Shopper Blog: Family's custom screen-printing business will 'help you show it off'

POWELL

Family's custom screen-printing business will 'help you show it off'

Al Lesar, Shopper News

As an entrepreneur, Julia Cate learned a valuable lesson: Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself.

“When you’re young, it’s OK not to know what you’re going to do with your life,” said Cate, a 2009 Powell High School grad. “My husband, Andrew, has been my biggest supporter. He has always encouraged me to take the next step.”

Julia’s steps have come in the form of upgrades to her T-shirt/promotions business.

She started with a vinyl cutter to help with printing. Then came a sublimation printer to enhance her capabilities with printing on all sorts of items that could handle corporate logos. The final step was a screen printer and embroidery machine that helped her launch Custom Designs by Julia in 2022.

“I learned that you can’t be scared to jump in and take risks,” Cate said. “At first, it was scary to invest so much, but it was the right thing to do.

“Never in a million years did I think I would do screen printing. Now, I love it. I can do it until I don’t want to work anymore. When you find your passion, run with it. Don’t be afraid to go as far as you can go.”

Children get entrepreneur lessons

Julia’s business, which she runs out of her garage, is very conducive to her family needs.

Julia and Andrew have two children: Ziek, 11, and Ayla Jane, 4. Her stay-at-home job is helpful because Andrew, also a Powell High School grad, travels quite a bit in his role as crew chief for O’Sully Racing.

The team competes in the Formula DRIFT series in which competitors are judged on line, angle and style rather than who finishes the course in the fastest time.

“This is a good lesson to have for our kids,” Julia said. “Andrew and I are both entrepreneurs. We’re proving that you can be your own boss and make it happen if you put your mind to it.

“Our kids are both involved. Ziek knows how to run a lot of my machines. He’ll go over to Andrew’s garage whenever he can and help over there. I’ve taught Ayla how to fold shirts. She’s always ready to give me a hand.”

No minimums on orders

What sets Custom Designs by Julia apart from other printers is her willingness to take on the small orders that others wouldn’t consider.

“I want to help out the small guy,” she said. “I’m a small guy. I have no minimums.”

Julia’s philosophy with businesses is simple.

“If you own a business, it should be something you should be proud of,” she said. “My job is to help you show it off. We can figure out a way to make something like that happen” − whether it’s custom shirts for the O’Sully team, attaching corporate logos on souvenir items or embroidering hats, shirts or other materials with promotional messages or artwork.

“It’s very cool to step back and see how Andrew and I are our own bosses,” Julia said. “It’s what we’ve always wanted to do.”

For more information, or to order custom work, go to the Custom Designs by Julia Facebook page.

BEARDEN

UT professor remembered for 'juicy' stories and musical gifts

John Shearer, Shopper News

Dr. Allison Ensor, one of the older surviving former University of Tennessee faculty members, died Aug. 10 at the age of 88.

Like the famed writer Mark Twain in whom Ensor specialized, the longtime former West Hills resident and English professor was remembered for possessing his own unique gifts. For him, they included detailed historical recall, including about a bygone era in UT history, and knowledge about music and theologically related topics. He also could play the organ and piano, but he was never pretentious about his talents or skills, friends say.

Fellow UT English emeritus professor Dr. Don Richard Cox said that Ensor was not easy to characterize and not someone about whom he could tell a particular story. However, Ensor did have a variety of stories about others he would share himself, and that endeared him to people.

“At our regular lunches (of retired faculty), he frequently discussed music − operas and particularly hymns and hymnals,” Cox added. “And he had a great deal of information about departmental history because he had been a graduate student at UT well before he or any of us were hired to teach here.

“So, he could tell stories about ‘the early days’ and give us a kind of student's viewpoint of professors who eventually became our colleagues. Allison also had a nearly perfect memory of the radio programs of his youth and could repeat verbatim introductions and taglines.”

He said Ensor would also talk about Twain some, but only if asked.

Ensor – who was quoted regularly over the years in the Bearden Shopper News about such topics as the old Rich’s department store and UT’s past – grew up with more intellectual adventures than the Twain characters he taught.

But as a top student before graduating from Cookeville Central High, he did enjoy learning about Twain along with pursuing a somewhat out-of-the-usual skillset − the organ.

“When I read ‘Tom Sawyer’ at age 9, I thought it was the funniest book I had ever seen,” Ensor said in a 2007 News Sentinel interview as he was retiring. “And Twain has an appeal to others. They think he will not be hard to read, and they expect to laugh at some of the things he says.”

Ensor, who wrote his dissertation about Twain, also used to tell people that many of the stories or sayings attributed to the author were not always accurate or true.

After considering being a school-age teacher and even a Methodist minister, he taught English at UT beginning in 1965 after receiving an undergraduate degree from Tennessee Tech, a master’s at UT, and a doctorate from Indiana University. He and wife, Anne, whom he was always quick to praise and respect, would also raise their two children, Beth and Eddie, in Knoxville.

They also became active with Church Street United Methodist Church, where he sang for decades in the Parish Adult Choir in his unique and old-style voice. He also would accompany church programs or classes on the piano and occasionally the organ or teach or hold other leadership positions as a church member.

He was a longtime member of the Knoxville chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

At the time of his retirement from UT, before doing some additional continuing education teaching in Oak Ridge, he said he had found a rewarding profession. “It has been very enjoyable,” he said. “Most pleasant have been the acquaintances with the students and the professional meetings. I had some really good students over the years, some I have been fond of and some I have tried to keep up with.”

Current English Department head Dr. Misty Anderson said her colleagues were fond of him as well and were sad to hear of his death after a short decline following a long life of mostly good health.

“I knew that things were coming to an end, but it's still a shock,” she said. “I will forever miss the twinkle in his eye when he was about to tell an especially juicy story, often about UT history. He will be missed, truly.”

Nonprofit pursues 'God's good intent' for single-parent families

Carly Norman, Shopper News

According to the U.S. Census Bureau survey taken in 2022, 36% of children in Tennessee live in single-parent homes.

Though this statistic may seem bleak, for organizations like The Restoration House, it’s an opportunity for life-giving partnerships with parents and their kids that will ultimately strengthen communities and equip the next generation of leaders.

At The Restoration House (TRH), a nonprofit serving low-income, single-parent families in the Knoxville area, families are given a wide array of support as they take next steps toward their dreams and goals. One of these areas of support is through Youth Development.

“The Restoration House’s mission is to restore single mothers and their children back to God’s good intent for their lives,” said Kylee Lillis, who works as a Youth Advocate at TRH. “We do that through different program initiatives like supportive transitional housing, ally teams, family advocacy, and youth development.”

The Youth Development program is a vital part of TRH operations, partnering with the Emerald Youth Foundation to provide highly trained staff and best practices in robust youth development for elementary through high school students.

“One of the main ways we walk alongside youth is through our afterschool and summer program called ‘On Belay,’’” Lillis explained. She described the program as ‘marking the beginning of a climber's journey.’

Through goal-setting and community building, youth in the On Belay program are encouraged to grow into confident and inspiring leaders, while understanding the importance of overcoming setbacks in their journey.

The program takes a comprehensive approach to youth development, providing kids with structured devotionals, designated recreational time, daily check-ins, social-emotional lessons, and tutoring and enrichment sessions.

On Belay is open to elementary, middle school, and high school students, ensuring they receive not only academic support but also invaluable life skills.

But On Belay isn’t just for the kids. “We believe in a whole family approach,” said Lillis, who emphasized the importance of working alongside both the youth and their moms in their journey toward restoration. While the kids work toward leadership development, moms are supported through family advocacy and housing initiatives to develop a resident action plan with supportive community and partners that focus on helping them realize their dreams.

As a youth advocate, Lillis’s role is to support school-aged youth in whatever ways they need. For her, this looks like walking alongside their mothers as they navigate academic challenges, helping kids get involved in extracurricular activities, or simply being a sounding board for ideas in goal setting.

“The opportunity to witness each child’s growth and see how they gain confidence in themselves is incredibly impactful – not only for them but also in how it shapes my own perspective and the way I set goals in my own life.”

Asked about the future of Youth Development at TRH, Lillis is hopeful that as the kids grow in their leadership abilities, they will help shape the direction of the program and continue to provide input on what best practices look like.

“I envision a community where the youth take ownership of their development, with older kids mentoring younger ones and younger kids contributing their own perspectives. Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate a space where leadership naturally flourishes, and the kids support one another in a community built on integrity, empathy, and mutual respect.”

HALLS

It's no stretch − On a farm or in a hammock, yoga helps a body

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Yoga became a big part of Brittany Charnley’s life when she was forced to deal with her first knee surgery at the age of 22.

Since her start, her passion for the activity became enhanced. About nine years ago, she dedicated one weekend a month for a year to learning to be an instructor.

“There are so many mental and physical benefits to the practice,” Charnley said. “It clears your mind. It brings positivity. It helps regulate the nervous system.”

The improvements in balance and flexibility are a couple of the more tangible physical by-products from yoga.

Though an instructor, Charnley occasionally likes to take classes as a student.

“I like to be around people,” she said. “I like to be able to share the experience with others, and not always be in charge.”

That was the case a couple years ago. She was taking a class with 30 other people on a lavender farm on McCloud Road in Halls owned by Marcee Matthews and her husband. Charnley and Matthews had met in their jobs as activities directors for the elderly.

“I was there for the class and the instructor didn’t show up,” Charnley said. “People knew I was an instructor, so I taught the class.”

Beautiful backdrop for yoga

That experience planted a seed for Charnley. The next year, she scheduled one class on the same farm during the peak of the lavender season. This summer, she has had three in June.

Once the lavender was done, Charnley scheduled farm yoga sessions at the same outdoor location in July, August and September. Classes were scheduled on two Thursday nights and two Saturday mornings each month.

Registration for the farm classes is required. Cost is $20.

“We did a lavender class near sunset,” Charnley said. “It was just beautiful. The sky was a lavender color. Everything smelled so good. There’s a pond on the farm that’s amazing. There are some beautiful valley views.”

Charnley said the Matthewses have lavender lemonade and bundles of lavender for each participant. Also, lavender soaps and other items are for sale.

Allowance for physical limitations

In addition to a job working with the elderly, Charnley teaches different types of yoga. She has an aerial yoga class at the Renegade Yoga Center. The practice uses hammock-like silks that allow the participant to defy gravity a bit.

“It’s kinda like you’re training to be in the circus,” Charnley said laughing. “It’s not as difficult as most people would think. We have beginners in that class who are amazed at how well they can pick it up.

“You can do some deeper stretches than you can in floor yoga. Everything we do, there can be modifications for skill and physical limitations.”

The positive mental and physical benefits of yoga sometimes can get lost in the misconceptions that there is something more mysterious around the practice.

“Some people can be confused,” she said. “It’s not a religion, it’s an exercise that focuses on the mental and the physical. People think it’s harder than it really is. Most every pose has a modification.”

For more information or to register for a class, go to Charnley’s Bend It Like Britt Facebook page or email her at: brittany@benditlikebritt.com .

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper Blog: Family's custom screen-printing business will 'help you show it off'