It should be a deal. Everything should be a bargain.”

Bins Galore, packed with mysterious and affordable finds, has been a huge change for Kunz after a career in IT, and she says she absolutely loves it. She used to work remotely from home, and

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now, instead of staring at a computer screen, she’s interacting with people in the community and working with kids as they start their first retail job.

“We just tell people to come in and have fun,” Kenz said. “I wanted a job where I had fun and the people I worked with had fun.”

For more information, follow Bins Galore on Facebook. The store is at 594 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, GA 30040.

They are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

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March 2021 | 400 LIFE | 9

400 homes RE/MAX Regency — Market strong despite pandemic Looking to buy or sell a home?

RE/MAX Regency offers fun, fulfilling and respectful environment for clients Although the pandemic largely affected businesses, restaurants and schools, it didn’t slow down the housing market. In fact, the market has remained incredibly strong and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

According to the 400 North Association of REALTORS®: Market Brief Report, which provides a monthly Housing Report, the average sales price for homes in Forsyth County showed a 16 percent increase from 2019 to 2020 in the month of December, and in Dawson County a 31.6 percent increase.

Jennifer Baxter covers the metro-Atlanta area as an Associate Broker and REALTOR® for RE/MAX Regency.

“The inventory is lower than I’ve ever seen and has been met with an extremely high demand of people looking to purchase because the mortgage rates are so low,” said Baxter.

These low mortgage rates are a major reason the housing market has been able to stay so strong despite the pandemic. For sellers, lower rates means more people in the buyer pool and better affordability while allowing buyers an opportunity to upgrade from their current home.

“Mortgage rates being as low as they are has encouraged a lot of people who have been renting to purchase, as well as those who have been looking for larger homes being able to upgrade, because with extremely low rates the purchase power is significantly higher and they are now able to better afford homes,” Baxter said.

Although the market has remained strong, this also has caused significant lower inventory. In December of 2020, the monthly supply of homes available to purchase showed a 68.1 percent decrease in Forsyth County from 2019.

“The market being so strong has made it harder for people to find homes to purchase so instead of selling they are investing into their existing home with updates,” said Baxter.

Additionally, the pandemic has contributed to a strong market as more people are working from home and kids are doing virtual learning. This lifestyle change has caused an increase in home improvements, the need for larger homes to make space for home offices, or a desire to move farther out as daily commutes have changed.

“Because of the pandemic, a lot of people are trying to move out of the city into neighborhoods as they’re working from home and need more space or want a bigger yard. I think that is why we are seeing so much growth in the northern areas of Ga. 400 near the [North Georgia Premium Outlets] as these areas farther out are becoming more desirable.”

As the market continues to trend strong in the new year, there are many things to consider when looking to buy or sell. Baxter advises those looking to sell to be picky on the offers received, “With this being a sellers market, not only are you going to be able to get a strong price but, you can also negotiate for other extremely favorable terms in regards to timelines and additional stipulations most people wouldn’t include.”

For purchasers looking to buy a new home this year, make sure financing is squared away and be ready to make an offer.

“Buyers don’t have time to go home and think about it. Be 10 | 400 LIFE | March 2021

From left, REALTORS® Jennifer Baxter, Lisa Gelber, Kim Horner and Stephanie Baxter are part of the RE/MAX Regency team.

RE/MAX Regency 790 Peachtree Ind Blvd., #100 Suwanee, GA 30024

The RE/MAX Collection 5829 S Vickery Street, #E6 Cumming, GA 30040

RE/MAX Regency New Homes Team 7824 Hickory Flat Hwy., #130 Woodstock, GA 30188

www.REMAXRegencyATL.com looking at homes in which you are ready, willing and able to make on offer. Put your best offer forward and be realistic,” Baxter said.

While the pandemic may have disrupted many areas last year, the housing market was not one of them. This seems to remain true for 2021 as we enter March and the spring season. Ashley Ball, vice president of marketing for RE/MAX Regency predicts “the forecast for the market in 2021 is that demand will remain strong, pricing will continue to increase, and interest rates will remain low.”

If you are looking to buy or sell your home and would like to connect with a real estate agent, RE/MAX Regency has three local offices. You can reach out by calling 678-318-7900 or visit www.REMAXRegencyATL.com.

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DISCOVERING HEALTHY AND TASTY Well, we have good news if you are looking for some excellent healthy restaurants choices and eating healthier in 2021.

David Fountain, a local foodie and our communities Best of Forsyth financial planner and investment advisor continues his monthly mission to uncover FoCo’s culinary favorites.

“Wow, I’ve got to say that this eating healthier has been surprisingly much more fun and tastier than I was expecting,” David told Stephanie Patterson, a vegetarian, passionate foodie and leader of the Cole Team real estate.

The New Year is well on its way, already a month and half has flown by.

While there are many of us who may have already completely forgotten about some of our New Year’s Resolutions, well this article might just help restore those healthy eating intentions.

First off, the foods we all choose to eat has a huge impact on how we feel today, tomorrow, and what the future holds in maintaining good health.

We are not qualified to get scientific here, but simply put, having a proper balance and improving your eating habits can be life enhancing.

“For me, eating should be appetizing and gratifying,” David said when he started this month’s healthy venture. We wanted to find restaurants and dishes that made eating healthier, easier, and yes, enjoyable too!!

HEALTHY SANCTUARY Nido Café

HEALTHY ENCORE Tam’s Backstage

This hidden Spanish inspired eatery serving breakfast, tapas, brunch, and lunch daily in Forsyth’s western Vickery Village was an easy yes for our first healthy favorite. The smoked salmon on a bed of arugula mix with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and their housemade citrus dill dressing made for the perfect afternoon lunch. The lobster stuffed mushroom caps, daily made hummus with warm pita points, carrots, and celery, or their Brussels sprouts tossed in a sesame honey glaze are a few of their nicely done tapas.

A longtime favorite of ours, Tam’s Backstage, has a warm and unique atmosphere that pairs perfect with their appetizing menu. A wide variety of healthy options, and gluten free entrees are throughout the menu, and a kitchen ready to accommodate your special needs as well. Personal accommodation goes a long way, especially for those guests that attention to detail makes a difference.

Backstage’s owner Brian, is always glad to help choose, or even alter a dish for a satisfying and healthier entrée. David took Brian’s recommendation and ordered the Baked Salmon filet which is seasoned to perfection and topped with fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon butter- which was served on the side. One of Sandee’s go to meals on their menu is the Tuscany Chicken sandwich. Tam’s has always been very accommodating to the changes Sandee makes to her sandwich. She prefers a little healthier form of the sandwich without provolone cheese or bacon. She also enjoys the steamed vegetables with no butter added.

Jennifer found her favorite to be one of their Award Winners, the Grilled Shrimp and Scallop Salad. The tender shrimp and scal-

The “nest” (Nido means nest in Spanish) is a great spot to slow down and relish the friendliness and atmosphere – especially when the weather is right, their outdoor perch overlooking the Vickery Village makes for a lovely experience. For the early risers, their barista can get your day started with an incredible premium coffee, espresso, latte, or cappuccino, as you wait for a fresh croissant layered with strawberry, basil, warm brie, fried egg, topped off with local honey, or the picture perfect toasted multigrain bread with sliced avocado, topped with pico de gallo and finished off with a fried egg or smoked salmon.

The Cole Team’s Stephanie Patterson has found Nido Café to deliver healthy authentic dishes, charming setting since 2016 – and Fountain’s Food Adventures found this spot to please our palette with healthy options!

HEALTHY GOOD VIBES Y’ALL Lake Burrito Creating one of their Bowls with mushrooms, pescado or pollo, mixed greens, black beans, rice, and avocado is a popular favorite. While their fish tacos are lite and tasty.

12 | 400 LIFE | March 2021

lops sit deliciously on top of a spring mix with carrots, red onion, tomato, marinated asparagus, toasted almonds and drizzled with Italian feta dressing.

Encore!! Tam’s Backstage has been a community pleaser and treat for theatergoers since 2005, bringing bold flavors of the Mediterranean and classic American grilling to their lunch and dinner menus.

SIMPLY HEALTHY DELICIOUS Never Enough Thyme – NET

HEALTHY HANGOUT Rendezvous Café

Well, NET should sound quite familiar as they were our Best Overall choice for Brunch in last month’s article. It is also a regular stop for Gem Munro. She loves the Veggie Bowl, a delicious blend of roasted new potatoes topped with sauteed zucchini, squash, broccoli, sweet potato, red pepper, heirloom carrots, arugula, green onion and topped with a Beyond burger for plumpness and extra protein.

Jennifer found her happy place with the Bleu Cheese salad. Grilled shrimp,

“Who knew that right down the road from the office was an adorable eatery called Rendezvous Café,” said Jennifer Asher client relationship manager for Financial Consultants Group. Listed on the menu are so many, not only yummy options, but healthy ones too. What stood out the most was that they serve not just one type of Avocado toast (a favorite for Jennifer), but four. The Micro greens and Nuts Avocado toast were perfectly prepared and when paired alongside their Cafe Au Lait with Oat Milk that will stick with you for hours.

For lunch, office manager Sandee Fricks, enjoyed the Veggie Gyro Wrap with some of her favorite ingredients, the Café’s homemade hummus and homemade Tzatziki Sauce.

Jennifer raved about the Chicken Pesto Panini. She felt the Basil pesto and pressed French Roll were what put it over the top. As for David, he enjoyed the Strawberry Pecan salad and for dessert, delighted in the Dark Chocolate Banana Yogurt Bowl made with Vanilla Greek Yogurt and topped with Granola and Dark Chocolate chips. It was the perfect ending to a wonderfully healthful lunch, fueling us for the second half of our workday.

HEALTHY GUIDE & FAVS HALCYON

crumbled bleu cheese, dried cranberries, walnuts on a bed of fresh baby spinach. While the ohh so tasty Grilled Portobello Mushroom salad was David’s favorite, with the roasted sweet red peppers, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, basil, and fresh mozzarella overmixed greens.

“The flavor of the mushroom and the roasted peppers is simply amazing,”David told Rene Franke, one of the managers there. Rene is another reason the restaurants continued success; their team cares about the guests and will make you feel at home and will customize the entrée to meet your needs.

NET has also been inspired by coowner Michelle Doyle’s 92-year-old mother, Marie, whose beautiful picture is proudly placed on the wall, of her enjoying what looks to be their French Onion burger with caramelized onions, and brie. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the good things in life! So, once again we invite you to meet us at the NET, for lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekend – you’ll be glad you did.

“Where Life Happens Naturally” is one of the tag lines for Halcyon, a mixed-use development that opened in 2019. In little over a year, the growth and popularity for this concept has really caught on. Now with a dozen or more restaurants, David and his foodie followers got some help from Gem Munro, an entrepreneur, and the CEO of Gem Body Mind Co. She is a health and wellness coach, with a background in personal training, yoga and meditation. So, finding healthy options comes easier for Gem than most of us.

Butcher and Brew Paleo Bowl, sweet potato, spinach, caramelized onion, red bell pepper, avocado, hardbroiled egg, mushrooms, broccolini, and shrimp or grilled chicken – hold the bacon and no or lite with the spicy honey mustard.

HOBNOB The Mother Nature Bowl is a fantastic vegetarian option with grilled broccolini, roasted butternut squash, pickled red onions, marinated grape tomatoes and fresh avocado resting on a bed of red and white plant-based quinoa – it is finished with a house made peri-peri sauce, to grab you with a burst of flavor. Protein choices of shrimp, salmon or grilled chicken. The presentation is a literal rainbow of nutrition.

Salata’s Build a super salad with spinach and kale as the best options to start. Load up on vegetables, add some nuts and seeds for healthy fats and quinoa for a plant-based protein.

Cherry Street Brewpub The Ahi Tuna Sashimi is an excellent small meal. The tuna is served rare, encrusted, garnished with ginger, with arugula salad, edamame, and sesame soy ponzu for dipping. Under The Mains section of the menu, you will find a favorite of Gem and David, the 60° South Salmon.

The stone ground mustard glazed salmon melts in your mouth, along with wild rice pilaf and grilled asparagus.

Follow the adventure at Fountain’s Food Adventures on Facebook and Instagram

March 2021 | 400 LIFE | 13

Ryder McKee, a student at Poole’s Mill Elementary, started his own woodworking business, Red Ryder Woodworks. His creations can be found in some local stores.

Building a business

How the community rallied to help this little boy take his creations from workshop to retail Story by Sabrina Kerns | Photos courtesy McKee family

K

risty and Brent McKee showed little surprise when their 8-year-old son, Ryder, came to them one afternoon in January and said he wanted to start his own business.

The third grader is constantly looking for something new to work on, enrolling in gifted classes at Poole’s Mill Elementary where he attends school, playing in sports alongside his older brother and learning all he can about the projects his parents work on as part of their local carpentry business, Barn Doors and More of Forsyth County.

Kristy said her little boy has been interested in building and renovating since he was a baby, picking up a hammer and trying to help with home renovations even before he could fully walk and talk.

“He has always followed right along behind dad, doing everything that he did,” Kristy said.

When he came to him with the idea of starting his own business, they asked what he wanted to do, and he said, “I want to build something.”

His dad started to help him make his first items, and within days, the third grader established Red Ryder Woodworks, which has quickly grown into a thriving business within the community.

Brent guided Ryder through making trays in all different colors 14 | 400 LIFE | March 2021

with rope or metal handles and wooden cutting boards in all different shapes and sizes.

Kristy said Ryder mostly creates the pieces on his own, but Brent cuts the wood for him because they’re not quite ready to let the 8-year-old wield a saw.

Kristy posted photos of some of his work on the Facebook page for Barn Doors and More of Forsyth, showing a little bit of pride for their son and letting customers know about his new business. This is where Lindsay Letourneau, the owner of Peaches and Pine, first saw the news about Ryder’s venture.

Peaches of Pine is a new retail store in the Matt community in north Forsyth featuring home decor items and clothing, and even since before opening the store, Letourneau said she planned to partner with and support local artisans to help sell their goods in the store located in Matt Town Center off Matt Highway.

Ryder sounded like the perfect partner for her and the store,

and she invited him and his mom to come to Peaches and Pine to discuss a possible agreement.

“She brought Ryder in at the beginning of the week, and he went over his product line with me and he gave me a sales pitch,” Letourneau said. “And we came to an agreement together and decided that I would carry his items in the store to help him market them a little bit more. His parents were just kind of posting it on their Facebook page. We have a pretty good following with the community, so I was happy to help him in any way that I could.”

Ryder left some of his products with Letourneau at Peaches and Pine that day, attaching his own price tags to the grey and white wooden trays. After she posted his products on Facebook and customers started to see more of his pieces, Red Ryder Woodworks took off.

In less than a week, Letourneau said she was completely sold out of Ryder’s items in her store, and had to call to ask for a restock. Ryder started receiving orders from all over the community and even a few from out-of-state customers. Kristy said she couldn’t believe how quickly his business had gained traction.

Kristy and Brent decided to use his growing business as an opportunity to teach both Ryder and their older son, Riley, about the importance of giving back to the community. They tasked Ryder with using his spare time and money to work on service projects that could help others.

When he heard this from his parents, Mr. Todd, a member of their church and friend of theirs, immediately came to mind. Mr. Todd gets around in a wheelchair, and they had recently found out that the lift in his home, which he uses to go up and down the stairs, had been broken for quite some time.

“So Mr. Todd has to go outside, no matter what the weather is, go around the house in his wheelchair, go down to the basement … just to go to bed,” Kristy said. “And then in the morning, … he has to come back upstairs.”

Knowing this weighed on Ryder’s heart, he decided he wanted to use the money from his business to help Todd and repair the lift.

Todd knew that Ryder had started his own business venture, but he had no idea what Ryder had planned to do with the money until he arrived home one day to see Ryder and his parents waiting there. They had called the manufacturer that made the lift ahead of time and paid for and scheduled a time for a crew to come out and fix the lift. They also paid for a one-year warranty so if anything else happens to the lift, Todd will be able to easily have it fixed again.

Mr. Todd was thrilled to find his lift fixed and ready to use again, and Ryder and his parents were happy to help out in any way they could.

“This is not about notoriety for Ryder or our family because nothing we do [can be done] without God’s help …. We don’t need the recognition,” Kristy said. “It’s really about right now in the world, there is so much negative and hate and anger and division. Even in our own little hometown right here, there are so many people that could just use a hand up.”

Ryder has decided to work on a new service project every month to use his continuing support from the community to give back in some way.

As the community has rallied behind Ryder and his new business, he has filled more than 100 orders, and others in the community have volunteered to help him out in marketing his items and teaching him more about running a retail business. He has already made agreements with three other stores in the community, and he hopes to open his own store in the future.

“He is even shipping to other states and is working [out] a deal with a coffee shop in Arkansas,” Kristy said.

Ryder officially took over the title of CEO at Red Ryder Woodworks on Feb. 12, and his parents are excited to see what the future holds for their son and his business.

Kristy and Ryder wanted to thank Thad Hulsey, Ryder’s PE teacher at school and the owner of Hulsey Farm Tables in Gainesville, who donated wood to Ryder that he used to make his first pieces. Hulsey was also Ryder’s first customer, purchasing a wooden tray from him.

They also thanked Lanier Cabinets, who donated scrap, Ed’s Roofing, who has helped out where they could, and all of the others in the community who have rallied behind Ryder and purchased his products.

“I think the biggest thing we want Ryder to take away from all of these experiences is …. we are so blessed,” Kristy said.

March 2021 | 400 LIFE | 15

DISCOVERING HEALTHY AND TASTY

Well, we have good news if you are looking for some excellent healthy restaurants choices and eating healthier in 2021. David Fountain, a local foodie and our communities Best of Forsyth financial planner and investment advisor continues his monthly mission to uncover FoCo’s culinary favorites.

“Wow, I’ve got to say that this eating healthier has been surprisingly much more fun and tastier than I was expecting.” David told Stephanie Patterson, a vegetarian, passionate foodie and leader of the Cole Team real estate. The New Year is well on its way, already a month and half has flown by. While there are many of us who may have already completely forgotten about some of our New Year’s Resolutions, well this article might just help restore those healthy eating intentions.

First off, the foods we all choose to eat has a huge impact on how we feel today, tomorrow, and what the future holds in maintaining good health. We are not qualified to get scientific here, but simply put, having a proper balance and improving your eating habits can be life enhancing. “For me, eating should be appetizing and gratifying,” David said when he started this month’s healthy venture. We wanted to find restaurants and dishes that made eating healthier, easier, and yes, enjoyable too!!

HEALTHY SANCTUARY Nido Café (Vickery Village)

HEALTHY GUIDE & FAVS

HEALTHY HANGOUT Rendezvous Café (Lakeland Plaza/Hwy20)

HOBNOB

HEALTHY ENCORE Tam’s Backstage (Downtown Cumming) HEALTHY GOOD VIBES Y’ALL Lake Burrito (Keith Bridge Rd/Exit 17) SIMPLY HEALTHY DELICIOUS Never Enough Thyme

Cherry Street Brewpub Butcher and Brew Ocean and Acre CT Cantina and Taqueria CMX Cinebistro Sweet Tuna Pita Mediterranean Street Food Salata’s

THE MONTHLY FOOD ADVENTURE CONTINUES with BARBECUE: We are in the South, so it’s time for some good old Barbecue. We will be looking for the best pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, sauce and maybe even a few bar-b-que creations too. Let us know some of your favorite spots, or definitely those that aren’t worth tasting!

You can read the complete brunch review, or reach David, at www.FountainsFoodAdventures.com.

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