Tending the bar is not another nine-to-five workday for Nancy Wallingham. It is instead a day spent in the company of friends.
Wallingham knows everyone that comes to her bar by name, and if she doesn't, she will soon enough. Wallingham's goal is that her bar, Grown Folks Blues and More on Pepperell Parkway in Opelika, will be a place everyone is familiar and welcome.
Raised in the Opelika area, Wallingham passed by the bar as she walked to and from school. She said she thought nothing of the possibility of owning the property one day.
Wallingham's love for bartending began when she was 17 years old. For the past 30 years, she has been mixing drinks and building relationships that continue to this day.
"I have people in town today who came to see me from Omaha, Neb.," Wallingham said.
She said she finds joy in having customers come visit her from all across the country, and they have remembered her for many years.
Wallingham's cousin, Bobby Milford, works maintenance around the bar.
Milford said he enjoys having a place where he can come work as a hobby, enjoy a good beer and listen to the music of his generation.
Grown Folks has been under Wallingham's care for three years. She said the motive behind starting the bar was to create an atmosphere suitable for middle-aged and older people who enjoy drinks and music.
Students are not turned away, but welcomed to the bar as well. A karaoke night takes place every Wednesday night and is open to all generations who enjoy good music.
"Everyone has a story to tell, and you will never know it until you ask," Wallingham said.
Wallingham said the most important part of her work is being someone who listens to her customers when they need to share about their lives.
"One of the best persons to do that is the bartender," Wallingham said. "I tell my kids and older people when they come in and are having a bad day to pray it up because God listens, and he is coming, and when he does you are going to be overwhelmed at the joy he brings you."
Reginald Harris, DJ at Grown Folks, re-emphasizes the message that Wallingham advocates so much.
"We like people and giving good customer service," Harris said.
Wallingham said she likes people so much she guarantees a hug to every customer who walks through the door. She learned from bartending for the military that people need an outlet from life--a place to unload their thoughts--and she could fulfill that role.
"I wouldn't be any other place in the world," Wallingham said. "This is home to me."
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