We’ve had the pleasure to meet so many different people since launching and even some from before launching one we met before launching was Nicole of Stomping Ground Herbals. We’ll let Nicole’s website tell you the “Who” about the business. We hope you will find your way to see her and experience her great products for yourself:
Nicole Mattingly’s passion for tending the earth was born working alongside her great-grandmother, Rose, growing vegetables and herbs on land in the heart of Nashville. Today, guided by the knowledge passed down by Rose, Nicole tends to the very same piece of land- land that now produces the herbs for the plant magic of Stomping Ground Herbals.
After many unsatisfying years of working an office job, Nicole returned to her roots. In 2010, she began growing herbs on her ancestral land and using them to make herbal tinctures, elixirs, skincare, and teas under the name Double N Urban Farm and Apothecary. She embarked on a journey of studying herbalism under the Wise Woman tradition to further her knowledge, and in 2015 left her office job to follow her passion and pursue her apothecary business full time.
Today, Nicole grows nearly eighty medicinal and culinary herbs and flowers with no chemicals or pesticides. These naturally grown herbs and flowers are used with intention in every one of Stomping Ground Herbals’ products. The Stomping Ground Herbals brand is sold at nearly twenty stockists in Tennessee and Kentucky, and you can find Nicole herself selling her products and sharing her folk herbalism knowledge at multiple farmers markets and events in the Nashville area.
Find her business online at stompinggroundherbals.com where you can shop her store. Also, follow on Instagram and Facebook for updates on the newest developments for the business.
If you’re ready to rock head to Porter Road and see our friends at Dirty Livin’! From that 1980s rocker to modern day southern rock there is nothing finer than the selection. They have a wonderful shop and selection as well as Dirty Livin’ website www.shopdirtylivin.com
Cut Merchant Fees with the Cash Discount Program from Card Payment Solutions USA! Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not. We have many clients from Liquor Stores, Salons, Counter Service Restaurants and more using this new program. You may be wondering, “What is a ‘Cash Discount Program?’”
Credit card processing can come with some hefty fees and is becoming expensive for merchants. This is especially a challenge for small businesses with small budgets. Interchange fees, otherwise known as swipe fees, can become a financial burden on small businesses. This is where the cash discount program comes in.
If you are a business owner, big or small, you’ve most likely heard something about the cash discount program in the merchant service industry. Yet, this program has come with a fair amount of confusion. Many wonder about what the program can and can’t do. We are going to take a closer, more detailed, look at what this program. We’ll give you the information you need to help decide if this is the right merchant service for you.
Zero Credit Card Processing Fees
Offering our cash discount program to customers, businesses are able to cut 100% of their processing fees. In this situation, merchants must display a customer-pricing notice. This will inform each customer about the customer service fee that is charged on all transactions.
An easy example. A merchant charges a 4% service fee. On each item the notice will reflect that a product or service that lists at $100 will actually be $105. That is unless the customer is paying with cash. In this case, the customer paying with cash will receive a discount. The service fee charge goes away and they only pay the original $100. Convenience or surcharge fees are not the same as a cash discount program.
You may be asking yourself, “Would it not be easier to settle with increasing the price by 4% and call it a day?” That’s a fair question, and, the result may or may not be the same in the end. Yet, the transparency with the cash discount program will be a detail that is not lost on your customers. The Cash Discount Program is an automated program. Where surcharge fees are manually calculated. This requires pricing increases across the board. That results in customers always paying “full” price. Customers generally favor the option of saving by paying with cash. In short, show me someone who doesn’t like to save money on purchases and I’ll show you a liar. Give the people what they want and your business will benefit in return.
A Marketing Tool
The cash discount program is a great marketing tool. It will attract new customers. Customers love the word “sale.” Most stores will display a “sale” sign year round to lure customers into their store. Getting people in the store, sale or not is the ultimate goal. They come in for the sale items and walk out with much more. Although a 4% discount across the board does help merchants. The cash discount program is a powerful tool when implemented.
Being able to cut up to 100% of processing fees is something that is alluring to most merchants. This is also something that merchant level salespeople (MLSs) enjoy as well. The higher than average margins that come with the program mean they make more as well.
This is an amazing opportunity for the industry. That’s why we warn you to be wary of MLSs and ISOs (International Standards Organization). Some are exploiting the program and following less than ethical practices. When choosing a partner we hope you choose Card Payment Solutions. Find out more today. Message us on Facebook or contact us via email at NashvilleBuyLocal@Gmail.com
The 17th Annual Music City Brewer’s Fest is one of the biggest and best beer festivals in the country. You will have an opportunity to sample some of the most respected brews from over 40 local, regional, national, and imported breweries! You can try beer here that is not normally available in Nashville. This outdoor festival will be one you do not want to miss. We will have live music entertainment all day and a proceed of ticket sales goes to the Nashville Humane Association . New this year, we will be hosting ONE SESSION with NEW HOURS from 5pm-9pm and a 1-hour advanced VIP entrance from 4pm-5pm. We expect the 17th Annual Brewer’s Fest to be another SELL OUT with OVER 5,500 people in attendance! Tickets will be available at the gate Day of ONLY if Advanced Tickets have not sold out! MUST BE 21+ to ATTEND
NEW THIS YEAR
Dodge-ball is back by high demand! Get a team together, and step into the ring. The best team will emerge victorious, the losers will have many beer tents to choose from to ultimately drown their sorrows.
Aerial Teams, Aerial acrobats, belly dancers. Who doesn’t enjoy such oddities while indulging in the best craft brews Nashville has to offer?
Hula hoop contests- Test how coordinated you are after tasting 7 different beverage booths.
Nashville Sports Leagues will be joining again this year, who knows… Giant Beer Pong just might be a thing this year. Giant Jenga? The sky is the limit when it comes to over sized yard games.
We met Matt a few months ago outside his spot right in between Porter Road Butcher and The Groove Nashville. Matt is a Louisville boy and heavy hitter in the kitchen. A CIA trained chef with years of experience operating and directing fine dining kitchens. He’s bringing that experience to make beautiful BBQ Tuesday through Saturday from 11 until 8pm.
“Our Story”
From Gambling Stick:
What is The Gambling Stick? Will it inevitably lose you your spouse, partner, sanity and/or respectability? The short answer is no… unless you have addictive tendencies and a proclivity towards pork like the rest of us. The gambling stick is a old Appalachian name for a stick used to hang a pig from the limb of a tree or staked down sapling. The stick is threaded through the heels of the pig and supports its weight while being harvested. The gamble is whether or not the stick can support the weight of the pig, if not the whole thing could come crashing down on the butchers head. The Gambling Stick, unlike its namesake, won’t have any risk involved. It is a tip of the hat to the men and women of Appalachia who made their living in the mountains and foothills of Tennessee. Like those before us, we want to utilize Tennessee’s abundance and natural diversity to source and create food that is unique to Appalachia.
If you’re anything like us you use salsa as much as most use catchup. In fact Hot Sauce and Salsa may be our two favorite condiments. That’s where Ousley Ouch comes in. Their story in their own words:
Two decades ago, Ric and his sister Mona Ousley craved a salsa that they simply could not find anywhere. So in true American fashion, they decided to make their own salsa. After much experimenting and taste-testing, they finally created a salsa that perfectly piqued their palate. They take pride in their salsa – its ingredients and their methods. Ousley Ouch Salsa has a thick and chunky texture which comes from the onions and jalapeno peppers which are diced by hand. The jalapenos are grown locally on a farm in Nahville where at times the jalapenos are added to the batches within hours of picking. Aside from the fresh onions and jalapenos, at least over a dozen herbs and spices are used to create the magical flavor that has family and friends saying, “Ouch! I can’t stop eating!”
So where can you find this wonderful Salsa?
Mondays (First Monday of each month only) – Jeff Poppen CSA pick up, Melrose/Berry Hill 4-7 pm, 2610 Westwood, Dr. Nashville 37204
Tuesdays (First Tuesday of each month only) – the 12th and South Markert from 3-6 pm
Thursdays – the Vanderbilt Market from 3-6 pm
Fridays (First Friday of each month only) – Hip Donelson Farmers Market 4-7 pm
Sure, the rains swept through and cooled these typically hot July days. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a healthy sweat in this week. Find a class and sign up for it with Hot Yoga of East Nashville:
TUESDAY is a Puppy Play Date with 12 South Farmers Market! The Tennessee Cobbler Co. will be there with their OH so tasty treats and will also be giving away FREE puppy photos when you purchase a cobbler! ?? It’s all going down Tuesday in Sevier Park from 3:30pm to 6:30pm! ????
The market is located at 3000 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN. PLEASE NOTE: Parking for the Market season will be limited to the lot located at the corner of Clayton Ave and Granny White Pike. Follow 12 South Farmers Market on Facebook and Instagram and visit their website, 12southfarmersmarket.com
First things first, Chicago Pizza is not Pizza it’s Lasagna. Sorry Windy City you are the best at Hot Dogs and anything that deals with encased meats. So, that should give you a clue on our taste in Pizza. Also, this is our opinion and we welcome your opinions below. To be fair we are basing this off three places. So let’s give you the rundown and below we will rank them. Let’s start in the Midwest.
I have to say this is the most shocking of all the places we went to of the three. We never thought of Michigan as a contender for best pizza. Chicago gets most of the midwest love and it’s completely justified. If you want a thick pizza Detroit style is the only style worth it’s weight in dough. Buddy’s on Conant Street got off to a good start. Anytime I see off duty cops hanging out at a place you have to assume they know the spots to eat. Then followed by some Union guys getting off their shift and families.
This place is the birthplace of Detroit style pizza. It opened in the 1930s more as an after hours drinking spot with a little gambling. It has that feel in a good way still today. Right away, the staff was on point. very attentive and helpful. In 1946 they put Pizza on the menu.
What Makes It Great:
We ordered The Detroiter: Cheese, pepperoni on top, tomato basil sauce, topped with shaved parmesan cheese and Buddy’s Sicilian spice blend. It’s all about the crust and the caramelized cheese on the corner and edge of the pan slices. Somehow this pizza is best when on the corner of the pan. The middle is OK but the corner slices are amazing. The thing that is also great is this pizza (unlike the Lasagna Chicago Style) is it won’t make you feel like you gained 15 pounds eating it. It’s very light. Which is good because they offer something I had never had before, Vernor’s Ginger Ale Float! It blew my mind.
When I had this story in mind it was going to be two cities. New York vs New Haven. Detroit made it tough. That said, Apizza (as they say in New Haven) was one till about two years ago I had never heard about. My Southern U.S. and Los Angeles upbringing never exposed me to the city. Then while working on our family genealogy I found out ancestors of ours were one of the founding families in New Haven, Ct. and I wanted to know more about the city than it being the home of Yale University.
So, I googled New Haven. Our first surprise is they call it Apizza. Then, they have six nationally ranked Pizza restaurants in five square mile radius. A town of 130,000 people with six great pizza places is a dream. After doing my research I heard we had to try Frank Pepe’s if I was going to try one. Spoiler Alert, before I left for Boston (future stories on that) I grabbed one more pie from Frank’s to go. The line here can be out the door and take a while to get a table. We were lucky that it was a short 15 minute wait when we arrived.
What Makes It Great:
It’s the total opposite of the midwest counterparts and actually has more in common with NYC and Italian pizza. It’s flat and thin. New Haven does cook theirs a little more to give it a slight burnt taste (which was great). They don’t do a ton of cheese. In fact one of our pizzas had a light taste of cheese and it was my favorite of Frank’s. It’s very simple. The dough is very crispy from the over night fermenting. The coal ovens in this place is beautiful and have been working more than most in the place have been alive.
My favorite was the The Original Tomato Pie w/ Mozzarella. Hands down the best at Frank Pepe’s. We also got one with Fresh Tomato on top and it was good but it made it a little soggy, for me. All this said the thing that made Frank’s great in my book was the White Clam Pizza. Made with Fresh Clams w/ Grated Cheese, Olive Oil, Fresh Garlic & Oregano. Not because it was great, it was, but because I hate clams. I don’t like clams. Yet, I loved them on this pizza. They took an ingredient I despised and made me love it. Our daughter loved her pizza which was a bacon (mind blowing bacon) and cheese pizza. Below is a little sample of what we had.
I can already hear people saying we went to the wrong NYC Pizza spot. You’re wrong. We went where Spiderman was a delivery guy! Joe’s is right around the corner from Stonewall and is in one of the best neighborhoods to visit in New York City. Located on Carmine Street. It sits across from Father Demo Square this is what I have pictured when thinking of a New York Pizza shop. A place you can grab by the slice. A little greasy so there is a way to hold it. That nice crack when you fold the crust. A way to eat it and hope not to spill any on your shirt (we were heading to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child after). The smells of the neighborhood mixed with the smell of cheese and dough. It even had the stereotypical celebrities on the wall photos.
The staff here didn’t have time for pleasant gab. This is New York. Know your order, have your money ready and move along.
What Makes It Great:
Ambiance is key here. I got caught in it and declared it the best after we ate here. There is something about the neighborhood. It’s a by the slice shop and it’s all to-go. Even though we sat in the window. It’s not sit down like we did on the other two. The dough and cheese with the tomato is so simple here. The Pepperoni was good but Detroit style was the only with Meat that I loved. That said, this will not be my favorite below taste wise. Although, those photos show why the ambiance is so cool at Joe’s.
Iconic shot in the window
We go there as they were opening but got to see it work as the crowd gathered after us.
Mozzarella Pizza from Joe’s
Cheese pizza
Pepperoni is good but our third favorite of the three.
Spiderman is the delivery guy!
The three slice breakfast.
Crew getting ready to open.
Rankings
If you ask me on the street, I may have a new top three. These are all 1a, 1b and 1c. You need to visit all three locations.
Buddy’s Pizza– I loved the corner slice. The corner slice of a Detroiter is worth the visit to Detroit. Plus, you get that Vernor’s Float. Also, New Haven and New York City slices are very similar and this was a unique contender. A contender that I didn’t think I would love. Much like Detroit it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. The city has had rough times but we loved our time there and we loved the Pizza.
Frank Pepe’s- New York has the ambiance and the Instagrammable locations. Frank Pepe’s and New Haven have the better pizza. If I am in the mood for a thinner pizza it’s going to be New Haven and it’s going to be the Tomato one with the paste. I appreciate fresh tomato but the paste was just so good and so classic. I probably wouldn’t order the clam again but my Coast Guard buddy calls it his favorite. If you love Clams, you will love that White Clam Pizza.
Joe’s Pizza– It was a perfect visit. Love the pizza but comparing it to Frank Pepe dollar for dollar it didn’t hold up. That said, I would drive through NYC traffic again and fight for a parking spot for another slice.
Don’t worry, we’re here for Slim and Husky vs. Five Points debates!
The best shirt for new Nashville. Heavy Slime has done it again and it is now available at Gift Horse Nashville. So much goodness available daily at Gift Horse Nashville. They are always bringing in the best gifts for those visiting Nashville but more so those living in Nashville. Easily one of our top 5 places to shop in Nashville. Not to mention we buy all our cards there.
Captions of all photos are from Gift Horse’s IG Account. Follow them HERE!
The best shirt for new Nashville. Heavy Slime has done it again! Now available at the shop.
It’s the golden hour ✨We’ve got lots of new silver and gold office supplies in stock, including pens from @poketo, zipper pouches from @poppin, notebooks from @leuchtturm1917 , and more!
Paper & Clay ceramics are now available at Gift Horse! Each piece is made by hand in Memphis by Brit McDaniel. @britmcdaniel
It’s a beautiful day in Nashville! Come on by and check out our slew of new notebooks and paper goods, like these from Worthwhile Paper!
Turn on that Out Of Office reply: it’s the weekend! If you’re stuck at your desk, we’ve got some great office supplies to help curate your cubicle.
