AY's 2022 Best Realtors

AY About You is proud to present its 2022 Best Realtors listing, celebrating the best that Arkansas’ real estate market has to offer. The following professionals occupy an industry that we are proud and humbled to admire. For as much as we staple ourselves on being about you, the best Realtors operate under the same mission, delivering families forever homes while at the same time turning partnerships into lifelong relationships.

AY’s Best Realtors is a list tallied from hundreds of nominations and votes cast by you, our readers. It is ordered alphabetically by business name, and the individuals' last names if for the same company.

Lawson Maddox Arkansas Land & Realty Jonathan Stone Arkansas Land & Realty Jay Calhoun Aspire Realty Group Diana Dominguez Aspire Realty Group Holly Driver Aspire Realty Group Lee Smith Aspire Realty Group Mitsy Tharp Aspire Realty Group Sarah Bailey Bailey & Company Real Estate Lindsey Blaylock Bailey & Company Real Estate Rachel Furrer Bailey & Company Real Estate Barbara Jordan Bailey & Company Real Estate Megan Million Bailey & Company Real Estate Elizabeth Roedel Bailey & Company Real Estate Jessica Rogers Bailey & Company Real Estate Will Smith Bailey & Company Real Estate Kirt Thomas Bailey & Company Real Estate Francesca Tolson Bailey & Company Real Estate Joanna White Bailey & Company Real Estate eXpert Agents Bespoke Realty NWA Marion Aust Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Journey, Bentonville Ellie Combs Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Journey, Bentonville Natalie Edwards Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Journey, Bentonville Mayer Team Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Journey, Bentonville Burnett Real Estate Team Burnett Real Estate Team, ConnectRealty.com Susan Desselle Capital Sotheby's International Realty Elizabeth Finch Capital Sotheby's International Realty Chris Marsh Capital Sotheby's International Realty Karen Moulton Capital Sotheby's International Realty Dale Carlton, Jr. Carlton Realty, Inc. Caristiana Hoey Carolyn Russell Real Estate David Erstine CBRE Group, Fayetteville Justin DuBar Century 21 Wright Pace Michelle Sanders Chenal Properties Sherry Hardie Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette, Rogers Patsy Simmons Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette, Rogers The Home Team Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette, Rogers Marva Caldwell Coldwell Banker RPM Group La Kesha Crow Coldwell Banker RPM Group Whitney Elmore Coldwell Banker RPM Group Stacy Hamilton Coldwell Banker RPM Group Jean Hurst Coldwell Banker RPM Group Lynn Pangburn Coldwell Banker RPM Group Inez Reeder Coldwell Banker RPM Group John Rogers Coldwell Banker RPM Group Scott Sandlin Coldwell Banker RPM Group Shea Ledbetter Coldwell Banker RPM Group Shelby Norfleet Coldwell Banker RPM Group Susan Havens Coldwell Banker RPM Group Pat Hitt Coldwell Banker RPM Group Robin Miller Coldwell Banker RPM Group Kevin Daugherty Coldwell Banker RPM Group Kim Floyd Coldwell Banker RPM Group Allison Pickell Coldwell Banker RPM Group Andrea G. Bakewell Coldwell Banker RPM Group Angela Rhodes Coldwell Banker RPM Group Angelica Rogers Coldwell Banker RPM Group Jim Irwin Colliers International Todd Rice Colliers International Toby Crawford Crawford Real Estate and Associates DelRae McGee Crye-Leike, Brock Real Estate, Heber Springs Jean Lance Crye-Leike Realtors, Bentonville Delton Williams Crye-Leike Realtors, Gentry Valerie Moran Crye-Leike Realtors, Little Rock Roe Team Crye-Leike Realtors, Pleasant Grove Doug Gibson Crye-Leike Realtors, Rogers Scott Deaton Deaton Group Realty Melissa Glidden Desselle Real Estate Karen Moulten Desselle Real Estate Leah Childress Elevation Real Estate and Management Greg Hughes Elite Realty Jojo Carter Engel & Völkers Real Estate Laura Gerstner Engel & Völkers Real Estate Victoria Killough Engel & Völkers Real Estate John Selva Engel & Völkers Real Estate Ryan Stephens Engel & Völkers Real Estate David Turner Engel & Völkers Real Estate Shelli Stine Epic Real Estate Taylor Baker Equity Partners Realty 12 Stones NWA eXp Realty Arkansas

Michael Dang eXp Realty Arkansas Jose Esparza eXp Realty Arkansas Annette Gore eXp Realty Arkansas The Hagan Group eXp Realty Arkansas Laura Labay eXp Realty Arkansas Market Edge Realty - NWA First Real Estate Melissa Sims First Star Realty William Payne Flat Fee Realty James Gibson Gibson Real Estate Amber Latimer Gibson Real Estate Jared Smith Gibson Real Estate David Hall Goff Group Real Estate Heartfelt Homes Heartfelt Homes Deanna Crook Homescape Realty Curtis Realty Group HomeQuest Realty Dennis Adkins iRealty Arkansas Jennifer Adkins iRealty Arkansas Sam Carrasquillo iRealty Arkansas Tamika Edwards iRealty Arkansas Denise Hipskind iRealty Arkansas Brooks Jansen iRealty Arkansas Kayla Jones iRealty Arkansas Christine Johnson iRealty Arkansas Jon Kennon iRealty Arkansas Kristen Kennon iRealty Arkansas Alice King iRealty Arkansas Aleisha McIntire iRealty Arkansas Kristi Reed iRealty Arkansas Elise Thrasher iRealty Arkansas Blake Sumner iRealty Arkansas Meg France Jon Underhill Real Estate Sarah Gardener Jon Underhill Real Estate Belinda Grace Jon Underhill Real Estate Brandy Harp Jon Underhill Real Estate Kelly McConnell Jon Underhill Real Estate Terry Quinn Jon Underhill Real Estate Stephanie Tharp Jon Underhill Real Estate Carly Garland Keller Williams, Bentonville, Trina Team Trina Hammond Keller Williams, Bentonville, Trina Team Carl Bell Keller Williams Realty Megan Cain Keller Williams Realty Tracy Cryder Keller Williams Realty Kerry Ellison Keller Williams Realty Karl Freeman Keller Williams Realty Lolly Honea & Michelle HoneaFrueauff Keller Williams Realty Monica & Jeremy Ibison Keller Williams, Fort Smith Randy & Kathe Sumbles Keller Williams Realty Aaron Hawes Landmark Real Estate and Investment, LLC Keith Marrs Legend Realty, Inc. Tara Helgestad Lotus Realty Main St. Team Main St. Real Estate Suzette Elmore McKimmey Associates Realtors Brooks McRae McKimmey Associates Realtors Stan McLellan McLellan & Associates Real Estate Group Amanda Gainey McMullen Realty Group Misty McMullen McMullen Realty Group Amanda Mercer Modern Realty Group Tiffany O'Dwyer Modern Realty Group Angela Rhodes Modern Realty Group Tracie Walker Modern Realty Group Bill Williams Modern Realty Group Claire Brown Move Realty, Little Rock NWA ProTeam NextHome NWA Pro Realty Brent Owens Owens Realty and Auction Kristen McCrary Parker-Scroggins/Century 21, Bryant Ray Ellen Pixel Properties Realty Kassi Bell Plantation Realty Co. Monica Hale Plush Homes Company Realtors Dee Rodes Portfolio Sotheby's International Realty Lauren Boozman Northey Portfolio Sotheby's International Realty Tim Wang Team Prestige Management & Realty Mike Parker Prime Real Estate and Development Val Hansen RE/MAX, Little Rock Dana Patterson-Sims RE/MAX Elite Robin Sanders RE/MAX Elite, North Little Rock Staci Medlock RE/MAX Elite, North Little Rock Kim Minor RE/MAX Real Estate Results, Bentonville NWA House Hunters RE/MAX Real Estate Results Sandy Sanders RE501 Partners Andrew Webre RE501 Realtor Partners Jamie Hoffman River Rock Realty Company, Hoffman Team Gene Tabor Tabor Real Estate Lenore Cottrell The Brandon Group Mollie Birch The Charlotte John Company Michelle Blalock The Charlotte John Company Jenn Cook The Charlotte John Company Stacie Corbitt The Charlotte John Company April Findlay The Charlotte John Company Mandy Jackson The Charlotte John Company Melissa John The Charlotte John Company Brandy Jones The Charlotte John Company Heather McNeil The Charlotte John Company Michelle Miller The Charlotte John Company Amanda Shue The Charlotte John Company Emily Young The Charlotte John Company Christopher Dinwiddie The Exclusive Real Estate Group, LLC Greg Taylor The Griffin Company Commercial Division, Springdale Bob Bushmiaer The Janet Jones Company Donna Dailey The Janet Jones Company Lynn Dickey The Janet Jones Company Conley Golden The Janet Jones Company Casey Jones The Janet Jones Company Kelly Johnson The Janet Jones Company Margaret King The Janet Jones Company Susan Reynolds The Janet Jones Company Dawn Scott The Janet Jones Company Debbie Teague The Janet Jones Company Cara Hazlewood The Property Group Kristen Hinson The Property Group Margaret Bell Hughes The Property Group Robert Klein The Property Group Nate Perry The Property Group Ryan Hill The Virtual Realty Group Bart Hester Third Street Realty Services House Inc. Team Thrive Real Estate Dan Schwieder Twin Oaks Realty, Inc. Travis Martin VineBrook Homes, LLC Heather Campbell Weichert Realtors - The Griffin Company, Bentonville Marcus Necessary Weichert Realtors - The Griffin Company, Bentonville Beckie Seba Weichert Realtors - The Griffin Company, Bentonville Beebe Group Weichert REALTORS - The Griffin Company Fayetteville Marcy Chavez Weichert Realtors - The Griffin Company, Springdale Yuliya Colvin Weichert Realtors - The Griffin Company, Springdale Jackson Williams Weichert Realtors - The Griffin Company, Springdale

Left to Right (Standing) Brittyn Johnson, Kyle Davis, Catherine Young , Debbie Heller, Belinda Grace, Sara Gardner, LaJuana Whyte. (Seated) Meg France, Ashley Schwander, Stephanie Tharp, Donna Carlson.

stablished in 1994, Jon Underhill

Real Estate is a full-service real estate company distinguished by its longstanding reputation and commitment to deliver unparalleled service to clients. The company has been acknowledged as AY’s Best Real Estate company since 2018 with several real estate agents recognized as AY’s Best Real Estate Agents (seen on subsequent pages). Jon Underherhill Real Estate has sold more than $275 million worth of real estate in

E2020 and 2021. “While the company is known for selling high-end luxury homes, we want to be the real estate solution for every client in central Arkansas,” Principal Broker Brandy Harp says. The company’s mission is to employ a unique, specialized strategy to help each client succeed with their real estate investment, while always maintaining the highest level of professionalism, integrity and respect. “We set ourselves apart from the competition by being experts in every aspect

JON UNDERHILL REAL ESTATE

Left to Right (Standing) Richard Harp, Brandy Harp, Terry Quinn, Kelly McConnell, Cynthia Hu, Diann Johnson. (Seated) Susan Meador, Jon Underhill and Sue Fess.

of the process to help each client succeed with their real estate investment,” Harp says. With proven results in customer service, financial management, marketing and advertising, the company works diligently to not only meet, but exceed their clients’ goals.

For more information including the company’s new listings, home maintenance tips and more, connect with them on social media @jonunderhill.com on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Brandy Harp

Principal Broker

Hot

he Federal Reserve has in recent months increased interest rates the most in 28 years in an attempt to slow down inflation, including the soaring costs of housing. Stacy Hamilton, a real estate broker with Coldwell Banker RPM Group in Little Rock, says climbing interest rates are helping slow down the blazing hot residential market they’ve experienced in the past 18 months.T “We are seeing the Little Rock market begin to slow down from the ‘insanity’ of the past couple years,” says Hamilton, who is District 4 vice president for the Arkansas Realtors Association (ARA). “Like so many things, it comes down to supply and demand,” she explains. “In our case, the demand is softening just a touch. That can mean a few extra days for a buyer to decide or cause a nervous seller to make a hasty price drop to encourage some quick offers. However, it’s still a long way from a ‘slow’ market. A year ago, when a home listed, it could potentially get ten-plus offers. Today, we are still seeing multiple offers in our market, but two or three is more expected.” Inventory is an issue in nearly all of the state. Hamilton says in the past year, if buyers had pretty specific criteria, she could show them 20 houses or more that matched their needs. Today, they might see five, and she says buyers should be prepared to be flexible on their criteria for the home. Are homes becoming increasingly unaffordable? Hamilton’s “hot take” on that is no. “I think Central Arkansas was severely undervalued before the market started to take off,” Hamilton says. “Since 2020, we obviously have seen some steep price increases, but as the market starts to stabilize, I think we are getting closer to where our market should be valued. As the interest rates increase, overall housing prices will adjust, and homes will continue to be bought and sold. We will not find ourselves in a market that is unaffordable for Arkansans.” However, she sees that rising values are affecting specific price ranges, especially those house shopping for under $150,000. Many homes that would have been available to that buyer in 2019 are now valued closer to $200,000. Hamilton says if a buyer is looking for a home under $100,000, they will need to be prepared to do some work to rehab or remodel the home, in most cases. For home sales of under $200,000, agents have seen a big boom of corporate buyers into the Little Rock market. “These out-of-state buyers are purchasing properties to use as rentals,” Hamilton explains. “They are doing it nationwide. For this reason, a true home buyer looking to purchase an affordable or first-time home is having trouble competing in what I consider an unreasonable market. Often, the out-of-state buyers are absentee landlords, and it is almost certain they won’t maintain their properties like a local neighbor. “I hope to see our state take some measures in the future to protect our neighborhoods from these corporate buyers, or maybe these higher interest rates will drive them out first,” she adds. Michael Ford, broker/owner of Coldwell Banker Heritage Homes in West Memphis and Greers Ferry, encourages buyers to take the long view when it comes to interest rates. “What I would tell people is when you look at interest rates over the past 30 years, the average interest rate has been 7.7%,” Ford says. “Someone with good credit can get a loan in the 4.5% range. Rates today are at an historically low level. There have been few times in history that you could get a 30-year loan at under 5% interest.” Ford adds that you don’t buy a house because of the interest rate; you buy a house because you view it as a valuable long-term investment. If interest rates improve, you refinance. And your investment grows. “Most economists believe home prices will continue to rise for the next five years, but not at the rate we have seen in the past three years,” Ford says. “It will be a more normal rate of appreciation. A 3% increase per year is a healthy real estate economy.” Ford says their marketplace is still very much a sellers’ market. Inventory is a little higher than a year ago. Hamilton

Ford

“For most people looking for houses, we have houses available,” he says. “What I tell my team and clients is today is the best time to buy a house because five years from now, the prices of housing are going to be higher. Today is absolutely the best time to buy a home.”

A lot of their sellers are reaching retirement age, recognizing this is a good time to sell, and that they have a lot of equity in their home. Baby boomers are looking to move to Florida or somewhere closer to their kids and grandkids.

However, Ford doesn’t have any answers to the problem of affordable housing. That is an issue that exists all over the country.

“Just the simple cost of building a home is much higher today than three years ago, so that translates into higher sale prices,” Ford explains. “Young couples just entering their careers are struggling to find a way to buy affordable housing. When taxes increase, you have to raise rental rates, and most landlords also have pressure from insurance costs. There is as big a shortage of rentals as housing for sale. We struggle to find temporary housing for someone moving here for a job. You have an affordability issue on rentals, as well.”

Ford says greater Memphis is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. People are moving there from all over because of a combination of good jobs and reasonable costs of living.

“There are so many positive things about living in Eastern Arkansas,” Ford says. “Housing is still affordable. We have a world-renowned medical community. The food and entertainment are just amazing in this part of the state.”

One thing being seen with higher interest rates is that people are looking at their purchase a little more cautiously, or maybe considering an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM), says Jan Dyer, executive broker with Warnock Real Estate in Fort Smith.

“A wise lender in our area explained it to me this way, ‘Marry the house, date the rate!’ You can always consider a re-fi if rates get lower,” Dyer explains. “Low inventory isn’t seen as a real problem, but as a challenge. Creatively writing offers and being first is key. Maybe we need to sweeten the pot with an appraisal gap offer. In case the appraisal comes in short, we put a little more skin in the game.”

Dyer says Fort Smith is not seeing houses becoming increasingly unaffordable in the area. Patience is key. If the houses seem overpriced, they wait.

“We are seeing price drops, which we haven’t seen in the last two years,” she says. “There are still bidding wars, but they are a little less common. I think the slowing is based on, as I previously stated, people being cautious and readjusting their must haves. In the River Valley, we are fortunate to have a wide variety of homes at different prices. You may have to step back and wait or readjust your vision.”

Dyer says buying a home will always be the American dream. It brings about stability and a real sense of belonging to an area.

“So many good things are happening in our beautiful city,” she says. “Home ownership will forever be a dream that we are eager to help make come true. We have a team mentality in our area. It shows in our real estate agents working together and having a strong group of lenders. I saw it just in the past few weeks with the extension of the ARM to 7 years. It takes a village getting our people in that special home.”

Jennifer Welch, executive-broker with Crye-Leike in Northwest Arkansas, says rising rates have had an impact.

“Buyers are more conscious of the home they are purchasing, and we’re seeing them lower the price range they’re searching in,” says Welch, who is a secretarytreasurer of ARA for 2022. “We’re still experiencing a deficit in housing, especially for the first-time home buyer. Inventory is easing up and getting better, but we have a definite need for starter homes. The competition of more homes being listed has softened our market, and we’re beginning to see price reductions on those over $400,000.”

Welch says they are experiencing a softened, healthier market. Rising land costs, building costs, labor shortages, supply chain issues and additional months of builders carrying interest are all contributing to the increase in pricing that builders pass on to buyers.

While bidding wars were common earlier in the year, Welch says bidding wars are becoming less common and generally draw only a few buyers, versus 15-20 seen in the early months of the year.

“Our market is slowing slightly but is still very strong,” Welch says.

Welch said that she isn’t currently seeing higher interest rates impacting commercial sales.

“It varies based on the buyer’s business model and their needs,” Welch continues. “Most commercial loans balloon at five years, so it is more of a short-term issue.”

To address affordable housing, Welch would like to see builders focusing more on building starter homes for first-time home buyers and for those who need to downsize. Dyer

Welch

Welcome to the Clubhouse Welcome to the Clubhouse By DWAIN HEBDA

Photos By KAT HOLITIK & KELLIE MCANULTY

During Arkansas’s run in the 2022 College World Series in Omaha, Hog fans made headlines all over the country for their performance off the field. A restaurant and bar near the baseball stadium held a Jello shot challenge complete with scoreboard that tracked the fans of a given CWS team to see who could bring home the title of most shots purchased.

Arkansas held its own in the competition, finishing with a staggering 8,672 Jello shots purchased. And while Ole Miss ultimately won the contest (and the championship) with a liver-pickling 18,777 shots, the contest revealed some fundamental things about Hog fans: One, they had less than half of the drinking problem of your typical Rebel and two, they love a good sports bar – especially when their beloved Razorbacks are on a roll.

“With Coach Sam Pittman and the football team’s success of the last two years, it’s just been awesome,” says Brad McCray, owner of Brewski’s Pub & Grub in Little Rock. “Having a good Razorback football program just sets the stage for the energy and the environment and the success that we’ve enjoyed on Saturday afternoons, especially. And then the recent excitement over men’s basketball and baseball just continues that momentum.”

“It gets kind of crazy, but everyone fights over working on game day because it’s such a big crowd and it gets so wild,” says Kristina Cunningham, general manager of Boudreaux’s Grill & Bar in Maumelle. “LSU is a huge crowd, a huge turnout. There’s nowhere to sit. People are calling and making reservations for that game already. Then, during the game itself, it’s a big, friendly arguments between everybody in here because it’s literally split down the middle, half Razorbacks and half Tigers. It’s really fun.”

Long before the “Cheers” theme described the best bar as one “where everybody knows your name,” people have gravitated to local watering holes to find community. For hundreds of years, patrons of British pubs and American taverns alike gathered to drink and discuss politics, scandal, and yes, even revolution, as well as the fate of the local sporting franchise.

Despite this history, the sports bar in America is a relatively recent invention, one widely accepted to have been birthed in St. Louis. As Kerry Byrne chronicled for FoxNews.com last month, Palermo’s Tavern opened in 1933, at a time when St. Louis had two professional baseball teams, the St. Louis Browns (later the Baltimore Orioles) and the

Unlike the early days of sports bars when the food was an afterthought, McCray’s kitchen is central to the Brewski’s experience.

The sports bar in America is a relatively recent invention, one widely accepted to have been birthed in St. Louis.

St. Louis Cardinals. Both played at Sportsman’s Park which was right across the street from the bar and as such, Palermo’s Tavern hosted many of the game’s legendary players, both on the home teams and visitors.

Jimmy Palermo worked as a Browns bat boy and in other clubhouse roles growing up, in addition to helping out at the family tavern. When Palermo returned home from World War II, he took over the establishment from his father, decorating it with the sports memorabilia he had accumulated over 15 years with the Browns and as an aspiring professional umpire.

He was also the first to install space-age gadgets around the bar – 12-inch black-and-white Farnsworth television sets, among the earliest models sold in the U.S. – starting in 1947. Add in the tavern’s menu of stadium food and copious suds from the city’s famous breweries, and you have the grandaddy of the modern sports bar.

It should also be noted the first “modern” sports bar – Legends of Long Beach, California, opened in 1979 – earned its moniker by virtue of being the first to install satellite technology, thereby beaming in live sporting events from anywhere on the planet.

Today, there are more than 1,200 sports bars in the U.S., per IBIS World, a roster that includes some truly unique experiences. Bleacher Bar in Boston is located under the center field seats at iconic Fenway Park with windows that look out on the game. Anchor Bar in Buffalo,

New York, is where the buffalo wings delicacy was created in 1964. And as of April 1, 2022, (no foolin’) there’s The Sports Bra in Portland, which vows its multiple TV screens shall only carry women’s sports – March Madness, Super Bowl and World Series be damned – proving that after a year in pandemic quarantine, some people will in fact binge-watch anything.

Atop the sports bar totem pole sits gargantuan chains Buffalo Wild Wings, Boston’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar and breastaurant pioneer Hooter’s, the top three companies in the category, respectively, according to franchisechatter.com. But like all things corporate, the true sports bar experience can’t be measured by square footage or number of doors, McCray says.

“One of the coolest things that I think sets us apart from some of the other sports bars in town is most of them are chains, and we’re not,” he says. “When you walk in, our place just screams Arkansas, and it just screams Southern America. We’ve got hunting mounts on the walls. We fly our pro-America flags proudly. The vibe is very casual, very comfortable and very identifiable to Arkansas. I think people recognize that, and it makes them feel comfortable, and it makes it more fun.”

This autonomy also extends to the menu. Unlike the early days of sports bars when the food was an afterthought, McCray’s kitchen is central to the Brewski’s experience (try the wings or the Juicy Brewski stuffed burger, and be warned, the nachos are huge).

“Our menu has everything you’re expecting at a sports bar. You’re going to find your wings, your burgers, your nachos,” he explains. “But behind the scenes, we wanted everything made from scratch if we could make it. We’re not processing American cheese in the kitchen, but if we can slice it, dice it, bake it, make it, we do it. We want that from-scratch menu.

“The idea behind it is we wanted to do elevated bar food, and I’m really glad we did. For the past three years in a row, we have won the award for best sports bar in Central Arkansas. That’s really cool.”

Cunningham agrees, bragging on Boudreaux’s catfish beignets, shrimp and grits and signature hurricanes. She says the atmosphere of the neighborhood spot makes events feel more exciting, combining the best parts of sporting events with all the comforts of home, while throwing in new traditions all their own.

“Maumelle is such a small town,” she says. “Everybody kind of knows everybody and anytime we can, we try to always throw something new into the mix.

“If we’re playing the Florida Gators, we have a guy who comes out and smokes a whole damn gator out in the parking lot. We have what we call our declining Fireball shots: If the Razorbacks are winning, the price of Fireball shots keeps going down [during the game].”

One other thing that sets the place apart is its ownership. Sports bars traditionally emote a heavy cloud of masculinity, a kind of man cave on growth hormone. In that regard, Boudreaux’s is a horse of a decidedly different color. Ljuba Cunningham, Kristina’s mother, has owned the joint since 2014, and Kristina’s daughter, Pristina, can often be found hanging around as well. All three women are no-nonsense jocks, specializing in the sport of softball, and they’re not afraid to dole out some trash talk or Cajun justice as the situation demands.

“My mother is a huge Chicago Bears fan, and we have a group of customers who are Packers fans,” Kristina says. “Well, we hate the Packers, so every Sunday she decorates. The Packers fans come in to watch the game, and she decorates their table in Chicago Bears stuff. It’s been a thing forever.

“We’ve never had any problems; no matter how wild and crazy everything gets. Mom’s always like, ‘If something goes wrong, I’ll handle it.’ But nothing ever goes wrong, which is a good thing. Mom could kick everybody’s ass in here.”