We Are TR

Ever drive by an elementary school and see those cute painted rocks wishing Taylor a happy 8th birthday?Today’s guest has turned her creative talents into a rock painting business for moments just like that!

.He’s making the mortgage game easy to understand. Craig Williams is a numbers guy. As in. Spread sheets and math are exciting to him. And that’s exactly what you want with an expert in loans. On today’s episode we chat about mortgages, of course, but also about stress and life balance and favorite jobs!

.Salutations!Today’s episode gestures Abbey Garcia, owner and yoga instructor at Zen Rabbit Yoga. She’s delightful and engaging - and she loves spiders!We chat about favorite board games and why yoga can benefit every person who tries it.

The one, the only - JACOB JOHNSON. Jacob Johnson is born and raised in TR kind of local who is a master at the guitar. You’ve heard him on stage at Trailblazer, he is an instructor at North Greenville University, he travels across the United States performing his own unique and beautiful style of guitar that sounds like jazz and folk and Americana, but mostly just sounds like Jacob Johnson. On this episode we talk about Jacob’s high school jobs - you’re going to have to listen to find out more, but you might be able to guess one of the jobs, but not the other! We also talk about favorite cereals and dumb injuries. Tune in!

. Jim Kyker is building the sort of houses families will call home for a lifetime. He’s our guest on this episode of the We Are TR podcast and we chat about house building, finding land, styles that remain classics and more. Plus - we rate our favorite pizza toppings (Brandon is Team Pineapple - how do we feel about that?) and we talk about first jobs.

. You’ve seen it as you walk the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The cute cottage style rentals with the coming yellow chairs on the porch. It’s called The Station and today on the We Are TR podcast we are chatting with founder Brice Bay. Listen in to hear about the vision for the future, treehouses and a food hall and event space. Tune in.

. Welcome Miranda to the podcast today. She owns Highwheel Barbershop and is a long time TR resident. She’s funny and smart, a fantastic barber and she’s also got deep TR roots. Miranda is the great great granddaughter of the famous bike riding TR icon - Pop Kramer.

. We always have a good time on these episodes - but this one was extra fun. Brandon maybeeeee had to reign Meredith and Lacey in a little. Meredith is a local real estate agent, a mom, a bike guide at Hotel Domestique, a triathlon athlete and just a really cool human. We talk a lot about the upcoming Trail Mix, Summer Kick Off Concert on May 23 - Meredith is a sponsor an she’s got an important personal cause that she’s promoting in her sponsorship. We also get sidetracked talking about houses for sale, bad date stories and bizarre would you rather questions involving port-potties and dumpsters. Happy Listening!

. It doesn’t matter if you have a green thumb, you’re going to want to listen to this episode with Mary Dunlap at Wilder TR. We’re talking about our favorite drinks - who loves the sparkling water like Brandon and Mary? And of course we’re talking about plants and Travelers Rest and whether we think Brandon should start buying his wife house plants.

In this episode we probably mention the words ONION RINGS a few too many times! But @phillgrilll says their onion rings are fresh and made to order and not beer battered so yeah, they’re worth talking about. Tune in to this episode of the @wearetr podcast featuring Ron Fine, owner of the TR Philly Grill.

. What are YOUR favorite Italian ice flavors? Today’s @wearetr podcast episode features @sunsetslush owner Kevin Buggs. We chat about our favorite TV shows as kids, his move to the Upstate over a decade ago to be nearer to his wife’s family as she was born and raised in TR and about the Buffalo Bills. And, of course, about Italian Ice.

. On this episode of the @weare podcast we’re chatting with @tastingtoon owners Michelle and Jeremy. We talk about their transition from customer to owner and the inclusion of more craft beer options. We also talk about capers - what are they really? And jingles that get stuck in your head. (What came to your mind first?)

Your dentist isn’t scary - she’s actually cool! Meet Dr. Ghimre at Paris Mountain Dental. Born and raised in Nepal, she shares stories of her life and her dental practice here. We even ask about those whitening strips and tongue scraping. Plus - we uncover her love of Bon Jovi and his classic hits! Thanks to our sponsor at @gilstraproofing for making this episode happen. (They’re a great group of folks who love the community so well and do a fantastic job on your roof repairs!)

Russell Jones is a man of many talents - including feats of strength, writing books, coaching kids and adults, leadership training and more.

In the past twelve years the Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery has grown from basically an idea about connecting local food sources with local buyers to an Upstate icon. Swamp Rabbit Grocery works with over 300 vendors and farmers and they employ 100 folks. They’re kind of a big deal. And also - they are straight forward and mission minded. They believe in the work and in the people. We chatted with Mary, co-owner of the grocery. Enjoy this episode - we’re lucky to have Swamp Rabbit in the Upstate. (This episode is sponsored by Cope & Crew.)

We are welcoming back to the We Are TR podcast the dynamic duo of Cope & Crew. It’s their second time on the show but it’s been almost two years in between chats and a LOT has changed in the Cope & Crew world. Yes, they’re still offering landscaping and maintenance services. But now they also have evolved into hardcsapes - concrete driveways retaining walls, drainage systems. If it’s outside and you want it to be functional AND pretty, to do its job AND to increase your property value and your love of your space, Stephen and Cindy are the team to contact. Bonus points to them for not only being great at their jobs, but for also really loving folks and our community well!

It’s pronounced GIF not JIF. That’s the way the professional says! But, much more importantly that that - our newest podcast episode features the talented @izzyink . In real life her name is Elizabeth and she is the designer and creative guru behind every Travelers Rest Here animated icon you’ve seen in our stories - or our replies. (Which, Elizabeth taught us is possible in today’s episode.) You’re going to enjoy this conversation about social media and personality tests (Timms says he has NEVER heard of the enneagram!) and so much more! Tune in and enjoy! (And let’s practice leaving gifs to one another in the comments! We’ll go first!)

What’s your favorite dog’s name? Do you have a funny story about the dog next door or the pup that always greets you at your neighbor’s house? Ryan does too! In fact, he’s been crafting letters to those dogs and they’re all stacked up in a book! Letters to Dogs is his new book and we chatted with Ryan about dogs and stories and publishing and so much more!

Organizing and creating order out of your chaos - that’s what this week’s We Are TR guest is all about. Sharon Kruger owns Start Organizing Now and she can help whip your space into shape or stage your home for you sale. It’s a great chat about tidying up and hoarding and storing special collections. Oh - and we chatted about plastic surgery. Would YOU have plastic surgery?

Father and son. It might be our first duo of that kind for podcast guests! On this episode get to know the family behind our local Ace Hardware. They’re local and they love our community - and oh yeah, you’ll get to hear what might sound like the bio for a dating app that Dad offers for Son. 😂 Tune in!