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The Sidewalk CEO

The Sidewalk CEO

By: The Sidewalk CEO
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 The Sidewalk CEO is an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to share their stories. Sheri and Leo have over 60 years of experience in business and industry, large and small.2025 Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Dave Sandlin of House of Commons Bourbon Library

    Dave Sandlin of House of Commons Bourbon Library
    Jul 10 2025
    Leo and Sheri welcome Dave Sandlin of House of Commons Bourbon Library. · Dave grew up in East Tennessee near Pigeon Forge in the Smoky Mountains. · He went to college in Southeast KY, majoring in elementary education. · After earning his degree, was working as a substitute teacher trying to get hired as a full-time teacher. At the time there were no openings so, with his wife and starting a family, he started working at a luxury resort in East Tennessee called Blackberry Farm. · He enjoyed the hospitality industry and worked with a mentor there who had been head of training for Ruby Tuesdays worldwide. · He fell in love with food and beverage and upscale hospitality. · After a few years, a friend from college asked him to move to Frankfort to help him start a church in June 2021. · He worked at Florida Tile in Lawrenceburg for a few months when he was introduced to Ben Harden who was renovating the building at 245 West Main. · Ben offered for Dave to own the bar he was renovating on the ground floor below the AirBnB’s he had on the second floor. · Dave had never owned a business before but was convinced that Frankfort needed an upscale dedicated bourbon bar representing the bourbon industry in Kentucky. · So even though they moved here to start a church, he and his wife were now owners of a bar. · He hired great team members early on with bartending skills and cocktail background while he brought the bourbon knowledge and the hospitality skills. · The House of Commons was built as the only vintage bar in Frankfort. · The pride themselves on being a bourbon bar but they do make cocktails but with the goal to honor the spirit and those who created the spirit. · They are a Kentucky spirits bar that only serves Kentucky gin, Kentucky vodka, Kentucky whisky. They want those dollars for distillation to go back into the state to support our regional economy. · If someone goes to a distillery and does a tasting, they are only tasting the bourbons distilled there. At HOC, they have the opportunity to taste things that they woudn’t have the opportunity to taste at the distillery. Plus they have vintage at HOC. · They recently had an event with Freddie Johnson and will have more of these types of events in the future. · When customers come in, they will build a flight of bourbons based on what the customer tells them they like and their price point. It’s customized to the customer’s palate. · They pride themselves on providing an experience. They don’t have TVs in their business and don’t use QR codes, so people aren’t on their phones but talking to the staff or each other. They want people to connect. · They also offer seasonal drinks. · As a new business owner, he knew how to be a manager and how to lead a team. But, going from being a manager to an owner-operator is a shift that requires a lot more paperwork. Also, as an owner, he has to take care of other issues that may pop up like a team member is out sick and a replacement is needed. · Starting a business required him to work seven days a week for the first ten weeks. Then he went to six days a week but has hired and trained a good team that he continues to support and coach so now he can work four days a week. · People come in from other states and ask him to build something like this in their states. · Marketing is done by word of mouth. They use social media for communication, not for advertising per se. · His suggestion for someone wanting to start their own business is to be genuine, honest. Under promise and over delivery. Don’t cheapen yourself – for example, they don’t have a happy hour. They aren’t just offering drinks; they are offering experience. Located at 245 W. Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40601 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_bourbon_library/ Website: https://www.hocbourbonlibrary.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086409251144 Hours: Sunday 2pm-8pm; Monday-Thursday 2pm-10pm; Friday-Saturday 2pm-12am Multiply Church: https://www.multiplyky.com/
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    46 mins
  • Carrie Seay from Mantis Creative Wellness

    Carrie Seay from Mantis Creative Wellness
    Jul 2 2025
    Leo and Sheri welcome Carrie Seay of Mantis Creative Wellness of Frankfort. Carrie has worked in the service industry since age fourteen, from restaurants to retail to management.She earned her degree in art and photography from the University of Louisville in 1997.Carrie has struggled with severe anxiety and depression and has learned to acclimate to any situation.She moved to Frankfort about thirteen years ago when her husband at the time got a job with the state.She began homeschooling her daughter at her request, and they joined a local homeschooling group for children aged 4-16 that is not religious-based. Carrie taught a lot of the science. Her daughter is now 25.Back in Louisville, when her daughter was born, Carrie began looking into Cranial Psychotherapy, because the baby wasn’t eating and couldn’t stop crying because of sensory integration issues. She is also on the autism spectrum.They saw a cranial psychotherapist who practiced light-touch bodywork, which is excellent for people who prefer not to be pressed. It helped the baby so much that Carrie went for herself to help her nervous system.Carrie worked with the Light Clinic as a practitioner for about ten years.She has an ability to connect with other people’s bodies, and cranial psychotherapy work puts that to use.Math, science, art, and music all complement each other in this work. Carrie has recently opened Mantis Creative Wellness in a spacious location in downtown Frankfort, combining all these elements.After working at the Light Clinic, she had a smaller space in the McClure Building for a while, where she offered cranial sacral work and guided meditation, followed by art sessions to help clients integrate the work they were doing in their bodies.That space was too small, and she closed shop there, went through a divorce, sent her daughter off to college, and had a breakdown.She spent three years looking for the right storefront.Several places fell through after she acquired some infrared sauna pods ,which she then had to move to her home, as she went back to working as a cranial psychotherapist.Carrie is friends with the women owners of River City Provisions. One of them suggested a space right down the street from them.The space was being gutted, and it was huge.After some renovation delays, she moved into the space in March.She delayed her official opening until the April flood.She has hired two part-time employees to help.She is no longer technically working as a cranial psychotherapist, but she does occasionally see former clients at the Light Clinic.She is trying to reach a new demographic with the infrared sauna pods, especially with people who don’t like to be touched, for example, those with PTSD.Carrie uses Instagram and has also started using Facebook, as Frankfort is a Facebook town.Sheri first connected with Carrie after watching her Facebook video about her solstice guided meditation and joined the session on Zoom.Carrie began teaching and leading meditations nearly twenty years ago, with a focus on group guided meditation.Guided meditation gives your brain something to do that’s fun, healing, and healthy.She prefers working with groups to reach more people and cost them less.Currently, she leads guided group meditations every third Sunday at the Light Clinic at 5:30. Please bring your journal.She will eventually be doing this at her site as well.Carrie can also create and record a customized guided meditation for you, based on whatever struggle you have described. This doesn’t require an in-person appointment; you can write or email her.Her business offers meditation, art classes, and an infrared sauna among its services.They use sauna pods made by the company Sun Lighten.The sauna pods help reduce inflammation, regulate sleep, relieve stress and anxiety, and regulate hormones in both men and women.Carrie has used them herself to help with panic disorder and panic attacks.Your head is out the whole time, and you can put your arms out as well. The temperature can be adjusted to your comfort.It feels like being on the beach, because it’s the part of the sun’s infrared rays, BUT YOU ARE NOT TANNING.You may or may not sweat.Sessions are typically 30 minutes but may be 40 minutes or an hour.The sauna pods are also great for kids aged 10 and up, helping with growing pains, stress, anxiety, and sleep issues. The pods are also helpful for muscle recovery.It is not a panacea, but should be used as part of a healthcare regimen under the guidance of your healthcare provider.This is not suitable for people with certain heart conditions or who are pregnant.It is safe for people with things like ankle replacements or breast implants.The art component of the business features an art gallery located as you enter Mantis Creative Wellness, currently showcasing an exhibit by Ellie Hasken-Wagner titled “Cats I Have Known.”The exhibits will change out every three months or so and usually contain an interactive ...
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    52 mins
  • Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments

    Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments
    Jun 26 2025
    Harry Carver from Bluegrass Realty and Investments moved to Frankfort over 20 years ago for a short-term job, and the rest is history. · Harry is an agent and appraiser at Bluegrass Realty and Investments.· Frankfort resident for 27 years· Been in real estate for the last 9 years but had a real estate license in the early 2000’s before going into state government.· Renewed license after leaving state government and decided to also get his appraiser’s license.· Currently he does real estate sales and residential appraisals.· As a real estate agent and appraiser with Bluegrass Realty and Investments, he is self-employed.· Real estate agents must be affiliated with a broker to conduct business; they cannot operate independently. The real estate agency pays the realtors as independent contractors.· Joe Johnson, the broker at Bluegrass Realty, is Harry’s brother-in-law.· Bluegrass Realty is a nice small local firm.· Starter homes turn over more than larger homes.· In years past, there would be a turnover in houses with the changing state government administrations but not so much anymore.· One of the biggest changes in real estate has been the recent court decision last year regarding real estate agents being able to advertise what they were paying the buyer’s agent (i.e., the commission to the buyer’s agent). This was a state case in another state but had national impact and resulted in a settlement with the National Association of Realtors. So now, it must be negotiated, cannot be stated up front.· Over the years, some of the changes in the market Harry has seen include a few years ago when there were low interest rates and limited inventory in which a house would only be on the market a day before it was sold, with multiple offers, to today with a ton of inventory and houses being on the market longer. Currently, there are about 100 houses on the market in Frankfort.· A few years ago, a starter home was $100,000 to $125,000 and now it’s more like $200,000.· Not a lot of new construction now either. There were several subdivisions planned and approved prior to the housing bust of 2008 but those areas sat vacant. Now there aren’t a lot of approved subdivisions out there so not a lot of construction, not nearly what is needed to keep up with the demand.· Harry has been involved in the community, particularly with Downtown Frankfort.· During his time with state government as a non-merit employee he was a volunteer with Downtown Frankfort and ended up being the director for several years. Since leaving that position, he has continued to be a volunteer.· Downtown is the heart of a community. If you don’t have a vibrant downtown, people spending time together there and doing things downtown, then a community lacks viability. Big companies don’t decide to locate in a town because they have a Wal-Mart on the interstate but because they have a vibrant downtown.· He lives downtown and sees more tourists coming through town and in the coffee shops, etc. As a result of the bourbon tourism, the two new hotels and the plans to redo the Capital Plaza, there are more opportunities for downtown businesses. The retail part of downtown has come and gone but in the last two or three years it is bouncing back.· More people want to live downtown but there are also people interested in buying properties for short term rentals which is creating some angst because with the housing shorting there is competition for properties from people who aren’t going to live in the house. The city took steps to rectify this by limiting in those neighborhoods the number of short-term rentals that each neighborhood could have.· It’s a unique perspective between being a state government employee and working for yourself. There are no guarantees when you are an entrepreneur.· If he were advising someone who wants to be an entrepreneur, one of the issues to consider is affordable health insurance. a lot of people can do it only because they have a spouse who has health insurance through their employer.· Because of the state government, many people in Frankfort can retire at a fairly young age and start a new career. For them, the issue of health insurance is removed because they continue to have coverage as a state government retiree.· Real estate marketing has traditionally used the yard for sale signs. With the internet, you get more exposure, and it is easier to go online instead of looking through the hard copy MLS book. Also, buyers can search for homes themselves online. By the time they call an agent, they have already narrowed down their search.· He hasn’t used social media much in his business ...
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    37 mins

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