Black-Owned Businesses of Hardin County, Kentucky
Explore Hardin County
February 2021
Hello friends, welcome to the brand new Explore Hardin County blog! Here, you will find the inside scoop on services and goods run by your very own friends and neighbors. Our goal is to promote and support local businesses in and out of hard times. We are a community that comes together to love and support one another. We hold each other’s arms up, aim for excellence, and celebrate success in unity.
This month, we are honoring the black-owned businesses of Hardin County.
Waters Edge Winery
Are you looking for a classy place for business meetings, brunch with friends, or a cozy date night with your significant other? Look no further than Water’s Edge Winery! Retired Amry veteran Charlie Watkins is the proud owner of Elizabethtown’s first winery.
Upon graduation from college, his daughter Tiana experienced unexpected hardships finding a job within her field. Business after business turned her away due to lack of experience. Charles became frustrated. He’d spent thousands of dollars to come to what seemed like a dead end.
“I’d always wanted to own a business, I just never knew what I wanted to do”-Charlie Watkins
Refusing to accept “no” for an answer, Watkins reached out to a trusted friend, inquiring about opening a restaurant for his daughter to gain experience. “Elizabethtown has too many restaurants!” his friend replied. “How about a winery?” He laughed with Christy stating he knew nothing about wineries, so it seemed like a wild idea! His friend advised him to open a franchise to learn and be well equipped for everything he would need.
With a real estate background, he got to work searching for the perfect place his new business would call home. He chose the late Hardin County High School, remodeled the gymnasium, and set up shop! It is now a swanky hangout with live music, an intimate atmosphere, and the kindest staff.
You’ll find Waters Edge Winery’s menu to be inclusive and classy with featured items like cauliflower wings and charcuterie boards. Tiana makes their wine in-house with the finest grapes California and Europe have to offer.
Check them out:
Website: https://wineryetown.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wewetown
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wew_etown/
Just Right For Me Scholarships
College is an exciting and sometimes stressful topic for students and parents alike. Going to their dream college may seem impossible when accounting for grades, overall performance, then finances. If the previous story taught us anything, it’s that nothing is impossible. Where there is a will, there is a way! A local student just got into every college he applied to with over one million dollars in scholarships! His advice? Educate yourself as early as possible and have a plan.
Juandalynn Heslop of Vine Grove, Kentucky, is the esteemed founder of Just Right For Me Scholarships. College is an entirely different ballgame than what you might have experienced in the past. Ms. Juandalynn is here to help you put together a plan and a team for your student’s brightest future. In this fast-paced, progressive society, Just Right For Me Scholarships is the key to keeping your child ahead of the competition. Heslop urges us to understand that we “need a four-year plan to make [students] more competitive.” The sooner you start, the better.
Her children are both currently enrolled in UK and WKU, with eager campus involvement. Reach out to her via email at jaheslop92@gmail.com or phone at 931–320–6210.
Just Cupcakes Sweets and Treats
From weddings to birthdays to the casual pick-me-up, Just Cupcakes Sweets and Treats has you covered. You won’t find another bakery that serves you the same way. Ms. Jeannie Lett implements something unique to every order and adds the essential ingredient in every treat: LOVE!
Lett cultivated her love of baking through the years she spent baking cakes alongside her grandmother for family gatherings. Growing up, she wanted to be a wedding cake designer. As a surprise, Mr. Lett gifted her cake decorating classes, paving the path for her dreams to become her reality. From there, she has continued growing and improving her craft. She formerly titled the company Just Cupcakes, in good faith that she would only bake and design cupcakes.
“As God would have it, I learned to do a whole lot more.”-Jeannie Lett
Now she whips up cakes, cupcakes, hot chocolate bombs, cookies, and more! She half-jokingly mentions in our interview with her that no matter what you order, it will never be ordinary. Above and beyond, but never dull!
Visit her newly redesigned website https://www.justcc247.net/menu.
Like her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Justcc247/.
Follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cupcakesjust/.
Zumba With Meli
If you’ve been dreading the gym experience, Zumba with Meli might be your fitness dreams coming true! Zumba is a care-free way to socialize, get in shape, and find your glow in a playful atmosphere.
Radcliff native Amelia (Meli) Sanders fell in love with Zumba when she began attending sessions with a fabulous couple instructing. Unfortunately, the community suffered a loss when the military called them to a new duty station. Amelia was clearly an exceptional student because her peers began asking her when she planned to get her certification.
After undergoing multiple knee surgeries, she highly doubted she would instruct a dance class. However, she decided our community needs these classes. She went for her certification through the Zen Network and secured a new location to instruct classes out of less than two weeks before completing her courses.
Sanders danced through routines perfectly safe for her knees multiple times a week. She gushed over her students’ progress, mentioning that people comment on her glow all the time, but it’s a natural side effect. “You can glow too! Join us!” It is a judgment-free zone, as her motto is #progressoverperfection.
Her methods and personality’s spark quickly became a firework in surrounding areas, forcing three relocations to accommodate new students within COVID19 regulations. She currently holds classes at Vine Grove City Hall at the invitation of Vie Grove Mayor Pam Ogden.
Stay connected and find class schedules on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZumbawithMeli
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amelion18/
Email: ameliasanders22@yahoo.com
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