Local News

Yellow Crayons: Carving a path in design

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Kathleen Ramsey

“I want the little people to win,” says Paco Gonzalez, owner of Yellow Crayons. “When I started, it was always about the small guy and the one who couldn’t afford the 25s.”
Gonzalez leans back in his chair for a minute. On his desktop two large monitors sit with a current graphic design project pulled up that he was working on just minutes ago. It’s late on a Friday afternoon but Gonzalez doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere, anytime soon. His truck is parked out front in his parking spot with a sign his employees gave him just months ago that reads, “Parking for the Boss Man.”
He has big plans for his business Yellow Crayons but nothing concrete.
“I have thought about expansion,” he says smiling. “It’s up in the air. The way this venue has taken me, it's carved its own path in a way.”
Gonzalez says as long as he comes into work and he is happy, he will continue to do it. He began Yellow Crayons in 2017 as a graphics design company. As he mentioned, the company carved its own path. Many of his clients would request small orders for shirts or hats and he would refer out to other businesses as he never set out originally to make those kinds of items. However, there weren't a lot of businesses that could accommodate small orders for smaller businesses. Gonzalez found himself at a fork in the road and with a serious desire to provide good service to small businesses.
“So I said, ‘You know what, I’ll do it myself.’”
He soon found himself needing more space than the rooms he rented in the Metropolitan building. He loved the feel of downtown, the festivals and the foot traffic of Hay Street. So Gonzalez set his eyes on Hay Street specifically and officially opened his first store front for Yellow Crayons in downtown Fayetteville.
“It started going well with the printing,” he says. “ … we started embroidery. That did pretty well. Next thing you know, we are bursting at the seams.”
At the beginning of his business, Gonzalez said it was more like a Build-a-Bear Concept to promotional items. Since then, however, it has really grown but something, he says, hasn't changed.
“I still love focusing on small businesses and up -and-coming businesses and making them successful.”
Gonzalez has a place in his heart for the “little guy” as he identifies with the challenges of trying to make it. Before he began this business, he found himself in several corporate jobs and doing side hustles for graphic design work. When he found out he was having a child, he had to put some things on hold like his graphic design degree at Fayetteville Technical Community College. He would later pick this back up.
As he often says, for Gonzalez, he’s got to keep growing and he’ll do anything if “the juice is worth the squeeze.” Eventually, he said he knew he had to make some changes and leave his corporate job that had nothing to do with his love for graphic design.
“I thought if I am going to ask everyone to believe in me, I need to put my all into it,” he says leaning back in his chair again. “I’m going to put my all into this. If I fail, I fail … I needed to see if I could make a run for it.”
Gonzalez has been running ever since. Now his business has seven employees and makes more in a day than he ever used to in a week when he started. And it evolves all the time.
“Every year we grow … trying to be the best we can be,” he says. “I try to listen to my customers. If the juice is worth the squeeze, then I pull the trigger.”
Gonzalez, who grew up with only brothers and a single working mom, is now surrounded by females, he says laughing. He has a daughter and a partner at home and at work his “right hand man” is even a woman. That woman happens to be his project manager, Diane Regensburger. Regensburger loves her boss.
“He’s probably the best boss I’ve ever had,” she says, glancing between her purchase orders on her computer and around the store. “He’s fair but he’s firm. He puts out what he expects of you but he gives grace when it’s due.”
One thing Regensburger says Gonzalez really does have is vision and somehow, she says, they come through every time even when she has thought they couldn’t.
“End of the day,” Gonzalez says walking around the store, “it’s all about getting the job done.”
For Gonzalez and his business, that will always be about carving his own path.
Yellow Crayons is open Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 10:30 to 2 p.m.

(Photo: Paco Gonzalez, owner of Yellow Crayons, believes in providing good service to small businesses. Photo courtesy of Paco Gonazalez)

Healthy Conversations Program encourages barbers, stylists, promotes health in Cumberland County

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Jamie Bishop

In an innovative effort to bridge health education and community engagement, the Cumberland County Department of Public Health launched the Healthy Conversations program, enlisting local barbers and stylists as advocates for promoting preventive health behaviors. With $134,601 in funding approved by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for the 2023-24 fiscal year, this initiative has already had significant impact in its pilot year.
"Barbers and stylists are trusted community leaders who can have brief, meaningful conversations with their clients about critical health topics," said Tamra Morris, MPH, Deputy Health Director of the Cumberland County Health Department.
A Trusted Chair for Health Advocacy
Barbershops and salons have long served as hubs of community interaction, particularly in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes. Recognizing this, Healthy Conversations trains barbers and stylists to discuss heart health, cancer prevention, and the importance of routine screenings. Participating barbershops include:
• McNeill's Barbershop and Beauty Salon
• Cumberland Awesome Barbershop
• Tru Blendz Barbershop
• Red Carpet Barbershop and Salon
• MM Grooming
• Kut-N-Kalypso, Inc.
Morris emphasized the unique role of barbers, noting, "Barbers in the Healthy Conversations program have become lay leaders and expanded community health advocacy in Cumberland. They can share information on risk factors, symptoms, and how to connect with healthcare providers in a relatable and trusted way."
Breaking Barriers Through Familiar Spaces
The program addresses common barriers to healthcare, including stigma and lack of awareness. By leveraging the casual and comfortable setting of a barbershop chair, conversations about health feel less intimidating.
"There are no expectations set in these discussions," Morris explained. "Clients can simply listen to what the barber shares. The barbers use easy-to-understand, accurate, and actionable information, often aided by educational materials and visual models."
Such approachable methods have led to tangible results, including clients scheduling preventive care appointments and discussing health with their families.”
Measurable Impact
The program's pilot year saw impressive results:
• Ten trained barbers facilitated over 2,000 health-related conversations.
• Prostate Cancer Awareness Month featured a panel discussion that highlighted the program's unique approach. This innovative method of using barbershops as platforms for health education is a refreshing take on community health initiatives. Campaigns such as Go Red for Heart Health and a Colorectal Awareness Month initiative encouraged clients to embrace wellness.
"Healthy Conversations was very successful in its first year," said Morris. "As we move into year two, we are expanding to train 20 barbers and anticipate an even greater impact on the health of the Cumberland community."
The Road Ahead
Building on its early successes, the program aims to broaden its reach and deepen its impact. Morris expressed gratitude for Commissioner Glenn Adams, whose advocacy has been instrumental in the program's success.
"This initiative allows for real connections and reliable linkage to care for clients in our local barber chairs," she said.
As the program gears up for 2025, the community looks forward to more barber-led advocacy efforts that promote preventive care and foster healthier lives in Cumberland County.
For more information about the Healthy Conversations program, contact Carlotta Winston, Public Health Educator II, at cwinston@cumberlandcountync.gov or 910-321-6440.
About Cumberland County Department of Public Health
Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, the Cumberland County Department of Public Health offers comprehensive services to address the community's needs. Visit cumberlandcountync.gov/publichealth or call 910-433-3600 for details.

Cumberland County selected for UNC program to improve access to affordable housing

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Staff Report

Cumberland County is one of 14 community teams selected to participate in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Our State, Our Homes program, an initiative of the Carolina Across 100 program. Announced Wednesday, Jan. 22, the program aims to help improve access to and availability of affordable housing options in the state.
Cumberland County joins 22 counties grouped into teams with other localities to collaborate on addressing affordable housing challenges. Team 10 includes Cumberland, Harnett and Sampson counties.
The program brings together a diverse group of local stakeholders —including business leaders, civic organizations, education institutions, nonprofit and faith-based groups, and government officials—providing the necessary tools and resources to assess local housing needs and create sustainable, community-driven solutions.
“The Our State, Our Homes program presents an invaluable opportunity for Cumberland County to engage with our regional partners and learn from statewide housing experts,” said Interim Community Development Director Tye Vaught. “The rising challenges of affordable housing affect us all, and we are committed to developing innovative strategies that improve access to housing for our residents and ensure long-term economic growth and stability in our community.”
The program’s launch comes at a critical time as nearly one-third of households in North Carolina are considered “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing. This issue not only limits families’ economic mobility but also hinders the ability of communities to attract and retain employers and workers, further impacting local economies and public health.
The selected counties represent urban, suburban and rural areas across the state facing a myriad of housing challenges including population growth, aging housing infrastructure, environmental hazards and rising construction costs. Over the next 18 months, participating communities will gain a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of local housing issues and develop high-impact solutions that are tailored to their unique needs.
The program also provides participating counties with ongoing coaching, technical assistance, and the chance to engage with a network of peers, national experts and state leaders to strengthen their affordable housing strategies.
Our State, Our Homes is part of the broader Carolina Across 100 initiative, which seeks to build sustainable, community-driven recovery efforts in all 100 North Carolina counties. The initiative is supported by the University of North Carolina School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative and is funded by the Office of the Chancellor and private foundations. For more information, visit ncimpact.org.

The famous man from Tally Ho, North Carolina

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Tuesday, 21 January 2025

Written by D.G. Martin

Who is the most famous North Carolinian today?
If you check the latest edition of the World Almanac as I do this time every year, you will find a list of “Famous North Carolinians.”
That list includes the following people, but not today’s most famous person from our state.
Read over the names on the World Almanac list and then I will tell you today’s most famous person: David Brinkley, Shirley Caesar, John Coltrane, Stephen Curry, Rick Dees, Elizabeth Hanford Dole, Dale Earnhardt Sr., John Edwards, Ava Gardner, Richard Jordan Gatling, Billy Graham, Andy Griffith, O. Henry, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Michael Jordan, William Rufus King, Charles Kuralt, Meadowlark Lemon, Dolley Madison, Thelonious Monk, Edward R. Murrow, Richard Petty, James K. Polk, Charlie Rose, Carl Sandburg, Enos Slaughter, Dean Smith, James Taylor, Thomas Wolfe.
But that list does not include the North Carolinian most talked about across the world recently: a man who grew up in the Tally Ho community of Granville County.
On Christmas Day 2021 a $10 billion giant telescope to replace the aging Hubble scope was launched from French Guiana.
The launch was successful, and the device has unfolded its antenna, mirror, and tennis-court-sized sunshield, as it moved toward a final orbit.
The Hubble, at work for more than 30 years, was named for Edwin Powell Hubble, an American astronomer who died in 1953. He was an important astronomer whose work provided evidence that the universe is expanding.
The new observatory-telescope is about 100 times more sensitive than the Hubble. As described by Dennis Overbye in the Oct. 20, 2021, edition of The New York Times, “Orbiting the sun a million miles from Earth, it will be capable of bringing into focus the earliest stars and galaxies in the universe and closely inspecting the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets for signs of life or habitability.”
So, what does all this have to do with Granville County and the most talked-about North Carolinian?
The new telescope is named the James Webb Space Telescope. Like the Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, or Webb Telescope, or simply the Webb, will be in almost every news story about space exploration for many years. Every young person studying astronomy or reading about space will see his name. It will be everywhere.
Why is this critical device named for Webb?
Lewis Bowling, who, like Webb grew up working in the tobacco fields and barns of Granville County, explained in his column in the December 30, 2021, edition of the Oxford Public Ledger, Granville County’s twice-weekly newspaper.
“James Webb, who grew up in the sticks like me, surrounded by great big fields of tobacco was the man most responsible for leading us to the moon.
"Let me clarify something: James Webb was born in Tally Ho near Stem, so he was a country boy like me, but obviously a lot smarter. Webb knew and worked for several presidents and was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration director under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. As former North Carolina Congressman L. H. Fountain once said, ‘for the first time since the beginning of the world there are now footprints on the moon, and the major share of credit goes to a distinguished son of Granville County, James E. Webb.’”
I wrote that I would bet that there will be a new entry in the latest World Almanac’s list of “Famous North Carolinians.”
I believed the new entry would be James Webb from Tally Ho.
But Webb has still not yet made the World Almanac’s list.
I will be looking for Webb’s name when the 2026 World Almanac comes out next fall hoping that its editors do not again forget to add James Webb to their list.

Editor’s note: D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s North Carolina Bookwatch.

(This artist's rendition of the James Webb Space Telescope shows the telescope after being launched into space in 2022. The telescope has since transmitted images of multiple galaxies and star systems. Image courtesy of NASA-GSFC, Adriana M. Gutierrez,CI Lab, James Webb Space Telescope website)