Martie’s Steakhouse and More is opening soon in Columbus.
Business partners Carl Ulmer and Martie Bowen are starting their own steakhouse at the former Office Sports Grill and Bar building at 3756 Hwy. 45 N.
I went back into The Dispatch archives and found a little background information on Bowen and her Columbus story. According to former Dispatch publisher Birney Imes III’s Partial to Home column, Martie had been waiting tables and serving meals at Old Hickory for its customers for decades.
She even ran her own restaurant between 2001 and 2011, Martie’s Steaks and Catfish on Tuscaloosa Road. I can’t wait to see what Bowen and Ulmer cook up, and I’ll keep you updated with the details once I get them.
In other food news, if you love Mexican food for breakfast, you have a short window to prove it. Mi Ranchero, located at 113 Tuscaloosa Road in Columbus, has kicked off a two-week trial period for breakfast service.
From 7 to 10:30 a.m., Monday through Thursday, you can stop by for breakfast burritos, tacos, omelets and even pancake plates. Management shared on social media that this is a trial period to evaluate customer response, workflow and staffing needs. So, if you want breakfast tacos to become a permanent staple on Tuscaloosa Road, make sure you go support them this week.
Moving over to Starkville, one of the city’s most historic landmarks has officially changed hands.
The Montgomery B&B, located at 607 Old West Point Road, has officially been taken over by new owners. If you aren’t familiar with the property’s deep roots, it is one of the oldest homes in Starkville. Built by David Montgomery back in 1840, the historic property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stayed within the Montgomery family for well over a century until former Starkville judge William Eshee purchased it in 1999. In 2019, Lee Carson and his wife took over, and now, it boasts two new caretakers.
Stephen Johnston and Corky Smith, who were Heritage Academy classmates and roommates at Mississippi State, officially took the reins earlier this month. Johnston told me that Smith happened to pass the bed and breakfast when it was listed for sale, which kicked off the duo’s latest business venture.
“I don’t remember the exact chain of events, but (I) decided to just go look at the Montgomery property and knew instantly that this is it,” Johnston said. “It just has that wow factor.”
Right now, the duo is focused on the massive 11-acre property itself. They are working hard to clear back some of the overgrowth from the last few years, with big long-term plans to invest heavily in landscaping and customer service. Eventually, they hope to add walking paths, bee houses and plant more native Mississippi trees and plants.
“We both think a historic place like that should be shared and enjoyed by the whole community and want to find ways for it to be used,” Johnston said. “The incredible property manager Mrs. Lynn (Berch) is staying on with the property, we were incredibly grateful that she is. .. She makes sure people are taken care of.”
You can follow The Montgomery B&B on Facebook to watch their progress and catch updates.
Also in Starkville, Starkvegas Snowballs is also under new ownership. The Cater family announced after 11 years, they were stepping out of the snowball business.
The company posted the business change on Instagram last week.
“From the very first snowball we served back in 2015, this little stand has been so much more than a business to us – it’s been a labor of love,” the Instagram post read. “We could not have done it without our amazing staff. …We’re so grateful for our loyal customers who supported us over the years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
I reached out to the new owner Mallory Halfacre, who owns the Whole Bean Coffee Co. truck that has set up shop in Starkvegas Snowballs’ parking lot.
Halfacre said they will be making a couple changes with the business, including closing the location on Lummus and expanding the offerings to the MLK locations.
“We’re doing a different menu for the snowcones and we will hope to have the building ready by the end of summer to have a sit down spot inside,” she said.
Check out the new owners and menu items at 113 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive 1-7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Former Dispatch reporter Mary Pollitz writes weekly about interesting business news. Have a tip? Send it to [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
