[00:00:00] Speaker A: On this month's episode of the Local Click, we welcome Chad Flatt with Music City Toys as well as Leslie Myers with Galaxy Ford in Smithville. Of course, Justin is back with us with all of his tech news and tech tips and lots more fun things to talk about. So stay tuned, learn more about fun local events and interesting people throughout the.
[00:00:17] Speaker B: Heart of Middle Tennessee. With a dash of everyday tech talk.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: Thrown in for good measure, the Local Click starts now.
Welcome to the July edition of the Local Click. The Local Clique is the technology based podcast brought to you by DTC Communications each and every month where we talk all things technology and local people. And with me, as I always have every month is Justin Mauldin. Hello, Justin. How's it going today?
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Going very well, Nick. How are you?
[00:00:47] Speaker A: I'm doing great, doing great. I'm happy to be here. Summer is officially here. Are you ready for the heat?
[00:00:54] Speaker C: No, I'm, I'm, I listen. So I'm one of these people who's opposite. I live here in the South. I'm the person who prefers it when it's cooler because I'm of the opinion, listen, you can layer if it is cold.
[00:01:07] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:01:08] Speaker C: But when it's hot, there's only so much you can do.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: Yep, that's true. So what's your favorite season? Weather wise?
[00:01:15] Speaker C: Probably it's fall. Got to be the fall. I like the changing of the, the scenery, the changing of the color of the leaves. And also I think you hit that perfect, perfect weather. You wake up, it's not too hot, not too cold throughout the day. It's not too hot, not too cold.
[00:01:30] Speaker A: I think I'm more of a spring person, but I like the fall as well as my second favorite, so. But I'm like you. It gets so hot in Tennessee sometimes it's just like I need a break.
[00:01:39] Speaker C: It's hot. Well and see the thing, you get more humidity typically in the spring too.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: That's true.
[00:01:44] Speaker C: So that's, that's, that's the reason I would, you know, scenery and the temperatures may be similar, but it doesn't feel as bad.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: That's true.
[00:01:54] Speaker C: Because they gotta love living in the south and, and walking outside and getting sticky in about three seconds.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: So like they always say, if you don't like the weather in Tennessee, stick around for a few minutes and I'm sure it'll change different.
[00:02:05] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: So in the heart and spirit of the month of July, of course we celebrate the 4th of July and it's a very festive Time. And with festivities often comes people's favorite activity. Eating and food. Right. So did a little research using we're always talking about AI on the show. Seemed like. So I use Chat GPT myself and I fed it a question. I said, what are the top five foods to celebrate the fourth of July? And this is according to Chat GPT.
So before I read through any of these and no peeking.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: So.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: But what's your favorite fourth of July food?
[00:02:48] Speaker C: Gotta be just a good old fashioned hamburger.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. You can't go wrong there. I think a lot of people would agree with that.
[00:02:54] Speaker C: Gotta be a good old fashioned hamburger.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: I'm gonna walk backwards to the top five list. We'll start at number five and then go to number one some according to ChatGPT. So don't get angry with me if you're not a big fan of certain parts of these foods listed on this list. I think most people will be. But number five, apple pie. It's as American as apple pie. You hear that statement a lot?
[00:03:16] Speaker C: I hear that statement a lot. I must not be very American because I have not eaten a lot of apple pie in my life and especially not on the fourth of July. Well, I am.
[00:03:25] Speaker A: This may. This may be the time to make a new tradition.
[00:03:28] Speaker C: Yeah. So. Yeah. Yeah. Not. Not one of the staples that I ever grew up with.
Yeah. And just make. I don't know if it's difficulty in making it or it's just my family didn't do it, you know, growing up. We didn't do it. We don't do it now. So what about you?
[00:03:46] Speaker A: Do you eat a lot of apple pie? Actually not necessarily on the 4th of July, but I do like apple pie.
[00:03:51] Speaker C: I enjoy apple pie. Don't get me wrong. I just don't eat a lot of it.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: It's always better if you eat the pie warm and then you put some vanilla bean ice cream.
[00:04:00] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: You can't go wrong there. So number four, corn on the cob.
[00:04:07] Speaker C: Oh yeah, I can agree with that. My youngest son would. Would agree with that. If he only had one vegetable to eat, that is all he would eat. And he would want it off the cob.
[00:04:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:17] Speaker C: He would not want it out of a can or anything. He would want fresh corn on the cob is how he would prefer to eat it. He loves. Yeah. So that we will probably. That will.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: That's a safe one.
[00:04:26] Speaker C: I'm sure that. Yes. That. That will be a safe one for us.
[00:04:30] Speaker A: And number three is barbecue. And I'll preface that with all types of Barbecue ribs. Chicken or brisket? Sorry, are you a barbecue fan?
[00:04:40] Speaker C: So that was one of the things growing up. The barbecue ribs is something we always did on the 4th of July. So that was right up, right up there. I said hamburger for me, because it's a good old fashioned hamburger. But barbecue ribs, yes, that was a staple.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: Is that your favorite ribs? As far as the types of barbecue.
[00:04:54] Speaker C: For what we made? Yes. But I'm, I mean, if I was just eating barbecue on my own, I, I'm a pulled pork or chicken?
[00:05:02] Speaker A: Chicken. I'm a brisket person. I love the barbecue brisket.
[00:05:05] Speaker C: So I, I again, I enjoy, I enjoy ribs and it's, I think that that's a, that's a lot simpler to make. Doesn't.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true.
[00:05:12] Speaker C: You know, versus pulled pork or, or brisket. Yeah, you know, you gotta, gotta go low and slow on those. So it takes a little bit more time, a little more effort, little bit more touch.
[00:05:20] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right.
Number two. And this, I know you'll like this one because you mentioned it. Hamburgers.
[00:05:25] Speaker C: I just, you can't go wrong with a hamburger.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: I know. It's just the way of life here.
[00:05:30] Speaker C: You know, the funny thing is, and, and I saw this on social media. Somebody was discussing their favorite American food and like, well, you gotta have a hamburger if you have an American restaurant. And the first person said was, yeah, but hamburgers were invented in Germany, in Hamburg, Germany. And I was like, it's a very good point. But we're still gonna, it's still, again, we think a 4th of July and hamburger's right there.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: It is. It's a staple. Yes, it really is.
[00:05:59] Speaker C: Well, it's simple, right? It's, it's there. You know, a hamburger is simple to make.
You know, you've got the bun and you can, you can dress it up however you like.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: You can customize it basically, so you.
[00:06:12] Speaker C: Can make it your own.
Whatever you fancy, you can throw on there. And, and, you know, so you and I may be different when you could have four or five people who all enjoy hamburgers, but make them completely different.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: Different things on it, cook different ways. I mean, just a lot of customization there. So. And the number one item, and I bet you can guess this because we haven't mentioned it yet. It's kind of a staple of picnics everywhere on 4th of July.
Any idea what it might be?
[00:06:38] Speaker C: Oscar Meyer wieners.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Hot dogs. Yep.
[00:06:41] Speaker C: Specifically Oscar Wilde wieners.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: I didn't realize we had to be a specific brand.
[00:06:45] Speaker C: No, I'm Not I. And, and I say that I'm a beef frank person. I like beef hot dogs. So your traditional, you know, pork hot dogs or I will eat them, don't get me wrong, but I do prefer.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: If you have your choice about it.
[00:07:00] Speaker C: Yeah, yes, yeah. But now listen, you got. Get your hot dog, put it on the grill. Now see, here's, here's my thing.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: Oh, God. Tip coming.
[00:07:06] Speaker C: You've got it.
[00:07:07] Speaker B: You've got.
[00:07:07] Speaker C: Gotta get that thing super done. Almost to burnt. It's the perfect way. Not a little bit.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: It's gotta be semi charred.
[00:07:13] Speaker C: Very well done. I don't like my hamburgers that way. But hot dogs, oh yeah, you gotta get.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, you, yeah, you can't go wrong with that.
[00:07:20] Speaker C: You gotta get some char, you gotta get some grill marks on it.
[00:07:22] Speaker A: Now you like a relish, mustard, onion kind of person when it comes to hot dogs.
[00:07:27] Speaker C: I'm plain Jane. You know, if you take meat and you throw it on bread or a bun of any sort, I don't like to put a lot of stuff on it. I'm of the opinion if the meat, it should be superior to everything else, and if it is cooked and done the way that it should be, you don't have to throw everything else on it to mask the flavor of it.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: You know what? I like to put as much as I can on there.
Everything. If there was, if there was a list of 10 different things and they asked, what would you like on it? I would say yes.
[00:07:56] Speaker C: Listen, listen. Hot dogs, number one, done right, don't need anything. Hamburger number two, if you're doing right, you don't need anything. Barbecue. So this is, this is where if barbecue is done right, if it's prepared right, you think, oh, you gotta throw a barbecue sauce on. Listen, if you prepared the meat right and if it's seasoned right or if you're smoking it and you're preparing it correctly, you don't need a ton of barbecue sauce on it. Because then again, you're just, you're, you're overpowering.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Steak. Steak. Steaks are kind of that way too. A lot of people, I think I agree with that.
[00:08:26] Speaker C: I don't do steak sauce.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:27] Speaker C: I mean, I'm just a lot of.
[00:08:28] Speaker A: A one, by the way. I really do. But still.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: Yeah. I'm not, I'm just not a big fan of masking the. I like the flavor of meat.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:36] Speaker C: And not the stuff that goes, that goes.
[00:08:38] Speaker A: Unless I'm doing the cooking, then you may be like, hey, bring the steak sauce. Yeah.
[00:08:41] Speaker C: So the Most important question that I have as we are discussing all this, since you and I will happen to be get together on the 4th of.
[00:08:49] Speaker A: July, we'll be working this Smithville Fiddlers.
That's right.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:08:54] Speaker C: We will be working the Fiddler's Jamboree. Can I count on you to bring some of these items to the Fiddler's Jamboree?
[00:09:01] Speaker A: Well, let me put this to have on. I won't bring them necessarily, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of that there. You can order anything like that you want there at the Jamboree.
[00:09:10] Speaker C: I, I can, I can almost guarantee you everything that's on this list, including the apple pie you can probably find around the square.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: Probably so during. The food is so good there, by the way. I know people come for the music, music and the crafts and stuff too, but don't overlook the food if you haven't been in a while.
[00:09:26] Speaker C: Listen. Food vendors, the craft vendors, the performances on stage and all the different categories. The house band.
[00:09:34] Speaker A: Yes. The talent is amazing.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: Yes. I mean they, the overall they do, they do just a great job in every aspect of the, the Fiddlers Jamboree and Craft Festival.
[00:09:46] Speaker A: When I think 4th of July, and you probably do too, because we work it a lot, I always think about the, the Smithfield Fiddlers Jamboree because it's always that weekend, usually of the fourth, but it's just, it's on. Honestly, it's an honor and a blessing to have an event of that magnitude in our backyard, so to speak. So I hope people will take advantage of it and, and stop by at least once. You know, of course you can watch the stream on DTC3TV for the times you can't be there, but definitely stop by if you can.
[00:10:14] Speaker C: So yeah, we'd love to see you down there on the square.
[00:10:17] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: Maybe we get you, maybe we can get you on DTC3 if you happen to be out and about and around. Maybe we'll grab you, grab you for a quick interview. You never know.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: You just never know. That's right. Well, it's going to be a fun episode this month and I'm very excited about the guests that we have on this month's episode. We're going to speak with Ms. Leslie Myers at Galaxy Ford in Smithville in just a moment. Great Ford dealership in Smithville, Tennessee. And one of our main seats cities in DeKalb county and it's convenient and they have some new things going there that she's going to kind of discuss with Us. But first, before we talk to her, we're going to speak with Chad Flatt with Music City Toys in Watertown.
Hello, Chad. How are you today?
[00:11:00] Speaker B: I'm good. How are you doing?
[00:11:01] Speaker A: I'm doing great. We really appreciate you being on the program. You're kind of talking my language with some of the kind of items in your store.
[00:11:07] Speaker B: That's good. That's good. That's what I like to hear.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: We're of a very similar age. We were talking about that off camera just a moment. So I think we will have a whole lot in common when it comes to some of these Tough, for sure. In these eras of fun. So before we get started into the. The toy business there, though, kind of introduce yourself and talk about your. Your interest in toys and collectibles and how that got started.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: I was born in 1976, so I grew up in the 80s, early 90s. And.
[00:11:32] Speaker A: Good. Good times.
[00:11:33] Speaker B: Good times. The best times.
[00:11:34] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: And you know, back during those days, the baseball card boom was huge. Yeah, that's kind of where I started.
My first interest was in sports cards. Baseball was my first love. Still love baseball, still a huge baseball fan, but the sports. Sports cards was it for me in the beginning. And, you know, I set up a booth at my first sports card show when I was 11. And so I just kind of blossomed from there, you know, and I found out pretty quickly that I, although I enjoyed collecting stuff, I enjoyed more to help other people get stuff to add to their collection and see the joy it brought them and it brought people together and, you know, things like that. So that's kind of where the selling aspect came from, I guess. So all the way back in 1988, you know, is the short answer. That's when I started with sports cards. So then that lasted for several years before we branched out into toys and other things. And now we're completely out of sports cards and all. All toys. So we've kind of, you know, come full circle, sort of.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: So you literally started. That was going to be one of my questions. You really started as a collector first, right?
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: And then it kind of turned into. Yeah, from a hobby almost to a business.
[00:12:37] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. At a very early age. Very early on. But I think that's sort of a byproduct of every collector. You know, at some point you got to sell some stuff to finance to get some more stuff.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:12:46] Speaker B: So I think that's kind of, you know, part of it, too. It's just kind of a Natural progression.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you have a. Do you have a favorite? I don't know if I don't get you in trouble with all these collectors, but do you. Do you have a favorite as far as all the items that you've collected personally and you like to kind of, kind of deal with?
[00:13:03] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you know, years ago I learned too that you have to kind of be willing to. If you. If you want to go strictly on the business side and you got to be willing to let stuff go. So I don't really collect anything.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:15] Speaker B: And that blows people's minds. Yeah. I mean, I've got a few things at home in my office. Like, I've got some old metal lunch boxes from my favorite shows as a child, you know, that kind of stuff.
And I've got some autographs from guys I've met over the years, celebrities and things that are sentimental to me, but. Yeah, but as far as, you know, a big people always say that they come to the store, like, I'd love to see your collection. I bet it's insane. No, it's not. I mean, I got 10 times more stuff in the store than I have at home. You know, I don't.
[00:13:40] Speaker A: Oh, that's pretty neat.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So that's just kind of, you know, part of it too, I guess. You gotta. Otherwise you want to keep everything that comes in.
[00:13:46] Speaker A: I was gonna say that's kind of what makes you a successful business person. Right. I mean, you'd be right. I mean, it's hard to make money on something if you pull it from inventory all the time and stick it on a shelf at home.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: And there have been a few pieces over the years that I've sold that I kind of regret selling. But, you know, it's just part of it too, that goes with it.
[00:14:01] Speaker A: It's probably too like when you regret it, if you wait long enough, sometimes they'll come back around. You have a second chance.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: I've even had the same exact item come back around several times.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.
[00:14:11] Speaker B: Ended up getting it back and selling again.
[00:14:12] Speaker A: So it does kind of work that way.
[00:14:13] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: Well, talk about your location. I know you're in Watertown. And how did. How did you choose Watertown? And what are your thoughts as far as being a part of the Watertown community?
[00:14:24] Speaker B: Well, that's the word community that I grew up in Putnam County. I'm originally from Cookville area, so. But I went to high school at Upperman High and Baxter, which is a really small, you know, close knit community.
And so I was Looking. I live in Wilson county now, and I have for the last 16 years. And so I wanted to stay in Wilson County. When I opened my business, we were just looking at different places and, you know, all the places we could find. And I told my wife, I said, when I find. When I see that, I'll know. When I see the building, I'll know that's it. And, you know, hadn't really even thought about Watertown that much, you know, but my realtor sent me the listing for the building, and I was like, man, look at that building. That size. It's just an old cool brick building. You could tell it's old. It's got the big windows up top. And I was just kind of envisioning what I could do with it as far as, you know, what I wanted to do with it. And I was like, you know, let's go look at this place. And as soon as I walked in, I was like, this is it, you know, this is.
[00:15:17] Speaker A: So you were right. You did know immediately when you saw.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: I knew immediately. So, you know, and of course, cost factored in as well, but that was the whole point. And I told my realtor, when we were searching, I was like, you know, I don't care about car count, and if 40,000 cars go past that building a day, if none of them care about what I'm selling, what good is it?
[00:15:34] Speaker A: You know, That's a good point.
[00:15:35] Speaker B: So I want a place that I can make into something special, a destination for collectors, and that's. That's what. That's where our mindset was the whole time.
[00:15:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:43] Speaker B: And so that's kind of what, you know, how it came about. So when we saw it, I was like, this is it. And, you know, the rest is history, as they say.
[00:15:49] Speaker A: And now that you're part of that Watertown feel, that community, that kind of connection or closeness, I'm sure that's got to be a positive, right?
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Business owner. Yeah, for sure. I joke with a lot of the folks there. I call it Mayberry because it's kind of.
[00:16:03] Speaker A: It kind of has a small town feel.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: And, you know, the town square and all the old buildings, the historic aspect of it, and that's kind of something that's, you know, kind of sadly disappearing in America today, you know, so that just kind of drew me in. And then the town, they do ton of events, you know, they. All kinds of stuff.
[00:16:18] Speaker A: Yes, they're very active, Very active.
[00:16:19] Speaker B: And then you've got the. The Central Tennessee Railway Museum. They do the excursion trains, you Know that come there where there was 18 of them scheduled for this year. And you know, that's 300 people each time that that's there to shop and eat and spend the hours in town. So, you know, it's. There's a lot people say, why are you out way out here in the country, you know, why are you in Watertown? But there's a lot of positives to it.
[00:16:39] Speaker A: Oh yeah.
[00:16:40] Speaker B: So yeah, I mean we love it there.
[00:16:41] Speaker A: We love the community, bring the customers into you from, from Nashville or so.
[00:16:45] Speaker B: Oh yeah, we've had, at our grand opening, we had people from 14 different states and we had, every time we do an autograph signing or an event at the store, we'll have people from multiple states show up.
[00:16:55] Speaker A: Oh, that's neat.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: It all goes back to your reach online because the collecting world is so hyper focused online. So we utilize our social media and stuff like that to reach all those people. So it's cool when we'll have youtubers or somebody stop by on a cross country toy hunt to do a video or something. So that's always cool.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: It's funny that you said that because when I was researching you a little bit in your store, a little bit about getting some questions together for this interview, I was actually watching some of these YouTubers that had stopped and we're talking to you and kind of showing the store off in their video and stuff. And I thought, well, this is great. I mean, this could be anywhere in the world and they're in Watertown at your place, sharing that with the entire world.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: Yeah. As a matter of fact, we had a guy a couple summers ago that had been following us on Instagram from Germany and he had been following us for years. Never met him. You know, I'd seen him comment on stuff or whatever. Well, he got married and him and his wife came to Nashville for their honeymoon.
[00:17:47] Speaker A: Oh, cool.
[00:17:48] Speaker B: And she told, they came to the store and she told me, she said of all the things he could do, of all the places he could go and the things he could see when he was here, there was one place he wanted to go and it was your store because he'd been following you guys and he. And you know, we came over and then he just had to see it. So, you know, stuff like that's really cool. You know, we've had people from all over the world in the store. So it's pretty crazy that the world is a lot smaller than you think it is.
[00:18:10] Speaker A: Sometimes it is with, with the advent of the Internet and, and the way it connects people. Yeah, yeah. You can reach people extremely quickly from very far away places.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: For sure.
[00:18:19] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure.
Well, now we're going to talk about the fun part, and that's some of the great inventory that you have there at your place. Talk about all the different types of inventory that you carry. And is there anything you specialize in?
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Well, we're kind of known for pro wrestling, of all things, so.
[00:18:35] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:35] Speaker B: Yeah, that's kind of our specialty, I guess you could say. We have, you know, all, all the major toy lines, all the stuff that we were talking about off camera, the Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, Transformers.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: Ninja Turtles, all good era stuff, Marvel.
[00:18:47] Speaker B: And dc, all that stuff. But we kind of specialize in wrestling, and it's good because all of the toy stores and all the collectible stores in Middle Tennessee kind of have their own niche, their own specialty.
[00:18:58] Speaker A: That's true.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: So it's different, so it works out for everybody. So that was kind of a byproduct of just me growing up being a fan of wrestling and watching it and doing a lot of conventions. And we saw at the conventions, we would do the comic Cons and things across the country. We would see a lot of the wrestling legends from the 80s and early 90s. You know, they'd be there signing autographs as a guest at the show, and, you know, there'd be some of the biggest stars in Hollywood there. You know, they would have longer lines than anybody. And you walk around the show floor and there's vendors selling all kinds of stuff. Nobody was selling any wrestling stuff. So all these wrestling fans were coming to meet these guys and had nothing to buy.
So I just kind of started going more in that direction.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: Very smart. Yeah.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: And I mean, I knew the. I had the knowledge of the, of the business and the collectibles world and wrestling world. So I was like, you know, why don't we just kind of go more in that direction? And that's what we did. And we just kind of brought that to the store. And with some of the guys, we bring in some of the same legends I used to see at the Comic Cons, you know, and, you know, it's just, it's kind of worked out. But yeah, we've got. We've got a diverse inventory, but that's. That's. I guess if we had a specialty, that's what it would be.
[00:19:55] Speaker A: Talk about what it's like when you see someone, Someone come into the store and they see that.
That one special item they remember from their childhood, and it sparks that creative juice, you know, and that little sparkle in their eye. Do you ever see that when people come in?
[00:20:09] Speaker B: Yeah, every day. Yeah, it's, that's the thing is that's our tagline is rediscover your childhood. But it's all based on nostalgia. You know, everything's based on nostalgia. About. You hit about the 25 to 30 year mark and then that's when things start coming back around again. Because the kids that played with those toys are now adults, right, that have a job and disposable income and they want to get things that remind them of their childhood. So it's a cycle. But yeah, we see it all the time. You know, we're out here. I had that when I was a kid. Or, you know, do you see a.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: Lot of like, father sons coming into.
[00:20:38] Speaker B: A lot of that? Passing it. And that's the good thing about, you know, some of those brands we were talking about is they're, they're Evergreen, you know, they're always going to be around.
[00:20:45] Speaker A: That's true.
[00:20:45] Speaker B: So it's like from one generation to another, like, you know, we. There was a new he man series on Netflix and me and my son sat down and watched it together. Now he wants to collect Masters of the Universe, you know, or whatever. Yeah, so it's, it's, it's very generational. It's really cool to see stuff like that.
[00:20:58] Speaker A: My, my son, my youngest son and I, we have that connection with Transformers because that was really big, you know, when we were younger. And how do you decide what to carry, how often to have changeover in inventory or, or things like that?
[00:21:10] Speaker B: Well, there's, you know, some of those brands that I mentioned, you know, we're always going to carry those because that's, that's the staples. That's, you know, everybody kind of known for. Exactly. And you know, all the mainstream stuff that's going to appeal to the most people, that's kind of what we look for. There's, there's been some obscure stuff that's come in over the last few months and some that I wasn't even really that familiar with, toy from the 80s and stuff that didn't get as much attention as much play and weren't TV shows or, you know, movies or whatever. And that stuff has sold incredibly well. It blew my mind because I was like, nobody's going to want this.
And as people were coming, I saw you posted this online and my husband collects these or I collect these. I got to have this, you know, so it's, it's really crazy, like, because you just don't know like those, those kids, what those kids played with when they were younger and now they're adults and they see it and they're like, really?
[00:21:56] Speaker A: Sometimes you really don't know till you just take a chance and just put it out there and see.
[00:22:00] Speaker B: It's, it's just a roll of dice. But, you know, there's, I've learned over the years that no matter what it is, somebody out there collects it and you just got to find that person.
[00:22:09] Speaker A: It's about connecting with them.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: Connecting with them. That's exactly it. Yeah.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: Well, you do a really great job of having, I'll call them special guests from time to time, stop by the store and do autograph signings and things like that. Talk about, talk about that and how important that is to, to keeping the vibrancy of the business going.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: Yeah, well, that's, that's another thing that when we opened that we wanted to bring kind of from the convention world that no, nobody was really doing that in the area. And it blew my mind that in, you know, Nashville, middle Tennessee, the greater Nashville area, nobody was doing that kind of stuff. And it was just crazy to me. So I was like, you know, I know it's going to work, you know, so we had, we've had a lot of people over the years from TV and movies, had a lot of wrestlers, as we said. But it's a huge thing, you know, and you know, people from multiple states come every time we do one and it's just a lot of fun. We had Butch Patrick that played Eddie Munster in the Munsters TV series from the 60s. We had him back a couple years ago. We recently had a couple of the actresses from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you know, that were big stars and popular characters in the 90s. And then we've had Howard Johnson also, if you're a baseball fan, everybody knows Hojo, played for the New York Mets, two time World Series champion.
[00:23:18] Speaker A: And you know, in Watertown, Tennessee, in.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Watertown, Tennessee of all places.
And Dan the Beast Severn, ufc, MMA legend, UFC hall of Famer, and then all the wrestling legends and hall of Famers we've had. So we try to, we're trying to branch out a little bit more now and not just do wrestling, we're trying to alternate, but wrestling's always our bread and butter. Every time we do a signing, it just draws a huge crowd.
[00:23:38] Speaker A: Right. How important is having the Internet, you know, for social media, your website and things like that, as far as drawing People in. Is that, is that a big important part of your business model?
[00:23:47] Speaker B: Oh yeah, for sure. It's massive. And we, we'd utilize our social media as a sales platform. In the past, before we had a store, we were doing a lot of Facebook Live sales and that was something that a lot of people weren't doing in the toy world yet now, now Everybody doesn't. There's 20 on any given day and now whatnot has come along. I don't know if you're married or not, but you know, that kind of stuff has popped up. And of course ebay has always been there. Now ebay's got a live platform. So it's just, you know, one of those things that we tried to be a little bit ahead of the curve, I guess. And in 2020 when we couldn't go to any conventions, that kind of helped. We didn't have a choice.
[00:24:17] Speaker A: That's a good point.
[00:24:18] Speaker B: You know, so, so we utilize our social media then to really grow our sales and that really helped propel us and be able to open our store actually a little sooner than we were planning.
But yeah, it's social media. And your website for any small business is vital because that's your lifeline to the outside world. That's your means of communication to your customers and potential customers. How else can you communicate in mass to the people? It's through your social media, it's through your website. So that's the key. That's the key right there. Especially with collectors. And that world, as I said earlier, being so focused online, you know, you're going to reach a lot of people that way from, you know, Germany, like I said earlier, you know, or wherever. So it's, it's very important.
[00:24:57] Speaker A: You know, in a lot of ways where you are located for many businesses like yourself is not as important as just getting the word out, is it?
[00:25:06] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the key. Because when you're, when you're in a specialized industry, retail related.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: You know, that's, that's the key is getting the word out to the people that care about what you have and they'll, you know, fill the drink. If you build it, they will come, you know, so that's kind of how it is.
[00:25:22] Speaker A: Well, you're doing a great job. I can't wait to stop. I haven't been. I'm definitely coming by though, for sure. I'll take, I'm going to take both my boys with me. We're going to do a little shopping. So don't be surprised when I Pop in and, and I say I was this age when I remember this coming out or when this person was popular, that sort of thing. So speaking of stopping by, if someone's been listening or watching this interview and they definitely want to stop by and check, check you guys out.
Tell us where you're at in your hours and how the, how to best keep up with your business.
[00:25:51] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah, sure. So we're at 101 West Main street. In Watertown, right off the square. We're open Fridays from 2 to 6, Saturdays from 10am to 6pm, Sundays from noon to 6 and Mondays from 2 to 6. So I work a full time job. So I tell everybody I've got two full time jobs. So.
[00:26:08] Speaker A: So you stay busy.
[00:26:09] Speaker B: I stay very busy. So when I get off work from one job I come to the store for the other one.
[00:26:13] Speaker A: So that just shows that you must love it.
[00:26:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah. It's, it's, it's, it's been, it's been a blessing. It's been a lot of fun but it's, it is a lot of work. It is a whole lot of work. But yeah, we're open those hours and you can find us our websites, musiccitytoys, Dot Biz, B I Z. I always say that because toys are our business and little tagline there. But yeah, so you can find us there and you follow us on all social media at MusicCityToys. That's the best way to keep up with us. We try to post daily Instagram and Facebook especially and keep everybody aware of what we've got going on as far as any signings, any conventions that we're doing or any new inventory, whatever it may be. So that's, that's the best way to keep up with us.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Chad, it was a pleasure meeting you today and we wish you all the success in your, in your future business there on the square in Watertown and just keep doing what you're doing.
[00:27:00] Speaker B: Oh, I appreciate, I appreciate you guys having me and it was good meeting you as well. And I'm going to hold you to that to see how you will.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: You will. I'm excited but I've got it worked up now. All right, everybody stay tuned. We've got more of the program coming up right after this. Gaming builds real skills for real careers in esports and beyond.
[00:27:19] Speaker C: Project manager.
[00:27:23] Speaker A: Content creator.
[00:27:27] Speaker C: Customer service rep.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: Software developer.
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[00:28:16] Speaker A: For this segment we're going to throw the microphone over to Mr. Justin Mauldin like we do each and every month for his segment we affectionately like to call Justin's Tech tips. Justin, it is all yours.
[00:28:27] Speaker C: I know we've got our upcoming guest on the next segment is going to be Ms. Leslie Myers from Galaxy Ford. And so to kind of go along with the theme of the automotive industry, I thought why not go ahead and talk about some tech tips that we can use in our automobiles and in our vehicles.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: Oh, that's a good, good tie in.
[00:28:46] Speaker C: So, you know. Yeah, in most vehicles nowadays, you know, we'll think about things like backup cameras. I didn't have a backup camera until I got my, my newest vehicle. Now most other vehicles had them, but I was still doing the old school backup. And when I first got my vehicle I was like, I don't want to use this backup camera. I don't trust it. I'm gonna use my mirrors. But now I've gotten much more comfortable with it and I probably couldn't live without that thing. And I think that's how a lot of the technology is.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: I think you're right.
[00:29:15] Speaker C: Until, until you've utilized it, you don't know what you're missing. Yeah, but then once you have it.
[00:29:20] Speaker A: You hard to live without.
[00:29:21] Speaker C: Yes, you want it. Some of the things that you can do is your smartphone integration. You know, we have smartphones with us that we carry everywhere and they've got a lot of integration that they can do with our automobiles. Now if you are an Apple user, your vehicle may have CarPlay, it may be wired or wireless. And if you are an Android user, you may have Android audio. Same thing. It may be wired or wireless. But even if you don't have the connectivity for those two things, most vehicles manufactured over the past 15 years, maybe probably even further than that, do have the ability. They have Bluetooth or, or they may have what I remember calling as I was younger and I don't refer to it now, and you, and I wouldn't call it an AUX input, but most people call it an AUX input.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: Oh, the good old days.
[00:30:09] Speaker C: Yes. You know, so you may have some way, even if you don't have these specific features that I'm talking about to still be able to connect for audio or to connect wirelessly through Bluetooth. So keep that in mind. So not all of this may apply to your vehicle, depending upon its age. But chances are, if you've got a vehicle that was manufactured in the last 20 years, some piece of this applies to, to your vehicle. But go into smartphone integration, utilize that if you have it. Pair your device with your vehicle and it's going to open up a world of opportunities.
I mean, the first thing that it does is it simplifies your, your audio experience.
But whether it's a podcast, whether it's music, whatever it may be, your phone being able to seamlessly integrate with your vehicle and you can control it, you can customize what you want to use. I use Apple Music, you use Spotify. There's others out there that may use YouTube music or whatever it may be that you, you can pick whatever you want to use. That's, that's the beauty.
You're not stuck with whatever your car has, you know, you, you've got the ability to customize and make it whatever you want it to be.
[00:31:22] Speaker A: That's a good point.
[00:31:23] Speaker C: If you've got a newer device, you've got the ability that maybe somebody else can control through what's called share play on Apple stuff, they can control what's being played. You can give them the opportunity. They don't have to have your device, but they can, they can see what you're playing or change it to the next thing you know, you can control that a little bit. So when you have two youngsters in the back that want something different, you're okay with them doing it. They can just go ahead and change, change it on their own.
[00:31:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:48] Speaker C: You know, if there's something else they want to do and so you can.
[00:31:50] Speaker A: Listen to baby shark for an hour and a half on the way vacation.
[00:31:54] Speaker C: Thankfully, we were, we, we were going to the ocean, but thankfully mine are old enough that we were not listening to baby sharks.
[00:32:01] Speaker A: Lucky, Lucky. Very good.
[00:32:03] Speaker C: Something else that is very, very useful is navigation.
So, yeah, you know, used to if you wanted navigation in your vehicle, you had to buy a dedicated GPS unit. Well now, again, with smartphones, it's right there in your pocket. And not only are the maps updated, it gives you real time alerts. Oh, hey, you know what, we need to reroute you because in about 50 miles there's an accident and traffic has slowed down. So we're going to suggest this alternate route.
[00:32:32] Speaker A: Such an awesome technology too.
[00:32:33] Speaker C: Yes. You don't have to do anything. It tells you, hey, Here, just warning you, you don't want to sit in that traffic because they've got the interstate shut down.
[00:32:42] Speaker A: So it's using your LTE data, I guess somehow to constantly pull up updates.
[00:32:46] Speaker C: So it's using that now again, all your phones have GPS built into them automatically. So it's pulling your position navigationally through, through GPS satellites. And then it's using that in combination with real time data that it's getting a lot of that is from other users and stuff. Now it's not tracking you individually, but it is aggregating things. Or you have the ability to say, hey, there is an accident or hey, there's a pothole. And if, listen, that's been a lifesaver. Oh yeah, for me when it pops up, hey, there's been a pothole that's been reported. Again, you can use whatever navigation system you want. So Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze is highly popular now. All of those have, have those different things built in. And so again, you get to pick and choose what you want, what you prefer.
But man, you're in the driver's seat. Yes, you were in the driver.
[00:33:39] Speaker A: See what I did there?
[00:33:40] Speaker C: But it's, it, those things are game changers. And then the simple things, and this is what really we had before we had these other things I've been talking about is just being able to use wireless audio. If you, you want to answer a call, you want to make a call. But now it's advanced to, oh, I need to make a call.
Well, in the state of Tennessee, we have a hands free law.
You are prohibited when you are driving from having anything in your hands.
And so with these technologies, you can tell it, I need to, I need to call Nick Noakes.
And it will confirm. You want to call Nick Noakes. Yes. And then it'll make the call for you. You don't have to pick up your device, you don't have to touch anything. And you can use that with navigation as well. Oh, hey, I'm running low on gas. Please find me the nearest gas station, Find me a gas station to go to. Or you have a child because you're on a road trip that needs to use the bathroom and I need a rest area, whatever it may be, to be able to do that with your voice. You don't have to pick the phone up, you don't have to use any sort of search engine. Your device, it will do it for.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: You and it'll do it quicker than you can do it and it's more safe.
[00:34:52] Speaker C: Yes, yes. And that's you know, the hands free law went into effect for that because distraction is such a huge issue. Right, right. Okay, well, oh, I gotta find, I've got to find something. Or if you're in that traffic jam and it's like, okay, I gotta find an exit and I gotta find a back road. You know, all, you know, we get distracted by a bunch of different things.
[00:35:08] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:35:09] Speaker C: And this helps helps prevent that. It is a technology that actually makes it safer for you. It's more convenient and it is safer at the same time. Now, something that doesn't go along with smartphones I've been talking about, but a lot of vehicles now their own integrated technology and speaking of safety is, you know, adaptive cruise control and newer vehicles is something that is coming on strong where it's not like the old cruise control that most of us familiar with. Okay, well, I'm on the interstate, I'm going to set my Cruise control at 70 and it just rides at 70. Well, adaptive cruise control will do the sensors in the vehicle and due to machine learning and all the programming that's built into it, okay, there's a vehicle in front of me and I need, the vehicle will calculate, I need to maintain so much space. But they're going 65 miles an hour, so it will slow you down to 65 miles an hour. Well, when the traffic picks up, you'll pick back up up to the speed limit that you set. Right now, I would not be comfortable relying on that 100%. And that does not mean that you can become a lazy driver.
But it is a feature that's built in that, that is a newer feature that if you are comfortable with it, which I utilize it in my vehicle. Again, pay attention.
You've got lane departure warnings and lane assist. And I, I have never been in a vehicle that has autopilot or full self driving or whatever these car manufacturers call the ability to automatically drive a vehicle. And again, I don't know how comfortable I would be with that. But if you are in a vehicle that has those capabilities, make sure that you know it and understand it to be able to operate, keep your eyes.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: On the road at all times, even if it's doing the driving.
[00:37:00] Speaker C: Yes. But whatever vehicle you have and whatever technology you have, I would encourage you to maximize the use of it, to know it and to understand again, the functions and also understand its limits. Because it will help, it'll help you with convenience, it'll make your life easier as a driver and it will make.
[00:37:17] Speaker A: You a safer driver that's right. The technology is there. We might as well use it, embrace it. That's right.
And for this segment of the local click, we're very lucky to have Ms. Leslie Myers with Galaxy Ford in Smithville.
[00:37:32] Speaker D: Yes. Thank you so much for having me.
[00:37:33] Speaker A: Thank you so much for being here. We're very excited to have you here with us on the program.
You guys are always doing great things. I drive by the dealership all the time and I'm always like, window shopping every time. Like, I don't really need anything necessarily at that time, but I'm always like, oh, there's a nice ride, there's a nice one.
[00:37:50] Speaker D: Always something there you can. That you actually need. You just don't realize.
[00:37:53] Speaker A: Exactly. That's exactly right. So. But we'll kind of get talking cars here in just a minute. But before we do, kind of introduce yourself and your family and kind of tell us about your ties to Middle Tennessee.
[00:38:05] Speaker D: Okay. So I am Leslie Myers. I am the GM at Galaxy Ford and Smithville. We, my family and I have lived here for six years. We moved here from Cocoa Beach, Florida, wanted some seasons and just landed here close to the lake. And it's just beautiful. We absolutely love it. So it's. My husband and I have been together 31 years, and our two boys actually live on the property with us and our grandson, Jasper, who, you know, the light of our world at this point. So. Yeah, we love it. And we love it here.
[00:38:38] Speaker A: Well, that's great. That's great. Well, it sounds like you like water because you came from water and went to a different type of water.
[00:38:44] Speaker D: Yes, I have to be near water and, you know, on the lakes or the oceans or, you know, whatever. Yeah, we dove in Florida, so. So here it's like, definitely have to be close to water one of the seasons and closer back to our family who lives in Kentucky, but.
[00:38:57] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:38:58] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:38:58] Speaker C: Well, good.
[00:38:59] Speaker A: Well, we're glad to have you here in Tennessee.
[00:39:00] Speaker D: Yes, we love it.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: How did you get started in the automotive industry?
[00:39:05] Speaker D: So back in early 2000s, I started working at a GM dealership. I actually started as collections for their buy here, pay here lot and kind of moved up into the. The actual dealership side. And then when the market, all the automobile crashes back in, was it 2006 or 2007, that dealership sold. So I actually come out of automotive for a little bit and then come out of the dealership and I went into some buy here, pay here lots with some service departments and.
And then I actually went into the corporate world for several Years. But every time I turn around, automotive is just pulling me back in. So I guess it's for me.
[00:39:45] Speaker A: Yep. It's in your blood, so to speak.
[00:39:46] Speaker D: It is. I really enjoy it.
[00:39:48] Speaker A: Well, talk about your role at Galaxy Ford and the type of typical day to day tasks that you're involved with. I'm sure as a general manager. Right, that's what you said your official role is. There's probably no task that's beyond you. You kind of have to do whatever shows up everything. But what would be a typical day in the life?
[00:40:08] Speaker D: Mostly just working with my team, my managers, making sure things are flowing smoothly and customers are satisfied. I order all of our new units and try to obtain new customers for the service department and try to get us out there. We're just trying to rebuild the reputation of Galaxy Ford because prior to us there were several dealerships in this location. So we're trying to build up a good customer relationship with the locals.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: It all starts with that one on one relationship with a human being.
[00:40:40] Speaker D: Absolutely, absolutely.
[00:40:42] Speaker A: So, well, describe the dealership for us and the type of vehicles that you offer.
[00:40:47] Speaker D: Okay, so we are a Ford dealership for the most part. We carry a lot of super duties and Broncos. Those are our, I mean we usually have some Mustangs on the lot too, but not as many super duties and Broncos are our number one sellers. Okay. We try to keep, you know, a range of variety for those. So, you know, we have what the customer is looking for. We offer repairs and maintenance on all makes and models in our service department.
We actually have a mobile unit that will come to you, change your oil. Do any recalls on Fords that need to be done?
No charge? Yeah, we will go anywhere. We actually don't have a mileage limit. We'll, you know, come to you. And we also have pickup and delivery. Like if you're at work today and you need your oil change, we'll come and get it, change your oil and bring it back to you. No charge to the customers. That's just something we're trying to provide to everybody to go the extra mile.
[00:41:38] Speaker A: Talk about some of the most common services offered by them, I'm sure. Oil changes and maintenance and things.
[00:41:45] Speaker D: Oil change and the recommended maintenance for Fords we do, we do a lot of brakes and tires and so you offer tires? We do. Okay, we do. And there's usually specials on those. 99 of the time. We'll have some type of special.
We do alignments, breaks, tune ups, recalls. We, we actually have a, a bdc, her name is Mia, she will reach out to any of our customers that have Fords that have a recall. So we keep the, you know, we try to just take care of the customers as soon as we know about it. Okay.
[00:42:17] Speaker A: That's a nice touch, too.
[00:42:19] Speaker D: Absolutely.
[00:42:20] Speaker A: Keep everything running well. You know, the vehicle is quite an investment, so it's nice to have somebody on your side, so to speak, kind of working with you to try to keep it running smoothly.
[00:42:28] Speaker D: It's the second largest purchase of your life. It will be your. You're right what vehicle you're driving, and.
[00:42:32] Speaker A: You rely on it every day to get to where you're going. It's not just a convenience item in your life. It's. It's a necessity.
[00:42:38] Speaker D: It is a necessity, but, you know, sometimes we like to. To make those necessities nice.
[00:42:42] Speaker A: That's right. That's right.
What are your thoughts as far as being in the automotive industry in a town the size of Smithville on the smaller side, probably compared to some of the places you've been versus some of the larger cities and that sort of.
[00:42:54] Speaker D: Thing, it is definitely smaller. This store is very different than any other dealership or, you know, any automotive industry. I've been in the small town. It seems to be a little harder to build that reputation of Galaxy. That's our goal, is to let everybody know that we are now Galaxy Forward. We've been there for four years since we purchased the property. And it's tough. It's tough.
[00:43:20] Speaker A: I never thought about that. That's probably true.
[00:43:22] Speaker D: And we actually get a lot of out of town.
Since we're so small and located off the beaten path of most people, we try to stay competitive on our pricing.
Our labor rate in the shop is cheaper than probably anybody within 150 miles. We try to definitely stay competitive so we can get people in the door.
[00:43:43] Speaker A: Let's do a hypothetical here. Let's say I'm in the vehicle market, but I really don't know what to get now. I think this happens a lot. People don't always admit it, but they're like, I've got to have something, because what I'm currently driving is on its last tires.
[00:43:57] Speaker D: We get it all.
[00:43:58] Speaker A: It's the last leg. So how do you help someone decide maybe what the best match for them? And I'm sure you. You run into that quite often. Don't you try to help somebody decide what they need, what their needs are those. Those types of questions, how do you answer those?
[00:44:12] Speaker D: So our sales department will work with anybody coming in. Basically, we're going to find out, you know, how many seats do you need first? You know, do you need a third row? Do you need just a pickup truck? Are you hauling? Do you need a super duty? You know, do you need 250, 350? I mean, if you're not hauling and you just want to pick up truck for your normal day to day, you know, the 150, it's basically just trying to figure out the customer's needs and then we move on to the wants.
Do you want heated seats? Do you want cooling seats? Do you want a heated steering wheel? You know, of course everybody does, but you know, the budget, the budget gets.
[00:44:46] Speaker A: And that's part of it too, isn't it?
[00:44:48] Speaker D: Absolutely. Yeah. And a lot of people will know where they want their payment.
So we try to work into, we kind of know, you know, where we'll land with certain units as far as the payments go.
[00:44:59] Speaker A: And if there's something that someone wanted but you may not have on the lot. Exactly. Like, can you still order vehicles for them or find them?
[00:45:07] Speaker D: Yeah, if it's used, I can buy it. You know, I can. It might take me a week or two, but I can find what you're looking for. If it's new, I can find another dealer and trade it, trade for it. Or if you want a brand new unit, we can place the order and it'll be in about four months.
[00:45:20] Speaker A: See, I don't think a lot of people realize how convenient that is for the person that's buying the vehicle because you can easily run yourself in a big circle on a large radius of miles looking for something. But if you can build that special relationship. We were just talking about building relationships with someone local. With a dealership like you, you can do the hard work, the legwork for them and find that vehicle and bring it in for them.
[00:45:44] Speaker D: Absolutely.
[00:45:45] Speaker A: And it's just so much easier if they.
[00:45:47] Speaker D: If you know exactly what you're looking for, the color you're looking for, the motor you want, whether it's two wheel drive, four wheel drive, you know, you come in and give me some specifications on that and I can find it.
[00:45:56] Speaker A: See, I think that's, that's a often overlooked thing, I think.
[00:46:00] Speaker D: Absolutely.
We try to tell people, you know, if we don't have what you want, you know, we can find it, we can get it for you, we can meet your needs.
[00:46:07] Speaker A: Right.
[00:46:07] Speaker D: Come and see us.
[00:46:08] Speaker A: Come see us. That's right.
Well, let's talk about maybe, what are your favorite new Ford vehicles as far as, I mean you're around them all the time. I'm sure it's probably hard to pim point, but it is. What would you say are your favorites?
[00:46:20] Speaker D: I am a super Duty girl, so I drive a 250 super duty now, so I. That's has to be my favorite.
I drive a King Ranch. Of course, it has all the bells and whistles, but I, you know, as we get them in the new Mavericks, the 25 Mavericks coming in, the interior is just. It's really gorgeous.
[00:46:39] Speaker A: I actually have a Maverick myself.
[00:46:41] Speaker D: You do?
[00:46:41] Speaker A: And I love it.
[00:46:42] Speaker D: Nice. Yeah, yeah, they're. I mean, they're just, they're, they're nice for you. You know, if you don't need a full size pickup truck, you could still haul things. You can get your mulch for the summer, you know, so, I mean, it's, it's. They're very nice. I do like the Mavericks, you know, who, who doesn't love a Mustang? I mean, every time they come in, I'm like, oh, that's gorgeous. I mean, I wouldn't own one because I have animals.
[00:47:03] Speaker A: And you have a nice gray, bluish gray one I've seen recently as I was driving through Smithville and I was.
[00:47:09] Speaker D: Like, oh, man, that is a GT manual.
So you should come for a test ride.
[00:47:15] Speaker A: Yeah, Yeah, I should do that as soon as we leave here. I should.
[00:47:18] Speaker D: Yes, yes.
[00:47:18] Speaker A: My wife's like, you better not come.
[00:47:20] Speaker D: Exactly. She's gonna come hunt me down.
[00:47:23] Speaker A: But if you're trying to complete the purchase of a new vehicle but you have a trade in, is that something you guys can assist with too, as far as trade ins?
[00:47:30] Speaker D: Absolutely. We will take anything as a trade in.
Even if you, you owe on it, we'll pay it off and. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:47:39] Speaker A: So that's no problem.
[00:47:39] Speaker D: No problem at all.
[00:47:40] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:47:41] Speaker D: Just bring it. You know, we'll give you an evaluation, you know, an appraisal, and let you know how much the vehicle's worth and we'll give you for it. And we can tie that into what.
[00:47:48] Speaker A: You'Re looking at and make it just a one stop reel.
[00:47:52] Speaker D: That's right. And we try to get customers in and out as fast as possible. We don't want you spending your. Although we love having our customers there all day, but we definitely don't want them to spend hours in our waiting room while we're trying to get the deal done. So we do thrive on. Try to get people in and out.
[00:48:06] Speaker A: As fast as possible because everybody's time's valuable, I'm sure.
[00:48:09] Speaker D: Absolutely. Absolutely.
[00:48:11] Speaker A: What about financing, do you also help customers with those kinds of needs?
[00:48:15] Speaker D: Yes. So we have, I think probably 10 to 12, maybe a couple more finance companies that we use and we submit to and then we choose the best interest rate and sometimes we can also go to battle with the finance company for the customer trying to get better rates and terms and pricing.
[00:48:36] Speaker A: I think a lot of people don't realize just how competitive a lot of these dealerships are with a lot of their rates. And the thing because you have such a large buying power, because you constantly have people in there looking for loans and that sort of thing, and it's convenient to be able to purchase the vehicle, trade in your trade in and get the financing all in one stop.
[00:48:56] Speaker D: And don't forget, you can also come back for service.
[00:48:58] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. It just makes it easy.
[00:49:00] Speaker D: That's right. One stop shop.
[00:49:02] Speaker A: That's right.
Well, with technology changing and the automotive industry is not immune to all of these great shifts in technology and that sort of thing, how are you seeing that change the way people shop for vehicles in today's market?
[00:49:17] Speaker D: So some of the new electronic stuff that comes out, some people are looking for it and other people are like, they're, you know, you're set in your ways and you're like, I don't care what that gives me. Just, just drive down the road. But you know, like some of the newer units come out with the Blue Cruise, which will drive itself. I don't myself. That's very terrifying and I don't think I would ever use it. But you know, you have the lane assist and we have people that will call and be like, how do I turn this auto shutoff off? You know, they don't, they don't like it. But I mean, some of them do, right? I mean, you're looking for that with the one, the units that carry Internet for their kids when they're at the soccer games and they're entertaining the others, watching movies or, you know, their phones are connected, so. So yeah, it's good. You know them SUVs being able to, you know, task your other kids while you're at other games or you know, wherever you are hiking or.
[00:50:07] Speaker A: Things have changed though, haven't they?
[00:50:09] Speaker D: Have definitely changed.
[00:50:10] Speaker A: Yeah. If you haven't purchased a vehicle in the past seven to 10 years, you might be surprised about absolutely different types of technology.
[00:50:16] Speaker D: And it's going to be like going from a flip phone to a smartphone.
[00:50:19] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true.
[00:50:20] Speaker D: It's very true.
[00:50:21] Speaker A: Yeah. What about as far as the way people shop online for Vehicles do you get people inquiring, I guess. You know, before the Internet you had to drive from dealership to dealership. Really? Or look at the newspaper for listings or whatever, you know, to kind of figure out mailer. Yeah, exactly. But, you know, now everyone has smartphone or a laptop or whatever. Do you see a lot of people doing that kind of preliminary shopping, trying to figure out inventories and stuff, or do you still see it's more of a show up in person kind of thing?
[00:50:51] Speaker D: We're a mix because we're in a small town, so you have that 15, 20% that'll just drive through and look on the lot. But the majority of ours come from Internet leads because we advertise on several different platforms.
[00:51:05] Speaker A: Well, if someone's decided that Mustang is for them or super duty or whatever we've been talking about today, what's the best way for someone to learn more about the dealership?
[00:51:15] Speaker D: They can give us a call our number, 615-597-2300 and ask for sales. Or you can go to our website. It is www.galaxyfordsmithville.com. all our inventory is on there with pricing. So if they have any questions and you can apply for credit on our website, you can go to Cargurus. We post on there, all our inventory is there and you'll see a lot of our new and used and we get a lot of leads from there.
[00:51:43] Speaker A: Wish you all the best at Galaxy Ford and yeah, save that Mustang back maybe.
[00:51:48] Speaker D: I think I might.
[00:51:49] Speaker A: I'll work on the misses. We'll see what happens.
[00:51:51] Speaker D: I think you just need to drive it. Maybe you just need to bring her, take her for a ride.
That might work.
[00:51:56] Speaker A: You're a sales professional.
That's right.
[00:51:59] Speaker D: You got to get that hook on the, on the spouse.
[00:52:02] Speaker A: Very smart. That's right. That's the way to do it. So, but good luck with everything and, and we'll literally see you down the road.
[00:52:08] Speaker D: Yes. Thank you so much everybody.
[00:52:10] Speaker A: Stick around. We've got more of the podcast coming up and in just a moment.
[00:52:15] Speaker D: Great communities attract talented people to live, work and raise their families.
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[00:54:03] Speaker A: Justin's going to take the mic again and he's going to give us all the great tech news out there in the world. Today in this segment called Tech News.
[00:54:13] Speaker C: Roundup, Apple has announced their new operating systems. So iOS, if you've got an iPhone, Mac OS, if you've got a Mac device, iPad, OS. They simplified the naming a few years ago. So it makes, it makes it a lot easier. Tvos, watch os, of course you've also got Apple Vision and so you've got Vision os. But they decided to do something a little bit different with, with the naming in order to consolidate because they have these products that are on different numbers. So while it is Mac OS and iOS, the versions were actually three numbers different. So Mac OS is on version 15 and iOS has been on version 18. They said, you know what, we're going to fix this to make this a little bit easier. We're going to, since we're in the year 2026, everything is going to be version 26 going forward. Which honestly is, is going to be nice because if you look in two years like, oh, I'm still running on version 26, you're going to know immediately I'm two years behind.
[00:55:09] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:55:09] Speaker C: It's really going to simplify things and it, and it makes it more cohesive with everyone.
But they've announced tons of new software. They've announced in the gaming side, they were pretty heavy on gaming apps. They're actually releasing a standalone gaming app for their devices. Now that's always been found within their app store. But because it makes up such a large portion of the app store, they said, you know what this is, this is so large on its own already, we're going to pull it out, have a dedicated team and a dedicated app to service these things. And they've got more promises with their artificial intelligence, Apple Intelligence and what they're calling visual intelligence.
Now, as much as I love Apple, I will say over the past year compared to their announcements in 2025.
They have not come through with everything that they have promised. And so there in some concerns post WWDC that they're making additional promises when they haven't capitalized on the promises that they've made before.
And so they're. Yeah. And I think mixed reactions in the, in the criticism is fair.
[00:56:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:56:18] Speaker C: That they're, they're trying to advance for other things. And honestly Apple is a little bit behind and it's not unusual for Apple to be behind on certain things because they usually like to be the ones to get it right before they release it. But we're a year out. They were already behind a year ago. And so they've, they've got some catching up.
[00:56:37] Speaker A: They got some work to do.
[00:56:38] Speaker C: They've got work to do. But that's enough about AI. Let's, let's go on to probably my favorite thing that's happened over the, over this past month and that is we have a new gaming console that has finally come out. Nintendo has launched the Nintendo Switch 2.
[00:56:56] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:56:57] Speaker C: It's got some enhanced hardware, there's some new games. You know, Mario Kart World has come out and people, people love those Mario Kart games. Anything to do with Mario, it does not matter if you put Mario on something, it just does. Well, it does not matter immediately. It sold out everywhere really. And if you go into a gaming store, if you go in anywhere that sells game consoles, I can just about guarantee you unless you were there when they are putting new stock on the shelves, you are not going to find one. It's gotten great reviews. It's got a, it's got a great consumer response. And so it looks like Nintendo, while they don't create the most powerful consoles, it's never been their niche. They've never tried to be. They, they understand who their consumer is and they don't go after what people would call hardcore gamers, so to say. But they're very family oriented and they're all about their intellectual property.
[00:57:50] Speaker A: They're very good at it.
[00:57:51] Speaker C: Yes, yes. And so they, they, they craft their stories and their games and consumers are responding very, very positively about it.
[00:57:59] Speaker A: And now we're going to take a look at what's up. Dtc. That's all the great places that DTC will be for the month of July.
And we're going to start off with the Smith County Fair and that'll be on June 30th through July 5th. Next will be the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree. A great event in downtown Smithville. If you haven't been there or haven't been there in a while, you definitely need to stop by. Lots of great music, entertainment, food, just lots of great fun and I think you'll enjoy it. That'll be on July 4th and the 5th on the square in downtown Smithfield. Then we have the Smith Smith County Back to School Bash. That's right, it's almost time for the kids to get back to school. I don't want to make anyone sad, whether it be the parents or the children, but it is the Smith County Back to School bash time on July 19 from 4 to 8pm at the Smith County Chamber of Commerce. Then the We Care Cannon event will be on July 27, 2 to 5pm at the Cannon County High School. The DeKalb Back to School Bash on July 31 at 6 o' clock at the Life Enrichment center of Smithville First Baptist Church. And we hope that you will come see us at some of these great events. And on that note, I think that's a wrap for the July episode. Justin, thanks so much for being with me as always. Great tech news and great tech tips as always.
[00:59:19] Speaker C: Hey, always a pleasure to be here. We'll hope you join us next time.
[00:59:23] Speaker A: That's right. Thanks for all of our guests who were on the program today. And thanks for all of you who listen and watch every month and make sure you get the word out about us. Tell a friend, tell a neighbor, tell a relative that the Local Click is on the air each and every month. And on that note, we'll say so long for the month of July. Learn more about the show by visiting.
[00:59:43] Speaker B: Us
[email protected] Also, be sure to subscribe to us on your favorite podcast or.
[00:59:49] Speaker A: Video platform so you won't miss our next episode of the Local Click. See you next month.
