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Powhatan Today, September 28, 2011
business
powhatan
a monthly feature of Powhatan Today
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Powhatan Food Lion will alter hours for
one day this month
The Food Lion Store at Academy Road at
Route 60 will remain open for 24 hours on the
night of Sept. 30, a move a company spokeswoman says is aimed at providing better
service to customers.
“Food Lion is committed to providing
flexible store hours to serve the shopping
needs of our customers,” said media liasson
Christy Phillips-Brown. “Generally, our
company experiences increased customer
traffic at the first of the month, along with
other retailers. At our store in Powhatan, Va.,
we are planning to open our store for 24 hours
on Sept. 30 to provide extended shopping
hours for our customers. At this time, the
extended hours are limited to this date only;
however, we will continually review our store
hours based on consumer preferences. We look
forward to offering increased shopping flexibility for our customers on Sept.30, while
delivering great customer service, along with
quality products at low prices for customers in
the Powhatan area.”
PHOTO BY PATRICK DOBBS
Jeff Worsham has spent the majority of his career in the mattress business. He says
the focus of his business is customer education.
Betting on bedding
Good information, not gimmicks, has been key to
Powhatan native Jeff Worsham’s success
By Richard Carrier
Contributing Writer
F
rom the day Jeffery Worsham graduated from high school, he
was focused on one goal: opening his own business.
His four years at Ferrum College were
shaped toward reaching that goal, as his
studies emphasized business education and
earned him a BS in Business Management.
For the next 19 years the 42-year-old Powhatan native combined work in the banking
business, outside sales, real estate and the
bedding industry to lay the foundation for his
own entrepreneurial effort. “I knew one day I
would open my own company to serve my
community and Central Virginia,” Worsham
said. “Serving my hometown and the surrounding areas is important to me.”
That day came in February of this year
with the opening of Mattress Direct at 1795
South Creek One, Suite C in the South Creek
Center.
Under the slogan of “Fall in love with
sleep again,” Mattress Direct offers a full line
of Memory Foam, Latex products, Innerspring, Continuous Coil and Individually
Wrapped Coil products manufactured by
International Bedding Corporation, a top-ten
producer of bedding products. And, following
Annual Fall Consignment - All Day Sale - Food Available on Premises
Saturday October 1st 9AM Rain or Shine
14000 Grub Hill Church Rd. Amelia, VA 23002
his philosophy of “full-service,” Worsham
includes futons, a complete assortment of
pillows, mattress covers, bed frames and
adjustable beds.
Marketing at Mattress Direct is based on
value and customer education. “We don’t
operate with huge mark-ups and don’t use
gimmicks or outlandish promotions,”
Worsham said. “The price is what the price
is,” he said, referring to his value-based
philosophy. “Customer education is very
important. My years of experience in the
bedding industry helps me to know my
product very well. And it’s important to me
to help people in a productive and meaningful way…. This gives me great satisfaction.”
Over the past six months Mattress Direct
has seen a steady growth, with each subsequent month showing an increase in sales.
“Our County is growing,” Worsham commented. “And Cumberland County and
Amelia County do not have a mattress store.”
A life-long resident of Powhatan County,
Worsham has one son, 15-year-old Bryce.
By Michelle Bearden
Call (804) 363-9620 OR (804) 561-4258.
Starting a small business in this
sluggish economy may not be the
most prudent thing.
But Gail Lykes, who opened
Inspired Christian Gifts in March
2010, relied on something beyond
spreadsheets and economic
forecasts in her decision to take
such a bold step.
“I prayed a lot,” she said. “God
seemed to keep opening doors, so
the prayers kept getting answered
that it was the right thing to do.”
Turns out, Lykes isn’t alone in
seeking a little divine guidance in
her work life.
Baylor University last week
released one of the most extensive
surveys ever conducted on U.S.
religious attitudes. Respondents
tackled more than 300 questions
on several subjects — including
work, politics, health and equality
— to help researchers gauge how
Americans feel in these tumultu-
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The Powhatan Chamber of Commerce has
announced the vineyards that will be participating in this year’s Festival of The Grape. In
attendance will be: AmRhein Wine Cellars,
Barboursville Vineyards, Bodie Vineyards,
Brook Mill Winery, Burnley Vineyards, Byrd
Cellars, Chateau Morrisette Winery , Cooper
Vineyards , Davis Valley Winery & Vineyard,
Delfosse Vineyards & Winery, First Colony
Winery, Grayhaven Winery , Horton Cellars
Winery, Ingleside Vineyards, James River
Cellars , Lake Anna Winery & Oak Hill www.
lawinery.com, Mattaponi Winery, New Kent
Winery, Peaks of Otter Winery, Rebec Vineyards, Rockbridge Vineyard ,Tomahawk Mill
Winery, Veritas Winery, Villa Appalaccia
Winery, Wintergreen Vineyard & Winery and
Woodland Vineyard Farm LLC.
The 2011 Festival of the Grape will be held
October 22 from 11:00 a.m. until 6 p.m. in
Powhatan’s historic Village. In addition to
wine tasting, the event will feature over 100
arts and craft vendors, 10 regional food
vendors and music by Casper, Steve Basset
and other featured acts. For more information,
visit www.powhatanwinefestival.com
New restaurant now open in Powhatan
Cub Creek Farms BBQ is now open in
Powhatan. Located at 3452A Anderson
Highway (in the Maxey Shopping Center),
Cub Creek is open Tuesday through Sunday
from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Order by phone at (804) 598-7434 or (804)
598-8801.
The store can be reached by e-mail at
[email protected].
Study links entrepreneurs, prayer
Farm Equipment, Tractors, Guns, Trucks, Hand, Wood Working,
Shop & Yard Tools, Coins, Collectibles, & Household, Too Much
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5 miles off Rt. 360 on Rt. 609-Grub Hill Church Rd. across from
“Mr. Gee’s” store. View listing & photos at www.auctionzip.com.
VAL# 3263
Many old favorites will be among
Festival of The Grape vendors this year
Media General News Service
ous times, and how religion
affects their well-being.
A total of 1,714 randomly
chosen adults participated in the
survey, conducted by The Gallup
Organization a year ago.
One of the findings: Entrepreneurs tend to pray more. While
U.S. entrepreneurs look very
similar to non-entrepreneurs in
their belief in God, religious
affiliation, frequency of worship
attendance and view of the Bible,
they are different when it comes
to prayer and meditation.
Maybe the stress and struggle
of a new business “drives people
to their knees,” said Kevin
Dougherty, an associate professor
of sociology at Baylor. “What we
found most significant is that
there’s this belief that work
consumes so much of people’s
times that they have nothing left
over to participate in religion,” he
said. “If anything, we’re showing
even more participation” among
entrepreneurs.
The survey also revealed an
“absence of talk” about work and
business practices in congregations. Considering how much our
lives revolve around work,
Dougherty suggested that faith
groups should consider making it
part of the conversation.
“We’re not talking about the
bottom line, but rather, the ethical
questions,” he said. “How much
do our faith beliefs affect our
business practices? How does our
faith impact how we treat employees and co-workers?”
The findings set a mood for the
2012 political season, said Paul
Froese, an associate professor of
sociology and a research fellow in
the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor.
He said some candidates are
ramping up their “God talk” to
appeal to voters who want less
government.
For details on the survey, go to
http:///www.baylor.edu/
2011religionsurvey