Published: March 20, 2008 03:07 pm            

TIM PRESTON: Red and yellow caught my eye 032308

It just looks bad.

I was talking to someone a couple of days ago and they expressed their complete disgust with a certain type of red and yellow signs which had appeared in massive clusters along the path to the office. I wasn’t really sure whose signs we were talking about, until I encountered a crop of them off of U.S. 60 in the Summit area.

I’ll give the business this much credit, the tactic got my attention. That is the whole point of putting signs out in the yard, right?

In this case, however, someone needs to study the phrase, “Less is more.”

Yard Cards

A whole different kind of sign got my attention a couple of minutes later, about a half block off of 13th Street in Ashland, when I saw a display for Yard Cards, massive single letter messages for all occasions — things like “Happy Birthday,” “Look Who’s Over The Hill,” or “It’s A Boy,” or other messages anyone might dream up. In addition to the message they provide accents, including balloons, smiley faces, “unsmiley faces,” and cartoon animals.

The yard cards, which are set up and removed at the time specified by customers, are a service of Body Affair & More, a family owned and operated tanning salon at the corner of Beech and Floyd streets, behind the YMCA. The salon offers tanning packages, lotions, jewelry, sunglasses, purses and diaper cakes, among other items. For more information call (606) 325-9825.

New books,

used prices

“It’s new books at used-book prices,” explained Cherri Vint, owner of BJ’s Discount Books, recently opened at the Meade Station Plaza along U.S. 60, next to Quality Audio.

Every book in the store is discounted by 25 percent, with many marked down to 50 percent off or more. The short list of categories for books includes fiction, romance, cookbooks, diet and exercise, family and health, children and young adult, biographies, pets and nature, crafts, gardening, fantasy, self help, religion, new age, history and science, among others. Vint says she hopes to work with her customers to fine tune to their reading preferences.

The shop is named in honor of Cherri’s mother, Betty Jean Brown, who was an avid reader and local voting precinct worker for more than 50 years.

BJ’s Discount Books will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. For more information call (606) 928-7462.

As assisted by ...

Cherri Vint (from the note above) was another small business owner who had nothing but praise for the help she received from Kim Jenkins at Morehead State University’s Ashland Small Business Development Center.

The Ashland SBDC provides small business consulting by appointment to help potential business owners find their way through things like start-up procedures, business plans and financial resources. For more information call 329-8011.

Deadline April 9

I’m not sure who this may benefit, but any business in Boyd, Lawrence, Martin or Pike counties which suffered losses due to crop losses associated with the drought that began in March 2007 may qualify for U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans up to $1.5 million, available at 4 percent interest for 30 year terms.

The deadline to apply, however, isn’t far away, with the cut-off set for April 9. For more information visit www.sba.gov or call (800) 659-2955.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.

        

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