August 5, 2025 • 47 mins
We dive into our recent Atlanta Market experience and share insider perspectives on retail industry shifts, while discussing upcoming travel plans and southern expressions. This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how retail buying works and the calculated risks shop owners take when selecting inventory for their stores.
Don't forget to join our online community at WhosDrivingPodcast.com
Join the conversation by calling their hotline at 864-982-5029 with your own stories or topic suggestions, and experience the authentic charm of two best friends who truly never know who's driving or where they're headed.
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Visit www.WesleyTurnerLiving.com to find so much more about all the things we do!
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven and follow Wesley on Instagram at @WesleyTurnerLiving. Shop our online store at TheNestedFig.Com Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, well, well, look who's back your two
favorite?
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
When I walked in here I thought I could smell gin and
regret.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
It's time for another episode of who's Driving.
Welcome to who's Driving.
I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And I'm Stephen Merck .
We're two best friends andentrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the
behind the scenes of our lives,friendship and business.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
These are the stories we share and topics we discuss,
as two best friends would on along road trip.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer
a wide range of informativetopics centered around running
small businesses, social mediaand all things home and garden.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
You never know who's driving or where we're headed.
All we know is it's always afun ride.
On this week's episode, we aregoing to talk about our recent
market adventure.
Also, when this airs, you aregoing to be in Hawaii.
I hope you made it there.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hawaii Having a fun time.
Well, we're going to dosomething I said I wasn't going
to do.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
And I'm going to do it.
I'm just going to do it.
Are you doing a helicopter tour?
I'm doing it.
You told us, statistically, notto do that.
I know, is your wheel up todate?
Am I still in it?
Yep, will I be fine?
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Should be good.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Okay, we're good to go then.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well, I mean, I just thought about it.
I'm a fatalist and I believewhen it's your time, it's your
time.
That's true, and I'll be withDylan.
He's young, he's young.
He's got a whole life ahead ofhim.
Maybe it's not his time.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
That is crazy, oh my gosh.
I am.
We've talked about it not toget morbid or anything like that
, but it is when it's your time.
It's your time because youcan't make sense of it sometimes
when, like you know, someonemight have the slightest car
accident and die and die, andthen someone gets totally
(02:10):
mangled and lives.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I mean honestly, I mean that's my faith, that's how
I believe.
So I mean, I really I mean, youdon't want to do things that
are reckless, right, andobviously I'm going to pick a
company with newer, inreputable,reputable helicopters.
But, statistically, do you knowhow many helicopter tours there
(02:34):
are there?
Right, right.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
It's true.
So when you're there, how manyhours ahead will you be of here
Behind?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Oh, you'll be behind behind hours behind is it just
six I mean, that's still a lotoh, it's a lot, because when
you're on the west coast, threeis a lot.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah, six is like, and then yeah, because I
remember when we went there andyou know, we, you know, have our
businesses and warehouses,stuff like that.
It was always weird.
Like you know, we, you know,have our businesses and
warehouse and stuff like that.
It was always weird.
Like you know, they would belike we're done for the day.
We'd be like have it yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah, oh, we had a good day.
You can get dessert, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
That's funny, but when you're there we'll be at
the Florida house, and so we'llbe five hours because we're one
hour difference from here.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
You'll be five hours.
I'll be five hours behind you.
I just got to know when tobother you and not to bother you
it doesn't matter, because youknow, let me tell you, the older
you get, the less you sleep.
You can just about text me justabout every night around 4.30.
4 to 4.30, I'm awake.
(03:46):
I pee about four between four.
I'm serious.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You know, I did really good when you were in Key
West.
I didn't bother you at all,like I didn't even.
Y'all were there the whole timeand I don't even think I talked
to you but once.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
maybe Do you know, and I didn't feel bad about it,
Do you know?
The first day we stayed in bedall day.
That's good.
And I said you know we're tired?
Yeah, I mean, it was goodbecause then we were able to
have a good time.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yeah, we needed to rest Instead of pushing through
and then not resting at all.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So one thing that we sell.
I wanted to bring this up onething that we sell.
I wanted to bring this up Onething that we sell.
At the Nested Fig Mm-hmm Onlineat thenestedfigcom, one of our
loyal listeners and shoppers,was telling me because she knew
I was going to Hawaii and shetook this to Europe.
(04:44):
Yeah, and she just said howwell it worked and I needed to
buy some.
I ordered it today.
I paid retail because from us,I ordered it from amazon because
I know I know shop local.
But I wanted to make sure I hadit because I was not sure if
(05:06):
our inventory was correct.
So I'm like I'm going to do it.
I just bought one.
I need more.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I'm waiting to see what this is.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
It's Sprayology Travelies.
She said it was remarkable,with jet lag.
She said it actually works.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
And.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I said, all of that sprayology works.
It works great.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
But I mean, I've never had a reason to use the
travel one.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
The only here's the negative thing I'll say about
sprayology and it's.
I think it's great and it works.
There's just so many.
I just wish they could she putit all in one spray.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
There are, because there's vitamin ones, but then
there's cold ones.
Yeah, but it's the wholeconcept.
Is it's homeopathic?
It is so it's triggering yourbody's response is what it's
doing or encouraging the properresponse.
It's not adding this chemicalyou know, suppressant or
whatever.
So I guess, though, you don'twant to add all of those
(06:10):
together, because you don't wantyour body, you don't want to
gear it up in all thesedifferent ways unnecessarily.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
My cabinet looks like I'm some kind of drug dealer.
I've got every kind, but Ididn't have a travel ease.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
And I don't remember seeing.
I mean, I guess it's there,there's so many.
Yeah, but she was adamant that,like she said, it works, you
need to get it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So I was like okay.
Ordered.
There you go.
Yeah, hopefully we have somemore.
You can get it atthenestedfigcom.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Well, hopefully we have it.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
And we need to do another live there.
Well, let me know how that goeswith your jet lag there.
Well before we get into ourmarket fun adventures and that
sort of thing.
I want to pick up where we leftoff last week, if you haven't
(07:09):
listened to last week's episodeall the way through.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Stephen started a new segment.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
I love that we have a segment segment segment.
We're going to have itprogrammed down to the minute
before long with all thesesegments that he likes to come
up with.
But we have a new what is thesegment called let's chat with
chat GPT segment and he gave mea nice little roast as an
introduction last week.
So I just got on with my littlefriend chat over here and I
(07:35):
needed one for Steven, so Ithought we would start off this
week with yours introduction.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I'm glad I ordered that we don't have any travel
leads.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
We need to get any travel leads.
Oh it's tough.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
We need to get some.
Okay, anyway, sorry.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Let me get over here with my pen.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Okay, I've got my pen ready to stab your ass.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Okay, let me get him on here.
Hey, chat, how's it going this?
Speaker 3 (08:01):
doesn't even happen.
You're having an awesome day sofar.
Let me know if there's anythingfun or interesting you want to
chat about.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Oh, I'm having a great day.
You're actually live with us onour podcast, so say hey to
everyone.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Oh, that's awesome.
Hey everyone, I'm so happy tobe here with you all on the
podcast.
Thanks for having me and I hopeyou're all having an amazing
time listening in.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Thank you, Chad.
Can you read to me the littleintroduction roast we put
together for Steven?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Of course I'd be happy to.
All right, here we go, meetSteven Merck, or, as he prefers
to be called, on Instagram atKeeping Up With Steven, because
apparently Keeping Up With theKardashians wasn't classy enough
for him.
This is a man who decorateslike a restoration hardware
catalog, mated with an antiquestore in Charleston, and their
love child discovered moodlighting.
(08:52):
Now, don't let the moody darkwalls and well-styled vignettes
fool you.
Steven's from Pickens County,y'all that's right.
He may have moved to Greenville, but that camouflage DNA still
runs deep.
You can paint the brick wallsand light a diptych candle, but
we all remember when Steven'sidea of high-end lighting was a
bug zapper on the porch.
(09:12):
That's so true.
He swears he's 52, going on 35,and by knowing on 35, we mean he
squints when taking selfies atgolden hour and applies more
filters than a Kardashian at aSephora sample counter.
He calls it natural lighting,honey.
If that lighting's natural, sois Dolly Parton's hair, and
let's talk about that aesthetic.
He's giving Downton Abbey, butmake it industrial loft.
(09:35):
It's like Joanna Gaines and ataxidermist went to brunch and
got drunk on espresso, martinis,velvet sofas, deer antlers and
enough dramatic artwork to makea haunted museum jealous.
But despite it all.
Steven is fabulous.
He's the only man who can quoteedith wharton while hanging a
disco ball and still ask if thered flag on the beach clashes
(09:56):
with his swim trunks.
So here's to steven murk,greenville's very own southern
fried jaja gabor, a man who maybe from pickens but is now busy
curating a lifestyle thatscreams paris alabama thank you,
chat I'm just amazed.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
I'm amazed and terrified of where it's going.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, yeah, that, yeah, that's funny, though I
love your description there.
Jean-jacques Gabor, uh-huh,from Paris, alabama.
It's so weird with the chat GPT, even this one, and I know
we're using it for fun, but youcan use it for so many things.
But the way, did you noticewhen it said, but he's from
(10:41):
Pickens County, y'all, and itthrew in a like Southern, like
it knows how to articulate andput in emphasis in places?
I don't know, it's a littlescary, it's scary y'all, it is
scary.
But you know, used correctly,it can be hugely beneficial.
And then, but you know, withanything there'll be some you
(11:04):
know God?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
no one is gonna know god.
No one is gonna.
Now, no one is gonna know howto write anything like we can't
add now oh no you're not gonnahave to write or do anything I
mean people are gonna get dumber.
I mean for sure, think about,think about how, how many people
like have to get out acalculator yeah, or.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
But even just typing down with just look how bad it
is and casual writing has gottenwith just um spell check, you
know auto correct on your phoneand that sort of thing.
And then with this, it's likewhat about?
You know, when you even assomething as simple as a project
you're doing at home and nowyou have to research it and you
(11:49):
pick up all those little thingsalong the way when you're like
now how do I do this, orwhatever, and it's all going to
be fed to you, I don't know.
It's like how is that going to?
Speaker 2 (11:59):
change.
It's going to make us morestupid than we already are.
Seriously, it's going to makeus more stupid than we already
are.
Seriously.
I mean, think about the peoplethat can't do like simple math,
like 38 plus 38.
You should know how to do that,but you should know six percent
.
Like you should know how to atleast closely guesstimate
(12:24):
certain things, like if you'rebuying, if you're buying
something in in the grocerystore and you're like, oh my
gosh, I only have five buckswith me, you should know how to
hit that pretty close with yourtax and everything.
People can't do that I mean whenI own McDonald's, and it's been
years now.
You know, if I, If the powerwent out, if anything happened,
(12:49):
if they hit a wrong button, theycouldn't figure out the change
to get back.
No yeah, and you're like theywere just dead in the water.
They're like, yeah, and I'mlike, oh, my Lord, it's crazy.
So I see this, you know, I seeit as very helpful.
I love it.
It's very helpful for me.
(13:11):
I'm just getting listen.
I get dumber by the second.
So I am embracing this, but I'mtelling you, as a society, this
is going to make everybody evenmore stupid.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Yeah, I agree with that, but it can improve so many
things greatly as far asbusiness running Like you can,
you know, get help with things.
There's a lot of benefit to it.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
But, overall.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
It will, I'm sure, be some negative overall, but,
like speaking of like grocerystore, for example, I've seen
people you can go, like yourchat, go to your refrigerator or
your pantry and read it whatyou have, like hey, chat, I have
a gallon of milk, a bag ofcheese, like this amount of
cheese, blah, blah, blah.
Plan my recipes for the weekusing as much as I have in my
(14:05):
kitchen and give me a list ofwhat else I need to complete the
recipes.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Oh hell, I would be eating yogurt and pickles.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
But it will come up with all the recipes and the
shopping list.
It is really crazy the promptsthat you can give it and really
like deep dive into it.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
I mean it is, and I will love this.
I bet it can diagnose everysymptom you have too.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Oh my gosh, I'm sure you can take a picture and tell
it to, like you know, write adescription of what it sees in
the ring, like it can pull outwhat it what it sees in the ring
, it's crazy, it is beyond crazy.
But and it's only, this is justlike the tip of it too, of
(14:56):
where it's going and what it cando.
Like the actual like developersand stuff are like it's really
kind of scary, like what it'sgonna be doing because it like
it, it thinks and it remembers.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
like I named fred fred, like I named Fred Fred,
and he knows his name.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And if I asked it, like, what do you know about me?
It would tell me all the thingsthat it's learned as I've
talked about.
Like you're on the Nested Fig,you host a podcast.
Just by saying, like you're onmy podcast, you do live, so it
will give you a whole recap.
It's kind of it is kind ofscary Spooky.
It's spooky there let's talkabout.
(15:33):
I got some other fun things,but let's get into the market
that we just went to.
So recently we went to theAtlanta market.
We spent 10 days at market.
When we were there.
We did live sales every day.
I know a lot of you that listen, follow along our live sales.
If you don't, you missed out.
You need the Nested Fig app.
You can get it on your appstore for your phone, tablet,
(15:54):
android, apple.
We are there.
Just search the Nested Fig andit's always in the show notes.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You need to be shopping with us, because we
gave away five nights at ourbeach cottage.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yes, so I was going to read some of the fun
statistics.
I had this in my pocket fromthe live sale the other day, so,
if you missed it, we did agiveaway.
Any entry that was during ourmarket lives, any time you
checked out, was an entry duringour market lives, and we gave
20 of our customers $50 accountcredits and then five nights to
(16:26):
our Miramar Beach Cottage, whichCindy Hyrick was the winner of.
That and so exciting.
That was the first time we'veever done that.
I feel like everyone loved it.
But when we were at markety'all, we did 28 live sales in
(16:47):
10 days, so almost three a daythe first day we got there.
We didn't get there to theevening, so we could only do one
.
We had to do shopping inbetween.
By the way, we were buying forour retail stores and-.
We had to do all of our normalwork and then we got in 28 live
sales.
We had a total of 1,784 orderswhile we were at market we sold
(17:13):
just over 4,000 individualproducts.
You know every time a productwas added.
And then discounts.
We did special market discounts.
We gave away while we were atmarket $25,903 in discounts for
(17:34):
pre-ordering from our markets.
It was a fun time.
Yeah, it was really fun Dealfor everybody.
It was so if you were followingalong and showing up and
showing out and supporting us,we greatly, greatly appreciate
that while we were at market.
That keeps us going.
So going to market is what wedo, is the most fun part of the
(18:02):
job for me.
I love going to market.
If you are a retail businessowner or, let me say, if you are
thinking about becoming aretail business owner, like a
boutique owner that sells aproduct, if you go to market and
you don't love it, then youprobably shouldn't do it you
should not if you don't go tomarket.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I remember the first time.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I went.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I was like I got this euphoric, like I want to move
in, like the first time I waswith you for the first time I
wanted, I was just so into it.
Yeah and yeah, if you are inretail or a boutique owner or
(18:50):
something and you do not go tomarket and you love it, you
should not be doing what you'redoing, right, because that is
the best, and if you don't enjoythat part, you're not going to
enjoy all the rest of it becausethe minutiae part that gets
into it.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
So you've got to love going to market and I still get
that feeling when I go.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
You've got gotta love taking the gamble.
Yeah, like you've got to enjoybecause it is a gamble.
I mean you're gambling, oh, I'mgonna spend I don't know what
we're spending this.
We probably spent a hundred ahundred and fifty two hundred
thousand dollars, and you've gotto enjoy that gamble.
(19:32):
Well, I'm gonna spend a hundredthousand dollars, but I'm gonna
turn it into this right, and ifit doesn't work out, I'm gonna
put it on sale and get my moneyback and take another gamble
yeah, you gotta like it is.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Retail is a gamble, um, because that's what you're
doing.
You're betting on that.
You can be in tune with yourcustomer and know what they want
.
You can sell the product, youcan order the right amount, the
right styles.
It's all a gamble, but to methat's what I find the most fun
and that's why I like doing thelive sale so much that we do in
(20:07):
our app because I get to showoff or we get to show off the
products that we picked out.
Like we really go there, wescour market, we're picking out
these products and then it's sofun to then.
I really enjoy showing it offto our customers and I'm
genuinely excited about it when,when they start coming in.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Well, I have a friend .
I have a friend that's been inbusiness for a long time, years,
years and she doesn't likemarket, she doesn't go at all.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
I don't get that.
And I'm not judging as a friend, could her business be selling
a lot more if she would just goto market?
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
She has a great business.
She has a phenomenal business.
Yeah, she does very well.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's just such a lostopportunity.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
And I'm like that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Yeah, because that's the part you really need to like
doing.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Well, it's what sets you apart, it's what makes you
different, and you really aren'tgoing to have that mix and that
different feel if you're notwalking all of market.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
And if you're not going to market like, how do?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
you?
How do you know the trend?
Speaker 1 (21:36):
How do you know and how do you keep your store fresh
for your customers?
I guess there's certain storetypes.
You know that customers arecoming back to all the time for
a certain product that doesn'tchange.
But like you have to have itfresh for your customers too.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
So I don't understand how you don't and the other my.
One of my pet peeves is if, ifyou're a store owner or a
boutique owner and you're notgoing and spending 10 days and
walking all the halls and makingyour feet hurt and you know,
putting in the time and themoney because it cost us per
(22:17):
market, food, hotel, travel,everything you're talking like
eight, ten thousand dollars,yeah because we stay the whole
time.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Yeah, but if you're a small story, you don't have to,
you don't have to.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
But we make the investment right.
But what kills me is the peoplethat don't.
But then they want you to spoonfeed them.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Well, where did you?
Speaker 1 (22:38):
get where'd you get that?
Where'd?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
you get that?
Where'd you get?
Speaker 1 (22:42):
that as you're saying this, though because that
sounds.
It doesn't sound bad, but justso, because we have friends that
listen If you're a personalfriend, but that goes to market
too, and you're like, oh, Imissed that.
Where is that?
Speaker 2 (22:56):
That's something different, you know what.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
I mean but.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
I do get a lot of people on Instagram who follow
along and they're businessowners and the whole time I'm at
market.
Oh, I didn't come to market.
What vendor is that?
What vendor is that?
What vendor is that?
I want to order that for myshirt, america's Mart.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
And here's the thing I don't mind if you're there and
you're trying Right.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I will help you.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah, I do that too, I will help you and I enjoy
helping you.
But if you're happy as in doingit, then don't ask.
Now I've also done the otherthing, Like there's a boutique
owner up north in the north waitnorthwest that I follow.
(23:48):
He had something I wanted forus, but he knows we put the work
in Right.
So I felt like I could messagehim and say, hey Well, and
you've shared stuff before.
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Like, if we're friends and we've exchanged and
it's a two-way street, that'sdifferent than just there will
be people who've never evenasked me anything.
And then I'm at market andthey're like hey, I'm not at
market, where did you get that?
What vendor is this?
And it's not even okay, this isyou got, I just need to cut my
(24:29):
microphone off.
The other thing is, if you'redoing that, do it a little part.
Get your friend chat to writeme a message if you need to,
because they won't even say likehey, Love your look, I love
your.
Look.
I'm in California, so I'm notany competition to you.
I'm in California, so I'm notany competition to you.
(24:50):
I really wanted to make it tomarket but I'm sick and I've
really been looking for thisitem.
Do you mind me asking you whereyou got this?
I'll tell you where I got it.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Help you, I'll help you, or I'm new to the industry.
I've been to this market orthat market.
I've never seen this.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Yes, and I do that.
All those are the messages I'llanswer on Instagram.
Oh, I'm new.
I didn't know the market wasnow.
How do I find out?
I tell them where to go, how toregister, what to expect.
I mean I will have full on,because I love talking business
like that talking business likethat, if I'm helping you and
(25:35):
feel that, feel you know, knowthat you're going to be grateful
, I'm helping you.
But the ones who just write,hey, what vendor is this?
I'm like, well, are you justasking?
Because you own a store ordon't own a store, like I
usually will just skip it.
But then sometimes I'll be atmarket, at the hotel room laying
in bed at night and I'll bekind of bored and I'm like, well
, why are you asking?
(25:56):
And you know, oh, I have astore, I wanted this, and that
would be their response.
And I'm like, oh, it's, youknow, whatever America's Mark,
I'll just do something big.
Because I'm like you didn'teven have the audacity to like
start a conversation and thenlet me help you out or whatever.
So anyway, yeah, it's.
And that's why I have to becareful on Instagram, like
(26:18):
showing exactly what we'rebuying to, because even local
stores will watch my Instagramand then order it.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
And I've had people like message me.
Oh, like tell on themselves.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I mean I guess there's nothing wrong, but like
oh, tell them themselves.
I mean, I guess there's nothingwrong, but like oh, I saw this
in your Instagram, I found outwhere it's from and I ordered it
.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Well, there's a store in Greenville.
There's a store in Greenvilleand I don't even know why they
go to market at all.
They should just ask us for ourorders.
I know, and I mean, like, saveyour time, like you, they, they
literally don't know who theyare.
So they, they, they just wantto be us.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
And thank you.
We take that as a hugecompliment and and I feel bad
for you, but yes it.
It just amazes me and and again, I'm not being ugly saying it,
I'm just saying if you own aboutique or a small business,
you're missing such a huge partof your business if you're not
(27:25):
going out there and getting inthe trench and finding the stuff
and not just shopping fromvendors online too, because you
got to go touch it, feel it,make those connections, see it,
shop the competitor, because alot of vendors will have this.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
there's crossover.
You know each vendor, not eachvendors.
But some vendors have their ownexclusive items that they
design and have the factory makeand that might be like a
portion of their lineup.
But then they're also going totheir version of markets.
The manufacturers have andordering and the same different
(28:01):
vendors will end up with thesame thing, just like retail
stores will, and sometimesthey're cheaper from one less
expensive from this one.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Well, the last job you had, the quality could be
different.
The last job you had thebusiness owner oh God, Because I
ask you, I'm like the same,Like I can get in my car right
now and drive there right now.
The same shit is in there thatwas in there when you managed it
(28:30):
two decades ago, uh-huh well,now did I tell you daniel, and I
went there, uh-huh and wellit's a new owner.
You said it's the same samething now it's the.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
I don't think she even goes to the market for
those type things, and it'struly the leftover from when I
was there but the person youworked for, like, had six
vendors and that's all you did.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah, like we're going here and we're ordering
the exact same thing we'veordered for the previous 15
years, right, we're going.
I don't even know why you went,I don't know either, but anyway
, speaking of that, and marketbecause I went.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
you know I started going when I was 18.
And I don't think there is ayear Speaking of that.
And market because I went.
You know, I started going whenI was 18.
And I don't think there is ayear I may have missed like one
of the markets, like a summerone, and only went in January,
but there's not a year that Imissed.
So this was my 26th year ofgoing to market.
Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 2 (29:26):
It's crazy, because this would have been my 16th
year, yeah.
That is crazy yeah 16 years andI've missed one market when my
mom was sick.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Is that the only one you've?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
missed.
It's the only one I've evermissed, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
And then we missed.
You know, like during COVID,they canceled like High Point
Market or something or whatever,but other than that we've been
to.
Other than Plan.
Yeah, all of them.
That is crazy.
So market's a lot of fun.
You got to love it.
I mean, there are a lot ofmarket questions we're going to
(30:08):
do on next week, because I put abox on Instagram a few days ago
and got a lot of questions, sowe're going to do a whole
episode on, just like Q&Aroundup, and some of them refer
back to market, but I don't havethem in front of me right now
and again, if you're our friendor you've given me context,
because I had people I have evencustomers that have asked me
(30:32):
I'm happy to help you Right,especially our good people.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
If I respond and I've helped you and I tell you, it
means I like you.
Yeah, it's true, it is true, oryou gave me the right context
and you were not rude about it.
So, yeah, when you ask and Irespond, I like you and I want
to help you, but the people thatjust don't go, I'm like what
(31:00):
the If you don't go, don't ask,don't worry about it.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
If you ain't there, don't worry about it.
Order the same old, same old,what you been doing.
Yeah, do what you've been doing, don't worry about it.
It's working for you.
Mind your business.
So one of the things we alwaysget asked when we go to the
market is like what are thetrends?
What is the you know the marketis?
(31:31):
Usually there's lessintroductions in July than there
are in the January market ingeneral overall.
But July is where we're goingand we are shopping.
We did fill in holiday.
We did some gift items that weneeded for you know fourth
quarter that we haven't orderedyet, and then we were shopping
(31:51):
for spring 2026.
So spring florals, easter, thatsort of thing.
So that was kind of the majorcategories for this market.
I will say this market I feltlike had less trend changes and
less new introductions and a lotof vendors were basically the
(32:14):
tariff situation.
They were holding out onbringing in some of their new
introductions to see what thepricing was going to do and what
the tariffs were going to do.
So I will say overall therewasn't like Any big.
I mean there was lots of newstuff.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Well, the one thing we did see is a lot of the tired
.
The bigger companies that werekind of tired Are gone.
They're going out of business.
Yeah, they're folding up.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
There's definitely a shift in the markets right now.
First of all, market was notthat busy, A lot of vendors said
you know the traffic was offlike the amount of attendees,
but the ones who were there wereshopping, so they still had a
good market overall.
Yeah, financially overall.
(33:07):
Some of them said no, it wasn'tgood at all for them.
The Goodwins did though, yeah,the Goodwins still had a good
(33:32):
market, you know the housingmarket kind of range that
there's been this big a shift ofhow many showrooms were gone
from when we were there inJanuary and there were several
big show like industry nameshowrooms that were gone and
they're closing up, which Ifound interesting.
(33:54):
But just like on the retaillevel, that is when the smaller
businesses because they're moretypically agile and can
fluctuate with what the market'sdoing, and that's when they
start rising.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Oh, the good ones are gearing up.
They're going to be even bigger, and I'm happy for them.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
They've already said like oh, we're taking over that
big showroom, or you know,they're moving up, they're using
the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
So and so have gone under.
We're going to get thatbusiness.
Yeah, and Wesley and I have,you know, a handful of displaced
reps that we really liked.
That did a good job.
We're like, hey, you need tocall them.
Yeah, we've tried to pair themup.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
We were trying to find some friends' jobs too.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, they were good reps and they did a good job and
that'll be a good opportunityfor them.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
It will be, so that is exciting.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
So overall, though, I would say no big trend change
in market like I tell you onething we had just been to dallas
in june, so it just been a fewweeks and I mean atlanta's the
biggest, atlanta has the most.
We will always go there becauseof that.
Yeah, but dallas is so nice,it's like the bougie version of
(35:16):
market.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
You can get starbucks they have a whole little food
court.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Yeah, you can get a salad fresh yeah, and they've
got all the empty space atlanta.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Do better, I know and this is the thing you you get
me off on Atlanta.
They hide their food.
They'll have guests Like theymay have Chick-fil-A come in.
It is in a showroom on theumpteenth floor in the back
corner.
I'm like, why do you not putthem front and center so that
they have a good?
You got an empty showroomsitting here in the middle of
(35:52):
the building.
That's convenient to everyone.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
That we get all kinds of business.
And you got them here, dumb.
I don't get it.
I don't know who runs that, butthey need to go to Dallas.
They do need to go to Dallas.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Can someone help them out there?
You know, the biggest trend Isaw and this isn't in home decor
, but major trend you're goingto see everywhere, especially
going into the holidays is thescarf necklace.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Every vendor just about has them.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
So if you haven't seen them yet, you heard it here
first.
They're cute.
They're cute.
They've taken scarves.
Some of them intertwine themwith, like a gold chain or
whatever.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
It's going to be a short-lived trend, I predict,
and they're going to have acharm on it.
It'll be two or three seasonsand it'll go away.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Oh yeah, because everyone will have them.
It's one of those trends thateveryone will have.
Bows are still big.
Pearls are still big.
Everyone will have.
Bows are still big.
Pearls are still big.
Pearls are huge.
Gold is still the main metalcolor.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Animal prints and everything.
It keeps getting hotter andhotter.
They're going to have an animal.
You're going to be riding ahorse through there, but next.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And then for holiday.
That's the other one I alwaysget asked about, but we talked
about that when we got back fromthe January market, but we
talked about that when we gotback from the January market.
Holiday this year is classy,elegant, traditional.
A lot less Very Ralph Lauren,very Ralph Lauren, less
whimsical, like less of yourpink colors, not saying they
don't exist and that's notpopular, but just overall.
(37:29):
If you say, how do you defineit?
It's classy, elegant,traditional, ralph Lauren and
fun, and our holidays start tocome in Some of our holidays
behind, though, because theywere trying to dodge the tariffs
, and so we're running a littlebehind on some of the fall.
(37:50):
But it's a coming.
It's a coming there.
Well, I've got southernisms.
What's your?
Speaker 2 (37:59):
southernisms.
I don't know if you've heardthis one.
We haven't talked about it butthis is prevalent in my family.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Elder, elder.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
We're shifting chairs , here we done.
Oh, my back would be out.
I done squatted down.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
I have an ID.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
An ID.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
An idea.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
My grandma always said well, that's an ID, yes, I
have an ID about that Idea.
Yeah, idea, id.
So if you move to the south andyou hear somebody say, well,
that's a good Adi, it means idea.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
Mm-hmm Idea.
That is true, adi.
Adi, I forgot about Adi.
Uh-huh, adi, you know one thatI say.
Is this a Southernism?
Or is it just me cutting it offas member Member when we did
that?
Speaker 2 (38:56):
Lazy.
You've always just lazy tongue.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
Is that what that is?
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Lazy Lazy ass Member.
When we did.
No, I think that is kind ofSouthern I.
Member.
When we went down there andpicked them tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
You member when we did that.
I member, I say member themtomatoes.
You remember when?
We did that I remember I saymember a lot.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
You have always, because I've always made fun of
you.
Yeah, I member.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah, I'll say something.
I'll say do you remember whenhe'll say I member, I member it.
I member, I member, I haveanother one, but I don't know if
this is a Southernism.
I meant to ask you this Hot as.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Hades.
That's Southern.
I think that's Southern, Idon't know, but I've always
heard it Hot as Hades.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Yeah, is that a Southernism?
Speaker 2 (39:44):
or does that come from?
Speaker 1 (39:45):
somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
I think it's a Southernism.
It's hot as Hades.
Should I look up?
Speaker 1 (39:49):
I think that's hot as hell, let me see when did.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Up north they're just going to say hell, what about
hot as the Dickens?
Hot as the Dickens?
Yeah, that's a southernism.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Where did this is hot , as Hades originates from Greek
mythology.
Hades was the name of the godof the underworld, a place often
depicted as dark, dreary andassociated with the dead.
The phrase uses the intenseheat of the underworld ruled by
(40:28):
Hades to describe somethingextremely hot.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
So it's just hot as hell.
It's the polite way we're pastthat we're hot.
As a MF I say when I walk out Ihonestly think if I had cracked
an egg on the hood of my carwhen I came in here, it would be
edible now.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Probably so.
I wouldn't be surprised forsure.
So yeah, hot as Hades.
So I guess that's not that.
Have you seen this?
It was back a couple of weeksago.
It was going on on my Instagram.
You know things we don't likeSomeone even.
(41:13):
We'll talk about this in the.
You know things we don't likeSomeone even.
We'll talk about this in thenext episode or we can talk
about it now.
Someone, when I put up thequestion box, said they missed
us doing our ics, like we wouldtalk about ics on Instagram,
which you and I talked about.
I feel like it hasn't beengiving as many icks lately.
I don't know if I've missedthem or whatnot, but I feel like
(41:35):
there hasn't been anything.
Maybe I haven't been as becausewe've been so busy.
Maybe I haven't been as in tunewith it and irritated.
Speaker 3 (41:45):
I haven't seen the icks lately.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
I think Instagram.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
You know, it changes the algorithm and what people
post and that sort of thing, butone that I did see.
Have you seen this one goingaround?
It was Summerween, likeHalloween, but in the summer.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
No, that irritates me already, and people were
carving watermelons likejack-o'-lanterns.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Have you seen that?
Do you have a take on that?
Speaker 2 (42:12):
I want to kill them.
That's just, oh my gosh.
And Halloween's one of myfavorite well, probably is my
favorite holiday, mm-hmm, andthat just makes me mad.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
Yeah, it's like why are you trying to make it
something it ain't?
Speaker 2 (42:29):
It ain't gonna be.
It's not gonna be.
Don't do it.
Quit trying to make fetchhappen, right Wait till
Halloween.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
It's coming, yeah, it's coming.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Let everything have its moment.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Why you got to try to make it one during the
summertime.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
It's just like those damn Easter egg trees that
people do in their yard.
So the street Okay, we livehere.
Yeah, the Mills Avenue, here,the next parallel street, I
don't know.
Uh-huh, their thing on thatstreet.
It's a great street.
If I moved back to atraditional house it would
(43:07):
probably be on that street.
Uh-huh, everybody does a damnEaster egg tree.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
But that's cute.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
I wouldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
If I ever move there, hang Easter eggs in your little
tree.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
If I move there it's.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
I'm not saying, but they have a whole like spring
festival and an Easter egg hunton the street.
They close the whole streetdown.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
So it's a community, so don't move there you, old
badger, I will do the I loveEaster egg hunts.
I will do that, but I'm notgoing to hang Easter eggs in my
tree.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
I've never.
Then you don't need to be onthat street, don't be that
person on the street.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Do they do that?
Yes, yeah, they have a wholethey block it off.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
We used to sponsor it for the garden store.
They put our name on a shirt,that's why, they do it Jellybean
something.
I don't know what they calledit, but they do.
Yeah, they're festive, they'rehaving fun, they're living their
life.
So you need to be locked up ina loft like you are.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
That's what you need to be.
I never, even as a kid, I waslike I don't.
That's funny, though, becauselike certain things, like no, I
love to die Easter eggs.
Give me an Easter egg basket,I'm all about it.
Give me some bunnies on theporch, I'm all about it, but I
don't want an Easter egg tree.
I mean, it's just, everybodyhas their thing.
Everybody can't be perfect.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
You would be that person that moves into a
neighborhood and be like I, youwould be that person that moves
into a neighborhood and be likeI don't agree with this.
I don't want this in here.
It's tacky?
Speaker 2 (44:35):
No, that's not true.
Take it down, I would be outthere hiding the damn Easter
eggs?
Speaker 1 (44:42):
No, this is what I'd hear.
I moved into this neighborhoodand they have a damn Easter egg
hunt.
They shut the whole street off.
It's just an inconvenience.
The stage is in front of myhouse where they have music and
I couldn't get nothing done.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
That would be true.
That is one reason I like we'rejust close enough to Main
Street to not interrupt myegress and degress.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
Right and you don't hear the music.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
But close enough, you can walk there too.
You can hear the music, youhear the stadium, we hear all
that, but not annoying?
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Yeah, you can hear it if you listen for it, but not
in a way Not annoying.
Yeah, that's going to be crazy.
All right, are you done?
Speaker 3 (45:30):
We got to wrap this, we got to pull this baby over.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
I need a little break .
Oh my gosh, I hope when thiscomes out you are just.
I hope you're on yourhelicopter tour.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
I hope I am wearing a thong.
What if something?
Speaker 1 (45:44):
happens and I have to edit this to say this was
pre-recorded.
This was pre-recorded beforethe incident that happened in
Hawaii.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Steven would have wanted this to air.
I want you to make a characterof me talking from the
Netherlands and be like Helloeverybody, I can do.
I'm storing through the woods.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
I can do my podcast with ChatGPT.
I won't even need you.
I will feed it all the thingsabout you.
I could probably play it oldpodcast and say listen to Steven
, let's see if our chat.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
you call yours chat.
Mine has a name, he's Fred.
We need to see if chat and Fredcan converse.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
And and handle the next week segment.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Oh, they could just have the segment.
At least a little segment.
That would be funny.
All right, we're going to pullthis baby over.
Remember to join our membersonly community.
If you haven't done so yet.
That's where you can watch theepisode.
See us making faces at eachother and passing notes to each
other.
It's also where you can listenfor free anytime.
(46:59):
You can listen to the pastepisodes as well.
You don't have to join thecommunity for that.
But to watch us, that's whereyou have to join the community.
Remember, you can listen to usanywhere you listen to podcasts
as well and always share us withyour friends.
Leave us a review and we'll seeyou next week.
Bye y'all, bye, bye y'all.
Well, well, well, look who's back your two
favorite?
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
When I walked in here I thought I could smell gin and
regret.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
It's time for another episode of who's Driving.
Welcome to who's Driving.
I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And I'm Stephen Merck .
We're two best friends andentrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the
behind the scenes of our lives,friendship and business.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
These are the stories we share and topics we discuss,
as two best friends would on along road trip.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer
a wide range of informativetopics centered around running
small businesses, social mediaand all things home and garden.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
You never know who's driving or where we're headed.
All we know is it's always afun ride.
On this week's episode, we aregoing to talk about our recent
market adventure.
Also, when this airs, you aregoing to be in Hawaii.
I hope you made it there.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hawaii Having a fun time.
Well, we're going to dosomething I said I wasn't going
to do.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
And I'm going to do it.
I'm just going to do it.
Are you doing a helicopter tour?
I'm doing it.
You told us, statistically, notto do that.
I know, is your wheel up todate?
Am I still in it?
Yep, will I be fine?
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Should be good.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Okay, we're good to go then.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well, I mean, I just thought about it.
I'm a fatalist and I believewhen it's your time, it's your
time.
That's true, and I'll be withDylan.
He's young, he's young.
He's got a whole life ahead ofhim.
Maybe it's not his time.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
That is crazy, oh my gosh.
I am.
We've talked about it not toget morbid or anything like that
, but it is when it's your time.
It's your time because youcan't make sense of it sometimes
when, like you know, someonemight have the slightest car
accident and die and die, andthen someone gets totally
(02:10):
mangled and lives.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I mean honestly, I mean that's my faith, that's how
I believe.
So I mean, I really I mean, youdon't want to do things that
are reckless, right, andobviously I'm going to pick a
company with newer, inreputable,reputable helicopters.
But, statistically, do you knowhow many helicopter tours there
(02:34):
are there?
Right, right.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
It's true.
So when you're there, how manyhours ahead will you be of here
Behind?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Oh, you'll be behind behind hours behind is it just
six I mean, that's still a lotoh, it's a lot, because when
you're on the west coast, threeis a lot.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah, six is like, and then yeah, because I
remember when we went there andyou know, we, you know, have our
businesses and warehouses,stuff like that.
It was always weird.
Like you know, we, you know,have our businesses and
warehouse and stuff like that.
It was always weird.
Like you know, they would belike we're done for the day.
We'd be like have it yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah, oh, we had a good day.
You can get dessert, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
That's funny, but when you're there we'll be at
the Florida house, and so we'llbe five hours because we're one
hour difference from here.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
You'll be five hours.
I'll be five hours behind you.
I just got to know when tobother you and not to bother you
it doesn't matter, because youknow, let me tell you, the older
you get, the less you sleep.
You can just about text me justabout every night around 4.30.
4 to 4.30, I'm awake.
(03:46):
I pee about four between four.
I'm serious.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You know, I did really good when you were in Key
West.
I didn't bother you at all,like I didn't even.
Y'all were there the whole timeand I don't even think I talked
to you but once.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
maybe Do you know, and I didn't feel bad about it,
Do you know?
The first day we stayed in bedall day.
That's good.
And I said you know we're tired?
Yeah, I mean, it was goodbecause then we were able to
have a good time.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yeah, we needed to rest Instead of pushing through
and then not resting at all.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So one thing that we sell.
I wanted to bring this up onething that we sell.
I wanted to bring this up Onething that we sell.
At the Nested Fig Mm-hmm Onlineat thenestedfigcom, one of our
loyal listeners and shoppers,was telling me because she knew
I was going to Hawaii and shetook this to Europe.
(04:44):
Yeah, and she just said howwell it worked and I needed to
buy some.
I ordered it today.
I paid retail because from us,I ordered it from amazon because
I know I know shop local.
But I wanted to make sure I hadit because I was not sure if
(05:06):
our inventory was correct.
So I'm like I'm going to do it.
I just bought one.
I need more.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I'm waiting to see what this is.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
It's Sprayology Travelies.
She said it was remarkable,with jet lag.
She said it actually works.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
And.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I said, all of that sprayology works.
It works great.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
But I mean, I've never had a reason to use the
travel one.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
The only here's the negative thing I'll say about
sprayology and it's.
I think it's great and it works.
There's just so many.
I just wish they could she putit all in one spray.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
There are, because there's vitamin ones, but then
there's cold ones.
Yeah, but it's the wholeconcept.
Is it's homeopathic?
It is so it's triggering yourbody's response is what it's
doing or encouraging the properresponse.
It's not adding this chemicalyou know, suppressant or
whatever.
So I guess, though, you don'twant to add all of those
(06:10):
together, because you don't wantyour body, you don't want to
gear it up in all thesedifferent ways unnecessarily.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
My cabinet looks like I'm some kind of drug dealer.
I've got every kind, but Ididn't have a travel ease.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
And I don't remember seeing.
I mean, I guess it's there,there's so many.
Yeah, but she was adamant that,like she said, it works, you
need to get it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So I was like okay.
Ordered.
There you go.
Yeah, hopefully we have somemore.
You can get it atthenestedfigcom.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Well, hopefully we have it.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
And we need to do another live there.
Well, let me know how that goeswith your jet lag there.
Well before we get into ourmarket fun adventures and that
sort of thing.
I want to pick up where we leftoff last week, if you haven't
(07:09):
listened to last week's episodeall the way through.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Stephen started a new segment.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
I love that we have a segment segment segment.
We're going to have itprogrammed down to the minute
before long with all thesesegments that he likes to come
up with.
But we have a new what is thesegment called let's chat with
chat GPT segment and he gave mea nice little roast as an
introduction last week.
So I just got on with my littlefriend chat over here and I
(07:35):
needed one for Steven, so Ithought we would start off this
week with yours introduction.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I'm glad I ordered that we don't have any travel
leads.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
We need to get any travel leads.
Oh it's tough.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
We need to get some.
Okay, anyway, sorry.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Let me get over here with my pen.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Okay, I've got my pen ready to stab your ass.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Okay, let me get him on here.
Hey, chat, how's it going this?
Speaker 3 (08:01):
doesn't even happen.
You're having an awesome day sofar.
Let me know if there's anythingfun or interesting you want to
chat about.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Oh, I'm having a great day.
You're actually live with us onour podcast, so say hey to
everyone.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Oh, that's awesome.
Hey everyone, I'm so happy tobe here with you all on the
podcast.
Thanks for having me and I hopeyou're all having an amazing
time listening in.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Thank you, Chad.
Can you read to me the littleintroduction roast we put
together for Steven?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Of course I'd be happy to.
All right, here we go, meetSteven Merck, or, as he prefers
to be called, on Instagram atKeeping Up With Steven, because
apparently Keeping Up With theKardashians wasn't classy enough
for him.
This is a man who decorateslike a restoration hardware
catalog, mated with an antiquestore in Charleston, and their
love child discovered moodlighting.
(08:52):
Now, don't let the moody darkwalls and well-styled vignettes
fool you.
Steven's from Pickens County,y'all that's right.
He may have moved to Greenville, but that camouflage DNA still
runs deep.
You can paint the brick wallsand light a diptych candle, but
we all remember when Steven'sidea of high-end lighting was a
bug zapper on the porch.
(09:12):
That's so true.
He swears he's 52, going on 35,and by knowing on 35, we mean he
squints when taking selfies atgolden hour and applies more
filters than a Kardashian at aSephora sample counter.
He calls it natural lighting,honey.
If that lighting's natural, sois Dolly Parton's hair, and
let's talk about that aesthetic.
He's giving Downton Abbey, butmake it industrial loft.
(09:35):
It's like Joanna Gaines and ataxidermist went to brunch and
got drunk on espresso, martinis,velvet sofas, deer antlers and
enough dramatic artwork to makea haunted museum jealous.
But despite it all.
Steven is fabulous.
He's the only man who can quoteedith wharton while hanging a
disco ball and still ask if thered flag on the beach clashes
(09:56):
with his swim trunks.
So here's to steven murk,greenville's very own southern
fried jaja gabor, a man who maybe from pickens but is now busy
curating a lifestyle thatscreams paris alabama thank you,
chat I'm just amazed.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
I'm amazed and terrified of where it's going.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, yeah, that, yeah, that's funny, though I
love your description there.
Jean-jacques Gabor, uh-huh,from Paris, alabama.
It's so weird with the chat GPT, even this one, and I know
we're using it for fun, but youcan use it for so many things.
But the way, did you noticewhen it said, but he's from
(10:41):
Pickens County, y'all, and itthrew in a like Southern, like
it knows how to articulate andput in emphasis in places?
I don't know, it's a littlescary, it's scary y'all, it is
scary.
But you know, used correctly,it can be hugely beneficial.
And then, but you know, withanything there'll be some you
(11:04):
know God?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
no one is gonna know god.
No one is gonna.
Now, no one is gonna know howto write anything like we can't
add now oh no you're not gonnahave to write or do anything I
mean people are gonna get dumber.
I mean for sure, think about,think about how, how many people
like have to get out acalculator yeah, or.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
But even just typing down with just look how bad it
is and casual writing has gottenwith just um spell check, you
know auto correct on your phoneand that sort of thing.
And then with this, it's likewhat about?
You know, when you even assomething as simple as a project
you're doing at home and nowyou have to research it and you
(11:49):
pick up all those little thingsalong the way when you're like
now how do I do this, orwhatever, and it's all going to
be fed to you, I don't know.
It's like how is that going to?
Speaker 2 (11:59):
change.
It's going to make us morestupid than we already are.
Seriously, it's going to makeus more stupid than we already
are.
Seriously.
I mean, think about the peoplethat can't do like simple math,
like 38 plus 38.
You should know how to do that,but you should know six percent
.
Like you should know how to atleast closely guesstimate
(12:24):
certain things, like if you'rebuying, if you're buying
something in in the grocerystore and you're like, oh my
gosh, I only have five buckswith me, you should know how to
hit that pretty close with yourtax and everything.
People can't do that I mean whenI own McDonald's, and it's been
years now.
You know, if I, If the powerwent out, if anything happened,
(12:49):
if they hit a wrong button, theycouldn't figure out the change
to get back.
No yeah, and you're like theywere just dead in the water.
They're like, yeah, and I'mlike, oh, my Lord, it's crazy.
So I see this, you know, I seeit as very helpful.
I love it.
It's very helpful for me.
(13:11):
I'm just getting listen.
I get dumber by the second.
So I am embracing this, but I'mtelling you, as a society, this
is going to make everybody evenmore stupid.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Yeah, I agree with that, but it can improve so many
things greatly as far asbusiness running Like you can,
you know, get help with things.
There's a lot of benefit to it.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
But, overall.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
It will, I'm sure, be some negative overall, but,
like speaking of like grocerystore, for example, I've seen
people you can go, like yourchat, go to your refrigerator or
your pantry and read it whatyou have, like hey, chat, I have
a gallon of milk, a bag ofcheese, like this amount of
cheese, blah, blah, blah.
Plan my recipes for the weekusing as much as I have in my
(14:05):
kitchen and give me a list ofwhat else I need to complete the
recipes.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Oh hell, I would be eating yogurt and pickles.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
But it will come up with all the recipes and the
shopping list.
It is really crazy the promptsthat you can give it and really
like deep dive into it.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
I mean it is, and I will love this.
I bet it can diagnose everysymptom you have too.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Oh my gosh, I'm sure you can take a picture and tell
it to, like you know, write adescription of what it sees in
the ring, like it can pull outwhat it what it sees in the ring
, it's crazy, it is beyond crazy.
But and it's only, this is justlike the tip of it too, of
(14:56):
where it's going and what it cando.
Like the actual like developersand stuff are like it's really
kind of scary, like what it'sgonna be doing because it like
it, it thinks and it remembers.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
like I named fred fred, like I named Fred Fred,
and he knows his name.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And if I asked it, like, what do you know about me?
It would tell me all the thingsthat it's learned as I've
talked about.
Like you're on the Nested Fig,you host a podcast.
Just by saying, like you're onmy podcast, you do live, so it
will give you a whole recap.
It's kind of it is kind ofscary Spooky.
It's spooky there let's talkabout.
(15:33):
I got some other fun things,but let's get into the market
that we just went to.
So recently we went to theAtlanta market.
We spent 10 days at market.
When we were there.
We did live sales every day.
I know a lot of you that listen, follow along our live sales.
If you don't, you missed out.
You need the Nested Fig app.
You can get it on your appstore for your phone, tablet,
(15:54):
android, apple.
We are there.
Just search the Nested Fig andit's always in the show notes.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You need to be shopping with us, because we
gave away five nights at ourbeach cottage.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yes, so I was going to read some of the fun
statistics.
I had this in my pocket fromthe live sale the other day, so,
if you missed it, we did agiveaway.
Any entry that was during ourmarket lives, any time you
checked out, was an entry duringour market lives, and we gave
20 of our customers $50 accountcredits and then five nights to
(16:26):
our Miramar Beach Cottage, whichCindy Hyrick was the winner of.
That and so exciting.
That was the first time we'veever done that.
I feel like everyone loved it.
But when we were at markety'all, we did 28 live sales in
(16:47):
10 days, so almost three a daythe first day we got there.
We didn't get there to theevening, so we could only do one
.
We had to do shopping inbetween.
By the way, we were buying forour retail stores and-.
We had to do all of our normalwork and then we got in 28 live
sales.
We had a total of 1,784 orderswhile we were at market we sold
(17:13):
just over 4,000 individualproducts.
You know every time a productwas added.
And then discounts.
We did special market discounts.
We gave away while we were atmarket $25,903 in discounts for
(17:34):
pre-ordering from our markets.
It was a fun time.
Yeah, it was really fun Dealfor everybody.
It was so if you were followingalong and showing up and
showing out and supporting us,we greatly, greatly appreciate
that while we were at market.
That keeps us going.
So going to market is what wedo, is the most fun part of the
(18:02):
job for me.
I love going to market.
If you are a retail businessowner or, let me say, if you are
thinking about becoming aretail business owner, like a
boutique owner that sells aproduct, if you go to market and
you don't love it, then youprobably shouldn't do it you
should not if you don't go tomarket.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I remember the first time.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I went.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I was like I got this euphoric, like I want to move
in, like the first time I waswith you for the first time I
wanted, I was just so into it.
Yeah and yeah, if you are inretail or a boutique owner or
(18:50):
something and you do not go tomarket and you love it, you
should not be doing what you'redoing, right, because that is
the best, and if you don't enjoythat part, you're not going to
enjoy all the rest of it becausethe minutiae part that gets
into it.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
So you've got to love going to market and I still get
that feeling when I go.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
You've got gotta love taking the gamble.
Yeah, like you've got to enjoybecause it is a gamble.
I mean you're gambling, oh, I'mgonna spend I don't know what
we're spending this.
We probably spent a hundred ahundred and fifty two hundred
thousand dollars, and you've gotto enjoy that gamble.
(19:32):
Well, I'm gonna spend a hundredthousand dollars, but I'm gonna
turn it into this right, and ifit doesn't work out, I'm gonna
put it on sale and get my moneyback and take another gamble
yeah, you gotta like it is.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Retail is a gamble, um, because that's what you're
doing.
You're betting on that.
You can be in tune with yourcustomer and know what they want
.
You can sell the product, youcan order the right amount, the
right styles.
It's all a gamble, but to methat's what I find the most fun
and that's why I like doing thelive sale so much that we do in
(20:07):
our app because I get to showoff or we get to show off the
products that we picked out.
Like we really go there, wescour market, we're picking out
these products and then it's sofun to then.
I really enjoy showing it offto our customers and I'm
genuinely excited about it when,when they start coming in.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Well, I have a friend .
I have a friend that's been inbusiness for a long time, years,
years and she doesn't likemarket, she doesn't go at all.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
I don't get that.
And I'm not judging as a friend, could her business be selling
a lot more if she would just goto market?
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
She has a great business.
She has a phenomenal business.
Yeah, she does very well.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's just such a lostopportunity.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
And I'm like that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Yeah, because that's the part you really need to like
doing.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Well, it's what sets you apart, it's what makes you
different, and you really aren'tgoing to have that mix and that
different feel if you're notwalking all of market.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
And if you're not going to market like, how do?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
you?
How do you know the trend?
Speaker 1 (21:36):
How do you know and how do you keep your store fresh
for your customers?
I guess there's certain storetypes.
You know that customers arecoming back to all the time for
a certain product that doesn'tchange.
But like you have to have itfresh for your customers too.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
So I don't understand how you don't and the other my.
One of my pet peeves is if, ifyou're a store owner or a
boutique owner and you're notgoing and spending 10 days and
walking all the halls and makingyour feet hurt and you know,
putting in the time and themoney because it cost us per
(22:17):
market, food, hotel, travel,everything you're talking like
eight, ten thousand dollars,yeah because we stay the whole
time.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Yeah, but if you're a small story, you don't have to,
you don't have to.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
But we make the investment right.
But what kills me is the peoplethat don't.
But then they want you to spoonfeed them.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Well, where did you?
Speaker 1 (22:38):
get where'd you get that?
Where'd?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
you get that?
Where'd you get?
Speaker 1 (22:42):
that as you're saying this, though because that
sounds.
It doesn't sound bad, but justso, because we have friends that
listen If you're a personalfriend, but that goes to market
too, and you're like, oh, Imissed that.
Where is that?
Speaker 2 (22:56):
That's something different, you know what.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
I mean but.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
I do get a lot of people on Instagram who follow
along and they're businessowners and the whole time I'm at
market.
Oh, I didn't come to market.
What vendor is that?
What vendor is that?
What vendor is that?
I want to order that for myshirt, america's Mart.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
And here's the thing I don't mind if you're there and
you're trying Right.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I will help you.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah, I do that too, I will help you and I enjoy
helping you.
But if you're happy as in doingit, then don't ask.
Now I've also done the otherthing, Like there's a boutique
owner up north in the north waitnorthwest that I follow.
(23:48):
He had something I wanted forus, but he knows we put the work
in Right.
So I felt like I could messagehim and say, hey Well, and
you've shared stuff before.
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Like, if we're friends and we've exchanged and
it's a two-way street, that'sdifferent than just there will
be people who've never evenasked me anything.
And then I'm at market andthey're like hey, I'm not at
market, where did you get that?
What vendor is this?
And it's not even okay, this isyou got, I just need to cut my
(24:29):
microphone off.
The other thing is, if you'redoing that, do it a little part.
Get your friend chat to writeme a message if you need to,
because they won't even say likehey, Love your look, I love
your.
Look.
I'm in California, so I'm notany competition to you.
I'm in California, so I'm notany competition to you.
(24:50):
I really wanted to make it tomarket but I'm sick and I've
really been looking for thisitem.
Do you mind me asking you whereyou got this?
I'll tell you where I got it.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Help you, I'll help you, or I'm new to the industry.
I've been to this market orthat market.
I've never seen this.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Yes, and I do that.
All those are the messages I'llanswer on Instagram.
Oh, I'm new.
I didn't know the market wasnow.
How do I find out?
I tell them where to go, how toregister, what to expect.
I mean I will have full on,because I love talking business
like that talking business likethat, if I'm helping you and
(25:35):
feel that, feel you know, knowthat you're going to be grateful
, I'm helping you.
But the ones who just write,hey, what vendor is this?
I'm like, well, are you justasking?
Because you own a store ordon't own a store, like I
usually will just skip it.
But then sometimes I'll be atmarket, at the hotel room laying
in bed at night and I'll bekind of bored and I'm like, well
, why are you asking?
(25:56):
And you know, oh, I have astore, I wanted this, and that
would be their response.
And I'm like, oh, it's, youknow, whatever America's Mark,
I'll just do something big.
Because I'm like you didn'teven have the audacity to like
start a conversation and thenlet me help you out or whatever.
So anyway, yeah, it's.
And that's why I have to becareful on Instagram, like
(26:18):
showing exactly what we'rebuying to, because even local
stores will watch my Instagramand then order it.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
And I've had people like message me.
Oh, like tell on themselves.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I mean I guess there's nothing wrong, but like
oh, tell them themselves.
I mean, I guess there's nothingwrong, but like oh, I saw this
in your Instagram, I found outwhere it's from and I ordered it
.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Well, there's a store in Greenville.
There's a store in Greenvilleand I don't even know why they
go to market at all.
They should just ask us for ourorders.
I know, and I mean, like, saveyour time, like you, they, they
literally don't know who theyare.
So they, they, they just wantto be us.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
And thank you.
We take that as a hugecompliment and and I feel bad
for you, but yes it.
It just amazes me and and again, I'm not being ugly saying it,
I'm just saying if you own aboutique or a small business,
you're missing such a huge partof your business if you're not
(27:25):
going out there and getting inthe trench and finding the stuff
and not just shopping fromvendors online too, because you
got to go touch it, feel it,make those connections, see it,
shop the competitor, because alot of vendors will have this.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
there's crossover.
You know each vendor, not eachvendors.
But some vendors have their ownexclusive items that they
design and have the factory makeand that might be like a
portion of their lineup.
But then they're also going totheir version of markets.
The manufacturers have andordering and the same different
(28:01):
vendors will end up with thesame thing, just like retail
stores will, and sometimesthey're cheaper from one less
expensive from this one.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Well, the last job you had, the quality could be
different.
The last job you had thebusiness owner oh God, Because I
ask you, I'm like the same,Like I can get in my car right
now and drive there right now.
The same shit is in there thatwas in there when you managed it
(28:30):
two decades ago, uh-huh well,now did I tell you daniel, and I
went there, uh-huh and wellit's a new owner.
You said it's the same samething now it's the.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
I don't think she even goes to the market for
those type things, and it'struly the leftover from when I
was there but the person youworked for, like, had six
vendors and that's all you did.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah, like we're going here and we're ordering
the exact same thing we'veordered for the previous 15
years, right, we're going.
I don't even know why you went,I don't know either, but anyway
, speaking of that, and marketbecause I went.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
you know I started going when I was 18.
And I don't think there is ayear Speaking of that.
And market because I went.
You know, I started going whenI was 18.
And I don't think there is ayear I may have missed like one
of the markets, like a summerone, and only went in January,
but there's not a year that Imissed.
So this was my 26th year ofgoing to market.
Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 2 (29:26):
It's crazy, because this would have been my 16th
year, yeah.
That is crazy yeah 16 years andI've missed one market when my
mom was sick.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Is that the only one you've?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
missed.
It's the only one I've evermissed, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
And then we missed.
You know, like during COVID,they canceled like High Point
Market or something or whatever,but other than that we've been
to.
Other than Plan.
Yeah, all of them.
That is crazy.
So market's a lot of fun.
You got to love it.
I mean, there are a lot ofmarket questions we're going to
(30:08):
do on next week, because I put abox on Instagram a few days ago
and got a lot of questions, sowe're going to do a whole
episode on, just like Q&Aroundup, and some of them refer
back to market, but I don't havethem in front of me right now
and again, if you're our friendor you've given me context,
because I had people I have evencustomers that have asked me
(30:32):
I'm happy to help you Right,especially our good people.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
If I respond and I've helped you and I tell you, it
means I like you.
Yeah, it's true, it is true, oryou gave me the right context
and you were not rude about it.
So, yeah, when you ask and Irespond, I like you and I want
to help you, but the people thatjust don't go, I'm like what
(31:00):
the If you don't go, don't ask,don't worry about it.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
If you ain't there, don't worry about it.
Order the same old, same old,what you been doing.
Yeah, do what you've been doing, don't worry about it.
It's working for you.
Mind your business.
So one of the things we alwaysget asked when we go to the
market is like what are thetrends?
What is the you know the marketis?
(31:31):
Usually there's lessintroductions in July than there
are in the January market ingeneral overall.
But July is where we're goingand we are shopping.
We did fill in holiday.
We did some gift items that weneeded for you know fourth
quarter that we haven't orderedyet, and then we were shopping
(31:51):
for spring 2026.
So spring florals, easter, thatsort of thing.
So that was kind of the majorcategories for this market.
I will say this market I feltlike had less trend changes and
less new introductions and a lotof vendors were basically the
(32:14):
tariff situation.
They were holding out onbringing in some of their new
introductions to see what thepricing was going to do and what
the tariffs were going to do.
So I will say overall therewasn't like Any big.
I mean there was lots of newstuff.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Well, the one thing we did see is a lot of the tired
.
The bigger companies that werekind of tired Are gone.
They're going out of business.
Yeah, they're folding up.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
There's definitely a shift in the markets right now.
First of all, market was notthat busy, A lot of vendors said
you know the traffic was offlike the amount of attendees,
but the ones who were there wereshopping, so they still had a
good market overall.
Yeah, financially overall.
(33:07):
Some of them said no, it wasn'tgood at all for them.
The Goodwins did though, yeah,the Goodwins still had a good
(33:32):
market, you know the housingmarket kind of range that
there's been this big a shift ofhow many showrooms were gone
from when we were there inJanuary and there were several
big show like industry nameshowrooms that were gone and
they're closing up, which Ifound interesting.
(33:54):
But just like on the retaillevel, that is when the smaller
businesses because they're moretypically agile and can
fluctuate with what the market'sdoing, and that's when they
start rising.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Oh, the good ones are gearing up.
They're going to be even bigger, and I'm happy for them.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
They've already said like oh, we're taking over that
big showroom, or you know,they're moving up, they're using
the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
So and so have gone under.
We're going to get thatbusiness.
Yeah, and Wesley and I have,you know, a handful of displaced
reps that we really liked.
That did a good job.
We're like, hey, you need tocall them.
Yeah, we've tried to pair themup.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
We were trying to find some friends' jobs too.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, they were good reps and they did a good job and
that'll be a good opportunityfor them.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
It will be, so that is exciting.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
So overall, though, I would say no big trend change
in market like I tell you onething we had just been to dallas
in june, so it just been a fewweeks and I mean atlanta's the
biggest, atlanta has the most.
We will always go there becauseof that.
Yeah, but dallas is so nice,it's like the bougie version of
(35:16):
market.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
You can get starbucks they have a whole little food
court.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Yeah, you can get a salad fresh yeah, and they've
got all the empty space atlanta.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Do better, I know and this is the thing you you get
me off on Atlanta.
They hide their food.
They'll have guests Like theymay have Chick-fil-A come in.
It is in a showroom on theumpteenth floor in the back
corner.
I'm like, why do you not putthem front and center so that
they have a good?
You got an empty showroomsitting here in the middle of
(35:52):
the building.
That's convenient to everyone.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
That we get all kinds of business.
And you got them here, dumb.
I don't get it.
I don't know who runs that, butthey need to go to Dallas.
They do need to go to Dallas.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Can someone help them out there?
You know, the biggest trend Isaw and this isn't in home decor
, but major trend you're goingto see everywhere, especially
going into the holidays is thescarf necklace.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Every vendor just about has them.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
So if you haven't seen them yet, you heard it here
first.
They're cute.
They're cute.
They've taken scarves.
Some of them intertwine themwith, like a gold chain or
whatever.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
It's going to be a short-lived trend, I predict,
and they're going to have acharm on it.
It'll be two or three seasonsand it'll go away.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Oh yeah, because everyone will have them.
It's one of those trends thateveryone will have.
Bows are still big.
Pearls are still big.
Everyone will have.
Bows are still big.
Pearls are still big.
Pearls are huge.
Gold is still the main metalcolor.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Animal prints and everything.
It keeps getting hotter andhotter.
They're going to have an animal.
You're going to be riding ahorse through there, but next.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And then for holiday.
That's the other one I alwaysget asked about, but we talked
about that when we got back fromthe January market, but we
talked about that when we gotback from the January market.
Holiday this year is classy,elegant, traditional.
A lot less Very Ralph Lauren,very Ralph Lauren, less
whimsical, like less of yourpink colors, not saying they
don't exist and that's notpopular, but just overall.
(37:29):
If you say, how do you defineit?
It's classy, elegant,traditional, ralph Lauren and
fun, and our holidays start tocome in Some of our holidays
behind, though, because theywere trying to dodge the tariffs
, and so we're running a littlebehind on some of the fall.
(37:50):
But it's a coming.
It's a coming there.
Well, I've got southernisms.
What's your?
Speaker 2 (37:59):
southernisms.
I don't know if you've heardthis one.
We haven't talked about it butthis is prevalent in my family.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Elder, elder.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
We're shifting chairs , here we done.
Oh, my back would be out.
I done squatted down.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
I have an ID.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
An ID.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
An idea.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
My grandma always said well, that's an ID, yes, I
have an ID about that Idea.
Yeah, idea, id.
So if you move to the south andyou hear somebody say, well,
that's a good Adi, it means idea.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
Mm-hmm Idea.
That is true, adi.
Adi, I forgot about Adi.
Uh-huh, adi, you know one thatI say.
Is this a Southernism?
Or is it just me cutting it offas member Member when we did
that?
Speaker 2 (38:56):
Lazy.
You've always just lazy tongue.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
Is that what that is?
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Lazy Lazy ass Member.
When we did.
No, I think that is kind ofSouthern I.
Member.
When we went down there andpicked them tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
You member when we did that.
I member, I say member themtomatoes.
You remember when?
We did that I remember I saymember a lot.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
You have always, because I've always made fun of
you.
Yeah, I member.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah, I'll say something.
I'll say do you remember whenhe'll say I member, I member it.
I member, I member, I haveanother one, but I don't know if
this is a Southernism.
I meant to ask you this Hot as.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Hades.
That's Southern.
I think that's Southern, Idon't know, but I've always
heard it Hot as Hades.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Yeah, is that a Southernism?
Speaker 2 (39:44):
or does that come from?
Speaker 1 (39:45):
somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
I think it's a Southernism.
It's hot as Hades.
Should I look up?
Speaker 1 (39:49):
I think that's hot as hell, let me see when did.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Up north they're just going to say hell, what about
hot as the Dickens?
Hot as the Dickens?
Yeah, that's a southernism.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Where did this is hot , as Hades originates from Greek
mythology.
Hades was the name of the godof the underworld, a place often
depicted as dark, dreary andassociated with the dead.
The phrase uses the intenseheat of the underworld ruled by
(40:28):
Hades to describe somethingextremely hot.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
So it's just hot as hell.
It's the polite way we're pastthat we're hot.
As a MF I say when I walk out Ihonestly think if I had cracked
an egg on the hood of my carwhen I came in here, it would be
edible now.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
Probably so.
I wouldn't be surprised forsure.
So yeah, hot as Hades.
So I guess that's not that.
Have you seen this?
It was back a couple of weeksago.
It was going on on my Instagram.
You know things we don't likeSomeone even.
(41:13):
We'll talk about this in the.
You know things we don't likeSomeone even.
We'll talk about this in thenext episode or we can talk
about it now.
Someone, when I put up thequestion box, said they missed
us doing our ics, like we wouldtalk about ics on Instagram,
which you and I talked about.
I feel like it hasn't beengiving as many icks lately.
I don't know if I've missedthem or whatnot, but I feel like
(41:35):
there hasn't been anything.
Maybe I haven't been as becausewe've been so busy.
Maybe I haven't been as in tunewith it and irritated.
Speaker 3 (41:45):
I haven't seen the icks lately.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
I think Instagram.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
You know, it changes the algorithm and what people
post and that sort of thing, butone that I did see.
Have you seen this one goingaround?
It was Summerween, likeHalloween, but in the summer.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
No, that irritates me already, and people were
carving watermelons likejack-o'-lanterns.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Have you seen that?
Do you have a take on that?
Speaker 2 (42:12):
I want to kill them.
That's just, oh my gosh.
And Halloween's one of myfavorite well, probably is my
favorite holiday, mm-hmm, andthat just makes me mad.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
Yeah, it's like why are you trying to make it
something it ain't?
Speaker 2 (42:29):
It ain't gonna be.
It's not gonna be.
Don't do it.
Quit trying to make fetchhappen, right Wait till
Halloween.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
It's coming, yeah, it's coming.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Let everything have its moment.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Why you got to try to make it one during the
summertime.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
It's just like those damn Easter egg trees that
people do in their yard.
So the street Okay, we livehere.
Yeah, the Mills Avenue, here,the next parallel street, I
don't know.
Uh-huh, their thing on thatstreet.
It's a great street.
If I moved back to atraditional house it would
(43:07):
probably be on that street.
Uh-huh, everybody does a damnEaster egg tree.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
But that's cute.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
I wouldn't do it.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
If I ever move there, hang Easter eggs in your little
tree.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
If I move there it's.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
I'm not saying, but they have a whole like spring
festival and an Easter egg hunton the street.
They close the whole streetdown.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
So it's a community, so don't move there you, old
badger, I will do the I loveEaster egg hunts.
I will do that, but I'm notgoing to hang Easter eggs in my
tree.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
I've never.
Then you don't need to be onthat street, don't be that
person on the street.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Do they do that?
Yes, yeah, they have a wholethey block it off.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
We used to sponsor it for the garden store.
They put our name on a shirt,that's why, they do it Jellybean
something.
I don't know what they calledit, but they do.
Yeah, they're festive, they'rehaving fun, they're living their
life.
So you need to be locked up ina loft like you are.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
That's what you need to be.
I never, even as a kid, I waslike I don't.
That's funny, though, becauselike certain things, like no, I
love to die Easter eggs.
Give me an Easter egg basket,I'm all about it.
Give me some bunnies on theporch, I'm all about it, but I
don't want an Easter egg tree.
I mean, it's just, everybodyhas their thing.
Everybody can't be perfect.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
You would be that person that moves into a
neighborhood and be like I, youwould be that person that moves
into a neighborhood and be likeI don't agree with this.
I don't want this in here.
It's tacky?
Speaker 2 (44:35):
No, that's not true.
Take it down, I would be outthere hiding the damn Easter
eggs?
Speaker 1 (44:42):
No, this is what I'd hear.
I moved into this neighborhoodand they have a damn Easter egg
hunt.
They shut the whole street off.
It's just an inconvenience.
The stage is in front of myhouse where they have music and
I couldn't get nothing done.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
That would be true.
That is one reason I like we'rejust close enough to Main
Street to not interrupt myegress and degress.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
Right and you don't hear the music.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
But close enough, you can walk there too.
You can hear the music, youhear the stadium, we hear all
that, but not annoying?
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Yeah, you can hear it if you listen for it, but not
in a way Not annoying.
Yeah, that's going to be crazy.
All right, are you done?
Speaker 3 (45:30):
We got to wrap this, we got to pull this baby over.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
I need a little break .
Oh my gosh, I hope when thiscomes out you are just.
I hope you're on yourhelicopter tour.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
I hope I am wearing a thong.
What if something?
Speaker 1 (45:44):
happens and I have to edit this to say this was
pre-recorded.
This was pre-recorded beforethe incident that happened in
Hawaii.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Steven would have wanted this to air.
I want you to make a characterof me talking from the
Netherlands and be like Helloeverybody, I can do.
I'm storing through the woods.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
I can do my podcast with ChatGPT.
I won't even need you.
I will feed it all the thingsabout you.
I could probably play it oldpodcast and say listen to Steven
, let's see if our chat.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
you call yours chat.
Mine has a name, he's Fred.
We need to see if chat and Fredcan converse.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
And and handle the next week segment.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Oh, they could just have the segment.
At least a little segment.
That would be funny.
All right, we're going to pullthis baby over.
Remember to join our membersonly community.
If you haven't done so yet.
That's where you can watch theepisode.
See us making faces at eachother and passing notes to each
other.
It's also where you can listenfor free anytime.
(46:59):
You can listen to the pastepisodes as well.
You don't have to join thecommunity for that.
But to watch us, that's whereyou have to join the community.
Remember, you can listen to usanywhere you listen to podcasts
as well and always share us withyour friends.
Leave us a review and we'll seeyou next week.
Bye y'all, bye, bye y'all.
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