October 25th - Mike and Stacy Nelson

In southern Alabama a cup of boiled peanuts costs two dollars and are sold from driveways, roadside stands and the back of trucks. You can find them anywhere. What you rarely see in the heart of Dixie is a New York-style coffee shop.

Welcome to Java -N- Dream Coffee in Geneva, population 3800.

Mike and Stacy Nelson moved their four children (two boys, two girls) from St. Augustine, Florida to Samson, Alabama two years ago to be closer to family and to live a slower life. They understood the challenges of moving to a small town but were still surprised by the speed of life.

Mike and Stacy Nelson of Samson, Alabama on October 25th, 2008

“My dad always wanted to move back here to retire,” Mike said. “But my brother moved up here first and now I’m here. Let me tell you, there is nothing going on in this town. Nothing.”

The first problem the Nelson’s have faced in opening a successful business in Geneva is the lack of population. According to Mike the other two issues are less obvious but more dominant.

“In a small town you got some guys who don’t like other guys and they don’t like to run into each other, so that’s a problem,” Mike said. “The other thing is that we haven’t seen good business since the stock market went down and people can’t live without groceries. They can live without coffee”

The Nelsons’ agreed that Wall Street needed to be bailed out by the federal government but now the time as come for an economic stimulus package for taxpayers.

“We need to spend more money to support the small businesses like us,” Stacy said. “Business is slow because people don’t have the extra money to spend. I know when we got that check last time we spent it.”

The Nelsons’, who bought their first house in Samson this April, said that they are making ends meet with Mike’s full-time job, but feel that the government should do more to help the small businesses suffering the effects of the economic downturn.

On the Issues

Market Reform Take Two