BUSINESS OF THE MONTH
Keeping
it fresh in
W-S
by busta brown
THE CHRONICLE
The Business of the
Month is The Village
Produce and Country
Store, 4219 N. Liberty St.
in Winston-Salem.
I sat down with owners
Jerry Anderson and his
wife, Paula McCoy, to talk
about why they saw the
need to bring a fresh pro
duce store to the Twin City.
“We knew that there
were many conversations
in the city of Winston
Salem around food deserts
and food scarcity, and we
noticed that this is a food
desert because if you’re a
mile away from a major
grocery store, then that’s
considered a food desert.”
The Village Produce
and Country Store pro
motes healthy eating, by
providing customers with a
variety of foods that give
them the nutrients they
need to maintain a healthy
lifestyle. They believe that
a healthy diet full of nutri
ents makes you feel great,
have more energy, improve
your outlook and stabilizes
your mood.
“We thought that if we
could provide liesh pro
duce to this community,
that it would be very bene
ficial.”
McCoy and Anderson
visited other stores to see
what they provided. “Most
of it is sugary items like
sodas, potato chips, and
other things that are very
unhealthy for you,”
McCoy said. Anderson
gave insight on the most
convenient places to get
unhealthy foods. “Food
deserts are typically
around bus stops in low
wealth communities. Bus
stops are magnets for con
venient stores. They open
very early in the morning,
catching the student traf
fic.”
He continued with
some eye-opening insight.
“Convenient stores only
sell four things: sugar, salt,
alcohol and tobacco. We
thought about children
starting their day with
those non-nutritious items.
They won’t have the prop
er brain functions, and we
wanted to do something to
change that.”
The power couple are
Photo by Busta Brown
The Village Produce and Country Store owners are Jerry Anderson and his wife, Paul McCoy.
members of the Winston
Salem Black Chamber of
Commerce, which visits
different small black busi
nesses to see what’s need
ed and how they can help
support those needs. The
more I listened to Jerry and
Paula, they made it clear
that what they were doing
was more about love for
the communities, and less
about money. The Village
Produce and Country Store
is located in the Ogbum
Station section of the city.
McCoy said they offer the
highest quality of “farm
fresh” produce to its cus
tomers, and to create
awareness of eating to live.
The biggest complaint I
hear about eating healthier
on a consistent basis is it’s
too expensive.
“We try to keep our
prices affordable, and so
far, it’s working pretty
good.” Paula and Jerry
truly believe in supporting
the community as well, by
inviting local musical
artists to come showcase
their talents in the store at
no cost. “It really creates a
really great environment,”
Paula said. Local organi
zations can hold meetings
there as well.
Jerry is also working,,
with city’s Chamber ok
Commerce to bring aware
ness to the businesses in
the Ogbum Station com
munity.
“I was invited to partic
ipate in a conversation
with Smith Reynolds
Airport regarding bringing
commerce to this neigh
borhood,” he said.
Check out more of my
interview with . Jerry
Anderson and his wife,
Paula McCoy, to learn
about all the different
events they’re planning to
make Ogbum Station a
thriving community. One
event Jerry is excited about
is “Ogbum Nights”; you’re
going to dig it.
Companies interested
in becoming a Business of
the Month should apply at
https ://triadminoritybusi
nessexpo.com/.
This feature is spon
sored by the Winston
Salem Branch of the
NAACP, Winston-Salem
Urban League, Triad
Minority Business Expo
and The Chronicle.
Evans
frontpage A4
only two people that could tell me I couldn’t do some
thing were my mom and dad; and they didn’t.”
Under her leadership, WAAA reached new heights
and created radio legends. She put a promotion team
together and the station became the heart of the black
community. There were billboards of the on air personal
I ...* -.. • .. .
ities all around the Triad. They became local superstars.
“I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of great people. I
wasn’t eager to shine; I surrounded myself with folks that
knew the business and had something to contribute. That
was the key to our success.”
WAAA has always been established in the black com
munity, but under Evans’ leadership, it became the voice.
During the 1980s, Winston-Salem had not yet recognized
the King Holiday, so she used the power of the micro
phone to rally the communities together, and started a
yearly event to bring awareness that The Queen didn’t
celebrate The King Holiday.
“I started it five years before the holiday. We aired Dr.
Martin Luther King’s speeches every Sunday morning at
9:30.” As of this past January, Evans event celebrated 38
years.
Go to our YouTube channel @ Winstonsalem
Chronicle to see the rest of this powerful and very inti
mate interview with radio legend, community activist and
soon to be author Mutter Evans.
MILLION
DOLLAR
She’s Got It Covered and
Bond. Score. WIN!
ii
Saturday, March 17
Benton Convention Center
301 W. 5th Street
Winston-Salem, NC
9:30 a.m
Tickets: $75
I www.wssu.edu/tickets
336-750-2141
The scholarship
fundraising event
will feature
a brunch buffet.
Keynote speaker will be
Olympic Gold Medalist
Gail Devers.
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL
Nc/r local ion.' April 13
Meadowlands Golf CWD 2018
fT 2018 SPRING
wssu OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY, APRIL 21
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Register online:
www.wssu.edu/openhouse
336-750-2074