I'm Back

Written by: Rick Amburgey: If my name looks familiar, there’s a good reason for that. I’ve been a part of the Carlisle/Franklin Township, Ohio community almost all of my life. Outside of the group I went to school with and has literally known me almost all of my life, I suppose most people and this area are most familiar with me for my work in local newspapers, where I spent almost every waking minute between late 2003 and late 2007 writing stories and columns. I left the newspaper and moved to Kentucky to take a job. I recently learned that there was a rumor that I had died. I am pleased to report that was greatly exaggerated.

I love the news business, but my favorite part of my weekly news duties was writing my column. It was my chance to give my opinion on what was going on. So, here I am, back on the journalistic scene and giving my opinions and thoughts to anyone who might listen. For anyone who remembers my old columns, it will be more of the same. You can find them regularly on CarlisleDaily.com. If you like what you read, feel free to add me as your Facebook friend or e-mail me. I’d love the chance to hear your views and elaborate on what is written here.

The first thing I’m going to talk about is the culture shock of sorts that I went through when I left Carlisle and headed to Murray, Ky. I had only visited Murray a time or two prior to my move and I had done some research online. It seemed to be a nice enough town, a college town. It felt almost like Heaven when I arrived, as I adjusted quickly.

I had been a regular fixture at Coffee House Treasures in the mornings, so one of the first thing I did was search out the local coffee shop. It was called Fidalgo Bay and it was rated as the #1 coffee house in Murray. That might have had a small thing to with the fact that it was the ONLY true coffee house to speak of, unless you count McDonalds, Burger King and Hardee’s. Between my experiences during my college years and my experiences in Carlisle, I expected more of the same friendly service, caring atmosphere.

In my days at Carlisle, I could expect a warm greeting from Tammy Lainhart as I walked in. It was just natural that she wouldn’t spend her days behind the counter. Most of her time is spent sitting talking with the customers, making them feel regular and at home. Most mornings I could almost count on seeing the Clay brothers, as well as other regulars, that I was proud to call my friends. Later in the morning, Barb Williams and Beth Mills, of the Flower Cart, would come in and sincerely ask how we all were doing. If they weren’t too busy with their own work, they would sometimes come and join in on our conversations. None of these elements were present in Murray.

I wondered why there was such a change and it finally occurred to me why there was a dramatic difference. Carlisle is primarily made up of small businesses, owned by local people. Obviously, they have to be mindful of their business, but they were free to run it any way they see fit. The secret of a small business owner is personalized, friendly service. In virtually every small business I have seen (except the ones that are short-lived) has a friendly owner and friendly staff. Most of the businesses in Murray were chains and franchises. There was a methodic way they had to conduct their business, as dictated by some suit in an air-conditioned corporate office a thousand miles away. There’s a dramatic difference. To a big-box store or restaurant, every customer is a small fish is a big pond (an ocean in some cases.) When you walk into a small business, even if it’s the most successful small business in the country, it’s much more likely the customer will be made to feel special.

There’s only one exception to this rule. I LOVED going to have breakfast at the Cracker Barrel every morning. Mayor Humphries, do you think a Cracker Barrel could be in Carlisle’s future? I don’t want to have to go all the way to Middletown every time I have a craving for some good old-fashioned grits.

Want to contact me? Feel free to send me an e-mail at rickamburgey@yahoo.com or send me a message through Facebook.