Goodwill Superstore, A Good Selection

July 30th, 2012

I have, from time to time, shopped at second hand clothing stores, particularly as a young man. On those occasions, I have sometimes been plagued by the absurd notion that I’ll be headed to an important job interview or annual review, only to have someone whisper in my ear that the suit I’m wearing used to belong to the boss. Improbable as that scenario is, the Good Will Superstore on Tyler’s loop 323 has a lot of men’s business clothes.

I have a friend from the corporate world that has several nearly grown sons. Whenever the need arises for formal wear, they check in at the Goodwill Superstore first. Sometimes they find what they want and sometimes they don’t but they swear by the store. I wrote on this location a couple years ago and my experience was sketchy. (To read the original article, click on the following link: http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/27/the-good-will-superstore/ .) The store was particularly disorganized and the merchandise was evidently coming slowly, because the selection was really poor.

My last couple visits have been quite different though. They’ve been well stocked with quality former and semi-formal business wear at a fraction of the cost of a retail store. I came away with several items for which I paid about fifteen dollars. At the average retail store I would have paid around forty-five or fifty dollars. When I was younger I shopped at Goodwill for off beat, slightly out of place garb to express my individuality. Now when I stop in the second hand store, it’s to save a little money on clothes for work.

My mentality has certainly changed; hopefully my taste in clothes has too. For readers who have kids who are good sports, I suggest stopping there prior to searching their regular favs. I realize the idea may be a hard sell, but they may be surprised.

Tags: Absurd Notion, Business Clothes, Click On The Following Link, Clothing Stores, Couple Visits, Favs, Fifteen Dollars, Fifty Dollars, Formal Business, Garb, Good Sports, Goodwill, Individuality, Job Interview, Mentality, Original Article, Retail Store, Second Hand Clothing, Superstore, Tyler Texas, Whisper In My Ear, Young Man
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Back to Bio-life Plasma Center in Tyler

May 25th, 2011

It’s been around a year since I last “donated” plasma at Bio-life Plasma Services in Tyler. Of course the term donate is actually incorrect. As a private school teacher my summer budget can be tight, so another fifty dollars a week can mean the difference between making my bills and having my water turned off. I wrote one other time about my experience with Bio-life which has been largely positive. I went for the better part of a year, twice a week nearly every week before eventually slowing down. My attendance gradually became less regular due largely to lack of time. For a while return had diminished as well, to the point that it was no longer really worth my time and gas money to make the trip to that side of town. I will admit as well that I grew tired of being poked and prodded every couple of days. I now have small but permanent scars inside my elbows due to my regular attendance.

Most anyone can donate provided they’re over the age of eighteen and weight at least one hundred ten pounds. There’s actually quite a long list of screening questions donors are required to answer each time they visit the center, but most people should have no major problems getting the ok. This makes it a really viable way for college students who live on ramen noodles and Dr. Pepper, to make a little extra cash. But of course the plasma donation isn’t entirely about making a few extra dollars for the donor. All plasma collected by the center is used in all sorts of medical research. Numerous therapies also require blood plasma, particularly for hemophilia and other immune disorders. So it actually is a really good cause.

One other positive note about Bio-life in Tyler; I recognized much of the staff as being there last year. For me this was good to know. I’ve been stuck by new or inexperienced staff members just learning the ropes before, and it often makes for a long afternoon. I realize they have to start somewhere, but it’s nice to know the center has retained an experienced staff. For more information visit the company’s web page at http://www.biolifeplasma.com/index.html.

Tags: Blood Plasma, Couple Of Days, Dr Pepper, Elbows, Extra Cash, Fifty Dollars, Gas Money, Hemophilia, Immune Disorders, Inexperienced Staff, Learning The Ropes, Medical Research, Plasma Center, Plasma Donation, Plasma Services, Private School Teacher, Ramen Noodles, Scars, Screening Questions, Staff Members, Tyler Texas
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Bowling for Dollars in the Spring… Again!

April 30th, 2011

Having lived in the frozen Midwest for a number of years I can testify to the fact that seasonal effectiveness disorder is a real thing. It’s easy to get cabin fever, and generally depressed during the winter months in St. Paul. The sky is perpetually grey and as you drive through the city you can observe the steam pouring from any number of large buildings. The trick to living in those types of cold environments is to find winter hobbies and things to do that get you out of the house and keep you from becoming sedentary. One of the favorite hobbies up north is bowling. The first time I ever went was while living in that northern metropolis.

Growing up in East Texas the weather (even during the winter months) was never that bad. As such, my brothers and I were nearly always outside. Indoor “sports,” like bowling, were just not on our radar; consequently I’m a lousy bowler. Well thankfully, our uncharacteristically cold winter is over and spring is in full effect. But just because it’s beautiful outside doesn’t mean I can’t sacrifice a few spring morning hours to compete in King’s Academy’s third annual Bowl-a-thon.

Every year the staff, students and families of King’s Academy Christian School participate in a fundraiser to help with the School’s expenses and to provide scholarships to potential students who require financial aid. Participants seek pledges and sponsorships from individuals and area businesses. Each student has as their goal to raise one hundred fifty dollars in pledges. Sponsors usually promise a certain amount per pin that the participant can knock over, in three games. The event takes place on May 7th at Green Acres Bowling, and runs from nine to noon. Some of this year’s sponsors include: Primerica, Tech Serve Consulting, Townley Engineering, Write Way, UBS, and Jireh Sanitation. For more information on how to participate or for information on King’s Academy, visit the school’s webpage at www.kacs.net , or contact the office at (903)534-9992.

Tags: Aid Participants, Bowl A Thon, Bowling For Dollars, Cabin Fever, Cold Environments, Cold Winter, East Texas, Fifty Dollars, Full Effect, Green Acres, Indoor Sports, Pledges, Primerica, Sanitation, School Fundraiser, Sponsorships, Spring Morning, Staff Students, Three Games, Townley, Tyler Texas
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Pets and Friends, LLC – Pet Funeral Home, Crematory

February 1st, 2010

Pets and Friends

They also have a Gym and Post Office
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

2979 Highway 110 North
Tyler, TX 75704
903-526-7400

I think this small family-owned and operated business deserves an award for how many different services they offer. You were probably thinking that you misread the title of this post. It is no joke.

Pets and Friends Store

They are truly a pet funeral home and crematory that also sells pet food and supplies. They have a work out gym for women, and they are a fully functioning United States Post Office. And on top of it all, they are amazing.

Pets and Friends is a clear example of the beauty of East Texas culture. It is located just one mile outside of Loop 323 on 110 North right outside the Tyler city limits. With warm smiles and cheerful words you are essentially embraced the moment you walk into the door of this local business. You might even be greeted by one of their friendly and well behaved pets that stay behind the counter. It seems that even their other customers are all infected by the niceness. The workers really create the feeling of an old timey general store or even that of a family.

Their main service is one that I haven’t witnessed or experienced in anyway. That is, they do cremations of your pets. They are really focused on taking care of the people who face a real loss when their pet dies as though they lost a family member. They really care for individuals and their pets, and it is obvious from the first time you meet them. These cremations range from about fifty dollars to two hundred and seventy dollars depending mostly on the size of the animal and then on whether or not you’ll bring the pet home in an urn. They also offer a fairly large variety of more special wooden or porcelain chests and urns for additional cost.

The gym is a workout center for women. It appears to be a similar setup to Curves. It has several cardio machines as opposed to weights and strength building machines. There are usually a few women there, so it seems that it must be useful. They also have nice happy music playing always in there.

The business does have a decent sized retail area. It is all pet supplies. They have dog and cat food. I think I even saw sugar glider food. They have a huge section of collars and leashes of all sizes and colors. They can make customized name tags. All around the walls there are tons of t-shirts with animals on them, so you can wear a shirt to support your love for beagles or even your favorite breed of horse. They also have some of the most impressive looking dog and cat fur removers that run about seventy dollars a piece.

Pets and Friends Store Hours

As for price, it seems that the prices on some items can be a little higher than the big stores, but the service, atmosphere and convenience make up for it completely.

My single reason for frequently visiting this place is for their small version of a post office. This is definitely Tyler’s best kept secret! I almost don’t want to tell you, because I don’t want it to become overwhelmed with business. But if you’ve read this far, you deserve it. Pets and Friends is a full functioning postal service. They can ship letters and packages of all sizes to anywhere in the world. And the experience is absolutely nothing like a standard government run post office. There is never a line more than one or two people. I think I may have once waited for five minutes while they finished mailing someone’s package. The employees are beyond nice and helpful. I recently had to mail out over three hundred and fifty large envelope letters to countries all around the world. They worked it out for me so that I could drop them off in the morning and come back and pay later after they had weighed and stamped each one. They trusted me with what would be a bill of almost six hundred dollars. They sell packaging materials and all kinds of seasonal and forever stamps. This business really does amaze me. I have several close friends who will only use this small company to ship, and it’s because of the same reason. No one wants to wait in line at a traditional post office, and these people win our loyalty through their kindness and warm personalities.

If you want to make your life easier and a little happier, do your shipping at Pets and Friends. Or don’t, and just leave the convenience to my friends and me. I’ll keep going as long as I live in Smith County.

Tags: Chests, City Limits, Different Services, East Texas, Family Member, Fifty Dollars, Friends Store, Niceness, Pet Food, Pet Urn, pets and friends, Porcelain, States Post Office, Texas Culture, Tyler City, Tyler TX, United States Post, United States Post Office, Urns, Warm Smiles, Workout Center
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Pets and Friends, LLC – Pet Funeral Home, Crematory

Pets and Friends