Jonathan Breeden: [00:00:00] What are some of the easier, cheaper ways to start talking to them?
Carly Rye: I think the first way we get plugged in into your community, find something that you care about, that you're passionate about, that has nothing really to do with your business that get involved.
Because once people start to trust you and know you, they're going to start coming to you and asking you questions. You know, it may be organically nonchalantly, Hey, what about so and so? But they're, they're going to start to see you as a subject matter in that field, but they got to know about you before they need you.
Narrator: welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it's a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.
Jonathan Breeden: [00:01:00] and welcome to another episode of The Best of Johnson County Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Breeden. And on today's episode, we have part two of our interview with Carly Rye. In this episode, we're going to talk to her about branding yourself. Branding your small business, things small businesses can do to quickly advertise for themselves and start to get the phone ringing.
A little bit about her time in radio and radio as a medium for advertising. And we're going to talk about her work as a board member with the Harbor Shelter which is a domestic violence shelter here in Johnston County. But before we do that, I want to remind you to Like, Follow, and Subscribe to this podcast wherever you see it, whether it be Apple, Spotify, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, or any of the other social media channels of The Best in Johnston County Podcast so that you'll be made aware of future episodes of The Best in Johnston County Podcast.
The Best in Johnston County Podcast comes out every single Monday. And it's been coming out for well over a year now. So go back and listen to some of our previous guests, including [00:02:00] County Commissioner Chairman Butch Lawter, County Economic Development Chairman Chris Johnson, County Commissioner Patrick Harris, Representative Donna White, Miss Teen America Hanley House, local Dentist Tim Sims, Local Realtor Donna O'Meara.
We've had a lot of great guests. I think you would find it fascinating. If you love Johnson County as much as I do, I think all of these people would be educational in things they've shared. I know I learn something every single episode. And go back and listen to the first episode with Carly Rye, where she talked about her work with Universal Chevrolet, her work with the Cleveland Christmas Parade, the Clayton Christmas Tree Lighting, which happens every year, will have already happened by the time this episode airs, but we'd invite you to go into those, as well as.
Some more stuff about electric vehicles. I learned a lot in that interview with her. So go back and listen to that one. It ran a few weeks ago. Welcome Carly. Thank you. All right. So we've done all of that. That's a lot of previewing and telling people where they can find stuff and all that stuff.
But anyway, not everybody listens to every [00:03:00] episode. So I'm going to say, what's your name? Where are you from? What do you do?
Carly Rye: Carly Rye, I am originally from Goldsboro, now in Smithfield, and I currently am public relations manager for Universal Chevrolet, which is Downtown Lindale, and kind of the emcee around town, professional speaker, love to help businesses grow, and just kind of let them know some of the secrets that I've learned over the years.
Jonathan Breeden: Right, right, and I know you're doing some individual marketing for some businesses now on your own. And what is the first thing you would, you would advise somebody that was starting a small business about marketing?
Carly Rye: To identify who's your target audience, you know, who are you marketing to? What do you want? What's going to make you more money? What's profitable for you so you know what you're marketing.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. You absolutely need to know I use the word avatar. The marketing team that I work with uses archetype, but you have to, you know, I don't have a tar or the movie, whatever, but but like, I mean, you do have to know who you're talking to [00:04:00] and what you're going to sell to them.
Carly Rye: And what you're going to say. And one of the biggest mistakes people often make when they're marketing their business is they say too much or it's too one sided. They're thinking about their business, but not the consumer.
Jonathan Breeden: That's true. So what are some things, what are some questions that businesses can ask themselves that'll make, where they don't maybe make some of these, these mistakes?
Carly Rye: What problem do you solve for your customer? You know, what are you making life easier for them? Are you saving them time? Are you saving them money? What's going to happen if they use your service? What's going to happen if they don't use your service? What's your competitive advantage compared to your competitors?
What's different about your business? If they don't call you, who are they going to call?
Jonathan Breeden: That's true. That's true. And, you know, whether it be an avatar archetype, you know, you should write down. Who is your ideal client? What problems is your ideal client suffering from? What solution are you [00:05:00] offering for whatever good or services that you're providing?
And where does that person live? Where do they shop? What media do they consume? These are all questions that I'm constantly asking myself in my business. And I've been in business for over 24 years.
Carly Rye: And then also understanding how often do they need your product or your service? How often are they going to use it, you know, buying a hot dog or going to get a cheeseburger on Friday night is a lot different than maybe buying a house or buying a car.
People don't buy houses and cars every month. I go out to eat several times a week.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. So anyway, if they have identified that they say that say who they're, they're wanting to talk to, you know, I, you know, here. We're often talking to mid career professionals and their spouses.
And for whatever reason, their relationships are not working out. They usually have two or three kids. They're between the ages of 40 and 55 as most of our clients, not all of them will represent anybody, but you know, [00:06:00] that's kind of who we're talking to you know, and so we go out and we try to market that way if the person has identified who they're talking to. What are some of the easier, cheaper ways to start talking to them?
Carly Rye: I think the first way we get plugged in into your community, find something that you care about, that you're passionate about, that has nothing really to do with your business that get involved.
Because once people start to trust you and know you, they're going to start coming to you and asking you questions. You know, it may be organically nonchalantly, Hey, what about so and so? But they're, they're going to start to see you as a subject matter in that field, but they got to know about you before they need you.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? Right. There's no doubt about that and there's tons of chambers of commerce's where you can get involved and all of the local chambers of commerce's have, after hours programs where they have a meet and greets at 530 at restaurants are at individual businesses. They all do breakfasts every single month.
You know, they [00:07:00] all do some sort of marketing training. I know you do teach the marketing classes with wait tech. So I mean, there's the information's out there. There's a way to go out and meet people, but you've got to do it.
Carly Rye: You got to do it. And then the other things are just simple things from, you know, putting your logo on stuff that you do, wearing your company shirt, having your business cards when guerrilla marketing, you know, partner with the business that you can do something with it.
Benefits is a mutually beneficial relationship where you can reach their customers and their circle of friends or prospects.
Jonathan Breeden: No doubt about that. One of the things I advise businesses, if they ask me what to do is if you don't have a Google, my business listing you know, GMB or whatever you call it, you should go create one because they're free and you can create it and that's how you get on the map.
And that's how you start by getting on the Google map is by creating a Google my business listing.
Carly Rye: Right. And that's free. And 80 percent of people, when they hear something or see something, the next [00:08:00] thing they're going to do is go online and validate that they're going to go and look for that information.
And if you're not there, your competitor will be there.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? There's no doubt because you're absolutely right. And, you know, and if you don't have a website, even if it's a basic two or three page website, that's another thing for validation. You know, we, get an SEO and we could do 10 podcasts on that, but like, you know, the basics are, you know, get a Google my business listing and get some version of a website that communicates to the clients what you do and who you serve.
Carly Rye: Definitely. Definitely. And for people that say they can't afford to advertise, I would tell them you can't afford not to advertise. Look at your market share like a pizza, you know, and slices and how much or how many people are you appealing to? And if you're not advertising, that would be zero. And then your competitor is the full pie.
Jonathan Breeden: No, you're right about that. You're right about that and then there's things you can do with the Google my business listing. You can upload pictures of your office so that people [00:09:00] before they come or your workplace will be more comfortable. They can see what it looks like.
And then you can get five star reviews from previous customers to say you did a good job and you stood by what you said you would do. And you know, I mean, it's like.
Carly Rye: Respond to reviews.
Jonathan Breeden: Respond to reviews. I respond to all my reviews. And there, I mean, most of them are five stars, but sometimes they're not and I respond to all of them.
Carly Rye: And the way that Google works now too, is you're fighting really hard to remain on that first page of Google. So when you log into your Google business profile, that's letting Google know, Hey, I'm still here. I'm still relevant. And when you're making those changes every month, then you're, you're pushing yourself organically up towards the top.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. And you can upload blogs where you write stories about products you do or clients you've served. Of course you can get the five star views. You can put up the pictures as well, but your hours, but your location, your hours, your phone number, your website. All of that, you know, is this is easy.
This is free. It can be done in 15 minutes, and that makes a [00:10:00] huge difference in your visibility in the marketplace.
Carly Rye: Definitely. Another thing will be Facebook. Having a Facebook account is free, and people want to see inside information on Facebook. I think one of the number one mistakes I see is Facebook business owners tend to make it too salesy.
And you do want to show off your product and what you do, but give them a little bit of inside information. Tell them something that they didn't know. Show them your funny side or something that's relatable. You locked your keys in your car. Tell them about that because that shows that you're human. And then they can see a side of your personality.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, and that's it. And people want to do business. With people they trust that they have a relationship with and you can start to build that relationship through some of these social media channels.
Carly Rye: Definitely most definitely and then you know when it comes to bigger dollars. Whether it be radio billboard tv, those are great ways to reach customers as well you just got to make sure that you're spending your money. The right way and that you have the [00:11:00] frequency and that your message is right.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. And I think the key thing is, the, you know, it's sort of this media market message match, right? The media you choose, whether it be radio, TV, online, or whatever. the market that you're trying to reach need to match the customer you're trying to talk to. So we go back to the beginning with who are you trying to talk to and where are they?
Carly Rye: Right. Get right to it. Does your back hurt? Is your toilet bubbling? And then that customer is like, yes.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. I mean, right. You know, whatever you were selling, you wouldn't be selling it if somebody didn't need it. And so you just need to, you know, say, Hey, look, you're right. You're back or toilet, same thing.
I mean, you know, if you, did your home flood, you know, you think about SurPro and all the marketing they've done over the years to promote their sort of emergency cleanup stuff, right. They, They kind of, they're so big. I think of them, even if I'm thinking of just not them like just think of somebody in their [00:12:00] market in their marketplace of doing restoration type stuff if you have an emergency.
So what about people building their personal brand for not as much a business, but their personal brand. What would you suggest people do to do that?
Carly Rye: Same thing get active Find a group, something that you care about, and be known for that. And, you know, don't be afraid to share what you think or share what you know. Oftentimes, people are scared to speak up and say things, but that's okay. You know, find a group to get involved with volunteer. There's so many things going on in this county where we need help, where somebody will take you up on that offer and share your expertise.
And then the word will spread and though you'll get be known for that particular thing.
Jonathan Breeden: That's a good idea too. And I think a lot of people don't realize that if you are working, you know, I talked to realtors sometimes and help do continuing eds with realtors where we talk about the five mistakes, realtors making a divorce, you know, [00:13:00] anything to do to try to, you know, but the thing I talked to them about at mortgage brokers as well is you know, you have to market yourself individually underneath this umbrella.
And we talked to some of the attorneys here as well, underneath the umbrella of the business, you know, you need to become your own brand. Maybe not K KW platinum, maybe not just April Stevenson, maybe not just hometown realty. You need to be, you know, something as it, to have your own brain, your own following as part of your marketing as underneath the bigger umbrella where there are 2030 agents, you know, all of these different military locations and stuff like that.
Carly Rye: Right? You are your own identity and there's things that you're going to be involved with that the other person may not be they may see you on the ball field or you may be known for selling candles on the side or whatnot. But you'll be able to connect with other like minded individuals.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? And I do think one of the things that I see people make mistakes and I've done this myself is they end up being too broad.
Carly Rye: [00:14:00] Sure.
Jonathan Breeden: In what they're trying to sell. You know, I know when I started out I was doing criminal law I was doing family law and you know, I was sort of spread and as my family law business grew I realized you know that really that was more of my passion than the criminal law, you know, I enjoyed doing criminal law and representing defendants, you know, and that if I was really going to make a real go of this business, I really needed to focus just on family law and become an expert at that, which means I had to say no to a lot of other business that I could have used at the time so that I could be a better family warrior.
Carly Rye: Absolutely. Yeah, I guess it goes back to the good, better, best thing. You know, you can't be the best at everything. So pick what is it that you enjoy. Because if you enjoy what you're doing, you're naturally going to be better at it. Myself, I'm not great at designing websites. I don't have anything to do with that.
I'm great at telling people what they should do in terms of local events, boots on the ground. So that's kind of what I focus on. Great at making flyers [00:15:00] or creating an effective message that the customer can identify with. So if I know that I'm not great at websites, that's not going to be me.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. Well, and if you start to grow any business or any personal brand, you know, as an individual or whatever, you know, at some point you need to invest in a sort of a CRM, a client relationship system so that you'll know who your leads are so that you can continuously communicate with them because not everybody is ready to buy immediately when they hear of your brand or of your service.
Carly Rye: And then I'll give you reminders of things like anniversaries and birthdates, or, Hey, I saw that you were looking at so and so just checking in. Do you need anything or how are things going? And as much as we like to think we'll remember, we get busy and we'll forget.
Are those posted notes that we jotted those notes down? They're going to get lost. So you're right, CRM will very helpful.
Jonathan Breeden: I mean, and like I said, and, you don't want it to be really big. And there's a lot of them out there and they don't cost a ton of money but they're definitely worth [00:16:00] their weight in gold.
In my opinion once you get one and you start to manage it and you kind of know, because, you know, I don't know. I mean, I've read that, you know, somebody is going to have anywhere from 10 to 15 contacts with your brand before they ever purchase.
Carly Rye: Gracious. Wow. 10 to 15. Yeah, you really ought to stand out. And think about how many eyeballs are not seeing your brand if you're not advertising.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. Well, and depending on what you said earlier, depending on what you're selling, they may not need it right now, but if you can become a trusted brand, a trusted resource, when they do need it or their friends or family need it, your name will come to mind and they'll refer people to you.
Carly Rye: Definitely. And when we're talking about branding yourself again, don't be afraid to, to get out there and to pass out your business cards and just continue to tell people, and if it seems like it's not getting anywhere and you're trying, you're trying that something will click and something will happen.
And then all of a [00:17:00] sudden you'll start getting more business than what you can handle, or just when you're about to give up, something will happen. I promise.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, and that's true. And, And I talk about this podcast all the time. You know, you have to make a decision to move forward. You have to make a decision to put yourself out there.
And you may not be everybody's cup of tea. And I know I am not, but you're somebody's cup of tea and you can help them. But if they have no awareness that you exist, then you're not able to help them.
Carly Rye: Right. And they're not going to find out about you if you're not out and about, or you're not advertising.
Jonathan Breeden: That's true. That's true. And, you know, once you start getting going, you, there is local service ads on Google, which is a version of pay per click. And then there's actual pay per click on Google. You know, you can do those local service ads are not hard to set up.
I do think if you're trying to pay per click, you might want to get a professional marketer, but local service ads really are not hard to set up. There are tons of YouTube videos on how to do it. And you can decide how much you want to pay and how much you want your budget will be and stuff like [00:18:00] that.
And that's a way to. get your name out there as well without spending thousands and thousands of dollars.
Carly Rye: And I've had a lot of good luck with over the air delivering ads to TVs on streaming solutions or streaming television as well. And that tends to be pretty affordable.
Jonathan Breeden: That's true. And I've looked into that and I am looking into that as we speak. So I might, you might start seeing TV commercials. I don't know what it'll look like, but right now we're trying to decide what to say. So,
that, And that's right. You definitely, that's important because people are going to decide within the first two or three seconds on, do they want to continue to listen?
Carly Rye: Are they going to listen to the whole thing? So getting right to it. Another idea would be YouTube. I mean, YouTube might, depending on what your budget is, but there's plenty of people going to YouTube every day.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. I mean, you know, and the other part, what people may not realize this is YouTube. YouTube is the second most searched people go there and search.
It's the second most searched vehicle behind Google. Google owns [00:19:00] YouTube and so if you optimize your videos on YouTube and you're putting content out there, that's interesting, you know, people will find it because people now go and search for products and businesses on YouTube, just like they would go search for products and businesses on Google.
Carly Rye: And premium television too. I mean, they're subscribing to YouTube, just like you would subscribe to any other streaming service as well.
Jonathan Breeden: That's true as well. So yeah, I mean this these are all great advice. I mean these are like I mean, this is like truth bomb after truth bomb here on this episode of The Best Johnston County Podcast if you're looking at at marketing or branding yourself as a small business, there's no doubt but you spent some time in radio, uh You and your father owned a radio station for eight or nine years.
You sold that a couple years ago. Do you believe that radio advertising is still an effective way to communicate with people?
Carly Rye: Radio is definitely a strong medium to advertise and get your message out. What you need to have is the frequency. You got to make sure that the commercials that you are running are being played enough [00:20:00] because the average person is not listening at that moment.
You know, there might be three to 5 percent of the people tuned in when your ad is playing. So you have to have enough ads and being that they're not seeing it and they can't go back in. Reread it your message is key. So if you have a 30 second commercial making sure that you're getting right to it. And you're that's your real estate you know that you're solving a problem for them and you're identifying them where they will remember it to go and Google you like we were talking about earlier and look up the rest or give you a call.
Have family law questions? Need guidance to navigate legal challenges? The compassionate team at Breeden Law Office is here to help. Visit us at www. breedenfirm. com for practical advice, resources, or to book a consultation. Remember, when life gets messy, you don't have to face it alone.
Jonathan Breeden: All right well, if anybody wanted to talk to you about marketing and some of the stuff that you're doing. How would they reach [00:21:00] out to you?
Carly Rye: Oh, I would be glad to help them. Tell them what I know. I definitely would advise for them to get involved in a local festival. There's so many things going on in Johnston County.
That is the best way and the cheapest way to meet your customers or meet people or develop relationships, any of the Harvest Festival, Mule Days, Railroad Days, Ham and Yam. All of those as far as reaching me uh, Facebook, Carly Rye.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay. That sounds good. That sounds good on Facebook. Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about, we can talk about marketing all day.
I love talking about marketing. I'm completely fascinated by you know, how people make buying decisions and all that stuff, but let's transition here and talk a little bit about your involvement with the Harbor Shelter. You're on the board there. Tell the listeners about what the Harbor Shelter is and what it does.
Carly Rye: So Harbor Shelter is a non profit in Johnson County that helps women or men that are victim of domestic violence and provides a safe place for them to stay and hope and resources. So whether they need help with [00:22:00] the legal system or they need help getting a job, they need temporary housing, I mean there's just if they've been in a trauma situation and they need Healthcare.
It's a great non profit and actually we're celebrating 40 years. So February 22nd is going to be our Black and White Gala and that's their number one fundraiser. And I would invite you to come.
Jonathan Breeden: It is, It is a tremendous Gala. It is, I've watched it evolve over the years to this sort of black tie affair that it is now. And, my office has been very honored to be able to sponsor that for the last few years and will be sponsored again this year as well February 22nd uh, 2025 is that that big event and it's a ton of fun.
They usually had music. The food is great. They have a, like a red carpet type thing, get your picture tag, get all dolled up, all that good stuff and raising money for a great cause because we work with our all the time because [00:23:00] unfortunately, domestic violence is real and it's out there.
And I think there's a lot more of it out there than the average person in the public realizes.
Carly Rye: Yeah. They say one out of four women are victims of domestic violence or know somebody that has been. And if you're listening right now and you're like, man, I want to go to that Gala, but I can't go that day or I have something to do. There's other ways that you can support Harbor.
So there's Pizazz, which is their upscale retail boutique that's downtown Clayton. And you can go in there and shop and you can find some good deals or you can donate your women's clothing that you're no longer wearing or accessories. And then they'll resell those and the money goes to help. people.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, I know. And they used to have the one in Smithfield. I know it closed a couple of years ago. But yeah, they're always looking for donations of clothing and stuff. I do think you have to make an appointment to donate now.
It used to be, you could just drop it off now. I think you have to call them. Is there's, is Pizazz has an own website or is it all part of? Pazazz,
Carly Rye: Yeah, Pizazz has its own website and their own Facebook page. And that's just so they know that you're coming and, you know, we don't want [00:24:00] everyone dropping everything off at the same time and then they can go through it too.
And things get out.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. And they do a tremendous job with Harbor here in Johnston County and as the safe house in Harnett County and interact in Wake County because they have a 24 hour emergency shelter where people can go if they need immediate safety and they have programs for children. And look, even if they have classes, the classes are excellent.
You know, even if you're in a situation and you're not ready to leave, you can go to the classes and learn how to, live in that situation, learn about resources on how to get out and where you can go. They have a 24 hour crisis line that you can call at any point. Somebody will talk to you about where you're at.
They're not going to pass judgment on you. They're going to try to help you. They're going to try to get you to the community resources you need. I mean, Harbor just does a tremendous amount in this county.
Carly Rye: Yeah. And they're really focused in on educating what a healthy relationship looks like.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, and the one thing that I always say when I talk about domestic violence is it's not always being [00:25:00] hit and I think there's a lot of people that are victims of domestic violence. But they don't realize it because they've not been physically struck by a partner.
Carly Rye: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: But the verbal abuse is also domestic violence the belittling the calling of names.
Carly Rye: The controlling.
Jonathan Breeden: The controlling.
Carly Rye: Cancellation.
Jonathan Breeden: Right, the cutting you off from the world, all of that stuff is also domestic violence. And if you're in a situation where that's going on and you know somebody. Harbor can help with that too. You don't have to have been physically struck. You don't have to be having to run out the door because somebody's got a gun or you've been hitting the, you've been hit. Like, they can help you if you're just facing verbal abuse and stuff like that.
And, And if you have friends or family that are in that situation. Call anybody.
Carly Rye: Yeah, say something definately.
Jonathan Breeden: Say something, say something kind of thing no doubt about that. So what are the other fundraiser Harbor do I know we gave Gala always around Halloween. It's not [00:26:00] Halloween always around Valentine Days its have been for many, many years do. I did this a few years ago walk a mile in her shoes.
Carly Rye: Walk in her shoes. That's my favorite event. I love it. You know, you guys have no idea what it's like for us women to wear these high heels for eight, 10 hours a day. And then you want to complain when you have them on for five minutes.
Jonathan Breeden: I did it. I did it one time. And but they accused me of cheating because I found some flats.
Carly Rye: No, no, no. I found flats.
Jonathan Breeden: It's called heels. High heels. So they have a fundraiser twice a year. Tank of Johnson County does it and then we have one usually in the spring. But that's where guys will put on high heels for fundraiser and walk in her shoes. And it's just fun to watch. It's entertaining, light, and a great way for us to raise money, but also create awareness to what Harbor does.
Carly Rye: That's true. That's true. And so men [00:27:00] go out and they get people to donate for them for walking one or two laps or whatever in these shoes. It's kind of like the crop walk or any other walk. And you go out and you, you raise money and then you do it. You walk a couple of laps and you raise money for good calls.
Jonathan Breeden: And it was, it's a lot of fun. I've enjoyed doing it. I didn't like the fact that they said I was cheating because I was wearing flats, but my feet were so white.
Carly Rye: What color is your shoes?
Jonathan Breeden: They were red. But the thing was, my foot is so wide, I couldn't find a shoe with the heels quite wide enough, so I had to go the, go with the flats, but.
Carly Rye: I had to do the same thing at my Chevrolet dealership. I have a size 11 foot, so all they got, they thought they were gonna be able to do it. They're like, you're not gonna be able to find us any shoes. I was like, oh, no. I had all those guys in my shoes, but they've stretched them out since then.
Jonathan Breeden: They've stretched them out. So yeah, so that's a fun program they do as well. HarborShelter.org lots of ways to get involved, lots of ways to give, lots of ways to support them. They need [00:28:00] all the help they can get from donations, your prayers any, if you have a business that can give resources. I know one time I gave Harbor one of my older cars so that they could give that to somebody to get started.
I did that a few years ago. I mean, there's just lots of things. and if you don't think you, you can help you call them, I guarantee you, you can.
Carly Rye: Yeah. Or even volunteer at the store.
Jonathan Breeden: No doubt. No doubt. Well, the last question I have for everybody on the best Johnson County podcast is what do you love most about Johnson County?
Carly Rye: Oh my goodness. Oh, I love, Oh, I think I told you this last time. I'm going to stick with it. I'm a beer girl, the social district. I love now that we can go downtown and several areas and just shop and people watch, listen to live music. I mean, it seems like every Friday, Thursday night, somebody has a live band and it's free. I love that.
Jonathan Breeden: Oh, it's great. And downtown Clayton is awesome for that now. And,
Carly Rye: Selma.
Jonathan Breeden: Selma as well. Yeah. And, you know, they've [00:29:00] got that social district in Clayton and, the shops are open. And you know, they got that arcade down in Clayton now, if you've not been to the arcade it's not a kid's arcade, it's an adult arcade.
It is so cool and so much fun. And I would highly, If you've not been to Downtown Clayton in the last year or two, I would say go down there on Thursday night, Friday night, Manning's, tons of great restaurants, bars, everything. It is, It's kind of a happening place. It's kind of hard to believe, but it is.
Carly Rye: And we can't leave out Selma though, because I mean, Selma has grown tremendously in the past three or four years.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, it has, and you can see all the antiques. You've got the restaurants there. You also have the Old Storm State Food Hall. across 35.
Carly Rye: There's a couple places down there. Right.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. The Old Store State Food Hall has got tons of great, food in there. I was there the other night. Also, they have the new shopping center on the other side over there on the other North State Food Hall on one side of 70 on the other side. They have marshals and academy sports.
Carly Rye: And there's no reason to leave.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, maybe it's not martial arts, it's academy sports [00:30:00] and yeah, I don't know if there's a martial arts or not, but academy sports is there too.
So yeah, tremendous. And that's just going to continue to grow over there in Selma as well. So there's no doubt. Well, cool. Well, we'd like to thank Carly Rye for coming on and being on. Our guest on this episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. As we mentioned earlier, please Like, Follow, Subscribe to this podcast, wherever you're seeing it.
Also give us a five star review down below and tag us in your Instagram stories. Best of Johnston County Podcast. Until next time, I'm your host, Jonathan Breeden.
Narrator: That's the end of today's episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.
If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the corner at www. breedenfirm. [00:31:00] com.
