In 2002, Belinda Bledsoe decided to open a used bookstore in Hendersonville. Little did she know that 10 years later with new trends in recycling and repurposing, her store would be Hendersonville’s buzzword. Situated on Gallatin Road in a cute little cottage right in the middle of town, you can rest assured that you will see a parking lot full of cars as customers hustle and bustle around Ms. B’s Used Bookstore.

Originally from Georgia and with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Bledsoe decided to make a complete change from her educational background and follow her artistic calling. After moving to Tennessee, Bledsoe worked a few years in the book and music industry – in retail and in purchasing. This is when she discovered that she had a great love for the arts, music and people who purchase books.

A few years ago, my wife and I traveled with some friends to take our children to a youth camp. We enjoyed watching all the young people playing games, working on projects, and participating in drama and music. One evening, hundreds of people gathered into the gymnasium, watching as the teenagers were separated into two teams. Each participant had removed his or her left shoe placing it in a giant pile on the left side of the court and then placed the right shoe in another pile at the other end of the gym. The groups formed two relay lines under the same basketball goal, preparing to compete. Once the whistle blew, each team sent the first person in line running to pile A, the goal being to dig through the pile to find his or her shoe, put it on, and then proceed to pile B, to locate the other shoe. Finally, they would run back and tag the next person in line creating the relay cycle.

After two years of growth, the Hendersonville Lions Club completed a project unlike any other in the chapter’s history. The club gave a Hendersonville citizen an extra reason to be thankful this holiday season when, in September, the young club sponsored the resident to become a cataract surgery patient.

The citizen applied for the sponsorship in March 2011. This was the first project of this type in which the city’s Lions Club had participated.