I'm a real estate agent in Sevierville, Tennessee, but I'm not just a business picture hanging on a wall or a name in some directory. Lol.
I actually live here. I eat here, shop here, go to church here, and know a pretty good portion of this community.
And after all these years, the people of Sevier County still amaze me.
So I thought I'd start something new. Meet the People of Sevier County.
Not necessarily the famous folks, the business owners, or the people whose names you see on billboards.
I'm talking about the everyday people who make this place what it is.
And boy, have I got one for you.
Meet K. Lord Have Mercy. Lol.
There's a grocery store near Wears Valley in Pigeon Forge where I shop occasionally. I'm not going to name the store, and I'm certainly not going to give you this woman's real name.
We'll just call her K.
There are some things I believe ought to remain private, especially when you're telling stories about other people. I never want to embarrass or hurt anyone.
But K? Well, she's a hoot.
Now, I love grocery shopping. I like wandering around, looking at things, talking to people, and occasionally just watching folks go about their day.
NO, I'M NOT A SERIAL KILLER. Lol.
I'm a little off, perhaps, but that's an entirely different article.
People fascinate me. Sometimes you can almost hear their stories just by looking at the expressions on their faces.
Well, K had an expression.
And it wasn't exactly one that said, "Welcome to our store, we're delighted you're here!"
I had gathered up my groceries and was looking down the checkout lanes, trying to decide which cashier might be willing to have a little fun.
Then I spotted her.
Three or four registers away.
I swear I could almost hear her growling from where I stood.
There she is. That's my girl.
I headed straight for her register.
Now, some people might see a growling cashier and head the other direction.
Not me.
I wanted to find out what she was so mad about. Lol.
I started unloading my buggy, placing my groceries on the belt. I had one of those big packs of Cokes, twenty dollars' worth of sugar water, and I set it down.
K barked.
"TURN THAT OVER. THE BARCODE'S ON THE BOTTOM."
Well, yes, ma'am!
"Didn't notice that. I'm very sorry."
Not a smile.
Not a chuckle.
Nothing.
I thought to myself, Well, she's marking her territory.
And naturally, being the mature, responsible, sixty-year-old man that I am, I decided to test the waters a little further.
"I need some cigars over at the tobacco counter."
The young fellow bagging groceries overheard me.
"I'll get them," he said.
K immediately spoke up.
"DON'T SHUT THAT DOOR! WE LOST THE KEY!"
Still no smile.
Still growling.
I was beginning to think I had found the queen of the grocery store.
And I liked her already.
Then I had another idea.
"K, I was thinking I might need some water from outside. Could you just ring that up, and I'll pick it up on my way out?"
Well, buddy.
That did it.
K stopped what she was doing and looked straight at me.
Stone cold.
Then she said:
"WELL, YOU GOT ANYTHING ELSE I CAN GET FOR YOU TODAY? MAYBE A HAMBURGER AND SOME FRIES?"
I lost it.
Absolutely burst out laughing.
Because right then, I saw it.
Just the tiniest little smirk trying to escape from the corner of her mouth.
She wasn't mad.
She was having just as much fun with me as I was having with her.
I looked at her and said:
"K, you know what I like about you?"
She looked at me.
"YOU HIDE YOUR EMOTIONS! You keep all your true feelings bottled up inside!"
Well, that was it.
K started laughing.
The bagger was laughing.
I looked back, and there were about four customers behind me, all horse laughing.
The whole checkout lane had turned into a comedy show.
I told her, "K, you are an absolute hoot. I love your sense of humor. You've made my day."
And she had.
But Here's What I Want You to Understand About the Smoky Mountains
As I walked out of that grocery store, I couldn't help smiling.
Because I knew something about K that somebody just passing through might not have understood.
I know these women.
I grew up around them.
The women of the Smoky Mountains are a special breed.
They're tough.
They're smart.
They're hardworking.
And Lord have mercy, some of them have a sense of humor sharp enough to peel the paint off a barn.
But there's something else about them.
They come from generations of women who didn't have the luxury of an easy life.
They watched their mothers and grandmothers work long days, raise families, tend gardens, cook meals, and somehow find the strength to get up the next morning and do it all again.
They weren't always smiling.
They didn't have time to be.
But when a child fell and skinned a knee, they were the ones who patched it up.
When somebody was sick, they showed up.
When a family needed help, they cooked a meal.
They're the women sitting on the front pews of our churches.
The ones who bake the cakes, cookies, and pies for fundraisers so somebody's child can go to summer camp, play sports, or join the Scouts.
They're our mothers.
Our grandmothers.
Our neighbors.
And in so many ways, they're the foundation of these mountains.
You might see a woman behind a grocery store register who looks like she's having a bad day.
I see generations of strength.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not claiming to know K's life story. I don't.
But I recognized that humor.
I've heard it around kitchen tables, in church fellowship halls, on farms, and in little stores all across East Tennessee.
It's that wonderful mountain way of saying, "I'm going to give you a hard time, but if you can take it, we're going to get along just fine."
And if you give it right back?
Well, you might just make a friend.
That's What Makes This Place Home
People ask me about buying homes in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the surrounding Smoky Mountains.
We talk about prices, property taxes, neighborhoods, mountain views, and all the things a real estate agent is supposed to talk about.
And those things matter.
But there's something you can't find on an MLS sheet.
The people.
The character of a community.
The laughter in a grocery store.
The woman who might growl at you one minute and have you laughing so hard you can barely get your groceries in the buggy the next.
That's the Sevier County I know.
It's not perfect. No place is.
But there's a warmth here that goes deeper than a friendly smile.
Sometimes that warmth comes wrapped in a growl.
And if you stick around long enough, you might just discover that the woman you thought was mad at the world has one of the best senses of humor you've ever encountered.
When I left that grocery store, K was smiling.
So was the bagger.
So were the customers behind me.
And I was still laughing as I walked out the door.
I didn't just buy groceries that day.
I got another little reminder of why I love these mountains and the people who call them home.
And K, if you ever happen to read this, I appreciate you.
But next time, I'm going to need a hamburger, some fries, and maybe a milkshake.
Just don't lock the tobacco counter.
I hear y'all lost the key. Lol.
Proverbs 17:22 (KJV)
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
God bless the people of Sevier County.
Will Cupp Real Estate Agent
Realty Executives Associates
Serving: Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburge, East Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.
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