| Sources |
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 70, 279, 280.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 11 May 2007.
Food, music, prizes to mark Wilton Springs Hardware's anniversary
Photo by Duay O'Neil Mitchell Webb, owner of Wilton Springs Hardware, stands with machinery available for rental at the store. The business will celebrate its 35th anniversary this weekend.
By: Duay O'Neil
Source: The Newport Plain Talk
05-11-2007
NEWPORT-In the early 1970s, Gay Webb was working at American Enka, while dreaming of owning his own business.
In 1972, he and his late wife Floss, realized that dream with the opening of a combination grocery store, service station and beauty salon at 303 Wilton Springs Road, on property owned by his parents, Tildy and the late Dewey Webb. Today, Gay has retired and spends a great deal of time traveling to such far flung parts of the earth as China and Panama.
The business, now known as Wilton Springs Hardware, is operated by his son, Mitchell, who, as a 3-year-old, remembers the excitement of watching the daily building process of the business.
"Dad did most of the construction work himself," recalls Mitchell. "He was working swing shift at Enka. He'd come home and work on the store."
During the initial building process, Gay and his family lived directly behind the store and later moved into a three-bedroom apartment in the complex.
"Dad kept the business open seven days a week for 10-12 hours a day," Mitchell says. "He started closing on Sundays when the gasoline prices soared in the late 1970s. Now we're open Monday-Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m."
In its earliest days, the store/station sold Bay gasoline. "There was a garage here, too," Mitchell says. "Eventually we closed this and used that part for storage."
The hardware business grew on its own, starting with the Webbs meeting local farmers' needs for nails and other items. With the onslaught of large chain groceries in the 1980s, the country grocery store business suffered. "We still have convenient foods," Mitchell points out, "but since the early 1980s we've dealt mainly in hardware."
The bulk of the hardware store's business centers around residential plumbing needs. "We have everything: hot water heaters, shower fixtures, pipes, faucets, and finish work," Mitchell says.
In recent years, the store has added rental equipment.
While Gay operated the store, Floss managed the beauty shop. "She had one sink, two dryers, and one dressing chair," Mitchell recalls. "She worked alone." Sadly Floss died suddenly of a heart attack in October of 1997. She was with a customer in the shop at the time. "Her shop now serves as our office," according to Mitchell.
Meanwhile Gay and Floss's two children, Mitchell and Susan, matured. "We didn't have to work in the store on a regular basis," laughs Mitchell, "but if we came through the store and a customer was there, we were expected to wait on him." Mitchell and Susan both graduated from Cosby High School and then entered the University of Tennessee.
Susan, now Dr. Susan Webb, has her own practice at Park West Hospital in Knoxville.
Mitchell earned his bachelor's degree at UTK in 1989 and later finished his master's there in 1992.
Initially he taught at Karns High School in Knoxville in the social studies department. During this time, he taught American government, geography, and AP economics.
In June 2000, Gay retired, and Mitchell returned to Cosby to assume control of the business.
Mitchell's wife, Sonya, founded the Mother's Day Out program at Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church.
Mitchell and Sonya have two children: Emily, 13, and Nathan, 10. Today six fulltime employees are employed by Webb: Ramona Green and Vern Dollhoph, both of whom worked for Gay; and Gene James, Brian Gilbert, Brandon Henderson, and Rhonda Allen.
They will all be present tomorrow at a gala celebration of the store's milestone anniversary. "We're having a radio remote, hot dogs, snow cones, large toys for the children to play on, and all sorts of prizes and giveaways. Mountain Edge will bring music beginning at 12:30. We'd like everyone to come by and visit us," Mitchell says.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 9 Dec 2007.
Take a ride to Wilton Springs
By: David Popiel
Source: The Newport Plain Talk
12-09-2007
Moderating temperatures, some good meals, and interesting chats with friends in our hometown have helped get folks into the Christmas spirit.
Gloomy skies and a cool morning on Wednesday made me think it might snow, but by the afternoon the temperature had risen to the 60s. By late morning, Mitchell Webb took a break to show me around his expanded retail sales floor, now 3,400 square feet. For those who have shopped with the Webbs (Gay and the late Flossie Webb, a beautician) you remember how much merchandise was packed into a small space. Yet, Gay knew where to find it all and what the prices were. Today is a much different world in retail, and Mitchell, their son, took on the challenge more than seven years ago. As he said, Gay was going to sell it or walk away from Wilton Springs Hardware. I can't remember a time it wasn't there so it is a good thing Mitchell has kept it open and also expanded with merchandise, rentals, and now more floor space.
Mitchell, at 40, is energetic and excited about the business. Black plastic stretched in front of the white block store marks the location for the new double-door front entrance, ready soon. You've walked through the single door to meet the folks, as I did and there was one of the fixtures, Vern Dollhopf, with a back brace. He's been at the store clerking for 15 years, so he bridges the generations between Gay and Mitchell. For those who don't know it, he came here from Michigan and happened upon Cocke County during his honeymoon in 1968 on the way to Florida. More than 20 years ago he moved to stay after 21 years as a police officer in Michigan. I got to know him through the Cosby Volunteer Fire Dept. His wife, Sue, is talented in embroidery and runs her own home business, soon to expand. She does a lot of custom machine created design work for Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. You know her business as the Thread Connection.
While driving over to the store, I noticed the near-completion of two log cabins along the Cosby Creek. Mitchell tells me that folks from Alabama and Florid are the owners but local contractors, H&D Builders, are doing the fine log-faced houses. You probably know Shane Davis and Jarrod Holt. They worked with the late Delmar Brown. The last house he built was for Mitchell, and it sits on the hillside behind the store. I also saw another cabin across the fields. It is being built by Vonda (Bryant) McKinney, who is a teacher in the Johnson City area. Of course, she is one of the local Bryants, a sister to Ricky Bryant, I believe. Contractors have been good customers for Wilton Springs, which accounts for why electric and plumbing supplies are big items and in huge variety there. You won't find prices lower on many items, and know Mitchell is brightening up the showroom, adding about 600 square feet of retail paint dept., and putting merchandise neatly on many new racks with wide aisles. He said this would attract the female shopper. I didn't realize that his store stocks more showers and tubs than almost any place around, except for Knoxville. Although it is a True Value Hardware Store, it has really catered to builders and farmers for decades. Mitchell brought new thinking, such as when he opened the equipment rental business, and as a person who loves tools and machinery, they have a big inventory. Funny, though, the bubble blow-up jumphouses for kids are of great interest to renters. You can even get a cotton candy maker. The big toys are the top rentals, being Bob Cats and Ditch Witches. If you are tired of digging postholes, you can rent a hydraulic one. These are best because the other types can injure operators' arms and shoulders, when they strike rocks and buried car parts. Mitchell says insurance companies advise against the gas-powered augers. The business also employs a lot more people now and they include Gene James, who's been there long enough to grow a beard, Brian Gilbert, Brandon Henderson, Rhonda Allen, and Jason Sprouse. The store expansion started last June, got slowed when the new rear block wall fell over, and should be completed during the winter. Drop on by and see what's happening at Wilton Springs.
On Thursday I got a call from the son of my late arson-investigating friend Roy Shinall, who died from leukemia years ago. He was 61. His son Todd Roy Shinall, 43, has encountered some hard times softened by church friends not far as the crow flies from Wilton Springs. The last time I saw Todd was at Pioneer Woods where he has worked with Bill and Gayla Ewing building cabinets for years. Last Oct. Todd suffered a seizure and then a more severe one last June forcing him to quit work. Poor in insurance, he paid cash to get an MRI that revealed he had a large brain tumor. The devastating news was easier to handle because friends such as Sheila Poe and Barbara Lunsford got Roy and wife, Amanda, going to Smoky Mountain Baptist Church at Greasy Cove. You may recall the Plain Talk helped announce the benefit that raised $3,000. This money made it possible for Todd to plan surgery done by Dr. Flagler at Baptist Hospital West in late November. Todd is recuperating and so thankful for the church, its members, the Ewings and all those who cared about what happened to him. It brightened my week to talk to him again. We will soon visit so you can find out how he is doing.
In plain talk, people all around us work to help build up others and provide a fix for problems, big or small.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 3 Sep 2011.
Webb joins Newport Federal Bank board
Author: David Popiel
Newport Federal Bank has a new director after a Cosby businessman was selected by bank directors during their July meeting.
Newport Federal Bank Chief Executive Officer and President Chris Triplett announced that Mitchell Webb is now a board member when he was unanimously elected by current directors. That brings the membership to eight.
"I think he will be a very good addition to our board. He is a business owner from the Wilton Springs and Cosby area. People like and respect Mr. Webb, and he makes a good fit for our board," said Triplett.
Webb has been operating Wilton Springs Hardware since 2000, when his father, Gay Webb retired. Mitchell Webb's mother is the late Floss (Costner) Webb.
"I am excited about this opportunity. It is interesting and I am very honored to have been chosen," said Webb.
He joins the bank board composed of Triplett, Chair William (Bill) Myers, Tommy Bible, Richard Harwood, Robert Overholt, Ben Hooper III, and Tom Inman. Directors emeritus are Dr. Bill Henry and Bob Self.
For more details, please see the latest edition of the Newport Plain Talk.
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1967 - (56 years)
(Age 89 years) 