New bars and restaurants might be sexy, but what's really sexy are the businesses that hold history within their walls.

Gary Meadows is the 4th owner of Wally's, which opened in 1937 and is now the oldest restaurant in Chattanooga. It's a meat-and-three where people from all walks of life come together, business deals happen over cobbler, and they know you by your face even if they don't know your name.

It just so happens to be my favorite restaurant, but that's not why we're visiting it today. Wally's has a story to tell - something that others can learn from.

In this episode, I head to Wally's to find out:

• What it takes to survive 89 years in the restaurant business
• How it's possible to pride yourself on affordability, even when costs keep rising
• Why closing one location actually strengthened the other

With places like Nikki's, Town & Country, and Zarzours closing, it's more important than ever to support local institutions like Wally's.

And just to be clear: Gary has no plans of closing Wally's any time soon. It's survived two fires, multiple transitions, and the great lemon debacle, so it'll take a lot more than that to shut it down.

Have a Tennessee story worth mapping out? Reach out at archabouttn.com

00:00 - Why We’re Heading to Wally’s

01:10 - The History of Wally’s

11:30 - How They Maintain Affordability Despite Rising Costs

21:35 - Passing It Down: Training the Next Generation

25:00 - When Gary's Brother Closed the East Ridge Location

35:34 - The 1998 Fire: When the Community Rallied for the Staff

41:23 - Tony's Advice & The Lemon Debacle

48:36 - The Staff Who Show Up at 2:45 AM ("We Got You, Boss")

54:25 - Locally Owned AND Operated vs. Corporate Chains

1:01:35 - Studio Debrief: Takeaways

Rural counties across Tennessee look at the big cities and ask: "Why can't we have that?"

Alex Green from Rhea County Economic Development used to ask the same thing.

He was jealous of West Tennessee's Blue Oval plant, but then he realized he was chasing the wrong opportunity.

Rural counties can't win by copying urban playbooks. They can't compete on scale. But Rhea County has something other places don't:

• Established businesses that are invested in expanding locally
• A tourism economy that brings 40,000 visitors in one week to a county of 35,000
• Residents so passionate about education they voted to raise their own taxes

In this episode, I visit Dayton to see what happens when a county stops trying to be something it's not and starts leveraging what it actually is. Then I break down the framework so you can apply it to your county or business.

00:00 - Why Rural Counties Are Beating Urban Cities

01:30 - Meet Alex Green: Executive Director of Rhea County ECD

05:40 - Living Between Two Nuclear Plants (And Why That's Good)

11:31 - Why Dayton is Called Monkey Town: The Real Story

15:48 - The Bootstrap Mentality & Looking Ahead

17:13 - Manufacturing’s Misconception

18:58 - Why are young men not working?

24:52 - NIMBYism is Costing You Growth

32:40 - Chasing Every Deal Is Killing Your Town

39:36 - Tourism & The Infrastructure Investment That Paid Off

42:50 - Stackable Credentials: The Future of Workforce Development

48:15 - What La-Z-Boy's Expansion Really Means

56:36 - The Studio Debrief: Is Your Town Competing With the Wrong Places?

Have a Tennessee story worth mapping out? Reach out at archabouttn.com

The downtown square is packed on First Friday. The annual festival brought in a record number of tourists. New businesses keep opening.

By every metric, downtown is thriving. But somehow... half of the businesses close within 18 months?

Most small Tennessee towns are focused on getting people downtown, but Fayetteville Main Street stopped asking "How do we get more people downtown?" and started asking "How do we help the businesses that are here actually survive?"

The answer wasn't more festivals. It was controversial sidewalks, AI-powered foot traffic data, and creating a physical space for businesses to get the support they need.

In this episode, I visit Fayetteville to see what they're doing differently, then break down the framework so you can apply it to your town or business.

(00:00) - Why We're Heading to Fayetteville First

(02:33) - Meet Aimee Byrd - the Executive Director of Fayetteville Main Street

(05:25) - The Tourism Tax Strategy Nobody Talks About

(06:58) - Anyone Can Open a Business. That's Actually the Problem.

(08:23) - From 650 Square Feet to a Small Business Farm System

(11:47) - The Data That Changed Everything

(16:33) - "We're Not Going After Chain Restaurants Anymore"

(22:47) - Why Local Dollars Keep Your Property Taxes Down

(29:40) - The Sidewalk Fight That Proved 46% Growth

(33:00) - The Four Pillars Every Downtown Needs

(40:48) - $330 Million Leaving Lincoln County Every Year

(43:12) - The Real Reason Your Taxes Keep Going Up

(47:18) - Where Tennessee's Next 20 Years of Growth Is Coming From

(52:30) - What Actually Replaced the Anchor Store Everyone Misses

(54:55) - Building a Town Your Kids Come Back To

(57:33) - The Studio Debrief: What Makes Fayetteville's Approach Different

Have a Tennessee story worth mapping out? Reach out at archabouttn.com