Mud & Magnolias October 2017

October. November October 2017 2013

&Magnolias

Mud

The Men’s Issue

Pheba Farmhouse • Fry Retool • Munson and Brothers Old Try • Southern Oak Kennels • S’mores Recipes mudandmag.com

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FarmHouse “Pop-Up” Shop NOW thru Dec. 31 in the old Regis Salon at the Mall at Barnes Crossing!

10/16 ~ 6-8 PM | Abstract 16”x20” painting with Elizabeth Behm. $100 10/18 ~ 4-7 PM | Learn how to paint your cabinets with Anni Sloan Chalk Paint® with Bev Crossen. $100 10/19 ~ 5-7 PM | 2ft x 2ft stenciled Framed Sign with Bev Crossen. $65 10/23 ~ 6-8 PM | Framed abstract 11”x14” painting with Elizabeth Behm. $150

10/7 ~ 10 AM-1PM | Create a calligraphy print and learn to mix ink with Sarah Barrett. $125 10/14 ~ 10 AM-1PM | 2ft x 2ft stenciled Framed Sign with Bev Crossen. $65 10/21 ~ 10 AM-12 PM | Abstract 6” x 6” KIDS class (5 and up) with Elizabeth Behm. $40 10/21 ~ 2-4 PM | Abstract 16”c20” painting with Elizabeth Behm. $100 10/24 ~ 2-4:30 PM | Bring your own piece and learn the basics of Chalk Paint® with Bev Crossen. $75 10/28 ~ 10 AM-12 PM | Watercolor techniques including washing and masking with Anna Chaney. $100

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Contents

&Magnolias

Mud

pg. 22

pg. 40

pg. 65

pg. 75

Features Pheba Farmhouse • pg. 22

Editor’s Letter pg. 10 Recipes pg. 13 Find an open flame and follow these suped-up s’mores recipes.

Old Try pg. 47 This artist creates prints with a nod to his Mississippi roots.

Men’s Fashion pg. 57 Plaid should be in your wardrobe this fall.

Built by a man for his daughter, this house is the perfect example of farmhouse style.

Horsin’ Around • pg. 35

Right off the Natchez Trace is a trail frequented by those with horses.

Fry Retool pg. 51 This business is about finding beauty in restoring old tools, often with old stories.

Munson and Brothers • pg. 40

Southern Oak Kennels pg. 75 Training a dog to hunt isn’t an easy feat and SOK does it in style.

Zachary Call Custom Goods • pg. 59

Brunch Box pg. 82 There’s a new food truck in town and brunch is on the menu.

Natural grooming products are a national trend and these guys are building their brand in Columbus, Mississippi.

Taking notes from his dad as a child, Zack Holcomb now creates beatiful wooden pieces.

Mississippi Duck Calls • pg. 65

Starting out as a hobby for himself and close friends, Jonathan Clouse has built a known brand among duck hunting enthusiasts. mudandmag.com

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Editor’s Letter

Last year someone suggested we dedicate one issue a year to our male audience. For me and the other ladies of Mud & Magnolias, this was unchartered territory, but we decided to give it a shot. Producing the magazine every month is a constant reminder of the talent and skill in Mississippi and this issue is no different. Of course, we made sure every story can be enjoyed by both men and women, but this issue has a heavy dose of men who are making a mark on our region. Read about Barton Ramsey perfecting the art of training a dog to hunt (pg. 75) or Zack Holcomb making beautiful cutting boards among other custom goods (pg. 59). And Ryan Munson and crew making natural grooming products (pg.40). These stories might be best read by a fire when the weather (hopefully) decides to cool down. When those cooler temps come, don’t forget to try our twists on the traditional s’more (pg.13). I tried a bite of each and they did not disappoint. Even though we are working on our holiday issue as I type this, I plan to make a concerted effort to slow down and enjoy the calm before the holiday frenzy. I hope you will, too!

If you have any thoughts about this issue, please email me at editor@mudandmag.com.

Cover: Fry Retool is a Starkville based business founded by Austin Shafer. He takes old tools and renovates them to their former glory. Photo by Lauren Wood

Over at mudandmag.com: Be on the lookout for: Our new online store features T-shirts, coffee mugs, digital prints and dish towels with art and designs by local Mississippi artists.

Check out our video featuring Jonathan Clouse of Mississippi Duck Calls (pg.65). + narratives, videos and extended photo galleries

facebook.com/mudandmagnolias

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@mudandmagnolias

Mud & Magnolias

@mudandmagnolias

MS

Mud

&Magnolias

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

Editor-in-Chief

Maker’s Market

Ellie Turner Associate Editors

This December market will feature local artisans selling the perfect gifts made with a personal, Mississippi touch.

Date: December 2, 2017 Location: Tupelo Furniture Market Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Open to the public Want to be a vendor?

Go to mudandmag.com/events for vendor details and registration.

Contact us: editor@mudandmag.com

October. November February 2017 2013

&Magnolias

Mud

Bridal Edition

Feature your wedding or engagement in our bridal edition publishing February 3, 2017.

How to submit information: Go to mudandmag.com/ announcement-submission.

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Mud & Magnolias Bridal Edition

Deadlines: To take advantage of early bird pricing, all materials must be submitted with payment by December 15.

Contact us: jessica.hunter@journalinc.com

Shannon Johnson Missha Rogers Leslie Criss Lauren Wood Carmen Cristo Featured Sales Consultants Leigh Knox Bill Spencer June Phillips Darla Webb Amber Lancaster Teresa McDonald Rexy Hollingsworth Krystal Black Contributing Editors M. Scott Morris Contributing Photographers Thomas Wells Adam Robison subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a bimonthly publication of Journal, Inc.

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The Aurora Collection

Clothing Store • Furniture Store • Gift Shop

313 S Gloster St., Ste. A • Tupelo, MS 38801 • (662) 840-2414

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Give me

S’MORE

Sea salt caramel, recipe on page 21 Photos by Lauren Wood

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Don’t Let Fall Seasonal Allergies Ruin Your Outdoor Activities

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Strawberry and white chocolate, recipe on page 21 mudandmag.com

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109 S. Second St. Baldwyn, MS 38824 662-365-2120

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Jalapeno wontons, recipe on page 23

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S’mores Recipes SEA SALT CARAMEL Ingredients: 3 graham cracker squares 2 chocolate pieces 2 marshmallows, toasted over flame 2 caramel candies, cubed and softened sea salt

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Directions: Layer a graham cracker, a piece of chocolate, one marshmallow and one caramel cube. Repeat. Before placing the final graham cracker, sprinkle with sea salt.

PEANUT BUTTER, BANANA & HONEY Ingredients: 3 graham crackers 2 chocolate pieces 2 marshmallows, toasted over flame 6 banana slices 2 teaspoons peanut butter 1 teaspoon honey Directions: Layer a graham cracker, 3 banana slices, 1 teaspoon peanut butter, a piece of chocolate and one marshmallow. Repeat. Before placing the final graham cracker, drizzle with honey.

STRAWBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE Ingredients: 3 graham crackers 2 white chocolate pieces 2 marshmallows, toasted over flame 6 strawberry slices Directions: Layer a graham cracker, 3 strawberry slices, a piece of white chocolate and one marshmallow. Repeat.

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Pheba Farmhouse

By Carmen Cristo

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Breathe...

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bbconcrete.com | (662) 842-6312

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ver the past few decades, Terry Talley has built more than 60 log cabins in Mississippi and the mountains of Tennessee. His daughter, Michelle Thompson, had been visiting him on job sites since she was a child. Last year, she and her family bought a piece of land and Talley started on his most elaborate project yet — Michelle’s forever home.

Michelle is originally from Mathiston, but her family has lived in Starkville for the past several years, where she works at Rick’s Furniture. When they decided to build, they chose the community of Pheba, a short 15-minute drive from the heart of the college town.

“It’s such a tight-knit community,” she said. “You know all of your neighbors and they ride by and say, ‘Hello.’ It’s so nice.”

Michelle’s husband, Steve, wanted a classic log cabin, but Michelle wanted a farmhouse. Their compromise was an exposed log exterior and painted logs on the inside to create a painted shiplap look. Michelle chose shades of white, open shelving and a spacious entertaining area to keep the space light and airy.

Even with the white walls and cabinets, the kitchen is surprisingly warm. Wood tones from the floor, vent hood and reclaimed wood island drive home the farmhouse theme. The island is the secret to the flow of the kitchen — it provides extra counter space, a makeshift dining table and tons of storage inside. Michelle was intentional in making the best use of her space. The slate gray countertops and pendant lights add modern touches to an otherwise vintage-inspired room. A walk-in pantry with a screen door, Michelle’s favorite interior room, sits just off the kitchen.

The living room is distinctly Southern, complete with a tobacco basket, cotton, wrought iron and a cow painting.

Michelle’s 25 years of furniture experience is evident in her furniture choices. The family room is chic but inviting and totally livable with washable slip-covers on the couch and a rustic coffee table that isn’t easily damaged by 17-year-old sons.

The master bedroom is beautifully appointed, with shades of white, tan and gray and perfectly placed windows streaming in natural light. The ensuite is rustic, with tin and reclaimed wood and repurposed antiques.

Across the family room, a hallway leads to the additional

Photos by Lauren Wood mudandmag.com

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Michelle Thompson and Terry Talley

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• Explore Oxford •

GRAND OPENING: SEPTEMBER 30 Open Monday- Friday for groups and field trips Saturday 9am-6pm • Sunday 1pm-6pm Shannon, MS • Just outside Tupelo General Admission: $10 INCLUDES a pumpkin Kids 2 and under FREE Hayride to pumpkin patch • Train Rides • Tire playground Concession stand • Jumbo slides • Petting zoo Country Store • Corn Maze • Corn Pit Call Wanda Mask at (662) 790-4670 or (662) 610-8074 for field trip pricing and to schedule your fall field trip today!

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169 HIGHWAY 6 EAST, SUITE 205 OXFORD, MS 38655

2311 Jackson Ave. West • Suite 306B • 662-380-5023

Rosemary Couch, Owner • Sam Phillips, In-house Jewelry & Watch Repair

“

It’s such a tight-knit community...you know all of your neighbors and they ride by and say, ‘Hello.’ It’s so nice.”

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rooms. The first door leads to the large laundry room, which was decorated with as much attention to detail as the common areas. On the opposite wall, four sewing machines sit perched on wooden floating shelves. They belonged to Michelle’s grandmother. To the right is her son Clay’s room. It features Mississippi State memorabilia and guitars, showcasing his hobbies while keeping with the aesthetic flow of the home.

To the left is the guest room. An antique family photo hangs by the welcoming bed. The bathroom at the end of the hall doubles as the guest bath and Clay’s. Like the master, it features tin and antiques, with the addition of some feather decor for a little whimsy.

The outdoor areas are like rooms in themselves. The front porch is seasonally decorated with a porch bed and coffee table. Out the back door is a screened-in porch, which is a must for any Mississippi home, according to Michelle. It features an outdoor dining table and a seating area.

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“The screened-in back porch is the best addition. We spend a lot of time out there,” Michelle said.

And, the Thompson homestead would not be complete without the many pets they share it with — a plucky dachshund, a barn cat, several chickens and a few goats. A storage shed sits near the house with miniature barn doors and lean-tos on each side for their golf carts and other toys.

With Clay leaving the nest soon, Michelle built her home for the next chapter — a slower lifestyle with time to entertain and relax and enjoy her home and land.

“We have a lot left that we would like to do, but it’s the perfect home for us,” Michelle said. “This is where we plan on staying for the rest of our lives.”

Terry, on the other hand, is only busier since building the Thompson home. The farmhouse style has drummed up a lot of new business, including projects for other relatives. M

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• Shop Pontotoc •

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• Shop Pontotoc •

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Horsin’ Around

Off the Natchez Trace Parkway, near the Witch Dance Trail in the Tombigbee Forest sits Stinkin’ Jim’s Horse Park and Campground.

By Carmen Cristo

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36 l Melishamudandmag.com LeAn Barnett, Sims and Joanne Doss

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he 86-acre property includes spots for primitive camping, eight fully-furnished cabins, bunkhouses and RV camper hook-ups.

Approximately 20 miles of horse trails weave through the nearby woods and a rustic pavilion is available for events.

Since Tommy and LeAn Barnett purchased the property in 2015, they have revamped the campgound in hopes of making Houston, Mississippi, a camping destination. Campers and horse riders are coming for the trails and staying for the community.

“We want to bring things to Houston to help the economy,” said Melisha Sims, manager of the park. “When we have an organized ride with 200 to 300 people, it is impacting the community here.”

Stinkin’ Jim’s is known for its scenic views, accommodations for horses and proximity to the Natchez Trace; Sims is determined to create a new claim to fame for the campground with its Southern hospitality. With help from Joanne Doss, she has renovated cabins and meeting places, cleaned up the grounds and put more events on the books. Organized trail rides and comfortable lodging are bringing people in from all

over the country. Recently, they hosted a group from Ireland that stayed at Stinkin’ Jim’s for a few days on their way to Nashville for the solar eclipse.

The private cabins sit on their own secluded lots with horse stalls. They are outfitted with antique furniture, heirloom quilts and sitting porches. The bunk houses are ideal for groups.

“We meet people when they’re traveling the Trace and keep up with them as they ride. Meeting the people has been so interesting,” Sims said. “Just knowing we are providing a place where people can have fun, and youth can have something to do. That makes it worth it.”

Sims’ goal is for Stinkin’ Jim’s to be a place where Mississippians and travelers alike can have old-fashioned fun at a premiere equestrian retreat. It isn’t just for horse riders, though; they host rodeos, dances with live music, potlucks and holiday events.

The rustic pavilion is the backdrop for it all. The old barn features eclectic furnishings mounted on the walls and retrofitted antique windows. It can be rented for weddings, birthdays and reunions on free weekends. Catering and florist services are available.

Photos by Lauren Wood mudandmag.com

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The next event on the calendar is the Halloween Weekend, which will start on October 27 and last all weekend. Stinkin’ Jim’s is capitalizing on its proximity to the Witch Dance Trail, dubbed one of the most haunted places in the state. The event will provide activities for children and campers — apple bobbing, a forest scavenger hunt, a costume contest, trickor-treating and a hayride. The Witches of Alabama, a group of women who perform spooky skits, will make a special appearance. Similar events will are held for other holidays, like Thanksgiving, their annual New Year’s Eve blow-out and even Mardi Gras.

“We are having so much fun, but we aren’t done yet,” Sims said.

Future plans for Stinkin’ Jim’s include paving the roads to host car shows, renovating the big green barn to host indoor weddings with heating and cooling and the addition of an arena. For now, they are content to have groups coming back, weekend after weekend, to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.

As for the memorable name, the famous Jim was a onceyoung boy who lived in a house on the grounds before it turned campsite. He was rumored to be mischievous and rowdy, much like many of the characters the campground attracts today.

He has since passed, but not before visiting the property and learning that it had been named for him by the original owners.

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n o s n u M and s r e h t o r B en Cristo

By Carm

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Justin Gibson, Ryan Munson and Russell Poole mudandmag.com l 41

612 UNIVERSITY DRIVE | STARKVILLE, MS 39759 (in the heart of the Cotton District)

662-324-6126

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he men of Munson and Brothers, Ryan Munson, Russell Poole and Justin Gibson, aren’t actually brothers at all. “Brothers” is a nod to the many friends, men and women alike, who have helped Ryan in countless ways since the days when he was the sole employee and making natural grooming products was a welcome respite from the stresses of his 9-to-5.

Ryan’s original inspiration was his daughter, Molly. When she experienced some skin irritation and over-the-counter remedies didn’t work, Ryan created “Daddy’s Potion,” a natural cure-all salve. Soon, he was making beard oils and balms and selling them at the local farmers market. With the encouragement of early success, Ryan took a leap and made his Photos by Lauren Wood

after-hours “therapy” his full-time gig.

Now, with help from Accounts Manager Russell Poole, Munson and Brothers products are carried in 51 stores throughout the region. With Russell spearheading sales, Ryan can focus on product development. The beard balms and oils are still staples, but you will find the distinctive Munson logo on a variety of grooming products like mustache wax, shampoo bars, mosquito repellant, shave cream and Molly Munson’s very own watermelon lip balm.

Like the original skin salve, most of the balms and oils are multi-functional. Ryan suggests using the beard balm as solid cologne and a spot treatment moisturizer as well. The Munson Mantra is simple: Take care of yourself.

“Guys love their beards, so the beard oil is our gateway drug

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featuring dine-in food and drink specials.

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“

We want to add some mindfulness to men’s products that hopefully they will carry with them throughout their day.”

to getting men to care for themselves,” Ryan said.

Three Kings, their most popular beard oil, is made of frankincense and myrrh oils, which have been used for religious and medicinal purposes for centuries. On their containers, tins and T-shirts, you will find a pair of praying hands, meant to represent the reverence with which they hope men will treat their bodies or their “temples.”

The logo is stamped on the back glass of their vintage Volkswagen camper van, in which they travel to and from markets.

“We want to add some mindfulness to men’s products that hopefully they will carry with them throughout their day,” Ryan said.

That intentional mindfulness is part of each step in their process, from the carefully sourced ingredients to the recycled glass bottles.

In the future, the “brothers” plan to introduce a few products for women, but the focus will remain on men — and beards. M mudandmag.com

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Old Try

Micah Whitson is a Southern transplant living in Boston. He designs prints and wall dĂŠcor with Southern themes as a tribute to his home and childhood. You can find his goods online at theoldtry.com and in stores all over the South.

Interview by Carmen Cristo

Tell me about the beginning.

We moved to Boston in 2007 from North Carolina. I wanted to get out of the South. Having grown up in Alabama, attended college in Mississippi, gone to graduate school in Atlanta and then lived in North Carolina, I had done kind of a wide swath of the South.

I was really happy to be somewhere new, experiencing and seeing new things. A lot of my identity is as a Southerner and kind of processing what that is and dealing with that. I had been going to the Boston library to the Southern Studies section and reading authors like Curtis Wilkie, Thomas Wolfe and Barry Hannah — a number of people who were Southerners who had moved north to get out of the South, and

then found themselves gravitating toward folks with a similar upbringing but had those same desires to be away from home and that internal conflict.

When the tornadoes of 2011 hit, I was super far away from home, watching helicopter footage of places I knew well that were stripped bare. I felt like people here didn’t really understand what that feeling was. I felt pulled to do something more productive in terms of sharing the Southern story, or putting my stamp on what I thought it was to be a Southerner.

The tornadoes had me thinking about how I could reconnect with home in some meaningful way. It became a catalyst for Old Try.

Micah and his wife Marianna

Is your background in design?

Yes. I had started designing in high school on a stolen copy of Photoshop. I went to business school, but was doing poster design the whole time. I ended up going to graduate school for design, because I wanted to do it, and I knew that if I started selling air conditioners in Dallas, I would hate that I never tried to be a designer. I then got into advertising as an art director.

What was the first print you ever made?

When we launched, there were 10 prints. Two for the four states I had lived in — Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and North Carolina — and then two general Southern prints.

It was a thin offering, but I felt I understood those places better than other places, and we were trying to figure out if we had something. Fortunately, I sent some e-mails to some bloggers not really expecting anything. Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, who is a Virginian who moved to New York, saw it in her inbox before an assistant did, so she wrote something about us the day we launched. It was great. And it kind of confirmed my hypothesis that there were other folks like me who want to put something on their wall showing where they’re from, but they don’t want to fall into cliché and there’s nothing that exists that represents that. Like, for me as an Alabamian, all I had was like Kountry Kitchen or a football painting, and there was nothing else I could put on my wall to represent Alabama. We got that press, and we were off to the races making things for other states.

From where do you draw inspiration?

At this point, it’s a lot of different things. It’s either experience, 48

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like remembering the billboard for Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, or finding something or seeing something similar.

A lot of our prints are made by asking how much we can strip away and still keep the essence of place. That has kind of become our aesthetic, really simplified themes. We also get a fair amount of unsolicited ideas, many of which have become prints.

Do you have a best-selling or favorite product?

Our best seller is our “Manners” print. By a wide margin, it’s the best seller. When people ask what our favorites are, I can’t say, because they’re all my kids. I can tell you what’s hanging in our house — General Manners No.1; Summer, In Picture; Hotty Toddy; and the UNC Alma Mater print. Something for our kids, something to remind us of growing up and two things from college for my wife and me.

Southern culture is obviously a recurring theme in your work. What is it that draws you to that?

For me, it comes from growing up feeling that we had this baggage of race relations going back and the income disparity.

It’s such a “churched” place, but has the highest number of issues. The duality of so many things and trying to process it, then moving somewhere else and finding that those are issues people deal with everywhere, I found that rather than running from the things that exist in the South, I chose to reframe my thinking and try to distill the truth out of it. I wanted to have discussions about it, and Old Try has allowed me to do that and become a person that goes to bat a lot for the South here. M

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Digestive Health Specialists, P.A. Welcomes New Physician

W. Ross Stone, M.D.

W. Ross Stone, M.D. Dr. Stone graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. He received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson.

He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Tinsely Harrison Residency Program, and recently completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Stone is board certified in internal medicine, and board eligible in Gastroenterology. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Digestive Health Specialists specializes in the treatment of Heartburn | Acid Reflux | Diarrhea | Constipation | Loss of Appetite Weight Loss | Nausea | Stomach Pain | Difficulty Swallowing and other digestive diseases as well as Colon Cancer screening

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W. Ross Stone, M.D. Ashley L. Vaughn, CFNP Mary Ellen Mitchell, CFNP Vicki A. Ratliff, CFNP

Barney J. Guyton, M.D. Emeritus Samuel C Pace, M.D. Emeritus W. Carl Kellum, Jr., 1952-2006

For Appointment Information call

(662) 680-5565 or 1-877-942-7876 50

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589 Garfield Street, Suite 201 • Tupelo, MS dhsgi.net

Fry Retool In front of Austin Shafer’s workshop in Starkville, there’s a step leading up to the door. The silhouette of a hammer is carved into the gray concrete slab. Added by a former owner, it’s been there since the day he moved in as a kind of foreshadowing of Fry Retool Company and all the hammers Shafer would stain and clean just inside the shop door.

By Carmen Cristo

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Residential • Commericial Computer Design Free Estimates

All Types of Countertops & Cabinets • Kitchen • Bath • Mantles • Desk • Built-ins • Islands Dan Moore • P.O. Box 266 3031 Hwy. 371 - Matachie, MS 38855 Phone: 662-282-7683 • Cell: 662-213-3415

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F

rom the outside looking in, Fry Retool seems to be about selling tools and restoring antiques, but it’s actually about stories, family and nostalgia.

It all started with an ax that belonged to Shafer’s grandfather-in-law. Shafer found it and spent some time polishing it up and restoring it to its former glory. When Shafer gifted it to his brother-in-law, he didn’t expect more than a casual thank-you. What he got were tears — and stories and family and nostalgia.

That reaction prompted Shafer to dig for more pieces, learn their stories and get them back in working order. He collects boat oars, anvils, hammers, hatchets, cleavers and axes, and calls them “mantiques.” For him, they represent a time when quality was the only priority and tools were made to be passed down through generations. A task, once abandoned, that Photos by Lauren Wood

Shafer has taken upon himself. He doesn’t believe in replacing, just retooling.

“In the early 1900s, they made everything for a specific purpose,” Shafer said. “These are heirlooms.”

To honor these stories, Shafer includes a little history on his tags, a name, location or a snippet of its rumored past. It’s his way of keeping the stories of the Deep South and beyond alive.

“It’s a tangible connection to the past,” Shafer said. “I love to learn the stories about them.”

The tools come from grandsons hoping to use the same tools as their forefathers, estate sales, antiques stores and junk piles.

Shafer conveniently travels for work and has been known to show up on crowded porches with a wad of cash, hoping to “rescue” a few treasures. He has an aunt in Pennsylvania who gathers tools from Amish country and delivers to him, her

trunk loaded down with wood and metal.

With his faithful shop dog Magnolia nearby, Shafer examines each piece, admires the pre-Civil War-era steel and creates a mental plan for making the old new again. The tools are soaked in WD40 before he takes a wire wheel to each one, knocking off the decades of rust. Shafer uses a gentle hand in hopes of retaining the character and patina. Blades are sharpened, handles are stained and sealed. A bold stripe of paint is added to some handles. Others — too cool to change — are left just as they are, like the emerald green Bridgeport Girl Scout ax found in Corinth. It had been hiding behind a bookshelf since the 1960s.

“I love them with scars from use and all boogered up,” Shafer said. “That just tells their story.”

Once they leave his shop, Shafer does not care if the tools 54

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hang on a wall as Americana decor or are used daily, so long as they are respected for the many hands they have passed through, including his own. He sends them to stores down the street like Jamison Fry Interiors and Laurel Mercantile and Ben Napier himself, and as far away as Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Custom orders go to groomsmen, fathers and husbands — and chefs looking to up their meat cleaver game. Some are picked

by Shafer; others are found and sent in.

The positive reviews and thrill of the find keep him in the shop.

“The idea that I can give something to someone that can help them honor a relative that they can also pass down to their children and grandchildren is what this is all about,” Shafer said. M

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A podcast series from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal exploring the unsolved case of 13-year-old Leigh Occhi, who went missing in 1992.

Open is now available in Apple podcasts, Google Play or at djournal.com/openpodcast

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Fall brings one pattern we can’t do without: plaid. And with all the variations of colors, it never gets old.

Red Door in Pontotoc: Southern Marsh button down and belt, Bertucci watch, prices available upon request mudandmag.com

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• Explore Corinth •

gingers

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“Fall in Love With Gingers Fall Fashions” HARPER SQUARE • CORINTH 662-286-2821 • M-S 9:30-5:30

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Zachary Call Custom Goods If you ask Zack Holcomb where he got his carpentry skills, he will tell you about the Saturdays of his childhood spent at his father’s elbow.

By Carmen Cristo

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Top 40 Under 40 Live event: October 26, 2017 Time: 11:30 - 1:30 Location: First United Methodist Church, Tupelo Event details: Leading young professionals will be recognized at this community networking event.

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events

The more you use it, the “prettier it is...more marks mean more character.

“

S

aturdays were always the worst days for me.

Instead of doing something fun, we were making something or fixing something. Now, I love that we did that. I’m glad my dad made me help all

those Saturdays,” Zack said.

As an adult, he worked as a sander at Gibson Guitars in Memphis, sanding approximately 25,000 guitars during his tenure there. No cutting board leaves his makeshift garage workshop in Olive Branch without a final sanding by hand.

Zack’s designs must be two things: beautiful and fully functional. His boards are meant to be both displayed and used.

“The more you use it, the prettier it is,” Zack said. “More marks mean more character.”

Photos by Lauren Wood

Bearing that in mind, he uses woods that are durable and trendy. His favorite is walnut for its rich color, with maple coming in second.

Zack uses end grain, different woods and reclaimed wood pieces to create designs that look more like wall décor than serving pieces or cutting surfaces. His signature style includes a stripe of contrasting wood on one edge.

Because they are handmade and many made with reclaimed wood, no two boards are identical. The unique characteristics and craftsmanship of each piece is what makes them heirlooms, according to Zack.

Zack’s wife, Allyse, was the first recipient of a Zachary Call Custom Good. Three years ago, he made her a cheeseboard as a gift. They began gifting them to friends soon after. With Allyse’s support and the encouragement and prodding of

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creative friends, Zack signed up for the Indie Holiday Market in Memphis as a test run. He took 45 boards and sold out.

Once the shock wore off, he admitted that he might be on to something. Allyse now manages his carefully styled Instagram account (@zacharycallcustomgoods).

“Allyse has pushed me more than anyone. Without her, I would not do this,” Zack said.

He and Allyse now have a son of their own, Henry, with whom Zack spends his Saturdays just as his father did with him.

“I want to pass down as much as I know to him,” Zack said.

“He is a bit young right now, but I try to get him into the shop 62

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to let him watch me as much as he can. I tell Allyse all the time that I hope he really enjoys being outside and learning to work with his hands. It’s something I did not particularly like growing up but eventually found a passion for.”

Zack and Henry should be busy as he plans to do more craft shows in the future in Memphis and beyond. He is also in the process of expanding his product line to include rolling pins, cutting boards for sink tops and plates. For now, you can find Zack’s handmade goods and request custom orders on his Instagram page and at City & State in Memphis. M

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Mississippi Duck Calls

By M. Scott Morris

TIME FOR STYLE

Over 90 specialty shops and eateries including Belk, JCPenney, Sears, Barnes & Noble and DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Conveniently located at the intersection of highway 45 & 78.

1001 Barnes Crossing Road, Tupelo, MS 38804 barnescrossing.com | 66

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I

n the fields and by the lakes that matter, the owner of Mississippi Duck Calls has been building a name for himself.

“You’ll go out hunting and you’ll introduce yourself and people will know who you are,” 31-year-old Jonathan Clouse said. “It’s very humbling to have that feedback.”

For the past eight years, Clouse has been designing and building his own calls in a shed behind his house in the Quincy community near Amory.

“It’s kind of like music. You develop an ear for what the call sounds like,” he said. “It’s a lot of trial and error. You go from tearing up three to building one.”

After a while, his buddies started requesting calls, and then their buddies noticed and placed orders. From word-of-mouth

beginnings, Clouse started a Mississippi Duck Calls Facebook page, and the orders have been coming in ever since.

“They call me or write me on Facebook. It works great,” he said. “I’ve made calls for Ducks Unlimited. I made calls for Delta Waterfowl. I built calls for people as far out as Texas and as far north as Maine. They’ve been all over the United States.”

He’s an electrical lineman for Monroe County Electric during the day. At night, he usually can be found in his work shed with Sam the hunting dog nearby.

“Sam is covered in sawdust a pretty good bit,” Clouse said.

“Old Sam, he’s been with me through it all. He’s the dog. You don’t ever hear him complain. He’s just a good dog. Old Sam, he never cancels a hunt.”

With Sam panting and stretched out on the concrete floor, Clouse gets to work. He prefers thick grain wood. Bodock

Photos by Lauren Wood mudandmag.com

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“

It’s rewarding to watch that guy take my call and kill ducks with it. It puts a smile on his face... and it makes his dog happy.

is one of his favorites, but he’s also worked with cedar and walnut. He once made a specialty order out of acrylic.

He gouges the barrel and the insert on his lathe, and he vigorously rubs both with sandpaper. He wants the wood as smooth as glass.

Through that trial-and-error process he mentioned, Clouse made a metal jig to serve as a consistent guide when he converts an insert into a tone board. He cuts the reed from an 8-by-10-inch sheet and wedges it in place with a piece of cork.

Then it’s time to see if he got the sound he was after.

“You kind of get a feel for it. You know when it’s exactly what you want,” he said. “A lot of folks want that old, raspy hen, and you want an echo to it.”

After a few test blows, he decided a new call wasn’t raspy enough for his taste, so he took out the tone board and cut a couple of dog ears into the reed.

The resulting quacks satisfied his discerning ear, but there was more work to do.

“The end of my duck calls, I want to shape it like a Coke bottle,” he said. “Wherever you put your lips, it feels natural.”

His laser engraver is in the family laundry room. A hose runs outside a window to vent the smoke created when the C02 laser burns his logo into the wood. He designed the logo that features an outline of the Magnolia State with a duck flying by and the words, “Mississippi Duck Calls.”

Clouse figures he’s sold more than 1,500 calls. They range from $60 to $200, depending on the material.

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Each one takes about an hour to make. Sam’s usually there from start to finish, but Clouse also welcomes other visitors.

“I enjoy them coming to watch while I build it,” he said.

“The little kid that comes with his dad to get his call made, I’m introducing this to him. I might be influencing him.

“It’s easy to go to the store to buy your kid a duck call, but if you bring your son or grandson to watch their call being made, I think it makes it a little more special.”

His daughters, Avery, 5, and Anley, 2, are too young to go duck hunting with their daddy, but Clouse was excited about the prospect of taking Avery dove hunting for the first time.

Their mother, Natalie, goes with him to outdoors shows and oversees the booth when Clouse competes in duck call competitions. He’s reached the Mississippi state regionals, but he’s never won the finals. That’s something he’ll keep working toward, but his duck calls offer other rewards.

First, there’s the act of making them, which Clouse said never feels like work.

He also marvels at the very idea of attracting ducks on the hunt with a call he built using his ingenuity, some blocks of wood and assorted materials.

And there’s a third joy.

“It’s rewarding to watch that guy take my call and kill ducks with it,” he said. “It puts a smile on his face.”

Clouse paused and pointed to Sam, who was covered in sawdust and lounging on the concrete, and then added, “And it makes his dog happy.” M

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• Buyer’s Guide • Dreaming of A New Home?

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BLACK & WHITE

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Southern Oak Kennels

On a gray morning in Okolona, more than half a dozen British Labradors sit at their open kennel doors, eyes fixed on Barton Ramsey. They twitch with excitement until he releases them to play and they take off across the fields that Ramsey uses for training and exercising the dogs. This is how many Southern Oak Kennels work days begin.

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W

hen Ramsey started training dogs for the public in 2010, his goal was to raise funds for his family’s adoption. He had always enjoyed teaching his dogs parlor tricks — sit, stay, roll over — but when his wife, Bethany, got him a gun dog as a Christmas present, he dove headlong into the world of hunting dog training. He reached out to Mark Hairfield of Southaven Kennels, who not only helped him train his dog but took him on as an apprentice. Seven years later, Ramsey owns the second largest British Labrador breeding and training operation in the

country.

“There isn’t a lot of branding in the dog world. A lot of people are great with dogs, but don’t know how to build a business, and I didn’t either,” Barton said. “I was determined to learn how to build a brand.”

Southern Oak Kennels is a national operation, with four locations and a gun dog in nearly every state. The newest location is SOK North in Michigan, run by Don Collyer and Wally Schalau.

It joins three Mississippi-based locations — SOK Saltillo, operated by Brad Robertson; SOK South in Hamilton,

Photos by Rockhouse Motion mudandmag.com

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101 East Washington • Houston, MS • 662-456-2551

“

People don’t just choose us because we have a high pedigree or advanced health testing, but because we have created a lifestyle brand. This is a community where I want people to feel they belong.”

operated by Chelsea Harris; and SOK Headquarters, where Ramsey and his family live and work, with help from his kennel manager Howell Palmer. SOK Outposts are in the works, too, for hobby dog trainers who want to take on one to two dogs and keep their day job.

At any given time, each location could have close to two dozen dogs in training, but they rarely surpass that number, so that each dog gets an optimum amount of attention and interaction.

SOK breeds and trains British Labradors exclusively from their breeding lines for their pedigrees and mild temperament.

Ramsey rejects the myth that a hunting dog cannot be a family dog. In fact, he encourages his training clients to treat their dogs as family pets.

“British Labs are the most desirable breed because they’re the perfect combination — calm and quiet with lots of drive in the field,” Ramsey said.

The SOK Main Campus in Okolona is home to the SOK Lodge, a home-away-from-home for Ramsey’s clients and

visiting trainers, and the site of the SOK Summit, an annual event thrown by Ramsey for the SOK faithful. It features a dog competition (just for fun), a catered dinner and group training. The proceeds go to Delta Waterfowl Foundation for conservation efforts.

“People can get a dog anywhere. People don’t just choose us because we have a high pedigree or advanced health testing, but because we have created a lifestyle brand. This is a community where I want people to feel they belong,” Ramsey said. “We had people driving from all over the country come here to pick up their dogs. I wanted them to be able to stay and feel part of this lifestyle for a few days — to wake up when we are waking up and taking out dogs. They get to see the training they’ve been reading about online while they waited for a puppy.”

The Lodge is one of the ways Ramsey is branding his business by creating a national community of Southern Oak Kennels ambassadors. The business’ Facebook group, called “SOK Society,” is a way to experience that community online. mudandmag.com

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Members share tips and successes and chat with other gundog owners and trainers. This kind of interaction has earned Southern Oak Kennels more than 13,000 Facebook likes and more than 21,000 Instagram followers.

Another online tool is the newly launched Cornerstone Gundog Academy, a resource for the dog training DIY enthusiast. Step-by-step videos teach dog owners SOK training methods.

“When I was starting, it seemed like no one had built a kennel from the ground up,” Ramsey said. “Social media is what has taken it to the level it is today. We want to take people, for whatever time they’re in this, and make their life better. We want this lifestyle to come to life for people.”

He credits his success with doing just that, along with making the right contacts and embracing the natural camaraderie of hunting culture. M

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Contact Debbie Seward at 662-322-5838 mudandmag.com

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Brunch Box

By Carmen Cristo

Brunch Box is the newest food truck on the Tupelo food scene. JD Dill and Lakyn Jackson are calling the concept farmto-curbside, serving organic coffee and food made from local, seasonal ingredients. As the name suggests, the items will be brunch-themed and feature combinations like squash taquitos, yogurt bowls, breakfast pizzas and experimental waffles.

Dill, who has experience at local staples like Kermit’s Outlaw

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Kitchen and Blue Canoe, will take the lead on food. Jackson is the brew expert.

Their light yellow truck can be found at locations like Nolan Brothers, Blue Canoe, Tupelo Crossfit and Fairpark from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and some weekend evenings. You can check location and hours by following them on social media. M Photos by Lauren Wood

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