A huge component of our local economy depends on small businesses and the hardworking men and women behind them, like Oscar & Lucy. It is their familiar faces and expectation of quality service which builds trust and fosters a sense community. Our local businesses accomplish this on a daily basis with every customer transaction they make.

"I have some customers who travel all the way from Fort Smith to get what they need at my shop." Oscar explains, "I am all about supporting this community because it's important to my family that we contribute in some way."

Rightfully so. Oscar is not only a business owner, but a father of two young children (3 if you include his shop dog "Huera"), and a loving husband. Raising his kids in a safe and familiar community is a priority of his, and something he strives to support every day. 

His wife Lucy is equally essential to the business, keeping the books, handling customer transactions, and being a full-time mom, too.  As we interviewed, she was tied up answering calls and fulfilling orders as Oscar told his story. 

​With gained experience from his childhood, Huero's father passed on part of the business of ASAP's Tires & Towing to his son. For the last year or so, Oscar Jr. has run the business on W Main Street with relative success. 
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Next time you visit a local small business, be sure to thank them for their service. There is no telling how many years of work, risk, and commitment were invested in patching your tire. 

With the care and attention that is paid to this small park currently, having a dead tree in the middle of it steals from the overall  aesthetic of the park itself.

"When I was a kid, we spent a lot of time in the woods. When we came across old stumps like this one, we would decorate it with reindeer moss and berries and other things." 

After doing some research online she discovered that she was not the only one who had an affinity for decorating stumps. People from across the country have done similar works in their gardens or public parks. (To be honest, ours is comparatively cooler than most others.)

With the heavy lifting done by a few good city employees, the old stump was prepared for a makeover. The entire project was built at little cost. Most of the materials seen adorning the old stump were extra materials from around town. Even wood from a nearby old picket fence was repurposed to fashion a roof. 

"The guys made most of it," Jackie says with a smile. "such as the little door, windows, and Brit Yount used wire baskets from the old swimming pool dating back to the 1980s and made small window boxes. Even the dirt is composted grass from 3 years ago and is very rich in nutrients for the plants."

Jackie turned to our local businesses for help when she ran out of materials and plants to use. 
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"Since it is so late in the season, most of the plants are from businesses around town. Blossomberry Nursery and BP Nursery & Landscape supplied most of the plants we needed" She said. "Jackie also mentioned De'ja Vu on Sherwood Plaza had some trinkets that were a perfect fit for this new garden. 

Now that it is complete, it would be a great place to read a book during a break, take a new profile picture for Facebook, or just enjoy the small slice of heaven that Jackie has created exclusively for us residents of Clarksville. 

HOW'S THE FOOD? 
​Ted and Connie have been up and running since last week with a steady flow of customers as word spreads around town. His menu is as simple as its name - Bolander's Simply Breakfast - Delicious breakfast-to-go with large serving sizes at surprisingly agreeable prices.

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That means eggs loaded with sausage, cheese, ham, and complemented with a side of the best home fries I think I have ever had. They were slightly salty/smokey to taste and had a perfect cooked-through texture.

His menu also includes breakfast bowls, loaded English muffins, biscuits & gravy, and even a veggie omelet option. All is good, but one item stands out among the rest. 

His Big Breakfast Burrito is, in my mind, Ted's pièce de résistance. This massive wrap of hearty breakfast will not leave you wanting. I believe Bolander's success is going to come mainly from this on-the-go feast of a burrito. 

The best part? Many of his Goliath servings on his menu are roughly $6 (or less), including the Big Burrito. ​
​They are open Monday-Saturday 7AM-1PM (Closed Sunday), so pay them a visit!

And hey, after you place your order, check out their flea market at the same location while you wait. ​