Mud & Magnolias October 2019

Mud&Magnolias October 2019

The Men's Issue

James Woodcraft Company•Coffee Artist Alfred L. Jones•Mississippi Axe Throwing Company A Private Paradise•Slow Cooker Recipes

Leading young professionals from North Mississippi will be recognized at this networking event

Save the date: Top 40 Under 40 event October 15, 2019 • 11:30 a.m.

The Hub, Tupelo (South Green Street)

Featured Speaker: Jack Reed Jr. Buy Tickets Today! https://top40under40.brownpapertickets.com

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RECIPES

With cooler weather finding its way into the South, a luxury we so rarely get to experience, it’s important to revel in the breeze while it lasts.

This month, we focused on crockpot meals, so you can go enjoy the outdoors.

MISSISSIPPI AXE THROWING COMPANY

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In Tupelo, Mississippi, Alfred L. Jones is brewing up a new art form: coffee paintings. His works blend whimsy and fantasy, and can be found in Relics Antique Marketplace.

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It took only a short while for this business to pop up, but it’s one of the only urban axe-throwing companies in Mississippi.

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JAMES WOODCRAFT COMPANY

John James took his first carpentry class and opened a booming woodworking business with his brother – all within the past year.

ALSO:

REDBANK COFFEE ARTIST

October 2019

A HAUNTING AT THE WAVERLY MANSION

In West Point, Mississippi, stands an old mansion. Through its tours, many have learned its history; though few may know of its haunting.

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A PRIVATE PARADISE

This secluded, wooded home serves this couple as a much-needed retreat.

With hectic lives, they find just one night away to this cozy cabin serves as a reset.

MEN’S FASHION

HALLOWEEN DIY

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check out this month’s video for a spooky-cute Halloween DIY project at mudandmag. com.

ON THE COVER Slow cooker beef-stuffed hoagie with a melted Swiss cheese topping.

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love spending as much time as possible soaking up the sun during the summer, but autumn will always rank as my favorite season. Family trips to the pumpkin patch, football on the television, sitting outside on the front porch enjoying the crisp fall air, as well as chili in the slow cooker signal the seasonal shift. I hope you usher in fall with some of our delicious slow cooker recipes this month, like our pull-apart cinnamon roll casserole or beef-stuffed hoagies (pg. 11). Having a beautiful cutting board like the ones from James Woodcraft Company (pg. 26) make all that meal prep a little easier to manage. John James is one of the talented artists we feature this month. Also, be sure to check out Alfred L. Jones’ work (pg. 35). He is making some really cool pieces featuring a unique medium — coffee.

Whatever you are doing to celebrate the change to cooler temperatures, I hope you enjoy it. Happy fall!

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah Brooke Bishop

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Leslie Criss Lindsay Daffron Kristina Domitrovich

FEATURED SALES CONSULTANTS Leigh Knox June Phillips Darla Webb Angie Quarles Amber Lancaster Teresa McDonald Krystal Anderson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Caleb Bedillion

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a monthly publication of Journal, Inc.

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Multimedia Editor’s Introduction

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ey there! My name is Kristina Domitrovich, and I’m the new girl. I’m so excited to be joining the Mud and Magnolias team, especially for this issue. I love all things wooden and dark, so joining in time to be hands-on for the men’s issue was my cup of tea.

A little bit about me: I graduated from Mississippi State in May. There, I spent two years on The Reflector’s staff, loving every minute of it. I majored in communications, concentrated in journalism and minored in English – a.k.a., I must really like words and writing. But despite my major and my work at the student newspaper, I had other plans and never thought I would go on to be a journalist. Well, someone out there has a sense of humor, because here I am. And I’m loving it.

I’ll be writing content for the magazine and online, and tag teaming the social media – you should go like our pages, by the way. I adore cooking and baking, and am really looking forward to bringing new dishes to your kitchen. I always need another cup of coffee, and am a dog person through and through, so please let me love on your pups. For the curious and since my last name looks so scary, it’s Croatian.

I’m from Madison, Alabama, but I’ve been in Mississippi since 2015. Almost every day, I’m surprised that there’s still so much more about this state and her people for me to learn. I’m so excited to be here, and to write your stories.

-Kristina Domitrovich

RECIPES

Warm + Cozy Chilly nights beckon us to slow down and stay awhile. And what better way to ring in fall than preparing warm, comforting meals for family and friends. These recipes are some of our very favorites, perfect for your slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef-Stuffed Hoagie with Au Jus recipe on pg. 17 M&M

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RECIPES

Slow Cooker Pull-Apart Cinnamon Roll Casserole recipe on pg. 17

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RECIPES

Slow Cooker Apple Butter recipe on pg. 17

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RECIPES SLOW COOKER BEEF-STUFFED HOAGIE WITH AU JUS

SLOW COOKER PULL-APART CINNAMON ROLL CASSEROLE

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 2-pound chuck roast 1 medium onion 1 can French onion soup 2 cups beef broth 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 6 hoagies 6 slices of provolone

Ingredients: 2 tubes of cinnamon rolls 3 eggs 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions: Add olive oil to a pan, and preheat on a medium-high heat.

While the pan is heating up, season the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Put the roast in the pan, and sear all sides. Remove from heat, and place directly into slow cooker. Using the same pan, saute sliced onions until soft.

Add onions, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and French onion soup to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until tender. Remove roast from slow cooker to shred or thinly slice. Pour the remaining liquid through a strainer and into a bowl, this is the au jus. Put roast inside a hoagie, cover with provolone and toast, if desired. Serve hot with au jus.

Directions: Line slow cooker with disposable bag, or spray with cooking oil. Chop each cinnamon roll into sixths, and place in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, cream, maple syrup, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the mixture over the cinnamon rolls, being careful not to splash. Cover the top of the cinnamon rolls with half of the icing.

Bake on low for three hours, or until cooked thoroughly. It should be golden along the edges. Top with the remaining icing, and serve warm.

SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER Ingredients: 1 5-pound bag of apples 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract A dash of salt Directions: Core and chop all apples, leaving the peel on, and add to the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together all the spices and sugar. Coat the apples in the dry mixture, and mix until evenly coated. Cover with lid, and cook on low for 10 hours. After 10 hours, use an immersive blender or a stand blender to puree the apples. Return the puree to the slow cooker, and replace the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.

Cook on low for another one to two hours until the consistency is the desired thickness. Store in an air-tight jar, refrigerate or freeze for up to two months.

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Mississippi Axe Throwing

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Company As one of the only urban axe throwing facilities in the state, Mississippi Axe Throwing Company is helping its customers #FindYourJack – that is, find their inner lumberjack.

by KRISITNA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

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hirty-four days and 30 minutes. That’s all the time it took Steve Willoughby to open the Mississippi Axe Throwing Company. Thirty minutes into throwing an axe, he knew he wanted to open his own axe throwing company.

Thirty-four days after he first threw an axe, coincidentally the same day he learned about axe throwing, he opened his business’ doors.

On March 30 of this year, Steve and his wife, Stacey, went to visit their daughter in Birmingham. While they were there, they went to an axe-throwing facility. On the way back to Tupelo, Stacey drove the two-hour distance while Steve wrote out the business plan. Thirty-four days later, Mississippi Axe Throwing Company opened its doors on May 3.

“I’ve always been on the lookout for business opportunities, and this is something new and different and exciting and fun, and wasn’t going to take a lot of work to get open,” he said. “It took us longer to get our permits than it did to field it out and open it up.”

Since day one, the whole family has pitched in one way or another – from their daughter first introducing them to the world of axe throwing, down to the day-to-day. Their son-in-law in Birmingham thought of the company’s name. The logo was designed in less than an hour by their daughter Rachel, a graphic designer outside of Oklahoma City. Then there are the day-to-day operations, manned by Stacey and son, Jordan, while Steve is a full-time life insurance salesman.

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This page: The targets need to be replaced one plank at a time. The Willoughbys laughed about the bonfires they have been enjoying in their county home thanks to the leftover wood. Next page: Steve said many visitors find a “favorite axe� by the end of their session.

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HITTING THE MARK The concept is simple: Find a “rugged” place like a warehouse, get some axes, make some targets, and the people will come in droves.

With only a 34-day turn around, that concept proved pretty accurate for the Willoughbys. Stacey said the upkeep is not bad, either. The wooden planks and axes come from various hardware stores in the surrounding area. She and Jordan cut planks, then use a stencil to paint on a target. From there, they replace the targets as needed, usually one plank at a time. The center plank, the one with the bull’s-eye, needs replacing more than the others.

The technique behind throwing an axe is a little more involved.

While some people may have concerns about chucking an axe toward a target, Steve said brute strength has little to do with it. Instead, he said the rotation of the axe, in combination with how far the thrower is from the target, most affects the likelihood of sticking an axe to the target.

“At first, just concentrate on trying to get it to spin straight, or just throw it as straight as you can,” he said. “It normally takes people 15-20 minutes to kind of get used to it and catch on, and some people just walk in and (get it) right away.”

He said most people who try it leave the facility with a bull’s-eye under their belt, and all but three people have stuck an axe to the target. In fact, when they first opened, Steve posted on their website stating they will post a photo of every person who hits a bull’s-eye. As it turns out, that’s been a lot of people.

“I’ve been totally amazed and completely impressed with how good

some people are at throwing axes,” he said. “We never dreamed almost everybody that comes in would get a bull’s-eye. It’s been so much fun.”

SPLITTING THE COMPETITION With customer satisfaction as this family-owned-and-operated business’ main priority, the Willoughbys are determined to run things differently than the “big guys.” Chain locations regularly lose sight of their customers, and one way the Willoughbys want to break this is by making sure each customer leaves happy.

“If you don’t treat your customers like kings, they’re not coming back,” Steve said.

Most facilities require a minimum of six people throwing at a single target, even if a group comes in with less than six. That means they will have to wait for enough random customers to join their group before they can begin.

“Most axe-throwing ranges, if you come in to throw and it’s only two of you who come in to throw, you have to wait until four more people show up. And you all get in a line and take turns — six people throwing at one target,” he explained. “We don’t do that. The most we’re going to put on a target is four.”

Customers can throw with the people in their party, so they are not forced into groups with strangers. Things are adjusted slightly when Mississippi Axe Throwing Company hosts a party, whether it’s birthdays, bridal parties or even gender reveal parties. The couple said those participants would frequently split off to create competitions against each other, and said it gets pretty competitive.

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Left: Steve and Stacy hold their favorite axes. One day, Steve felt patriotic and painted his red, white and blue.

Mississippi Axe Throwing Company’s record holder for most bull’s-eyes in one session is a 12-year-old boy, who threw 51. Fiftyone bull’s-eyes in one hour is quite the feat, and the boy had to run to save time when retrieving his axes. Steve likes to get to know his customers, and spurred on this one through some friendly, competitive banter.

“He was determined to do as many as he could because I told him there was another 12-year-old kid in who had done 33,” he said with a chuckle.

TARGETING THE WORLD Axe throwing may be a new trend to the South, but Steve said it has been taking the world by storm for years. The last ones to the party, urban axe throwing locations started popping up around the U.S. a few years ago, and finally trickled down to the South. People have loved axe throwing so much that the World Axe Throwing League was founded in 2017 and has collaborating companies in 19 countries.

Registered facilities can create leagues, which compete against other leagues until eventually, there’s only one winner standing.

Competitions are broadcast on ESPN, and winners can walk away with hefty cash prizes. Mississippi Axe Throwing Company is registered with WATL, and has plans to host a league in Tupelo.

“We wanted to have a sanctioned league this year, but it was so

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soon after we opened, we couldn’t put it together in time,” Steve said. “So we’re planning to start a sanctioned league for the spring of 2020; and then at the end of that year, hopefully we’ll have somebody qualify to go on ESPN for the World Championship.”

In addition to creating a league, Mississippi Axe Throwing Company has big plans in the near future to spread the fun. First and foremost, they will soon start selling alcohol.

“As best I know, we’re the only axe-throwing place that does not serve alcohol, and we’re planning to,” Steve said.

Due to ordinances, they are required to sell food before they can begin alcohol sales. So the company is currently working on opening a kitchen. In the meantime, customers can bring their own drinks if they would like. Customers can even bring their own axes, and Stacey said someone has even brought in a tomahawk.

Down the road, they hope to open a location in Starkville. There, Jordan, a Mississippi State University graduate, would work as a partner of sorts. To Steve, it’s a win-win: Jordan returns to the town he loves, and Steve would have a business partner with some skin in the game.

For now, the Willoughbys are having a blast slinging axes and getting to know customers.

“I try to remember everybody, and I do remember most people,” he said. “We’re just having so much fun here. I love meeting people, and now I’m getting to meet 100 people a weekend.” M

Clockwise: Steve said throwing axes is still fun for him; Mississippi Axe Throwing Company acquires its axes from various hardware stores in the surrounding area; Patrons sign the board and leave words of encouragement to future throwers.

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This page: One of the most requested styles is a Mississippi board.

Next page: A coaster made by layering wood.

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JAMES WOODCRAFT

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A lot has changed in one year for John James, an accountant by day, carpenter come nightfall and weekends. A year ago, he signed up for a carpentry class; now, he and his brother create various designs and mark them with their James Woodcraft Company branding iron.

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

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little over a year ago, John took an adult’s night class on carpentry through his community’s Alcorn Vocational Technical Center. Taught by Tim Bradley, the course was held in a local woodshop the school district uses, and the course “teaches you individual things you ask to learn to make,” John explained.

The first time he took the course, he made a table and an elevated dog dish for he and his wife’s dog, Poppy. He would later take the class again, that time with his brother Jed, to perfect his technique. The two created a company, titled after their family’s name, James Woodcraft Company.

The brothers divide the work. Jed, who also has a family of his own, occasionally takes on larger commission pieces like coffee tables, while John keeps the brand stocked with customers’ favorites like cutting boards, coasters and bar boards ­– small boards created with mixology in mind.

HOW IT ALL STARTED Last year, John and his wife Virginia Boyd attended multiple weddings.

Instead of ordering a wooden cutting board from each couple’s registry, they decided to gift John’s handmade boards to the newlyweds. He found this to be a more personal, customized gesture.

“If I give someone a cutting board from William Sonoma for Christmas or for their wedding, that’s a good gift and all, but it doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “Now, when I give them something that has the James Woodcraft stamp on it, they’re like, ‘Okay, well he actually took the time to make this for me.’ So that’s what I like about it.”

From there, word of mouth spiraled custom-made orders out of control.

“People just kept wanting them,” he said.

When his friend in Jackson, Mississippi, approached him and asked for 25 boards to give as groomsmen’s gifts, John agreed. An attendee at that wedding saw the boards, and asked John to make another 25 so he could gift them to the groomsmen at his wedding, too.

“That’s kind of where it all started,” John said.

Until this point, John did not own any equipment, so he regularly went to the carpentry class’ woodshop to do his work. When the orders flooded in, he decided to invest in his own supplies and equipment.

Through Facebook, he bought a truckload of mahogany, and came across scattered locals selling off walnut, maple and other woods. John said he still uses this method of acquiring wood, in addition to ordering specific planks. Not only does it keep wood from going to waste, but he can buy it for a fractioned cost, helping to keep his finished pieces affordable. James Woodcraft Company will upcycle its wood when it can. Most of the scrap wood from full-sized cutting boards is reused for coasters and bar boards, letting nothing go to waste.

INSPIRATION AND FULFILLMENT Though his passion for woodworking has sprouted in the past year, John discovered a community. He finds inspiration for woodworking through various outlets, such as Instagram.

“I didn’t know that there was this woodworking community out there.

So I can look and follow people’s hashtags and see what other kind of boards they’re making, whether they’re in California or Washington or

This page: James smiles in his living room; two of his coasters decorate his kitchen table.

Next page: A large board designed for serving food.

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wherever,” he said. “Just to kind of say, ‘Okay well that’s how they’re doing it, let me try to make things like that.’”

But perhaps more than social media, John found inspiration in a local woodworker, Floyd Newton. Newton is an elderly carpenter in retirement, who does the craft for fun. John and Virginia Boyd have commissioned him several times to build various home furnishings.

“That’s part of why I like this (work) so much. This table, that island and the coffee table mean so much to me because somebody in town made it – that took time to do it. And so I was like, ‘I can do that in a different way,’” he said.

Newton has made the couple’s bedside tables, kitchen table and several other furnishings. The couple said the pieces are always one of a kind and quirky, which they appreciate. In fact, individuality is something John treasures and tries to emulate in his own work. So while he works on products in batches, no two pieces will look the same unless it’s upon a customer’s request.

“I try to make three of them that are the same, but they’re all for the same person,” John said. “I’m not going to make three of them and give them to three different people.”

At the start of James Woodcraft Company, John would typically go to the workshop on weekdays when he got off work. This changed however, partly because he bought his own equipment to keep in his garage, but also because he and Virginia Boyd had their first child, a baby girl named Campbell.

Since Campbell’s arrival, instead of weeknights, John devotes his Saturday mornings to woodworking. He said he is always

eager to get to work, and can barely finish a cup of coffee before he goes out to his garage to start working. He credits part of the thrill to holding a finished product.

“I can actually make something and have it completed. That gives that creative side of me that fulfillment of, ‘I’ve made this, I’ve accomplished something – I can move on to do something else,’” he said. “I think that’s why I enjoy it more than anything, you can see a completed project.”

COMMUNITY MOVING FORWARD While he is passionate about his craft, John doubts they will ever open a storefront. Jed devotes a few months per commission, and John focuses on keeping the booth at Ann’s of Corinth stocked. John said he finds joy creating pieces to give as personal gifts, commission pieces or their soon-to-be Etsy shop. John likes the idea that because of his choice to keep it a personal business, he is able to connect with his customers and community. In fact, he’s become rather connected with his community of Corinth.

The James brothers grew up in Corinth, and returned home after college. The Alliance of Corinth gives John’s coasters to new businesses looking to open in the area as evidence of how businesses can grow and thrive in Corinth. Other businesses and customers will reach out to John with specific requirements in mind. He said he loves the challenge of figuring out the design and what will best serve the customer.

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One local customer enjoys smoking Boston butts, and asked John to make a particularly large cutting board with juice grooves that collect the meat’s juice in a “trough,” that can be collected to use later on.

John has just taken on another commission piece for he and his wife’s favorite diner they frequent every Friday for breakfast, Abe’s Grill.

This piece will be very specific in order to fit the restaurant’s needs, as it will attach to the diner’s griddle. The depth will be different on either side of the board, along with the width of the piece. John said the challenge will be fun, but he had to write it all down before he tried to execute it.

“I’m a numbers guy, so I have to know the numbers of where everything (is) before I start. I’m not an engineer, so I don’t use CAD or anything like that, I just write it down,” he said with a laugh.

It’s hard to believe this business took off in a year, but it’s even harder to believe John first learned the craft and how to make boards in the same timeframe. While it’s a new-found passion, John said he never plans to slow down.

“It’s just fun, and I think it’s fun to have a hobby outside of work,” he said. “I think it would be great to be 80 years old and still doing this, just so I’m not just sitting around and I actually am doing something that I’m passionate about.” M

Top to Bottom: John brands a newly finished cutting board. Mineral oil is an essential part of wood’s lifespan. John finishes his pieces by treating them with the oil, and recommends customers treat their wooden cutting boards with more mineral oil every few months.

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Alfred L. Jones

by KRISITNA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

On the average weekend, shoppers file into Relics to peruse through booths, searching for treasures. Hit songs from the ‘80s play through the speakers, banter among the shoppers muffles throughout the cubby-holed framework as the sun stretches through the massive windows, giving the building a glow.

Upstairs, opposite the train tracks, a bearded man sits near a window, quietly working.

His booth is less cluttered than most in Relics, but the walls are lined with sepia-toned artwork, a few splashes of color here and there. The man, Alfred L. Jones, doesn’t dip his paint brushes into a palate; instead, three small Rubbermaid containers. In them, coffee.

Cover: Jones’ piece titled “Sisters” depicts two trees standing strong among a forest.

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offee art has been around for millennia. Not latte art – coffee art, applying coffee to a canvas. Jones said it likely started in Thailand thousands of years ago and has been an art form in the Philippines as well, but has yet to catch on in the United States. He has only been able to find a handful of artists who use coffee as their medium in the United States. Jones’ discovery of coffee as a medium was a happy accident of sorts.

“I was doing a graphite drawing, and I wanted to put some kind of tint to the background,” he explained. “I had a cup of coffee sitting there, so I just dipped a brush in it and did the background, and that started it.”

He has been working with coffee off and on for a few years, but his curiosity has spurred him to dabble in other mediums as well. He’s worked with Kool Aid, Covergirl eye shadow, Skittles and teas, and he soon plans to experiment with soy sauce, too. He has learned some mediums do not work as well as others: the Skittles are too waxy, and he cannot steep the tea to be as dark as he would like.

Through trial and error, he has found certain coffees work better than others. In fact, perhaps to the dismay of coffee connoisseurs, this coffee artist uses instant coffee packets – Nescafé or Foldgers brands work best. He makes his coffee in batches of three: the first cup has one packet, the second has three and the third has five. Jones said this creates the values he needs. He can get roughly a dozen paintings from a single batch of coffee, so long as the coffee is properly stored between his work sessions.

Working with coffee has its pros and cons according to Jones. For example, coffee can be challenging because it never dries. Jones said he could hose down a painting, and the canvas would be washed completely clean. He joked this feature comes in handy sometimes, because he can “correct mistakes” using a wet Q-tip. He said he learns about using coffee every single day.

He found a new way to utilize this seemingly downfall to his advantage when painting a rose. He wanted to create a rose with

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Clockwise: Jones sits by the window as he works on a portrait of Christ; a piece titled “Infinity’s Edge” uses gold leaf in the halo; Jones’ equipment is minimal when painting with coffee, as he uses a few paint brushes, Q-tips and three Rubbermaid containers of coffee.

raindrops on it, but did not want to use a Q-tip to create them, fearing it would look unrealistic. Instead, he placed individual drops of water scattered about the canvas, and let them air dry. This process pushed the coffee’s pigment to the outer ring of each droplet while drying, creating a dark circle around each raindrop on the rose. This gave Jones the exact effect he wanted.

He combines different mediums on occasion, but typically sticks to one medium throughout the piece. When he does add in new elements, he typically grabs gouache, an opaque watercolor that he has found pairs nicely with coffee. Sometimes, he will add gold leaf to a coffee painting, and has found those elements work together stupendously.

“When the sunlight hits it, it just explodes,” he said.

To preserve the coffee once it’s on the canvas, Jones seals his works with clear enamel. At that point, it is good to go. Until he finishes a piece, which usually takes him anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the subject, Jones learned he has to keep his batches of coffee in the sun, otherwise it will grow mold.

Jones has been an artist all his life. However, aside from art classes in high school, he has never had formal teaching. All his skills and techniques have come from a lifetime of discipline and practice.

“This is me, this is what I do,” he said.

As a child, Jones started out with dinosaurs and cars. He believes every child is “born an artist.”

“When you’re young, your mom or dad will give you a sheet of paper and a box of crayons and say, ‘Go for it.’ And then you outgrow it as you’re getting older – push it aside,” he said. “And if kids would keep it, keep doing it, they’d (still) be painting. I strongly believe that.”

In high school, Jones earned a scholarship to an art school, but turned it down because he did not want to attend that particular college. He joined the Navy for three years during the Vietnam War, and when he got out, he dabbled in the tattoo world. He said it was

fun for a little while, but he grew tired of it quickly.

He was a biker for several years. His preferred bike was a Triumph, “chopped out — very chopped out,” he said with a grin. At one time, his favorite show was “Sons of Anarchy,” a true biker’s show. He said he completed over 300 portraits of its cast members, and some of the actors even own some of these pieces.

He played guitar for a while, back in his “hippie days.” An artist at heart, Jones said, “Anything that has to do with art, I do.” He stays young, and said his body may be 71 years old, but his mind is 20. He will even do an occasional portrait with Crayola crayons.

Throughout his life, he has drawn on inspiration from fantasy artists like Frank Frazetta, Borris Vallejo and Luis Royo. While he does commission pieces and portraits, he also paints or draws whatever images or ideas come to his mind, and classifies himself as both a portrait and a contemporary artist.

“It’s straight out of my head,” he said. “I have visions. I see things, and I’ve gotta put it on paper in order to do something with it.”

When he is not painting in his booth at Relics, which he has had since February, he’s working on his art at home. He said he’s been committing himself to his art since his wife died, about three years ago.

“I’ve thrown myself into my art basically to keep sanity, or lose it, one of the two,” he laughed while pointing at a self-portrait titled “Artistic Suicide,” and said “like this.”

“Art is everything I breathe for right now, it really is. I enjoy it that much,” he said.

He multitasks several pieces at a time, and prefers to watch TV while he works. If nothing good is on, he will turn on some classic rock and “go to town.” Though he is constantly creating, he doubts he will ever finish his artistic to-do list.

“I’ve got stuff that I thought about in the ‘60s doing, and I still haven’t done it,” he said. “I can’t paint fast enough. I have too many ideas in my head.” M

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This page: The walls in Jones’ booth are filled with his works. Some, like the purple piece, are used with other mediums such as Kool-Aid.

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A HAUNTING AT THE WAVERLY MANSION

by KRISITNA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

This historic, four-storied, eight-roomed, 8,000-square-foot mansion was completed in 1858 for Colonel George Hampton Young. Col. Young lived there for the rest of his life, and after he died, his children took over the estate. One of his sons, Captain Billy, was a notorious playboy of his day who enjoyed a good party.

At one point, the home sat vacant until Robert and Madonna (Donna) Snow bought the mansion. They moved in with their children, and opened the mansion for tours. They lived there for some-50-odd years, until Snow died in 2017. It was sold to Charlie and Dana Stephenson, who are now restoring the mansion and property while keeping it open to the public for tours. Jimmy Denning Jr. has been a tour guide at the mansion for 13 years. We sat down with Denning to talk about the mansion because, you see, it’s haunted.

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Cover: The ghost is said to sleep in this bed in the Waverly’s “Red Room.” This page from top: Col. Young took great pride in the madallions at the Waverly; Robert Snow fashioned the house with meticulously-selected antiques.

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This spread clockwise: Denning said it is unknown which staircase the little girl fell down; The entryway of the Waverly is very elaborate in both archetecture and decor; In addition to furniture, Snow also fashioned the Waverly with art.

Q: TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE GHOST. A: Some say she climbs into the bed and leaves the imprint of her invisible body. I’ve even met a few ladies that say they see her floating down that staircase from the third story. A blonde-haired girl, they say, in a white nightgown. … Some say this girl ghost will move pennies around; some say they’ve seen her reflection in the glass ... Ms. Donna said at times she’d hear a little girl behind her (say), “Momma.” She’d turn around, and there was no one there.

Q: HOW DID THE LITTLE GIRL DIE? A: A little girl was visiting this house with her mother. She was only 18 months old. One night, when they were all asleep, the little girl got out of bed. She ran up one of the staircases … she fell down the staircase, and broke her neck.

Q: WHO IS THE LITTLE GIRL? A: She is the granddaughter of Dr. William Burt. Dr. Burt was Col. Young’s neighbor. According to this story, Dr. Burt was doing some business in Columbus. His daughter and granddaughter came to Col. Young’s, he was just a mile away, and they spent a couple days here. And then one night, that’s when the little girl got out of her bed and had her accident.

Q: WHO TENDS TO SEE THE GHOST? A Well, ladies seem to hear this girl ghost. It’s like she’s looking for

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her mother. I’ve never met a man who said they’ve heard it.

Q: ARE THERE ANY OTHER GHOSTS AT THE WAVERLY? A: Some men have claimed they saw Captain Billy’s drinking buddies in the hallway, kind of walking kind of tipsy like they’re still enjoying a good drink – and then they notice them looking at them, and they disappear. College students, during the vacancy, said they saw a man on a dark horse galloping down the old dirt road toward the old ferry.

Q: ANY OTHER EERIE TALES FROM THE WAVERLY? A: Col. Young, he must have known that he was going to die. He died in November 1880, just a few weeks short of his 81st birthday, he was born Dec. of 1799. He had his haberdasher come out and he said, ‘I want a black suit.’ As he measured him, the haberdasher said, ‘Well, wait a minute, I’ve never gotten you a black suit before.

Why not get a gray suit with pinstripes like I normally get you.’ He (Young) said, ‘No, no, no, I’m going to be buried in this one.’ About a week after his black suit was delivered by his haberdasher, he died.

Must have had some kind of knowledge that he was going to die.

Q: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE GHOST? A: I’ve never seen her or met her, or any other ghost for that matter. … The story, to me, is very believable. I think it really happened, but I don’t know about the ghost. M

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MEN'S FALL FASHION “D ressing

well is a form

of good manners .”

Tom Ford

From sipping bourbon while puffing a cigar to simply enjoying a game, these are the season’s best bets. As the temperature dips down and the breeze picks up, stick to traditional autumnal colors and pair with a welcoming pattern. For the coming cooler months, focus on hushed tones such as hickory, merlot, olive and ash.

photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON

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Neilson’s Department Store in Oxford: Oxford folkstone gray vest; Mizzen+Main plaid shirt; Torino brown belt; Brax charcoal pants.

Prices upon request.

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MLM Clothiers in Tupelo: Jack Victor coat and pants; Robert Jensen pocket square; Hagen dress shirt; Martin Dingman belt and shoes.

Prices upon request.

MLM Clothiers in Tupelo: Peter Millar shirt $145, 34 Heritage 5-Pocket jeans $175, socks $29.95 a pair, Martin Dingman shoes and belt, prices upon request M &M

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MLM Clothiers in Tupelo: Peter Millar shirt $145, 34Cycle Heritage 5-Pocketin jeans $175, socks $29.95 a pair, 600 Core + Outdoor Tupelo: Danner Mountain Martin Dingman shoes and belt, prices upon request dark brown hiking boot; prAna slim fit pants; Patagonia Chacabuco Pack; Patagonia Woolly Blue Rugby. Prices upon request.

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MLM Neilson’s Clothiers Department in Tupelo: Store Peter in Oxford: Millar shirt $145, Mizzen+Main 34 Heritage 5-Pocket shirt; Bocara jeansdotted $175, socks tie; Daniel $29.95 a pair, Helchter Martin Dingman jacket; Ralph shoesLauren and belt, pants; prices Aniline upon request Kipskin Shoulders belt. Prices upon request.

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From Left: The Rogers' dogtrot includes several vintage furnishings; the living rwom mantel is decorated for fall.

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a private paradise Turn off the highway, go up a patched-over county road in northeast Monroe County, out past the soybean fields, keep going, and then, down a gravel drive screened by the young oak growth, with the bigger trees out behind. That’s where you’ll find it. story by CALEB BEDILLION photos by LINDSAY PACE DAFFRON M &M

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E

arl and Jan Rogers call it “the country.” They have spent two years building a tidy getaway nestled on about 200 acres, much of it family land held through a couple generations now.

The place offers a welcome respite from hectic schedules and long commutes.

“We have 12-hour days pretty much Monday through Friday,” Earl said. “We’ll come down here on a Friday night, and a pretty good weekend is if the cars don’t move.”

The couple have a more full-time residence in the stately Tupelo neighborhood of Belledeer, but take every chance they can to leave the “city house” behind, even if just for an evening of cozy cabin life.

“If we decide to come down a night, it’s not like a trip, but it’s far enough you feel like you’ve gotten away,” Earl said.

Earl works as chief operations officer of Mississippi Polymer in Corinth. Jan is a reading specialist and travels across north Mississippi working with school districts.

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From Left: Earl and Jan Rogers; the Rogerses' bedroom dresser; the bedroom features an exposed closet for Earl’s outerwear.

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From Top: A fireplace warms the living room; the kitchen sink overlooks the back porch.

Married eight years now, Earl and Jan built and filled the little home in the woods with local materials, custom craftsmanship and with art, furniture and treasures collected across their lives.

“There was just a certain element we wanted, and you had to go find it,” Jan said. “You couldn’t just go to a store and find what we wanted.”

Off the gravel drive, a stone path takes you up onto an L-porch that wraps around the dogtrotinspired home, sided in durable Hardie board.

Out here, Jan planted shade-loving hostas all around, and hung a swing that belonged to her grandfather.

Walk inside, and your eyes go up. The combined kitchen/living space is crowned by a vaulted ceiling paneled with scarred wood, soaked with history and salvaged from the former Tupelo Compress by the Guntown-based Vintage Flooring & Furniture.

The mantle over the stone-clad fireplace is a beam from a barn, the old mortise and tenon joints still visible. The kitchen is laid out galley style. A custom-built cabinet houses an apron front sink and granite counters. Opposite, a chest of drawers converted into an island features a hickory counter fashioned by Woodwork Kings in Tupelo. The interior walls are finished throughout in shiplap, sourced from Corinth, and left unpainted and unstained.

“It’s a blend of reclaimed and new,” Earl said.

The home also features a different blending.

Earl prefers an aesthetic that’s a bit rougher-hewn, even raw. Jan has a softer style.

What they worked out is something like farmhouse style crossed with a log cabin, or maybe a

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hunting lodge.

“I like natural elements, and, of course, he loves that,” Jan said.

“It’s still pretty rustic, but it’s got some good classic style to it.”

Jan had a freer hand with the décor.

“She knows what I like, but all the decorating is hers,” Earl said.

Like the structure itself, the interior is a patchwork of antiques, second-hand pieces and heirlooms discovered at flea markets, junk shops and antiques stores across the region.

“We are back-road travelers,” Jan said. “We like small town and little local shops. To me that is where you find the most rewarding things.”

Call it an occupational hazard – Jan has an upstairs booth in the popular Tupelo antiques mall, Relics. Sometimes, a lingering item in the booth might just find its way out to the country with Jan. The home does not sprawl. Behind the main living area is a bedroom, a bathroom and a laundry.

Space is used efficiently throughout. The kitchen island can pull double duty as a dining table. An apartment-sized stove is just big enough. There isn’t a dishwasher. Pocket doors are used instead of swinging doors.

There are no closets in the house, either. Whether in the kitchen or the bedroom, storage comes from furniture pieces, a tactic Jan decided to deploy after a trip to Mount Vernon, the historic home of George Washington.

A detached bunkhouse does offer a few extra beds and an additional bathroom for guests. That accommodates family and a few other visitors here and there.

But first and foremost, the home is a private hideaway to rest, recharge and be together.

“We do entertain a little, but not much,” Earl said. “Mostly, it’s just us.” M

Previous Page: A colorful autumn wreath graces the cabin’s entrance.

This Page: Antique books decorate the guest bathroom; the ktichen is filled with vintage treasures.

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THE ONLINE VOICE OF BUSINESSS

THRIVE.MS

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From Top: A lantern illuminates the guest cabin; the master bedroom features reclaimed Southern art and family photographs; Earl’s trinkets line his coat rack.

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Save the Date Mud & Magnolias Bridal Expo Sunday, February 2, 2020 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The Tupelo Cotton Mill Early Bird Booth Pricing Through October 31.

Call 662-801-9607 for more details.

BUYER ’S GUIDE

BUYER ’S GUIDE

BUYER ’S GUIDE

Halloween DIY Dazzle guests and trick-or-treaters with these bright and colorful serving bags. All you need are a few materials, like muslin bags, pencils, scrapbook paper and paint.

Watch the full DIY video at mudandmag.com.

Candy Corn Muslin Bags Inspired by our favorite treat (we have some stashed in our office!), this craft takes 5 minutes and holds plenty of candy.

Witches’ Broom Paper Bags You can make dozens of witches brooms for a couple of dollars.

All you need are pencils, paper bags, scissors, ribbon and candy!

Candy Monster Pockets This craft is too sweet to scare. Simply cut, fold and glue fun scrapbook paper to make your monster. Add eyes, hair and a funky smile to complete their look.

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