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“What you did doesn’t justify who you are.”
–William Winters, owner, Mr. GroomRoom
Afew years ago, William Winters might not have imagined he’d be employed, much less a local entrepreneur. A few milestones later – namely, overcoming addiction and living sober – he’s giving back to the community through a simple act:
the haircut. Born and raised in Raleigh, Winters had a brief stint on the basketball team at North Carolina Central University as well as in the United States Navy. Along the way, he says, he experienced homelessness and suffered from addiction. After a few years on the streets and encounters with the law, “I finally looked in the mirror and had to snap back to reality,” says Winters. He went to a rehabilitation center a decade ago and has been sober ever since. With his feet back on the ground, two years ago Winters opened his own business, a barber shop called Mr. GroomRoom. It began as a one-man-show on Wake Forest Road. Business was good, and within a year, he expanded and moved to his current location just off of New Bern Avenue. Today, his shop is right across the street from the ABC store. Winters says the proximity underlines his full-circle journey: “I slept under the tree over there for two years.” Winters says he hopes to expand his space in the coming year; and while he continues to grow his team and business, he hasn’t forgotten his path and always strives to give back. Every Sunday, he says, he opens the shop to give free haircuts to the homeless. “I know what it feels like to get a haircut when you’re in that situation. It gives you a sense of confidence.” That same confidence has paid off for Winters. He’s one of the newest recipients of The Sports Shop radio’s Salute to Champions, along with community members like former Durham mayor Bill Bell. He’s also just been recognized as a 2018 honoree at the Celebrating Life Jazz Brunch in Greensboro, which acknowledges folks who have overcome challenges. While his latest activities have included receiving accolades for his transformation and community work, he says he really likes his day-in-day-out priority: “I just like to cut hair.” –Catherine Currin
OUR TOWN THE USUAL
“The show is on every night and it’s free.”
–Phyllis Lang, Raleigh Astronomy Club member
This month, the RAC hosts two public viewing events: Skywatching at Dix held at Dorothea Dix park April 7, and the Statewide Star Party at Annie Wilkerson Nature Park April 20. Pictured, from left to right: Phyllis Lang, Mark Lang, and Doug Lively. Phyllis and Mark Lang met in Astronomy Club, fell in love, and married.
It’s always looking up for the Raleigh Astronomy Club. The group evolved from an adult continuing education class in casual observing at Meredith College in 1977; the experience was so stimulating that the students decided to keep meeting. Today, the RAC has over 200 members in the Triangle, who meet twice a month to learn about and observe the stars. There are educators, landscapers, engineers, car repairmen, and even elementary school students. “(People think) you have to be an egghead to belong to the RAC and that is not the truth,” says co-chairman Doug Lively. “If you have a passion for astronomy, the door is open. It really doesn’t matter what your background is.” Nor does it matter what equipment you have. Most members invest in a good pair of binoculars, Lively says, and a perk of club membership is the telescope loaning program. Members can try out an array of equipment and get tips on the best gear for the skywatching they want to do. Tips come from the monthly gatherings. Of the club’s two meetings, one is always an outdoor viewing session; the other is a lecture or lesson indoors at N.C. State University Crafts Center. The educational sessions bolster the starry sky scanning. Lively says he loves the transformative moment when a novice goes from “I don’t see nothing,” he says, to “having his socks blown off” the first time he sees Saturn. RAC members have a galaxy of tips for budding astronomers, which they share through community outreach. Astronomy Day is the club’s main event, held every January at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Through a partnership with NASA’s Langley Research Center and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the day brings astronauts, scientists, and a ton of impressive hardware together for two star-studded days. Last year’s event had more than 14,000 attendees. The RAC also works closely with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and has a sister club in CHAOS, the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society. –Katherine Poole
raleighastro.org
OUR TOWN SHOP LOCAL
–Justin Senkbeil, co-founder, CompostNow
Three young entrepreneurs are making composting convenient. “Forty percent of the food we grow in the U.S. ends up as waste. So many people think they don’t produce food waste, and they’re surprised when they start our service,” says Justin Senkbeil. The service is CompostNow, founded by Raleighite Matt Rostetter in 2011 with the help of co-founders Senkbeil and Dominique Bischoff. The company’s weekly delivery and pick-up method is a way for those living without compost-pilefriendly yards (or the desire to take on home composting) to reduce household waste. You receive a small black, odor-sealed bin to toss food scraps in; once a week, set the bin out for pickup, just like the city trash or recycling bins. For every 10 pounds of waste, five pounds of composted soil is produced. Thanks to a partnership with Brooks Compost Facility, which cultivates a huge, mature, compost pile, customers can compost more variety than in a backyard setup – including meat bones, dairy, and compostable cups and lids. Monthly subscribers can either receive their composted soil for gardening and planting, or pay it forward and donate to a local community garden or farm. Garden partners include Goodwill Community Foundation Farm and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Senkbeil says they’ve noticed substantial growth as cultural environmental awareness has increased. The business has grown beyond home pick-ups to downtown offices and restaurants, like Bida Manda and Raleigh Raw. There are also CompostNow hubs in other cities, such as Asheville, North Carolina. “We’re diverting waste, and creating soil. All locally.” –Catherine Currin
compostnow.org
OUR TOWN OFF DUTY
“They hang because of their beauty.”
–Jim Swanson, inherited clock collector
When FBI agent John W. Swanson retired from the agency after 25 years of service, he delved more deeply into his passion for clocks: he ultimately collected 600 of them. Today, half of Swanson’s collection hangs in the Raleigh home of his son, Jim Swanson. John Swanson was born and raised in Southern California. He interrupted his college education to enlist in the Navy during World War II, rising to naval officer rank. After the war, he finished his college degree in California and was recruited by the FBI as a special agent. He moved to Fairfax, Virginia, where he raised his family during his assignment with the Washington field office. Since then, son Jim Swanson and his wife, Lynn, have made their home in Raleigh. Jim Swanson says his grandparents told him that his father was adept at fixing things, at “just being good with his hands,” from the time he was 14. Today, if you stroll through the Swansons’ home, you can see and hear the results of those “good hands.” John Swanson left to each of his two children an astonishing collection of 300 clocks. Jim Swanson remembers the day his father brought home his first clock. “I was in junior high at the time and saw from his enthusiasm how hooked he was on those devices.” John Swanson came by his clocks in many ways. He bought some, he was given others, and some he “rescued” from the junk heap and restored their beauty. Many of his father’s timekeepers are on display in Jim Swanson’s home, but especially rare or delicate ones “are hidden away for safekeeping.” The hidden ones come out sometimes: “Each year, we display on special holidays – Christmas and the Fourth of July – commemorative clocks that add to our celebration.” For Jim and Lynn, every tick-tock, every chime, keeps alive the love of a father. They provide timeless memories. –James Daniels
