VIP Café Show – Youngstown, Ohio – Local Guests with Amazing Impact to Our Community
E50: The VIP Café Show with April Mason - Overcoming Hardships and Embracing Life's Unexpected Paths
What if a single act of kindness could change the course of your life? Join us on the VIP Cafe Show as we welcome April Mason, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and owner of the enchanting Christmas Cafe in Boardman, Ohio. Hosts Greg Smith and Debbie Larson kick things off by recounting Greg's recent trip to the magnificent Gaylord Opryland in Nashville before diving into April's extraordinary journey. You'll hear about April's early aspirations of acting in Los Angeles and the winding path that led her to unexpected life changes and personal growth.
April's story is a powerful testament to resilience and faith. From living in shelters to starting her first business with just $50, she shares her incredible journey through adversity, guided by a prophetic dream and bolstered by community support. Hear how a friend's generosity provided her with a fresh start in Georgia, emphasizing the transformative power of kindness. This episode is rich with touching moments, including the theft of her handmade gift baskets and how she turned every hardship into an adventure for her children.
Finally, bask in the magical ambiance of April's Christmas Cafe, a haven for people from all walks of life. Hear heartwarming tales of patrons finding joy and solace within its cozy walls, and stick around for a lively discussion on favorite foods and local recommendations. From debates about the best French fries in Youngstown to the charm of April’s cafe, this episode is a heartwarming and inspiring look at the power of determination, community, and a dash of holiday spirit.
What if a single act of kindness could change the course of your life? Join us on the VIP Cafe Show as we welcome April Mason, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and owner of the enchanting Christmas Cafe in Boardman, Ohio. Hosts Greg Smith and Debbie Larson kick things off by recounting Greg's recent trip to the magnificent Gaylord Opryland in Nashville before diving into April's extraordinary journey. You'll hear about April's early aspirations of acting in Los Angeles and the winding path that led her to unexpected life changes and personal growth.
April's story is a powerful testament to resilience and faith. From living in shelters to starting her first business with just $50, she shares her incredible journey through adversity, guided by a prophetic dream and bolstered by community support. Hear how a friend's generosity provided her with a fresh start in Georgia, emphasizing the transformative power of kindness. This episode is rich with touching moments, including the theft of her handmade gift baskets and how she turned every hardship into an adventure for her children.
Finally, bask in the magical ambiance of April's Christmas Cafe, a haven for people from all walks of life. Hear heartwarming tales of patrons finding joy and solace within its cozy walls, and stick around for a lively discussion on favorite foods and local recommendations. From debates about the best French fries in Youngstown to the charm of April’s cafe, this episode is a heartwarming and inspiring look at the power of determination, community, and a dash of holiday spirit.
welcome. Welcome to the vip cafe show. I'm here with my lovely host, debbie larson.
Speaker 2:I'm greg smith and welcome everyone thank you, it's good to be here.
Speaker 1:It's good to see you again greg, we've had a couple weeks off. We did, we did. We took a sabbatical Unpaid leave.
Speaker 2:You've just been traveling the country, that's all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I went down to Nashville for a while. I went to that Gaylord Opryland, isn't that?
Speaker 2:beautiful.
Speaker 1:It's a small little venue, yeah.
Speaker 2:You can barely fit in there. You can barely fit in there. It's like four hotels in one. No place to eat Right, no place to swim. What part did you stay in?
Speaker 1:I stayed in Magnolia. Oh, I know exactly, but I had to park my car in the Delta and I had to walk a mile to bring all my equipment for the seminar all the way to the Magnolia. So that was interesting. Yeah, I asked the people. I said, hey, who do you have to be here to pull up to the Magnolia and unload your stuff? They go, nobody do you have to be here to actually pull up to the magnolia and unload your stuff. They go nobody.
Speaker 2:So I guess that was closed down. Okay, then, it is a beautiful venue there yes, it is. It's nothing compared to youngstown, though youngstown move over opryland the one thing about you have creative people in nashville, and you know what?
Speaker 1:we have creative people here too, don't? We do, and so often people don't even know who's right next to them, so why don't we introduce our guests?
Speaker 2:All right. Today we have April Mason, best-selling author, tedx speaker and the owner of the beautiful, wonderful, comforting Christmas Cafe here in Boardman, right next to the Southern Park Mall. Welcome, april.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, Debbie and Greg, for having me today.
Speaker 1:Our pleasure, that nice voice like wow right.
Speaker 2:I know I'm just going to be quiet and let you talk.
Speaker 1:No need for voice lessons oh my goodness, you guys are hilarious.
Speaker 2:So tell us a little bit about what, about April? You know what I'm going to let Greg do the intro. I'm chomping at the bit to find out a little bit more about you.
Speaker 1:So yeah, tell us from conception to where you are now, what went?
Speaker 3:on what happened, so what?
Speaker 1:was your. We always start with basically, what inspired you in life to do what you do today. What happened and usually it's high school time, something where you went. This is what I want to be a gladiator for.
Speaker 3:You know what Funny thing is for me? I thought I was going to be an actress and I used to wear a shirt. Now I'm from San Francisco and I used to wear a shirt to school that said somebody in LA loves me. I wore it so much that it was just pale and it's even in the yearbook. I had it on in the yearbook Because I don't know, it was something in me that always said that I'm going to be on a stage.
Speaker 3:But I thought I was going to sing or be an actress, because my family I come from a family a long line of singers, but God didn't give me that. He was like if I give you a voice to sing, you're going to show out. So I'm going to. I'm going to make sure I'll give you a couple of them, but that's not going to be one. So I didn't know exactly what I was going to do and I ended up going to one of the top acting academies in Beverly Hills. But I had children early. Let's backtrack a little bit. I lived in Youngstown years and years and years ago. So when I was 18, after I got out of school, my parents said we don't want you to get any trouble here in the Bay Area, so we're going to send you to Youngstown, ohio, to live with your aunt and uncle who had a church here, and so they put me on a Greyhound bus no way From San Francisco to Youngstown Ohio.
Speaker 2:Where nobody gets in trouble, where nobody gets in trouble. Nobody gets in trouble in Youngstown Ohio. No, nobody. No trouble here, nobody In 1993.
Speaker 3:And when I stepped off the bus I said Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore.
Speaker 1:No Wow.
Speaker 3:And so I said, wow, this is interesting. I had never seen anything like it, because we were so progressive, right Even back then. And so I tell my kids stop telling people, you are from California. Although my parents sent me here so that I wouldn't get in any trouble, all three of my kids were conceived and born here. Oh, that's hilarious yes. And I was living with the pastor, the bishop no, and his wife and so that was during the time.
Speaker 3:Their father was one of ysu stars players. During the time. Matter of fact, it was our son was born the year that they won the championship to go meet the president. It was okay, president clinton right, and he was on his way to the NFL and all that kind of stuff, right. So that's how I know about Youngstown, because I was sent here to keep me with my chastity belt on, but it didn't work.
Speaker 2:Those YSU football players. There's something about them. There's something about them. You kept the key.
Speaker 1:I kept the key. Yes, yes, it's something about them. It's something about them. You kept the key. I kept the key.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, that's how I ended up here. But I left in 1998 because I just this was not as someone in their early 20s. I was just like I want to go back home. So I ended up, oh, and then, by the way, I called off the wedding. So I said, yeah, it was a little drama. You say, debbie, that I'm mysterious, so I'll give you a little tea. Okay, you pick up and you go back home when you walk in on your fiancé having sex with his professor two months before your wedding. So you leave Youngstown and go back home to San Francisco.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that would be a good reason.
Speaker 3:Wouldn't it be a good reason? Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 1:I don good reason, wouldn't it be a good reason? Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 2:I think I don't think anybody would argue with that oh my goodness, I can't believe. That's where the period is, not, I mean, because there's a lot of people. That's major yes, they would have been like they would have just shut down and that would have been the but not you, thankfully. But yeah, man, it took me a minute, okay. So how old were you at this point? I?
Speaker 3:was, I think he had just graduated. So we were young, we were like 22. So we were young and I bounced back. But I bounced back to California, right.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:And I took the time to heal and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:So, since you say that you're so mysterious, you are mysterious, you only tell us what you want to know, so I'm going to give you a little of the juice. Oh good, yes, yes, yes, that was a whop. You're so mysterious, you only tell us what you want to know, so I'm going to give you a little of the juice. That was a whopper. Give you a little bit.
Speaker 2:First of all, and here we are laughing about it which says a lot. That's crazy what was his reaction. I'm sorry Now.
Speaker 3:I'm like, what was his reaction when that happened? There was nothing more really he could say at that moment. And then, after all, I didn't I'm not a yeller and screamer, okay but I slammed the door so hard that he could had to kick it out to get it, to get himself open, and for me it was just the shock of it all. But trauma did set in because after that, for years, even if a man told me, hey, april, come by the house or he would leave the key for me to get in, I wouldn't go by, I wouldn't. So it was that kind of trauma that really was like no, why didn't you come over? I'm coming over when you're home, I'm not coming over when I went if you're not home or I don't want to see anything. So for years I would not, I'm like'm like, no, you can come over. You said you wanted to cook, I'll cook when you get there. I would not, I wouldn't show up.
Speaker 3:Because that situation happened. Because I did call the house and one of the his teammates they were. He lived in the frat house. One of his teammates said I said, hey, tell him, I'm on my way. And he said, okay, I'll go upstairs. Apparently he fell back to sleep and didn't go upstairs. So when I got there, they just let me in and I walked upstairs, and typically his bedroom door is locked and it wasn't yes, divine intervention, divine intervention yeah, actually one of the best things that actually happened.
Speaker 2:So there was a professor in the frat house who went to the frat house dude, yeah, not cool yes, it was crazy, it was wild, but so that that kind of influenced your life a little bit just just a taint just a taint on a side note it is amazing how the body will do what it needs to do to protect you from yes, that's powerful, I'm a dreamer.
Speaker 3:I always would tell men I'm not the type of woman that you can cheat on, because I'm not going to go look for anything. But I'll have a dream. I had a dream two weeks prior. Here's a little tea for you, Debbie. Okay, I'm loving it. I'm loving it. I had a dream two weeks prior and in the dream he was driving a van and there was the silhouette of a woman, but I couldn't see who she was. And there was the silhouette of a woman, but I couldn't see who she was. Two weeks later, he pulls up to my home in a purple van.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 3:Yes, I'm like the creator loves me, god loves me, god's going to always show me what I need to see. And then, right after that, because it was around graduation time about maybe three days later, that's when I walked in. Yeah, so I'm like don't try to do anything crazy to Ms Basin, because I'm not going to look, but it's always going to be shown. That's amazing, that's wow, Because there was a prayer that was prayed because we were getting married. I'm like okay, God, if he's not the one, let me know.
Speaker 3:I didn't say like this, I know I didn't say like this you could have just sent me a note. Write a note. Simple tap on the shoulder, yeah, wow.
Speaker 3:Okay, so you got out of here. Yes, I got out of here and I moved back home to California and during that time I was trying to figure out April who is April? What does she want? At that time I was trying to figure out April who is April, what does she want? At that time I had the kids. The wedding didn't happen. I'm a single mom now. It was just a lot. But I ended up leaving and because I didn't have a place to be really, I went and lived in a shelter. It was the Bay Area Rescue Mission. I actually had to go back last year to give back and do this big story in san francisco on the transition. But I end up going to a shelter and the ladies there would look at me and say you don't look like a shelter girl. And I would just tell them I'm just passing through. And what I learned is you never judge a book by its cover, because I met from drug addicts to prostitutes, to women that have been abused and everything in between.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:They actually became my family and very protective and so anything that they were doing or had done that put them there, they would always safeguard and say I never want to see you do anything like this. And I remember I was trying to make it out and I ended up having to get on welfare In California. It took so long for them to approve everything. By the time they did it was like I had $1,500 that they owe because it took so long. What I did I was walking at the time. I went and bought a and I don't know anything about cars. I went and bought a and I don't know anything about cars. I went and bought a 1979 green Daihatsu with no tags on the back. The salesman knew he saw a gullible one coming and he sold me the car for $500. Oh man, yes, and it barely got me back to the shelter. But when I showed up, the ladies came out. They were clapping, they were so excited. Yes, and it barely got me back to the shelter. But when I showed up, the ladies came out. They were clapping, they were so excited. It was even in my downtime, time of being at the lowest. It was still inspirational to them. Wow, and I remember saying this is my family here, and when I had to go to job interviews I didn't have anybody watch the kids. But even though I'm in there, they were like April, we'll watch the kids. But because I have a discernment, even at that young age, I knew that the kids were safe and I went.
Speaker 3:I remember going to the job interview and the one blue suit that I had. Came back I got my first job, my corporate job in San Francisco, making $10 an hour. You could not tell me anything and so they were so happy. It was like got, you know what it is. It's like what I feel at the cafe. When people come in they are so excited and they're like we want you to win. I have the best customers at the cafe. Wow, so they. It was. It's the same feeling of oh my god, you did it. So that's where I ended up. Long story short, finally got out of the shelter, moved to Atlanta. I was in Atlanta for 20 years, but prior to leaving California I started my first business with $50 from a welfare check, living in a shelter with three kids, and that was a gift basket business.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, tell us Okay Real quick, greg. Have you been to the Christmas Cafe yet? No, yes, okay, tell us Okay Real quick, greg. Have you been to the Christmas cafe yet? No oh you will love it. It's so heartwarming. But we'll get to that this. Okay, don't rush past this, because your first gig doing the gift basket. Tell us what. What happened? So you were excited to start this new business.
Speaker 3:Yes, so I start this new business. I was still homeless at the time. I had just ended up moving in with a family member. Ok, and I remember I'm excited, but the thing is you have to listen when you ask. So I remember saying God, I want a business or I need something that I can do so that my kids would not be in daycare so long, because at that time I had got the job, but I lived on another side of town so it would take me two hours to get to work and an hour and a half to get home. So I, because I had to go to a financial district in San Francisco every day and I had a dream in my dreams of a gift basket business. But I'm a girly girl. I'm like I'm not messing up my nails, I'm not getting hot glue. That is so not me.
Speaker 3:I went to acting school, darling, I'm not fixing to do this. That was December. Easter rolls around and I make the kids give baskets like I normally do, and my neighbors were like, oh, my god, who made those? I'm like, oh, I did, it wasn't a big deal. Then everybody started asking me to make them. Wow, but it wasn't just upstream, just like, oh, I did. It wasn't a big deal. Then everybody started asking me to make them Wow. But it wasn't just upstream, just like that. Oh my God, I had to finally accept. So I finally accepted OK, I'm going to do this every day. I would go to the library but I would go on to get on the little sites, the dating sites and things.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's hilarious Back in the day.
Speaker 3:But I realized once I said yes, all of the resources were available, that same library that I would go into every day to get on the computer and do other things. Yeah, the moment I said yes to the gift basket business, I walked in and what did I see? A row of how to start a gift basket business, VHS, tapes. They were always there and, like I tell my clients, nothing happens before you make the decision. So once the decision of okay. I had this dream in December. Now we're in March. It was either March or April for Easter. I walk in the library and that's what I saw. Amazing. Shortly after that I got another job in the accounting department at a wine company in Napa and I didn't like you say I don't tell everybody what it is that I do.
Speaker 3:My friends get on me about that too. And one day I just brought some baskets to work and a lady in the warehouse her name is Miss Sue she said oh, kid, these are nice. She said, hey, I need two to go to Dallas to my grandkids. I didn't have any money, I didn't know what to charge her or anything, but I figured it out. And so the next day I brought two gift baskets to work and I charged her $50. I think it was $50. No, $125. No, I charged her $10. $75. And she gave me $125. Wow, she came, comes back and she said I need two more. I charged her $125. She gave me 150. So in a day I made like what? $275. Wow. And she looked at me and said kid, stop underselling yourself. She said this is better than anything you can get at Costco or at Sam's Club. That's when I knew I actually had something from Miss Sue, come on. And then I got the opportunity. That's a whole other story.
Speaker 2:And I moved to Georgia. You told a story once about one of the first things that you did starting the gift basket and you loaded all the gift baskets up into your car.
Speaker 3:So excited to do. Yes, that's what I'm getting to.
Speaker 2:This is so powerful because not everything like we hear the highlights.
Speaker 3:Yes, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:But sometimes one punch in the face and you're like am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path?
Speaker 3:Yes. So, as I'm trying to get on my feet, I'm like, okay, ms Sue said that I could do it, and then people are starting the daycare, started buying baskets. So there was this flea market or some event I was going to as a vendor and I was making these baskets. I made maybe about 30 baskets and I'm excited because I'm like, okay, if I can sell these baskets, this can get me money so that I can use that to put towards a deposit to move. Okay, that night I loaded up the car after all those hours of work.
Speaker 3:The next morning I woke up, greg, someone had broken into the car. They saw me put the baskets in the car and they broke into the trunk and pulled the trunk down in the back, the seat down, and stole all of the baskets. I was so distraught because I was the kids and I were sleeping on the floor at the time I was so distraught. It was like for every step I took it was like four steps back. But I realized what that was about.
Speaker 3:I don't think people get that once you decide to make a decision, to change your decision, is now, but all that you, the way that you thought, the way that you moved previously is still in cycle. So there was still a part of me. Still should I not, should I not? It makes sense why I got robbed, because I was not 100% solid in my decision, because I was still hot and cold. The moment that you get hot and say it's going to stay hot, that's when it's hot. But when you teeter, everything goes back and forth, and so it also played a part in my belief system. So it was like okay, april, so this happened, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? And when I tell you I cried, so bad I was, it was just like what can I do? My kids didn't know. To this day my kids don't know that we were poor Mike. When I tell them some of the stuff, my daughter was like wait how?
Speaker 3:Because I made everything out of an adventure. Wow, when we lived in the car, it was an adventure that we were going on. Wow, so to this day, and probably why my youngest is so entitled, they don't know. They didn't know because I didn't display it, I still dressed well, I still kept myself up. People never would have known. And then from there I said, I just said forget it. I did say, forget it. I'm like God, I don't even understand what this is. And I'm like God, I don't even understand what this is. And I'm trying, and at that time I'm constantly going and remember I'm working but I still have. I'm still trying to get off of welfare because it wasn't a whole lot of money that I was making $10 an hour.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:So from there, I remember I had a situation that happened that I said I just need to get away. I ended up in a shelter for one night and a friend of mine that I met on a site we never dated, we were always friends, we just happened to talk Hadn't talked in six months. He says April, what's going on? I'm like I just lost my job in Tampa. They laid me off and I don't know what I'm going to do. The very next morning he calls and says hey, I have an empty house out there in Georgia. You and the kids can go live there, rent free until you find a job. And me, being a woman, I'm like what do I have to do with your girlfriend? What is it? He said you're fine, you're not that fine, I'm just trying to help you out.
Speaker 2:No, he didn't. Hey, that's amazing. No strings attached, just kindness.
Speaker 3:Just kindness, just kindness.
Speaker 2:To this day.
Speaker 3:That was in 2003. To this day, I've only met him one time for 15 minutes. What, yes, I wasn't sure if it was real.
Speaker 1:He sent me the keys to the house and I'm like, okay, I don't know, one of those times again.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, right, he sends me. Yes, right, yeah, he sends me. I look up the address, me not knowing golf, my street name was Fairway Overlook, not realizing the house was on the golf course. So I was like, ah, whatever, I don't believe it. 30 days go by, he said April, why haven't you left? And I'm like because I don't have any money to leave. He said well, what do you? How much do you need? I said modest me. I'm like $300. I said $300. He wired me $300. And I'm like okay, april, this is, this is real. You prayed for a house, but you didn't say where. And for me everything comes in twos. Right after he gave me the house, the perfect job in the accounting department came open for the city.
Speaker 3:I had a decision to make Do you go into the unknown or do you stay here? You're still homeless, but you have a good job, but you still have to save up the money to move.
Speaker 2:To get a good home. Yeah, to get a good home, right.
Speaker 3:And so I said, okay, I built my confidence up, because at that time I didn't have any type of motivation, any type of mentors or anything around. And I said, all right, oh, but I had a tape. I had a tape, jack Canfield, there's a tape. I had a tape, jack Canfield, there's a tape.
Speaker 2:Greg, you were friends with him, weren't you? Yeah? Go ahead, that's crazy.
Speaker 3:There's a tape and I credit Jack Canfield for me, even gracing stages.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:So in 2003, when I started working finally started working when I was on welfare. There's a welfare to work program that they had in LA and in order to be on their program you had to go to this seminar or something and my little bag was a cassette tape from Jack Canfield.
Speaker 2:No way.
Speaker 3:I literally still have the notes from 2003 in my email.
Speaker 2:So, first of all, somebody in the government had the good idea to not just say let's give her, let's give them a fish, let's they. They had the idea to change a mindset. Yes, that was genius, whoever was that because they don't do that type of thing.
Speaker 3:I don't think I'm trying to do it now. I love it. I'm trying to give back and do it now. So I got that great smile. He's like so happy. I'm telling you that.
Speaker 1:I can see Jack right now hearing this story.
Speaker 3:It changed my entire life and I remember it was all about mindset. It was all about who do you want to be, what do you want to become? It was all of that. I didn't know, because I was like, and I have a birthday this month, so I had to be about 25 ish, somewhere in there, 25, 26, somewhere in there. So I didn't know exactly what it was, but that tape resonated with me and I kept it as long as I possibly could.
Speaker 3:I don't know where it is now, but the notes that I have and cause I would be on my job listening to it and I would be emailing, sneaking, emailing myself the notes from the tape. Wow, and so it was Jack Canfield who I credit with opening my eyes to there is something bigger, that's bigger than you. And so, from there, getting back to the story of how I got to Georgia, when he sent me the money, I said OK, I'm motivated, I'm going to go until the next day. Oh no, the next day, love, I found out my license was suspended, I had no insurance and my tires were bald.
Speaker 2:It's always something.
Speaker 3:it's always something and I'm like I said oh my God, I'm going to let me send this man back his money, cause I don't want him to think that I was trying to do it for 300 bucks. Oh man. But what happened was my neighbor, mrs Blackwell. She was from Barbados and my battery went out in the car. I had a 1990 Chrysler LeBaron. Oh, burgundy white rag top People would love to have that nowadays here in Youngstown.
Speaker 3:All right, that was my car. And the next day she saw me outside. She said darling, what are you doing, darling? I said, ms Blackwell, my battery went out of the car. She says let me call AAA. I didn't know I should have AAA. So she calls AAA. Now imagine, here's the house, right here. My house is next door. I'm standing here facing her. This is the street. There's a stop sign here, stop sign there. Aaa comes.
Speaker 3:He looks just like Santa Claus, like when I say Santa Claus, he turns around and he said hey, little lady, what's going on? I said my battery went out of my car. I don't, claus. He turns around and he said hey, little lady, what's going on? I said my battery went out of my car. I don't know. You know what the deal is. He said all right, I'll take care of it. Turn around and talk to Miss Blackwell. She said oh, darling, you're going to Atlanta. They have beautiful men and blah, blah, blah, she was a very well-traveled lady. I turn around and Santa says pick a card, any card, and I was raised real religious so we didn't play cards, but they were like these big cards. He said pick one, I pick one. And it was a scripture that said something to the effect of faith. Is a substance of evidence not seen, or something like the scripture I'm about to cry.
Speaker 2:What is that?
Speaker 3:That was the scripture. It was like Hebrews 11 one. Yes, that's what it was, no-transcript. It's like he just came into my life to let me know it's okay and he left. That was October 16th 2003. Myself, my three kids, no license, no insurance, ball tires, got in the car and drove from the San Francisco Bay Area to Atlanta Georgia with $300, three kids and a computer.
Speaker 3:Back then you had the big monitor and the tower. That was it. That was it. We didn't have money for a hotel. We stayed at the rest stops.
Speaker 3:By the time I got to Georgia, as I'm driving, I'm like oh, these are nice homes, these are not realizing. It's on a golf course. And so I remember when I pulled up to the house on I left on the 17th, I got there on the 21st I said God, if these keys don't work, it doesn't matter, because I'm staying anyway. I didn't wake the kids up. It was two o'clock in the morning and I got out of the car, opened the door and voila vaulted ceilings.
Speaker 3:The house was only two years old and I didn't have to pay rent until I found a job. I didn't know if I was going to, how it was going to all work, but we were there and the people that I had met online back cause back in the day. That's when we had those AOL discs and I was on these different websites making friends in Georgia. They were rooting me on the whole way, but we didn't have GPS. I was on a MapQuest printout, oh my goodness. So that's how I ended up in Georgia, and it was just that's where the April Mason empire was actually built In Atlanta.
Speaker 3:Georgia In.
Speaker 2:Atlanta, georgia. Yeah, unreal, yeah, amazing. Okay, so no wonder why you have fallen in love with Christmas.
Speaker 3:But I didn't think about it until you and I had the conversation. Are you serious? I completely forgot. I even forgot that my car does an entire Christmas playlist with the wings and everything. Wow, it didn't even click. It didn't even. It didn't even clicked. It didn't even click. It didn't even click until about two months ago that our address at the cafe is 7393 California Avenue and I'm from California.
Speaker 2:None of it clicked until recently. Yeah, unbelievable. Yeah, what do you have to say, greg?
Speaker 1:I think she's got a book the cars I've driven, oh yeah, oh yes.
Speaker 2:Oh wait, Did you see the Cars she Drives Now?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, that's a really good book. Then because wow?
Speaker 3:Okay, yes, wow, that's how that all started. And then, long story short, I ended up opening up a gift basket store there shortly after being in Georgia, okay, and my entrepreneurial endeavors just continued to flourish. But I think people they only see the highlights. In my last book, identity Switch, I talk about one of the most humiliating times in my life. It was when I got my car repossessed as I'm teaching an entrepreneurship conference. In front of the window, no, in front of the window, and they came in smelling like cigars, looking like they were just the dirty guys from the Dukes of Hazzard, like they look Dukes of Hazzard but they just look just dingy. And they walked in. April Mason, we need to get you all your ish out of your car. I have a room full of people Now. It didn't mean the information that I was teaching, wasn't?
Speaker 2:valid.
Speaker 3:It's. Would you buy a car from someone that drove a 1982 Volvo and they're telling you they have a sticker on their car saying, hey, I can help you get a car? You wouldn't. So, although I'm still trying to help people with their gift basket business and establishing business credit is my background I'm sitting there like this can't be so. It's almost like I felt like I was standing in a boxing ring and I was taking every punch to break any family. What do you want to call it? History, history and patterns, because my kids know nothing of this lifestyle. Wow, so it stopped with me, come on.
Speaker 2:You know who did I hear that? Somebody saying it stops with me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it stops with me, it stopped with me. So now my daughter she works for me full time, and so does my son in law.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:He's a software engineer. They run the other side of the April Mason brand, the Caspade.
Speaker 3:That's my passion project okay so people need to understand that just because you make a decision to say, all right, I'm going to start this business, I'm going to do this food truck, I'm going to do whatever this thing is, yeah, oh, all hell is going to break loose. That is this what it's going to do, because you're the old version of you is fighting with the new thoughts. Wow, so now the old version of you is saying I call the subconscious mind. Jane or Jane or Jack or Jessica, or Jack. Jessica is going to say you can't do that. Who do you think you are to think that you can do that?
Speaker 3:James is going to say oh, you're a clown. Nobody in your family has ever done that. So you're going to be battling with the old version of you and the new version, and so that's why all hell breaks loose. I even had it in my contract when I was coaching. If you coach with me, understand all hell's going to break through in your life, break loose every time. Why did you say that? I said because there's a battle going on and your subconscious mind wants you to stay the same and you are reprogramming it with the good.
Speaker 2:What's interesting is there is a. In physics. There is a thing like basically they put something in motion, so there's a certain motion in a container, and then they let it go in that motion, and then they insert something from the outside in, like a foreign object, let's stick or something, and then they could see that the it interrupts that flow of motion. So momentarily it's chaotic. They all, the molecules, don't know what to do. They're bumping into each other. They don't know which way to go until a new pattern is formed.
Speaker 2:Yes, right yes so sometimes that, knowing that it's helped me when I encounter these situations, that I'm like what is going on, yes, and I realize you know what A new pattern is being formed, because I don't want the old pattern anymore.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying. So, yes, it's like you're literally fighting for your life, because if you go back to what you know, because it's comfortable, you won't get to the goal. And a lot of times people try to bring their old version of themselves into the new, but that doesn't work, because if the old version worked, you would already be there.
Speaker 1:It reminds me I was helping churches out when they were growing, because there's growth spots. With churches you get to about 500, there's a growth spot. You get to about 1,200, then about 1,800 and then about 3,000.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 1:And they were always rubbing up against this problem. When I saw John Maxwell, I was down with John and I said John, I'm having this problem, blah, blah, blah. And I'm explaining and he goes Craig, you can't run a church at 500 the same as you ran a church at 200. You just got to run it different.
Speaker 3:Wow, you just got to run it different. Wow, oh, but running it different it makes you have to expand. Right, you have to expand because you're trying to do the same thing with the 500. That's it, yeah, and you have to give up.
Speaker 1:to go up, you have to give up some of the things you do to bring people in that can do better what you did. And you have to keep on getting down and narrowing down what you do, so you're doing that one thing nobody else in the world can do and everybody else is doing everything else so good, yeah, all right, that's it.
Speaker 2:Youngstown clique is going to have a leadership seminar with greg smith and april mason, with a special video appearance by jack camp yes, yes, oh, he'd, oh, he'd do it, he'd do it.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I love him, he'd do it.
Speaker 2:Yes, wow, that's amazing. All right, so you came back to Youngstown? Yes, after all this.
Speaker 3:After my youngest child is 26. Wow, 26 years later 26 years later.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3:Okay, so tell us how that happened. Actually, I didn't come to live, so once again, I'm a spirit woman. November of 2022, I start feeling I know when my time is up somewhere. I've been in Atlanta 20 years and the more you get in tune spiritually, you don't have to ask a bunch of questions. I believe people. They are religious, but they're not spiritual enough to where they can navigate it's. I pray, I get the answer, but then I pray again about the answer that I just got, because I don't trust the downloads that I got, because I don't trust myself.
Speaker 3:so how can I trust god if I don't trust myself wasting time? I'm like, stop wasting time praying about the answer that you got. It's like either you trust or you don't. So I started feeling that and I remember I was on my social media and I said all right, guys, I feel like it's time for me to leave Atlanta. It's been great, I've built so many wonderful things here, I have my office here and everything, but I just feel it Give me some places. Give me some places, my best friend. Of course. They wanted me to come to Nashville, like they are in the country music industry, and they were like you should come to Nashville. So I went and spent a week in Nashville. I actually stayed.
Speaker 2:Did you at the Opryland? Yeah, that Christmas I actually stayed at.
Speaker 3:Did you at the Opryland? Yeah, that.
Speaker 2:Christmas. Yeah, I stayed there. The small hotel, yeah, the small hotel.
Speaker 3:The thing about it is the thing about it. It's beautiful. But I'm not going back Really Only because you got to walk to.
Speaker 2:Jerusalem to get to your room. Yeah, yeah, you got to go down the little gondola it should be the Gaylord walk it off.
Speaker 1:It's like an expo center.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, oh my goodness. So yeah, but it was beautiful. So I went and stayed to see how I liked it. I like it for them, I like it for them and I like when I go. I got to go to the Country Music Awards last year.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:Yes, I did, it was my first one year. No, yes, I did, it was my first one, and you know that you are doing something special. When a woman walks by you, she's like oh my God, you look gorgeous, your dress is beautiful and you know her face, but you can't place her name and I'm like I know that lady. Come to find out it was Nicole Kidman. No, way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you get a compliment from Nicole Kidman.
Speaker 3:Listen yes, wow, so I was backstage, so I got to meet everybody New t-shirt new t-shirt.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I got complimented Everybody is back there.
Speaker 3:Wow, everybody. There's one ladies' restroom and one men's. So if you got to go to the restroom, everybody's in there. What there was, the whole everybody. And I'm like I just got You're kidding. That's how it is back there. Yes, yes, but I will tell you who has the softest hands you'll ever touch. Oh my, okay, luke Bryan.
Speaker 2:Wait a minute. He's supposed to be a country boy.
Speaker 3:No, his hands are like Wonder Bread Really. Yes, but does he have a good handshake? He goes like this he grabbed my hand. I said oh, it's so nice to meet you.
Speaker 2:No, he doesn't. I'm like did he bite my hand? You're like, look at Greg just shaking his head like Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wouldn't get giddy over that, yeah.
Speaker 3:I did, I did, I turned red. You might not be able to tell, but I did.
Speaker 1:Dolly Parton maybe, but not I was hoping the ones that I wanted to meet.
Speaker 3:I did not. Either I was moving around or I didn't get to meet them. But it was Dolly and Reba. I was really looking to meet them, but I got to meet everybody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was really great.
Speaker 3:But Nashville, I told her. I said Nashville is busy for me, Just like Atlanta was busy. I didn't want the traffic. So I had a couple of other places on my list. This was not on the list. No, I came here because I still had family here and I was looking for investment property and my brother is a contractor. So I said if I find some investment property, you can rehab it. And his ex passed away, you and the girls can can live here. And then my son was going to come here he was already here and maybe go to ysu and all that. That was my thing. Come in, buy some property, head out to another city. What had happened?
Speaker 3:was I'm looking around and I'm like, okay, oh, you can buy an investment property for $50,000 or $80,000 here last year. And so all of a sudden something. It was a ding on my phone and it was Zillow. I had no idea that you could live in a house here like a single family home. Yeah, that was not that expensive. So the realtor, I said is this a house you can actually live in? He said yes. I said are you?
Speaker 2:serious.
Speaker 3:It's not like a rehab project yeah.
Speaker 3:I said stop looking for investment properties, Look for me a house. That was February 27. The houses he sent me weren't the one the one. Right before I was getting ready to head to the airport. He said April, this is the one and I go by and see it. And I'm a field girl. I said this feels right. And I said put an offer on it the next day. He said, april, this is going to be a bidding war. I said I don't care. I said do you know who I am? All adversity I've gone through.
Speaker 3:I had no idea that I was going to be here. I'm like there's nothing to do here. I'm a single woman. All the men drive Ford F-150. There's no boom, bang, pow here. There's nothing to do on a Friday night. I'm just complaining. I'm like, okay. When I finally got here, I'm sitting here. Okay, april, you just put an offer in on a doggone house. So I get back to Atlanta and I call my daughter and son-in-law. I said, hey, I'm moving. They're like oh, where you going? What you do? What did you do this time? I said, oh, I bought a house and I'm like where? I said in Boardman Ohio. It's like what?
Speaker 3:no Nashville no, not in Diego, none of that. But here's the thing. I what? Let me know that I'm supposed to be here. My grandmother, before she passed in 2012, told us that she made a mistake and sold all of the land and property that her grandfather left us in Mississippi. She told us this before she passed. Okay, I always felt like it was on me to reclaim that and in some way I didn't know how. Okay, but when I put the offer in on the house, it was they were trying to. It was a bidding war. When I got there, it was a lot of people there and I called my realtor and I said make it a cash offer. I didn't understand what I was doing in the moment. Okay, I got the revelation afterwards, okay, and he said are you sure? I said I'm positive he puts a cash offer in? They sure? I said I'm positive he puts a cash offer in? They accept it same day? Wow, I'm like what in?
Speaker 2:the heck did I just do, I just took pretty much my savings.
Speaker 3:But here's the thing Two days later I'm in now. When I was in Atlanta, I was at a condo, 22nd floor, looking over the city. It hit me oh my God, you have land. I just reclaimed what my grandmother let go. Now we literally have something to actually pass down. I couldn't take out a mortgage on that house because I wouldn't have owned it. Oh wow, I own the house outright. All I pay is taxes on it. Yeah, and when I finally moved here, I've been here just made a year. But when I got here, my neighbor, she comes across the street and she says here's a cake. It's a banana nut cake. That's my favorite.
Speaker 3:And she says if you need anything, let me know. She writes her name on a piece of paper, her and her husband. She's probably in her 70s. I closed the door. Greg looked at the paper. Why is her name? It was her name, but her husband's name is my grandmother's father's whole entire name. First and last, it was like my grandmother was saying you did right, calm your nervous system down. I know you don't understand, calm down. And so I don't understand Calm down. And so I called my mom. I said Ma, isn't Big Mama's father's name Bill Wells?
Speaker 1:She said yeah, why?
Speaker 3:I said this is crazy. So, as I'm trying to settle into, okay, april, you're here. It was like I'm getting little signs that.
Speaker 1:I'm in the right place here.
Speaker 3:It was like I'm getting little signs that I'm in the right place. I go to Poland and there's this consignment shop, a furniture consignment shop yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in the heart of Poland.
Speaker 3:Yes. So I go over there and I'm talking to the ladies, all of a sudden she just brings up a red door and I said okay. She said you know what a red door signifies. I said what does a red door signify? She said a red door means that they used to paint the door back in the day and it meant that they were debt free. And I said my door on my house is red and my house is. I'm debt free on our own. She said oh my God, look at my arm. She said I'm turning red. I just got chills and so little things like that kind of. Let me know, april, no, you're not in the city. There's not a whole lot of excitement. The city closed really early, but you're here for a reason, and so I believe those little nudges are what's made me say okay, all right, april, settle in, don't start trying to look for other things.
Speaker 2:Settle in.
Speaker 3:And then that was in May of last year June comes around, june 8th my friend from Nashville. They were on tour. And she says hey, girl, I'm on tour, but I'm between sets. What are you doing? I said I'm bored, there's nothing to do. And I said I don't even know why I'm here. And I said all the no. She says oh, did you find anybody to date? I said all the men drive Ford F-150s here. And I don't even know what I'm going to do. I'm just going in. I said I'm going to talk to you later. I said I'm going to go listen to some Christmas music because Christmas music makes me happy.
Speaker 3:Seed planted right there. Seed planted, yes. So I literally got in my car and drove around Boardman listening to it's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams. That night I went to bed before I could even open my eyes. Good, the thought came how many other people do Christmas make them happy? And I had noticed prior there's a lot of mental health facilities around here and I said Christmas changes the mood. So in 20 minutes I typed out a sales pitch and I texted to all my friends and said what do you think they're like? Where in the heck is this place? It sounds so magical. I said it's in my head, I don't know. Right after that I texted to my. Gotta be real there first. Yes, I texted to my trademark attorney. I said trademark, this name, the Christmas Cafe. She said what is this? I said I don't know yet. Just do it. Make it a 1B classification right now. She said OK, I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I didn't think of anything, it was just like.
Speaker 2:I would love this.
Speaker 3:I have a women's organization with about a thousand women in it. I even pitched it to them. I said what do you guys think about something called the Christmas Cafe? And it will be like a coffee shop. And so they've been able to watch from the idea, from the inception, until us actually manifesting it, doing it.
Speaker 2:So tell us, okay. So it's open from Wednesday to Sunday? Yes, okay, so tell us a little bit. You have game night, you have karaoke? Yes, okay, so tell us a little bit. You have game night, you have karaoke? Yes, you have a whole bar. It's set up almost like a sleigh. Yeah, it's so.
Speaker 2:Honestly, if I could be honest and I know we're going a little long here, I'm sorry, greg, but okay, honestly, when I heard the Christmas Cafe, I didn't see the news or anything. I just heard about it and I thought, oh, this will be interesting. It's probably somebody who loves Christmas is like old collections, yes, like a collectible type thing, and, to be honest with you, sometimes it was get a little creepy. You see these old like dolls and all this stuff. But I was like, okay, let me go. And so when I walked in, I had zero expectation. I didn't see the news articles and all this stuff and my heart was instantly warmed.
Speaker 2:I came in, I sat there waiting for a little bit, trying to see who you know who owned it and that type of thing, and it was busy and there were families with kids. There were. I'll never forget there was an older lady sitting there just looking so happy by herself and I was like, normally when I see like an older person sitting by themselves, I'm almost like inclined to say, hey, can I sit with you? But she just looks so happy sitting by herself. And then, a couple of tables over there was an older gentleman who was like smiling at the young kids and he was by himself. And then there was other adults, and then there was a mom and her daughter playing games and I'm like watching this whole thing just from an objective point of view, like. And then this was the coolest thing and I mentioned this when I talked to you that day there was this kid who, when he came in with his little group, he was so cranky, I'm telling you, he was like I want my own table and he had his arms crossed and and the mom was like no, you're going to sit there and you're going to whatever.
Speaker 2:When he left, when that group left, he was skipping out the door. He was so happy, relaxed, I couldn't believe it. And, yeah, so that's my Christmas cafe experience. And then we did game night. We brought a group together for game night and everybody had a great time. Yeah, if you have not tried the Christmas cafe yet, you got to pitch it.
Speaker 2:Where is it?
Speaker 3:I know right here, yes, I well, you know.
Speaker 1:Everybody's going. I can't pick up my phone in Ohio so I can't Google it.
Speaker 3:We're at 7393 California Avenue in Bortman, ohio, and one of the things that I wanted to make sure is that of is that it felt warm, it feels like grandma's house when you walk in. And, honestly, greg, our number one customer is our seniors. Our seniors is what keeps the cafe open, because we have, like old school records. We even I even found an old school record player that our grandparents used to have. And the ladies I don't care who walks in there. If she is 70 and over, johnny Mathis is her man.
Speaker 1:Period.
Speaker 3:They love Johnny Mathis and you get to hear the beautiful stories. And I remember there was one lady. She came in and just because a person might not look happy doesn't mean they're not happy or they could be going through something. She looked a little cranky. I just greeted her hey, welcome to the Christmas cafe. When she left, she ate all of our food because one of our signatures is our peach cobbler, christmas tree waffles. And so I said I had me there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and they're really good. They're really good. All of our waffles look like Christmas trees.
Speaker 1:OK.
Speaker 3:And so I said she ate it all. But I said I take it, you didn't like it. And she said oh, I loved it. She said thank you for creating this place. I was diagnosed with stage four cancer and both of my parents are ailing and I needed to come here. Shortly after that, a guy came. He said I heard about this place and he just came and sat at the bar. Now we don't have our liquor license or anything. He just came and sat at the bar and we got to talking and he said I had to come here today.
Speaker 3:My father died yesterday and Christmas was his favorite holiday, so that's what the Christmas cafe brings. People walk in one way but they walk out another. So this is a passion project, but it also has become more of a healing place. I would say, and actually I end up having to bring my professional side of who I am in my career over into the cafe. I was trying to keep them separate.
Speaker 2:But it's not working. There is a beauty and a healing about wonder. Yes, what is that working? There is a beauty and a healing about wonder. Yes, the wonder of even just we're part of a toastmasters group and that we had a guest last week or before the two weeks ago, and she was saying on her own. She said I love christmas. She said in my house, that was like one garrett. She said my house, my, my family was a little bit like kind of dysfunctional.
Speaker 2:I'm putting that word in but like just all over. But christmas was one time that I knew that we'd all be together and stuff. And so she's talking about how much that's her favorite holiday and how much it means to her and the wonder and the magic and the excitement of it all. And so I told her about the Christmas cafe, because I said it's year round. But just hearing the emotion of which she experienced Christmas, because it was the one time that her family would, she knew as, even as a kid, like our family will be together we'll do something together it was incredible to see what Christmas means to so many people yes, and for me, christmas is a time where people are actually nicer to each other.
Speaker 3:During Christmas, your religion doesn't matter. Your political views, your religion doesn't matter. Your political views or race doesn't matter what we see in the Christmas cafe. We see people from all walks of life. We see the young and the elderly coming together. There was a group of about 15 boys that got kicked out of the mall. I saw that on my phone. They got kicked out of the mall and it had to be like 35 degrees, but that was warm because with the windshield it had to be about 25. It felt like 25. They're coming across the street and I'm like why are these babies outside without jackets and without they had on shorts. So I see them come in and I tell someone. I said tell them to come in here. Before they could tell them, the guys walked in. I said come in here. I said what are you guys doing outside? We got kicked out of the mall. I said what did you do? They're like ma'am, we didn't do nothing. I said are you telling me lies? No, ma'am. They said that we, you know we were huddled up and I said were you doing all of that, boy? I said because I have sons, so I know. And I said were you loud? They were like well, I said girls, turn on the heaters for the fellas. And I turned on one heater the one, the fireplace and then there's another one on the other side. I said go stand by the heater.
Speaker 3:During that time I was on my Instagram Live and it was close to a thousand people on my Instagram Live and I said hold on you guys, cause I was teaching. I said hold on, we got the boys to come in and so we get to talking to them. One of my followers, she, says Ms April, how much is hot chocolate? I said a small hot chocolate. I said about $2, two, 50. She said I'm not getting ready to close and we had extra cookies. I said girls, don't throw the cookies away. I said hey, fellas, you guys want some cookies? Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am. I said are you going to act right? Yes, yes, ma'am. I said are you going to have on clothes next time? I see you, make sure you have on clothes when it's cold, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:So they all wanted to call their parents to come and get them, but we made sure they were warm and I had a piano. One of them started playing the piano. I said I have games. Oh, you have games. I said, not video games, love. I said you guys have to go play the board games. They go get the board games. They pull out the twister. It actually required them to actually have more human connection, human interaction. There was no video games, it was. Let me go back to something that they might have even been used to because they're so young, but they pulled out the games. They pulled out the twister, the chess, the checkers and, for whatever reason, any man, I don't care if he's 8 or 80, they always pick Operation to play. That is funny. That's what the Christmas Cafe is. You know what it reminds me of Debbie? What Cheers Aww, where everybody knows you.
Speaker 3:We know our regulars. Gina and Patrick come every Friday. Patrick comes and he plays Christmas songs for us. Dino comes, Dino, he brought me another album, the Chipmunks Christmas album. I had another customer come in. He brought a bunch of albums. He went home he said I love this place and he brought us a bunch of albums because we put the album covers on the wall. Yeah, so we have a really great customer base and my goal is to make people feel like they're seen and heard here. You are seen when you're here. Hey Miss Vicky, hey Gina, hey Dina, you are seen when you're here. Hey Miss Vicki, hey Gina, hey Dana. Like we know our people, that's so cool.
Speaker 2:So, incredibly cool. Wow, very so. That's the Christmas campaign.
Speaker 1:Well, let's wrap this thing up. Oh, are we doing quick fire or are we out of time? Do you want to do rapid fire?
Speaker 2:Rapid fire. All right, pepsi or Coke Coke Atlanta.
Speaker 1:There, it is right there. Atlanta got you.
Speaker 2:Miracle Whip or mayonnaise Mayo.
Speaker 1:Mayo, the real stuff.
Speaker 2:All right, the beach or mountains Beach.
Speaker 1:Okay, she lit up on that one, I know.
Speaker 2:She did Wine or beer Wine Okay.
Speaker 3:What kind?
Speaker 1:A good Cabernet, good red wine all right, what do you got? What do I got? Yeah, no, you keep going. You're doing great.
Speaker 2:I'm like all right, are you doing a good burger or a good salad?
Speaker 3:I should be doing salad, but I I'm going to go with a burger.
Speaker 1:Okay, favorite French fry in Youngstown Ohio hey.
Speaker 3:Chick-fil-A the waffle fries.
Speaker 1:What about the favorite pizza? This is tough, I know, especially coming from somebody outside who didn't grow up on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:That's a challenging one, because I don't know if I've eaten pizzas since I've been here yet.
Speaker 1:Oh well, you know what we?
Speaker 3:stumped her, so that means I have to go get some pizza. Who would you guys recommend?
Speaker 1:Definitely.
Speaker 2:Wedgwood, you've got to do?
Speaker 1:Wedgwood MVR is great. Oh my goodness, yeah, so many good ones somebody said something about corner cornersburg pizza
Speaker 2:yeah, the avalon downtown they have a hot honey pesto pizza, oh my god, oh yeah, you can't, you can't go bellaria, they say. Everybody who comes back to town from like after they've been away for a while wants bellaria, briar hill pizza you do know that I'm trying to lose 20 pounds Because I've been in the hostel. Okay, Emmanuel's Pizza just had a 13-pound pizza challenge.
Speaker 1:You're really helping me out. I'm trying. So one more time, plug the Christmas Cafe, the.
Speaker 3:Christmas Cafe can be found at 7393 California Avenue in Portman Ohio. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok under Christmas Cafe OH.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much, April Awesome.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me.