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| Stephaine Graham, owner of The Detox Bar in Clinton, NC |
Now and then I interview a local business owner to share their story about how they started their business. Business and writing both require creativity and initiative; both take courage. We can always use another inspiring story to help pull us toward our goals.
Here's Stephaine's story:
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| Stephaine at 291 lbs. and Stephaine today |
Haven't we all been there about something in our lives? She didn't change at first because she "didn't feel like it." I know I've seen the results of some of my decisions and continued without change, thinking that I still had plenty of time to do differently down the road.
I love how Stephaine's mind finally connected with the need to change.
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| Interviewing Stephaine at The Detox Bar |
Two years later when her doctor put her on a third blood pressure pill, the memory of Stephaine's grandma connected with her.
"She always had this bucket of pills," said Stephaine. "I never wanted to be like that."
Stephaine saw what her future would be if she didn't change--she would end up with a bucket of pills just like her grandma.
"I was choosing food over living," Stephaine said. If there was a celebration, a funeral, or she was just hanging out with friends, there was food. "I was eating instead of dealing with my emotions."
Exercise was one of the things Stephaine was supposed to do to help her health. However, she didn't have the energy to walk around the block. A friend was selling some detox tea. The tea helps to clean toxins from the body, which, in turn, revives energy. Stephaine tried it. She started feeling better, more energetic. She lost 7.8 lbs. her first week, and she had the energy to begin walking around the block. Stephaine continued drinking the detox tea, exercising and eating better. In the mirror "I was seeing me again, feeling like me again," she said.
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| Stephaine with fiance Heather Dixon |
She kept a journal to track her emotions and triggers that caused her to go back to emotional eating. During rough patches, she reread her journal to help herself get back on track. "Your friends are not going to understand your path," she said.
This last line connected with me. We may be taught to value the opinions of others, but there are moments where we must go forward alone for a time because we are doing something that those around us do not understand. Here is where we take initiative. Here is where we need to use our courage.
Four years later Stephaine lost over 117 lbs. and regained her health.
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| Serving up some strawberry lemonade tea for me to try (Mm!) |
Along the way Stephaine began selling detox tea from the trunk of her car. She wanted to form a community of accountability partners around her weight-loss journey. Business was slow until she created her first flavored detox tea to help her nephew start detoxing. Stephaine's peach-flavored tea was the beginning of making detoxing taste good. She created additional flavors--all sugar free but without the aftertaste of sugar substitutes. I don't know how she does it, but I tried her strawberry lemonade tea and her mango tea. They were full-flavored, sweet and delicious. Ice cold, they are very refreshing. Just thinking about them, I wish I had one in hand right now, just for the taste!
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| My first taste of detox tea |
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| Trying to decide which flavor I like best |
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| Can't decide! |
By the end of 2019, Stephaine rented a tiny 380 square foot storefront on the square in historical downtown Clinton. In August 2020 an opportunity came up to buy a 3,784 square foot storefront, also on the square. Stephaine bought it and became one of the first female African Americans to own property in Clinton.
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| The Detox Bar - Wellness and Beauty Center in historical downtown Clinton |
In the front of the store, she continues to run her detox bar. With the rest of the space, Stephaine has plans to renovate it and offer it as rental spaces for other entrepreneurs just starting out like she did four years ago. When Stephaine was a kid, she sold newspapers to the business owners on this square. Today, as she celebrates her 40th birthday, she is now one of those business owners on the square.
I'm glad to have met her and to have this opportunity to share her story. Thank you, Stephaine!
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| Waist trainers help to sculpt the body as it loses weight |
To see Stephaine's range of teas and other helpful products like her medical grade sculpting garments, go to www.thedetoxbarinc.com. For questions, call 919-473-3824 or email info@thedetoxbarinc.com. Follow her on Facebook at The Detox Bar - Wellness and Beauty Center and Stephaine Graham and on Instagram at @thedetoxbarinc.
If you live in Clinton, stop by The Detox Bar at 108 Sampson Street on Saturdays between 11am and 2pm to learn more about detoxing with Stephaine's special blend of tea and flavors and to become part of a community that supports each other in empowering their health and snatching back their waistlines.
For more inspiration from small business owners, click here.
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