Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Hendrix.
Hi Natasha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The McCreary’s gave me my first job when I was 15 years old. The family owned a coffee shop called Jammin Java. I worked there till I graduated high school. When I was in college they called me and said they were opening a pub and wanted me to come back and work for them. They opened the pub in June of 2002. I graduated college in 2008 but realized I couldn’t pay the bills with my journalism degree so when the McCreary’s decided to sell the business I took over it March 1st 2009. Since then we have expanded to a second location in Columbia, TN and we are still family owned and operated. My sister and now brother-in-law help me run both businesses.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice to own a small business, especially after Covid. Things were obviously much easier as a single woman with no other responsibilities. Even married it was easy to take care of a business. Now that I have children it’s a constant fear of not “being enough” in either my personal mom life or professional life but you learn to just do your best and live with the guilt. I fought through my youngest being diagnosed with cancer and then Covid made it worse. I lost my savings trying to keep the business open and running. There was never a recovery, just keep going. Most people don’t understand that. We just kept going but the loss was profound and sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision to keep going or that I should of started over doing something else and be able to be home more for my family. However, we restaurant people are a different breed. We want to go out on top so instead, I made the decision to expand to try and grow. Beyond the basic startup growing pains, successes and failures we’ve had to deal with a poor economy this year. The struggle is real as they say but we keep going because well, at this point what else can you do? You can’t cut your losses and run all you can do is try to dig yourself out of the hole and keep going. Magnify that by the way the the job market is this business is tougher than ever. Money used to be a motivator for people. It just isn’t anymore. People want to work just enough to get by so the cost to hire and train is higher than ever. People bounce from job to job instead of staying in one place these days so turn around is constant.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a full service Irish/American Pub. Custom cocktails and a large selection of import and craft beers. We make 80% of our menu from scratch and are most known for our fish and chips, homemade tartar sauce and of course the “Perfect Pour Pint” of Guinness. Guinness pouring is an art and if your a Guinness afici0nado then you know the difference in a good pour versus a bad one. We pride ourselves in making sure we pour them just like they do in the Emerald Isle. We have live music on the weekends and various free entertainment or game nights throughout the week!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Support local! Always and forever. Small, local businesses are a dying breed. Give feedback both positive and negative. The most important part of small business is we DO care. We are always growing and changing to evolve with what our community desires so it’s always important to share in a positive way how we can make your experience better. We don’t always get it right 100% of the time but if we know during your visit (not afterwards on google or Yelp) then we will do everything in our power to make it right. That’s what sets us apart and why your $ goes farther when you support small businesses like ours. You give to us and we give back to the community directly through support from anywhere to your local schools to your local rescues.
Pricing:
- Average meal $10-$20
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mccrearyspub.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccrearysirishpub/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mccrearysthepub
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mccrearysdapub?_t=ZT-90i7mX3rnAV&_r=1
