Who's Driving

Who’s Driving- Market Trends S4 E2

• Wesley Turner • Season 4 • Episode 2

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Let’s take a ride and break down the home and holiday trends that will shape 2026. Rich colors  are in! 

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Join the conversation by calling their hotline at 864-982-5029 with your own stories or topic suggestions, and experience the authentic charm of two best friends who truly never know who's driving or where they're headed.

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Rolling Start And Show Setup

SPEAKER_02

Get in this car. It is cold and I need to I need to get in and get in and get ready to go.

SPEAKER_03

I'm so glad you're driving this week. Let's go. I'm um I'm a passenger princess over here. But it's time for another episode of Who's Driving? Welcome to Who's Driving? I'm Wesley Turner. And I'm Steven Murp. We're two best friends and entrepreneurs. Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendship, and business.

SPEAKER_02

These are the stories we share and topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip.

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Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things home and garden.

SPEAKER_02

Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Life In The Strip Mall

SPEAKER_03

You never know who's driving or where we're headed. All we know is it's always a fun ride. You better put this thing in drive and bump up on out of here because we are we've set up our little podcast. Station. Yeah, we'll keep it. If you will. It's not a studio. It's a nothing. We brought our equipment over to the warehouse. It's kind of nice. We got two sofas over here.

SPEAKER_02

We just it is nice because we can work and then stop and then work and then do. And we don't is it's not another trip or destination for the day for you.

SPEAKER_03

Um or for you. That's true, because I'm already coming here, so I'm like, oh, you want to record? Uh the only thing is I have to remember that stupid little card that goes in the back of this little machine so it records us. And I I remembered it. I put a little envelope. But the reason why you better pull up on out of here, if you don't know, if you haven't been around for like our live sales, we've joked about it. We're our warehouse is actually in, would you call it a strip mall? I don't know. I mean, it's like five units, six. Strip is a good word for it.

SPEAKER_02

Um oh my god. I mean, it's a it's a redneck dive bar. And listen, I am not knocking it when I call it a redneck dive bar, be but because years ago I actually went to that bar you customer.

SPEAKER_03

I'm sure you did.

SPEAKER_02

And beside of that, there's Adam and Ead's sex store. Uh-huh. And I adult store. Uh well, whatever. But I have to say, very convenient. But it's very, very, very well done franchise. I mean, it really is. It is very nice and very for what it is, they do an A plus job.

SPEAKER_03

They really do. They're the best neighbors in the in the strip mall.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, and they've yeah, they take packages when we're closed or not here. They're great neighbors. Yeah. So we love them. And they're always open. I mean, it's Yeah. They have a booming business.

Warehouse Vibes And Noisy Neighbors

SPEAKER_03

But between the bar and Adam and Eve, on that end, there is a they call it like a dance hall. It's like an event center. Which is being very polite. So it's a open venue event space. I don't know. But every weekend there is a different Oh, I bet they're having a that's my point. That there's a different group of people there. Well, when I pulled up a minute ago, you got here before me. They're starting to come in over there.

SPEAKER_02

For the Valentine's party.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, maybe that's what it is. I thought someone got married on Valentine's Day. Today's Valentine's Day as we're recording.

SPEAKER_02

I'm we're going in.

SPEAKER_03

We're going but we're gonna be like, hey, we're here. So if in about 30 minutes you start hearing some boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. In the background, it's the it's the event place. It gets really bumpy down here sometimes. It does.

SPEAKER_02

You can feel the base. And it's such a classy little strip mall that um the when the event venue is is in session, if you will, we have down on our end of the end of the mall. We're on the end, you know. It's kind of we're kind of hidden in a corner.

SPEAKER_03

This is the And our warehouse isn't is 12,000 square feet, not small. It used to be like uh Goodwill, uh, Miracle Hill Yeah place as well.

SPEAKER_02

Home home store for home building stuff.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And uh so they they all hang out down in this corner, and that's where they smoke their marijuana.

SPEAKER_03

They do. You go out and they're right by the way.

SPEAKER_02

And I'm like, I hope that I do not get pulled over after because they're gonna smell, they're gonna smell me and think you're high. And I'm not because not one of those damn people have offered me a hit.

SPEAKER_03

That's what you're gonna have to walk out and say, if you're gonna stand here and do that in front of my space, you're gonna have to offer me.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna say you gotta do what my aunt used to say. You're gonna have to do what the arithmetic book says. Divide. That's funny.

Valentine’s Day At The Shop

SPEAKER_03

So anyway, if you start hearing some little bump bump down there, I didn't think also Adam and Eve, they've been busy this week too with Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_02

Let's talk about Valentine's. I'm very thankful for Valentine's Day because we we have a floral business, so it is very great. And I love doing the arrangements. I listen, Wesley went when we went in bit to business together, he dropped that's that part of it like a hot potato. I don't he hadn't made an arrangement since about 2014.

SPEAKER_03

That is not true, but that's not true, but normally we are gone on Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_02

I haven't been here for Valentine's Day in a few years, so but it's comical because I really do love it, and I really do. Here's the thing, and this is I was explaining this to a friend of mine on the phone today, and I never thought about it, but Valentine's and Mother's Day at the garden store is so busy and so hustle and bustle. It is like lunch at McDonald's on a Friday or after a high school football game, it's like just high energy, and I that's what I like.

Waffle House Date Night Trend

SPEAKER_03

Yes. Um But the holiday's stupid. Okay, well, we can get back to the holiday in a second, but I just gotta talk about I don't go to the garden store and do as many arrangements on holidays anymore. Like I came by yesterday, I love to hype them up, but the problem is I I was thinking about this yesterday. Well, first of all, I got burnt out after doing it, starting it in 2009, and it was just me and Daniel, and then growing it to where it is. But without that, I used to love working holiday. Like I would be like, oh, it's Mother's Day, it's Valentine's, it's Easter week, whatever. And I would just as it grew for several years, I would just show up for the holidays as far as making arrangements. And I haven't done that. I don't do that anymore. I realized because when we moved in 2022, there's no space for extra designers. Like we always have it staffed, and I have to have my design table. Like I have to be able to, I can't move like when we were there yesterday and you were there, you're kind of moving like this designer be like, Oh, I'm done with this one, you can have this space. And then you're kind of rotating around from each person's potting stations, what we've always called it. And I can't do that. I don't, I then I'm not in my zone and I don't find it enjoyable. So I'm like, they got this. I mean, and they all had it. Our staff did an amazing job. Um and the truth is, like I told you, and they didn't need you either. They didn't need me. But no, but I just for us to show, or at least one of us to because it does build the morale and it's it's fun to hang out with idiots and everyone's having a good time and that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02

They don't need my ass. They don't need me. And I told them, I said, Y'all so don't need me. I could just wear a clown costume and be up in there. Right. They don't need me, but I just it I guess it's kind of nice for them not to think certain things they don't have to think about. I say, we we need to do this, right? We need to do that. Right.

SPEAKER_03

Little direction.

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They are all so smart, so talented. They don't know.

SPEAKER_03

And sometimes I like to just like, oh, this is our arrangement. We're gonna do like several of, and then they're like, Oh, we love that. Let's do it. You know, I'll just do the one or something, but anyway, that's the way it goes. But back to Valentine's Day itself, since like I said, we're recording this on Valentine's Day. Um, I guess we're our sweethearts right here. You don't love the holiday, but you know, it's not, I don't think it's really for you to love anyway. It's not I feel like it's for it's definitely, I feel like, for mostly new relationships and younger, but then once you're in a relationship, you still have to do something, a gesture, especially for you know, straight people. You know, they need to feel love because they only feel loved once a year.

SPEAKER_02

Well, and listen, here's my thing. I I don't put it up there like, you know, Christmas, birthday. It's not like that, and it's fine to do something fun. Um, you know, I I didn't realize it's a thing to go to dinner on Valentine's at Waffle House.

SPEAKER_03

Steven had never heard of this, and I can't believe it because he is such a Waffle House uh connoisseur. Speaking of Waffle House, last week we were sitting here recording one week ago on Saturday, right? No, we recorded on Sunday. On Sunday. Be a week tomorrow. But we recorded on Sunday. We had gone to Waffle House. We're like, let's Steven's like, he's been trying to eat early. So he's like, We had done a live or well, I don't know. Anyway, we were here working and we're like, let's go eat Waffle House, then we'll record the podcast or whatever. And that night I got a stomach bug. Try to lay it on my waffle house. I did think it was the Waffle House.

SPEAKER_02

Try, don't don't lay it on my waffle house.

Fast Food Then And Now

SPEAKER_03

It wasn't, but that's fine. We'll move on. I don't want to talking about it just makes people feel queasy, but that was not a good start to the week at all. Um, but it that one wasn't that good that day. It wasn't that's not a good one. Mm-mm. That's not a good one. But anyway, so that that's here nor there. But anyway, so this week, Steven just now learned that certain waffle houses for Valentine's Day, they do reservations and um and you can go to Waffle House for Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_02

So I thought isn't the the photos online are amazing.

SPEAKER_03

Well, it's it transforms the whole thing. Out is a funny like thing and a marketing thing, I guess, for them. And people love it. Because don't they put out like white tablecloth?

SPEAKER_02

It's dimmed, it's all red, and I guess each one decorates it, however. It just looks amazing, and you you make reservations, so I thought, well, we love Waffle House. So I was like, this will be great. So I tried to make reservations tonight. Couldn't get a damn reservation anywhere. They're all booked. That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_03

And I'm damn jealous. Okay, next year you're going to the waffle. We're gonna book it like two weeks in advance.

SPEAKER_02

Uh oh, I am so there next what next year it's on Sunday. Sunday. Well, we might be able to do it anyway.

SPEAKER_03

You may be in the middle of your facelift or something too. You know.

SPEAKER_02

Could be a even better disaster. But we I'm gonna do this at some point. And it was kind of you know, I told you, I was like, you know, looking back, I think I did like the heart-shaped biscuits wait years ago in McDonald's. But I'm like, how did I miss the boat on that? And not do a not McDonald's, Valentine's.

SPEAKER_03

And why haven't they picked that up?

SPEAKER_02

But it's easier now because of digit, everything's digital. See, before how you how you couldn't have done that.

SPEAKER_03

Well, y'all wouldn't have had a way to take a reservation or anything.

SPEAKER_02

No, but I mean now, if I own McDonald's, well now they don't even have you you wouldn't do it, they don't even have chairs to sit down in there.

SPEAKER_03

Not hardly. Crazy as hell. Go in and there's one booth if that order from the kiosk. Yeah. Oh my gosh. You, if you were in McDonald's now. It didn't work. No, you were smart. You knew I said it's going, I said this is not working to work for me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because can you imagine if you had to remodel and have one of those stores that there's no front person and no, and you just order from the kiosk and very few seating and it reminds me the McDonald's now, and I'm not knocking McDonald's, I still love my McDonald's, but the the decor and the lobby situation, it reminds me of those horrible banks in New York City that no one there's just Taylor machine or you know, machines.

SPEAKER_03

That's what it's like. Yeah. Which is so we've talked about this, I feel like before. There's no personality to the decor, to the building, and now there's no connection. Think back in the day how many people came to your McDonald's for breakfast every day and they love Susan or Sharon or whoever at the register. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02

I mean, it was a thing. Like fun, come on, how y'all doing today? They brought us, they listen, they brought us fresh vegetables, flowers, Christmas gifts.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

Self‑Checkout Fatigue

SPEAKER_02

You name it. Bert it was birth, we joined birthday parties. It was it was so important, and I always said, and I still believe this, McDonald's, if you guys knew how much money McDonald's spent on advertising, you really wouldn't believe it. And um, I mean, it is astronomical amount of money. And all you can spend all that money all you want, but the final, the final close of that deal and that advertisement is that experience when you go to buy that burger. Right. And you're gonna leave that up to a damn kiosk and somebody throwing a bag in your face.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_02

Big mistake. And and it's gonna listen, I was in McDonald's 30 years. They always went to the extremes, and this is this is one of those extreme mistakes. I think. And it's not just McN it's it's a lot of businesses, just like um self-checkouts and stuff. I think you can have that, but I think you have to be careful because there you've got those customers that really want that interaction.

SPEAKER_03

I don't go to places that are only self-checkout anymore. Like I don't go, and when I'm in a place, I don't go to self-checkout unless I'm forced to go to self-checkout. You know who's gotten really bad at that is Lowe's and Home Depot too. And so Home Depot's usually better. Like there's one line open and I go get in it, but Lowe's.

SPEAKER_02

My dad's hysterical with it. Hysterical. I mean he's old and crotchety.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So um I've been on the phone with him and he's been at at Lowe's or Home Depot, and they're like, sir, the self-checkout is open. He's like, No, ma'am, no, thank you, ma'am. I don't work here. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03

That's what he always says. Prices go up, and you got to do the work yourself. It doesn't make sense. And like, you know, I'm the person that gets at the self-checkout, and there's a problem, a price check of something. It's blinking, and they're like trying to run from register to register, and I'm like, this is so annoying. And Dylan is saying, You hit the button wrong.

SPEAKER_02

I'm like, just shut up. So what I tell him is when we go to these places, he, you know, he's a few years younger than me, and he always goes to the self-checkout. That is fine. If we're going there, you're gonna you're the you are the cashier. Right. I'm not.

SPEAKER_03

Right. It's true. Not doing it. Yeah. That I try not to go to any self-checkout. You know, I'll be that person that you know how I am, space out doing things, and I'll be the person that throws something in a bag daydreaming about what I'm doing next and get arrested or something. You didn't scan that. And you know what?

SPEAKER_02

Here's something else that's weird. We've never talked about this. What? I don't you probably never bought anything from Neiman Marcus, but I love I love it. And at South Park, I don't know if I told you this. I just thought it was I mean, I guess it's fine it was just weird, different.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

Luxury Checkout And Sizing Adventures

SPEAKER_02

So I was buying something. Um I bought a shirt on clearance. It was a purple label. So I'm in the fancy part of the Neiman where they sell that stuff. No, I was they were having a clearance sale. Well, I went to pay and they pull you into a room, a small room, and it's the checkout area. And I said, you know, my redneck ass, I said, What is this? I've never been back here. Y'all, why do y'all do this? And they said, he's they the man was not, he laughed. He was like, Well, some people pay with cash and they're not comfortable, and sometimes their bills are very big.

SPEAKER_03

You must have been in the real bougie part. I was like a s they used to celebrities.

SPEAKER_02

Well, that he said, Well, he said they have a lot of like the um the Panthers and um you know athletes that come in and he's like, you know, I know this sounds crazy, but I've had them spend like two hundred thousand dollars in one cell. And so when you're spending two hundred thousand dollars, they're not comfortable doing that where other people can see.

SPEAKER_03

It's like a concierge kind of checkout. I was like, Yeah, I ain't never had this happen.

SPEAKER_02

I was like, Well, I get to go back here to get 40% of my purple label shirt. Um but I was like, well, I mean, I guess that's not I mean, first of all, I'm never gonna have that kind of money to spend on a shopping spree, but you never know. I I thought that was kind of interesting. Yeah. But it was weird too. Mm-hmm. It was weird. I guess it was weird because I was just buying a damn shirt.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, it w I bought I had several things, but it wasn't. I was like, well, I mean, I don't care if everybody and their mama watches me. Yeah. But that's my personality anyway. Whatever. Yeah. What I mean here I am.

SPEAKER_03

I'm buying it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean check me out. But so that was I thought, hmm. And but I will say this, it made the store look cleaner and neater too. Because there was no big junky checkout area. Mm-hmm. Hmm.

SPEAKER_03

But I guess if somebody went I hadn't experienced that. But I thought that was interesting. Did they do that at uh what is it? Nordstrom? Rat. Rat. I ain't even been in there. I've never even been in there. And we have one right next to the street. I used to go, I used to love it. See, I'm not a You're not a bargain shopper. I am not a bargain shopper. I'm not a shopper for clothes really in general, until I'm like, I need some pants. And I like going to like a just I don't like going to like a department store, just I don't know where I go. I hadn't bought pants.

SPEAKER_02

I love a deal. I mean, I'm cheap. Leslie will tell you I'm very I have I have great I have great taste and I like nice things, but I want I want the best deal I can get.

SPEAKER_03

Like a deal.

SPEAKER_02

But I don't like digging in discount stores.

SPEAKER_03

I don't either. Like I am not Daniel has an eye. Like if we go to Somewhere like off 5th.

SPEAKER_02

Off sex, you know, they they went, they closed. They're no more.

SPEAKER_03

The last time we went to one, well, there's one in Hilton Head. That's the great last time half their lights were out. It was half in.

SPEAKER_02

The writing was on the wall.

SPEAKER_03

I was like, I don't think they're gonna be here much longer. Yeah. We were Daniel and I both were like, are are there were no going out of business signs, but the signs were, I mean, you didn't need the signs. The signs were there. Um, but he's the type that can walk in a place like that, especially a cell rack where it's all mixed up by, and he can just, oh, look at this. And I'm like, to me, it's the biggest cluster of colors and message.

SPEAKER_02

I think it's an ADD thing too. Like we just get overwhelmed. Yeah. But Dylan loves and he but it the other thing is you and I wear the same size pretty much everything. Right. Head to toe, same shoes, same everything. Unfortunately, and fortunately, this we wear the most common sizes in our country. Yes. So they're always hard to find. You don't get we don't have sell stuff. Right. You know, mainly our sizes. Right. You know, unless it's just ugly shit. Right. But with his size, because he wears small, he wears smalls, and he wears he has little feet.

SPEAKER_03

What size shoe does he wear?

Clearance Hunting And Odd Sizes

SPEAKER_02

You know, I don't even know. All I know is well, you know, you know, certain designers change their sizes to make people feel good. Right. And Gucci is one, and they obviously geared toward women more than anything. So you've got the you've you've got the premium luxury brand different size, and then you've got the European size on top of that. So he um in that in Gucci A double zero. In shoes. I get so tickled. In shoes. Y'all, we we we went to hell and back to get him a pair of Gucci shoes. And I never he made me feel so it got it got real awkward because he really, really wanted a pair of those damn shoes.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And everywhere I went, they had my size. I got beautiful shoes. I was like, I love my shoes. He's like, uh just fuming because he couldn't get his so we were in Charlotte during Christmas, and there was a little pair of Gucci loafers. I said, These would be really nice for you, these would look nice, and this is something that you'll have for 20 years, you know. They didn't have his size, but he loved them. And I was like, he's like, well, they just slightly I was like, no, you cannot buy something that you're gonna wear for that many years. I mean, that shoe has been they they came out with that shoe in 1953 and they still sell it, it ain't going nowhere. Yeah, and you're gonna wear that for years, it's gotta be the right size. Yeah, we're not doing that. Well, they they went on the computer and they said there's a pair in New York City. And I said, hot damn, we're gonna be there in January. So we get to, you know, we had to make a beeline. He I he had those shoes on his brain.

SPEAKER_03

Wait, did they hold them for you or y'all just wrist?

SPEAKER_02

No, I said, hell, ain't nobody gonna buy them. We ain't got nothing to worry about. Who else has that foot? So we get there and they had we're like, we're I'm like, you know, I'm they're like, go dust off that box. We I said online in Charlotte, it says y'all have a five and a half in the night in this 1953 loafer. And then I was like, Oh, do we? And I was like, Charlotte store says you do. He came out, he had the 1953 five and a half. Uh-huh. Then he put them on and he was like, they fit. And I said, but do they fit? I said, because these are gonna, these, that leather is like butter, and it's just gonna mold to your foot. So he needed a five. We needed a five. And oh my gosh, thank the good lord, there was a five. And I got those shoes. I could not get the credit card out quick enough. And he said, We left. I didn't get anything. We left, and he said, You you didn't even hesitate about the I said, Hell no, I would have paid 500 more for those shoes. That is, I mean, I I would I wanted to say, do you have them in every color? Yeah. Or can we just get four pairs and I'll put them up? So he does get clearance. Like it's like those women that you know, there are some women out there that have some big old feet, you know.

SPEAKER_03

There are women that have 11, 10, 11 size feet that are able to get clearance. You're saying he can get clearance because he's not the most common size.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and guys with huge feet can also get the deal, the good deals. You know, if they wear a size 12 or 13, because stores usually stock a few. Right.

SPEAKER_03

But they're not that common.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, a McDonald's owner colleague of mine, she always wore the nicest shoes. Like it just amazed me because she was always wearing a pair of new Farragamo loafers or Gucci loafers. I'm like, I'm like, damn. Like, where you get how you get all these shoes? And she's like, I wear a 10 and a half. No one buys a 10 and a half, so I get the best shoes. Yeah, I get them all always, I get all of them on clearance. That's funny. That is that I mean, that would work. I mean, it makes sense if you're if you're on one of those extremes. And I know we women out there like Yep. I wear a size double zero or a two, and I get my sell stuff.

Season Four Catch‑Up And Market Plans

SPEAKER_03

Oh my gosh. So um I wanted to talk about since we're rolling back in, this is episode two, season four, baby, of the podcast. Um, we're still catching up from our break. Uh, we needed to talk about the Atlanta market and the trends we were seeing. Some have asked us that on our live sales, and we were saying we would talk about it on the podcast and that sort of thing. So I want to get to talking about market, but before we get to that, this is kind of on trend, moving towards trends and talking about trends, but this has nothing to do with the market. I was on social media or whatever. Um, I don't even know which one, but someone, I don't know, I couldn't really tell if she was making fun or if she was genuinely excited. But you know how there's those trends every few years, like usually starts in Christmas, like the gnomes. And then we had gnomes for years and everything. You know what I'm saying? We went for everything. Everything. It was a gnome, it started as a Christmas gnome, and we ended up, I don't know, a bat gnome. I hate gnomes now, and I love them, but but we wore them out, and they're gone, thankfully. You know what she they had the new gnome. What? The nutcracker. They had bunny rabbit nutcrackers. I think she was at Hobby Lobby, and I thought, there's the damn next gnome. Bunny cracker. How does that even make damn sense? I don't know. It was a nutcracker. It was like a bunny rabbit, like an Easter bunny soldier. I was like, that is so wrong. So I'm just doing y'all a PSA. If you think about heading somewhere and buy, or if you just bought your Easter bunny gnome, take that shit back, take it back. I mean, Easter Bunny Nutcracker. Nutcracker. Easter bunny nutcracker. Take it back. Burn it.

SPEAKER_02

Well, they tried to do that with mushrooms last year, and it kind of but you know what's funny?

Live Sales Logistics And Vendor Hurdles

SPEAKER_03

Uh what was funny is there were a lot, you know, everyone on social media for Christmas has gotten that huge nutcracker. I don't I don't know if it was Walmart or Home Depot that had them. They were plastic, they're like life-size, and then they were painting them, and then they're like different nutcrackers. Like for us, which is the way it works, we're always ahead of the trend or try to be ahead of the trends, or very on boutique trends and not on box store trends, although there's always crossover. But we had nutcrackers were big like two years ago. No, three years ago now, and then a little bit in 2024. 2023 and 2024 were the nutcracker years. And then 2025, this year, we had nutcrackers, but they didn't really that wasn't the thing. 2026 they've had their nutcrackers. Yeah, 2026. I don't think none from us. I don't think we've even ordered a nutcracker. But I just thought that was funny because um I saw on there, she's like, Oh, bunny, nutcrackers, and I was like, Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02

But I feel like everything like that has its moment, you know, like the nutcrackers are be huge. Then it then one year I feel like Santa's will be. I mean, they're always present, but right.

SPEAKER_03

It's what is the most blown up thing or whatever. All right. So with that, let's ease into market. Can you remember back that far? It seems like it was about uh six months ago. And it wasn't. And it was four weeks. Still recovering from it. Speaking, oh wait, speaking of market, if you happen to be listening to this episode when it comes out on Tuesday, um, in current time, Steven and Dylan are gonna be at market this week. Yes. So they are gonna be at market starting Monday, which would be the 16th. Is that right? Um, all the way through Saturday. I don't know what that day is, but that whole week of February. Uh they are gonna be um at a bag warehouse. They're gonna be doing live sales every day inside the nested fig app. So make sure you have our app. If you don't have our app, you can always find it in the show notes below or search the nested fig in your app store for your phone, tablet, Android, Apple. We are there. Um, it's free to download and you can catch them. And that's where you can order as their shopping market and finding some like amazing things and deals. And he's been working really hard at getting some new vendors. Might kill a few. Might kill a few, but he's gonna work through it. You know, it's funny. We've talked about the live sales, how people get it or they don't, like vendors, and then some or some agree to it, but they just can't grasp like and you tell, like you know when like I've got one and we're gonna do it. And the product's good, it has nothing to do with the product or anything like that. It's the people, it's the process.

SPEAKER_02

The people can't wrap their brain around I'm gonna do it and we'll make it work, but I'm like, I'm never doing this again with you. Like, I know you know the idea. One time we're in and out. In and out. Because you could not because of the pro we wouldn't be doing it all. We would not be doing this at all if I didn't love the products, right?

SPEAKER_03

But the problem is products worth the the fight to get it there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the problem is I love the product these products, so I'm gonna do it. Um, but I'm like, mm-mm.

Home Decor Trends: Muddy Tones And Leather

SPEAKER_03

Y'all buy it up because this is it. So, and you wouldn't think it's that complicated, but what we run into will go to someone and say, Hey, we love your product, and we think our you know customers would too, but this is something that we would want to do in a live sale, especially when there's like a huge variety, or for whatever reason, some things just and it's maybe not our everyday inventory, but we know our customer will love it. So we go to the showroom and whoever the manager is, or it could be their rep and say, we absolutely love this. Can we do it? And they'll be like, Yeah, you can. What do you need? And it's very simple. We just need all we have to do is make a basically quote order so that we can have a list of the products, and then all we need them to do is send us, is it in stock or not? And we, you know, if most order systems, it when they send email it to you, it has the picture, the item number, the cost, the description. So all you need to know is is it in stock? And they can make that the most complicated. And and give me pictures.

SPEAKER_02

Like it's real, I really like pictures, even if I can't use those pictures. That doesn't on the website, but at least I know when I look it up on the website, because sometimes the numbers do not match what's on the website versus an order form. I want to make sure the picture is the same. My God. And then they'll and then what this and and then what they'll do is send the picture separate. Yeah, and I'm I'm like, oh my lord.

SPEAKER_03

It's like I just need like every other order.

SPEAKER_02

It's real easy. Yeah, don't make it hard. Don't get on my own. They and they have the listen, they have the best of intent. But they they I think they think in their in their mind it's a lot more complicated than it is. It isn't. Yeah, it's very simple. I'm gonna do the work. Just give me what I need.

SPEAKER_03

I'm good. Yeah, it they make it so complicated. So anyway, so Steven this week, if you're watching this in real time or the week of the 16th, is gonna be at the market. Make sure you watch live and some things you can watch even the replay that night in still order, but you gotta watch in pretty much real, you know, time, same day, um, sort of thing. So he'll be there while you're there. Daniel and I are headed to the Florida cottage, getting a little vacay in. Um, but let's You go ahead now. I know. Um, but let's talk about market trends. First, let's hit everyday trends, like home decor trends. What were you seeing like the big colors this year? I think you can just hit on those things.

SPEAKER_02

Muddy. And when I say muddy, I don't mean muddy in a bad way. I mean muddy, like earth tones. Yeah. Um we've been seeing. I think 70s uh in a good way. Not 70s in a bad way, but your your rust, your paprika's, browns, chocolate, purples, purples, your eggplant, and um gray is still is gray is still good, but not a cold gray. It needs to be a bronzy gray, not cold gray, bronzy. Think dirty gray, charcoal, brown, yeah, brown, more brown and green in your grays. Yeah. Not the a muddy gray. Yeah. I mean, like a clay gray.

SPEAKER_03

Um just a little tweak. Yeah. Just a little tweak.

Lighting Details And Hidden Costs

SPEAKER_02

You know, because it was the it was the cool gray fruit. Right. Years it was the cool, clean gray. Now it's um the dirty gray. Urbane bronze. Yeah. It's it's it's got your brown and your green in it. Yeah. Um, so everything is very earthy, muddy, very rich colors. Um lots of shades on lighting again. Like all the chandeliers, the shades. You have to watch those, y'all, just so you know. Wholesale, wholesale cost on one of those little lampshades to go on a chandelier bulb. I'm not gonna call out what vendor it was, but it's one of my favorites. Guess how much it was for one lampshade at wholesale? Probably about thirty dollars. 116. Oh, hell no. So you have to the reason I'm telling you this is just be careful when you're purchasing, especially ordering, because some of that stuff is misleading because you can get a lot of lighting, um, like chandelier lighting with or without shades, and be careful on those prices because not going to call any names, but it could have been me, maybe it wasn't, but you could order it with that and not realize you just spent an extra thousand dollars on this light fixture. Just because of the shades. Because you might look at it and go, Oh, that's for all of them. Mm-mm. Her. Her. So you just have to watch that. Um lot of nail heads. Nail heads, nail heads, nail heads, leather. Leather leather.

SPEAKER_03

When we started, everything was nail head back in 2013 for the home store, really around 14, 13, 14. Everything has nail heads.

SPEAKER_02

Now, leather, a lot of your uh worn leather, your waxed leathers, all the leathers are back. Back, back. Not that it ever went out, but it's super hot now.

SPEAKER_03

I need that's what I need is two leather chairs. Oh hell. You don't have to use I need pleather. I just sell pleather.

SPEAKER_02

I just ordered another row leather recliner. See, the dogs couldn't that chair. The last time I I ordered that chair, y'all, and it was to me, it was expensive. It's really not in furniture world, it was like$5,700. That that heifer was gone in 10 days. But you know, you can't just get those chairs that look great, right? Because these do not look like Papa's recliner. These are good looking chairs.

SPEAKER_03

So in the accent colors, though, green, green's still huge. Green and blue. Mm-hmm. Green, blue, and some purples, depending on which way you want to go.

Accent Colors Carry Into Holiday

SPEAKER_02

A lot of eggplant. Yeah. But even plum, even lavender to eggplant, it's all the shades. Yeah. So that was that it that was a real dark horse color for me.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. It's pretty though. I love the eggplant. I don't like purple. Purple's probably my least favorite color, but I like purple. Eggplant sort of color. It looks rich in the right.

SPEAKER_02

But it's kind of it's kind of grown on me. And that, oddly enough, so just so you know, usually everything you see in home trends, you see carry over into holiday. And um, you know, still with home trends, there's a lot of your antique brass is still huge. Um bronze. Yeah, everything more um more layered and just a a little bit more richer. Everything from the metals to the fabrics, and you see that in with Christmas. And now one thing I personally, you know, you do you. I cannot get into purple for Christmas.

Christmas 2026: Rich, Plaid, Less Glitter

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I can't, but it is everywhere, it is so this market that we just came back from in January was also where we went and ordered all of our Christmas for 2026. I mean, like, I don't know that we need any. I think we got all of our Christmas for 2026 as far as decor. We have Christmas gifty items to fill in, or maybe a tabletop item here or there. But if we just find something. But so we have all of our themes. We have, we know what we're doing. We are set for 2026. So talk about those trends. I think the biggest thing in Christmas, like the biggest shift, especially from last year and then into this year, is a lot less of the whimsy Christmas. And again, we've talked about trends in Christmas. Do what you want. I mean, Christmas is such a fun time, magical time. You know, do if you want a whimsical snowman tree, do a whimsical snowman tree. If you want your gingerbread tree, do your gingerbread tree, do whatever. That is to me the most fun thing about um Christmas is a holiday, is there are there's no wrong trends. So don't think, oh, well, I just got this and I have to get rid of it. But just seeing what we're seeing as, you know, what the market trends are is what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_02

And what makes you happy.

SPEAKER_03

You know, if you because, you know, um, for example, like this year, the big, you know, shift was to whatever everybody was calling, and even us like a Ralph Lauren Christmas um sort of look. But then you had like our friend MB was doing solid, like vintage style, bright color, and it was stunning, gorgeous. Um, which that was a look that we did like maybe three years ago now, um, for the vintage look. You know, so there is no wrong, but we can tell you what we're seeing as far as what's coming from vendors and what we're seeing at you know at the market. So um with that, we saw a lot of continuing on basically from last year and building on it. A lot of the Raf Lauren sort of look, plaids, natural, deep colors. Rich, rich. Even your reds, rich reds, burgundy reds, gold colors, um continuing that way in a deep, deep, deep, dark navy.

SPEAKER_02

Not like a midnight. Yeah, like a midnight blue, which I'm not one I'm not the bright blue Christmas person.

SPEAKER_03

Right. But this midnight is it is gorgeous. Mixed with some gold and um pretty colors like that.

SPEAKER_02

You could kind of mix it in with whatever, but anything because you could do it with silver and gold and white, anything, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, but what we weren't seeing a lot of again was like whimsical trees, the gingerbread trees, and the glitter. Everything's more maybe metallic for the shine and not glitter per se. You know what I'm saying? Again, there's gonna be likes glitter, but there's gonna be some glitter. But overall, that was the shift for for a few years. Everything was glitter. It was like glitter, you know, anything on your tree was glitter. So that was the um look there. And you could do any, I mean, any uh color combos, and you do still see, like Steven was saying, you see the same accent colors come over into Christmas, like a lot of greens and sage greens were um from home decor over into Christmas. And a lot of every shade of green.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Which I love, and I love that mix of all different greens.

SPEAKER_03

And less silver. It's all again goes back to like I mean, not a course silver is always.

SPEAKER_02

Well, and silver always works like with the the vintage, right, you know, looking real real vintage and the reproduction.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_02

Um but nothing's really nothing I I liked everything. I just I'm not feeling the purple for Christmas. Yeah. We did not order any purple. You know, and maybe next year we'll be saying we want purple. I don't think so. But I mean, I could see it working like if you're um we we have a mutual we have a mutual friend that loves purple and accent in her amazing, stunning, yeah, it's a beautiful home is purple. So it looks amazing in there.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I'm just saying for us, I don't think we'll be more than a little bit more than a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it just depends on what how you're using it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. What else did we see for uh Christmas 2026? Was there anything? Um what was the item? Because we didn't order nutcrackers.

Roadside Valentine Baskets And Gifts

SPEAKER_02

Um we do a lot of a lot of metal, a lot of like look looks like antique brass. It's really aluminum, but it looks like antique, a lot of that.

SPEAKER_03

And every yeah, we had Santa's and snowmen and deer and all of that, yeah. Which gives it just that classic nothing really I hated. No. Mm-mm. It wasn't a year of that. Nothing that was I was like, Yeah. There really wasn't anything too horrible, like all of the pink was gone. That's when you used to be like, ugh, you know, we did pink for several years. And I hated it. Even at our retail stores. I just listened. Well, that's not you.

SPEAKER_02

It's just not me. Yeah, it's not that I think it's bad. I think if you have a hair salon or a spa or a teenage daughter that wants that in her room, great. Probably is really if you put that in my home, it would look ridiculous. Well, yeah, because there's nothing you're an old man. You know, but I mean every everything you want everything has a place. Right. Yeah. And if it doesn't, it doesn't. Right.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I could see. I wish I could have someone go to your house, like Dylan, say, get you gone for a weekend during the holiday season, and you come in and yours is decorated in some, you know, pink and turquoise and something, and just see your head unwind. Oh my gosh. That is the that's so funny. But anyway, so yeah, I feel like for us it's building on last year and plaid plaid for Christmas too. Some pr pretty plaids and that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02

Um he knows me so well. So he was he went, his mother had surgery yesterday. Who knows you so well? Uh Dylan. So he took her, not a Valentine's, because she has a husband, but took her some getwell flowers and visited with her.

SPEAKER_03

This is for y'all that are just like, where is this coming from? Steven's been texting on his phone for the last five minutes.

SPEAKER_02

I wasn't texting, I brought this up to say when we were talking about pink. He just texted me, or not text me, he did send this earlier. He was like, Would you like me to pick you up one of these gift baskets on the side of the road? And it's like this sappy pink and red stuff. Valentine's with the teddy bear and that's right. No, he sent me that at 5 30 today, and I was like, No, thank you. I'm good. That's funny.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. I actually meant to bring that up. This is funny that you brought this up. So if you don't know, we're off topic. But anyway, in our area, and I've seen it other places, so some of you may know or may not know, but for whatever reason, this year there is a lot of roadside stands set up for Valentine's Day.

SPEAKER_02

And good for them.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, but it's on like all these random corners. Like I was coming here last week.

SPEAKER_02

But they don't pick a good place where you could really stop. I don't think they think.

Easter Baskets And Smart Filler Buys

SPEAKER_03

I want to stop to get one to see what the hell's in there. But my question was I literally meant to ask you if you'd seen these. I didn't know if it was just out in my neck of the woods. Well, but um, but where are they getting these from? Because they gotta be cheap. You know what I'm saying? Like these people have U-Haul fulls uh full of these baskets, and then they have tables. And I want to know A, do they sell them all? And B, where are they getting them from? Because I have never seen a market for the, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02

Everybody loves a basket, a gift basket that is well done and personalized for that specific person. Right. But no one wants a generic one that doesn't pertain to you. You know what I mean? There must be a market because they are everywhere. Here's the thing. There are those people, if you go through Facebook right now, there are those people that like Christmas, birthday, Valentine's Day, more is more. They don't really care what it is. Like, I don't want I please do not waste money on me. Like, do I would rather you give me a tube of toothpaste? So my Valentine just uh a t a damn teddy bear. What the what the hell am I gonna do with a teddy bear? Like give that to your little girl.

SPEAKER_03

Well, maybe that's what they're targeting.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe all I'm saying is for the adults, like Dylan gave me a very beautiful, sweet card, but you know, he knows how I am about not wasting. And he handed me my gift in a gift, in a you know, pink and red Valentine's gift bag, and he's laughing. I'm like, I oh my god. He's like, just open it. He's laughing. It was my protein drinks, peanut butter and chocolate flavor, and foot mask and face mask. That's funny. I was like, this was good. Yeah, you didn't waste, you didn't like that's funny. And listen, I'm not saying I'm a mean, unforgiving, cold-hearted person.

SPEAKER_03

Just don't come in wasting money giving But I I should have stopped at one of those and now I'm gonna regret it. But now, okay, Easter.

SPEAKER_02

If you have a little girl, for example, if I had a little girl, I'm not gonna say I wouldn't stop if they had because there were some cute ones like with stuffed animals and stuff in there. I would buy that for my little girl.

Waffle House Reservations And Listener Hotline

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. If you just there is a place, but why are they in like literally the side of the road where you gotta pull off the highway in the ground? They're not in like someone's parking lot or something.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, because see, if I were them, I would ask us, hey, can I give you a hundred bucks or give you one of these baskets I want to sell in your parking lot and be like, I don't care.

SPEAKER_03

Right out here in front of Adam and Eve. Yeah, come on. Um, but I passed at least, I'm thinking, five of those places on the way here on the corner. So I don't know. I I just I meant to ask you about that because I was like, Well, I wonder how do they sell them all? What do they do with it?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I didn't see I didn't see any today. Dylan just sent me that about 5 30 and I was just I just started laughing.

SPEAKER_03

I want to know the price of them. I want to know where they get them from because they ain't making them. I mean they're in a U-Haul, they're picking them up somewhere. Yeah, because they're all the same.

SPEAKER_02

Like when I have to be selling them if they're out there.

SPEAKER_03

I know. That's what I wonder. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

And here's another question since you brought it up Easter baskets. Do people buy those baskets? Do like always see those baskets like at CVS and Walgreens and like on the side of the road made up. Do people buy those already done for their children?

SPEAKER_03

I think you buy those if you're just going to like you know, like if I were gonna give someone like a niece. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because I'm like, if you're giving your kid that, you lazy. Because you want to customize they're not cheap and they're full of paper and this and that. Right. You know what I mean? Right. It's not like it's ooh, custom because when your mom made them, uh huh, it had your favorite candy, all this all this stuff. Like, and when I made my nephews, like I made sure they had their whatever they were into at the time, Legos or whatever it we need to make some for our niece and nephew and my other niece.

SPEAKER_03

I've never made them at Easter.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, it's so much fun.

SPEAKER_03

Uh it sounds good right now, but I won't get around to it.

SPEAKER_02

It is so much fun. And what I would do, um, I would because you know, you have to put something cheesy in there just because, you know, a big bunny or something, just yeah, because it's Easter and it's cute. But I would get um, I would get that that stuff that didn't really matter, that filler after Easter when it goes on clean. Get it like 75% off. Because nothing that that really wasn't what they cared about. They cared about the Legos and the candy and a couple of good things in the yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_03

All right, we gotta pull this baby over. That was a long ride.

SPEAKER_02

Sick of you. Oh, so friends I have friends that are at Waffle House for now and get a message from I just got photos and I'm jealous.

SPEAKER_03

How does it look? Let me see that. Oh my gosh. They have these paper hats on for that say Waffle House and Valentine's. You know, look, they have their lights, you know, those white lights wrapped in red, netting. I love it. And oh my gosh. Now, back to this and before we pull this over, that is hilarious. Uh, how many locations were there in the did you look to see how many locations? Like, how do you find this for next year?

SPEAKER_02

You do it on you go online, Waffle House Valentine Reservations, and then you click it and then it shows you wherever it is. And I guess it just depends on where you are, you know, if they're doing it.

SPEAKER_03

Like in our area, did they have more than one that was doing this? Okay. I guess they decide if they're participating or not. That is funny. And here's the table.

SPEAKER_02

Oh. It has uh little candies, and then their menu is on look, they've got glasses. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03

Don't they do you'll have to look. I think they do a um a similar setup for like New Year's Eve at the Waffle House. I think you can do a New Year's.

SPEAKER_02

Well, that would be fun too, but that might go a little rowdy on New Year's Eve right here.

Wrap Up And Review Request

SPEAKER_03

I think it's I know obviously Valentine's, but I I think they might do it for then too. I'm jealous. Yeah, I'm jealous. Next year you and your sweetheart can go. I mean, I'm just jealous. That is too funny.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I love it. It's fun. That is fun. And and maybe some of our listeners. If you if you have done the the Waffle House Valentines, right? Let us know. I want to hear about it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Um, let us know on our hotline. I don't have the number in front of me, but it's in the show notes or call and leave a voicemail on our hotline and let us know. Um I want to hear about it. We might need to talk to you about it. Oh, we need to hear people's like worst Valentine's worst and best Valentines.

SPEAKER_02

Cause you know there's because we need to call some people. You know there's some damn right bad. Mm-hmm. It's like call your husband having an affair on Valentine's. Yeah, or got a vacuum cleaner. Oh.

SPEAKER_03

I need to hear it. I do too. Let us know in our hotline we'll give you a call. Call in Texas or call and leave a voicemail with your story and we'll call you up. I gotta We should have done that. We should have called up last week. Tell us we could have called.

SPEAKER_02

I don't have a story for Valentine's, because I'm only I've never been there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Alright, let's pull this baby over and we will see you back here next week. Remember, here's your friendly reminder. Leave us a review, but only if it's only if it's good.

SPEAKER_02

Don't leave no bad point. He left me hanging there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

What's he talking about? Leave us a review and share us with your friends, and we'll be back next week. Bye, y'all. Thanks.