I'm
I'm sure
I'm sure many of you remember 4@ Sappington Farmer's Market in Affton. It 4@was a
4@
4@ >>>
4@ >>> I'M SURE MANY OF YOU REMEMBER SAPPINGTON FARMERS
MARKET 4@, IT WAS A MAINSTAY IN
OUR COMMUNITY FOR DECADES,
ENCLOSED SEVERAL YEARS AGO BUT
ONE OF THE FORMER OWNERS, TESSA
GREENSPAN, MADE HER MARK IN TH4
INDUSTRY, AFTER OWNING IT 4@ FO
NEARLY 30 4@YEARS.
TESSA HAS WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT
HER EXTRAORDINARY LIFE, IS
CALLED FROM OUTHOUSE TO
PENTHOUSE, IT TAKES YOU THROUGH
HER LIFE GROWING UP IN
ARKANSAS, TO MAKING A VERY
SUCCESSFUL CAREER HERE IN ST.
LOUIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> I REMEMBER INTERVIEWING YOU
WHEN I WAS THE HOST OF SHOW ME
ST. LOUIS, DENNIS, 4@TESSA, IT
WAS LIKE WELL, 17, 18 YEARS
AGO.
AND YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT BACK
THEN I SAID WOW, A FEMALE WHO
MADE IT IN THAT INDUSTRY4@4@4@
SUSTAINED IT FOR SO MANY YEARS,
IT WAS REALLY QUITE
EXTRAORDINARY.
>> IT WAS, AND I WAS AHEAD OF
THE CURVE BECAUSE WOMEN DIDN'T
OWN STORES.>> SO HOW 4@DID YOU
END UP OWNING SAPPINGTON
FARMERS MARKET?
>> WELL I WAS LOOKING FOR A
BUSINESS , AFTER MY HUSBAND AND
I HAVE CLOSED HOURS, AND 4@IT W
A FARMERS MARKET,4@ SO I WENT A
ASKED SEVERAL MEN, IT WAS A
FATHER AND SON IF THEY WANTED
TO PARTNER WITH ME AND THEY
SAID YES.4@4@
>> AND THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED?
>> AND THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED.
>> BUT WHEN YOU GOT IT, IT
WASN'T FINANCIALLY SOUND?
>>4@ IT WAS, WHEN I OPENED IT,
THE TWO PARTNERS WANTED A
MEETING, AND THEY HANDED 4@ME T
KEYS AND SAID THEY WERE GOING 4@
BANKRUPT,4@ THEY HAD RAN THE
STORE BECAUSE THEY OWNED A
CHAIN OF STORES IN ILLINOIS.
AND WHEN I GOT INTO THE BOOK I
SAW THEY HAD SIPHONED A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY AND
I WAS LEFT A 4@DEBT OF $1
MILLION.
>> HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET
IT FROM OUT OF DEBT INTO MAKING
MONEY AGAIN?
>> WELL, IT TOOK A LONG TIME BUT
WE DEVELOPED A LETTER AND SEND
IT TO ALL THE VENDORS AND SAID
WE COULD PAY SO MUCH, 4@IT TOOK
YEARS, WORKING DAY BY DAY4@,
ACTUALLY 10 YEARS, TO PAY 4@OFF
THE DEBT AND BY 4@THE GRACE OF
GOD, A LOT OF PR4@AYER,
EVENTUALLY, WILL TURNED IT
AROUND, OPENED A SECOND STORE,
THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF THE
ORIGINAL,>> THAT IS SO
IMPRESSIVE, 4@YOU END UP HAVING
TO STORES.
LET'S TAKE YOU BACK4@, BECAUSE
THE BOOK YOU COVER FROM WHEN
YOU WERE BORN IN ARKANSAS, I
MEAN THE TITLE IS FROM OUTHOUSE
TO PENTHOUSE.
YOU GREW UP IN ARKANSAS, WE
HAVE 4@A PHOTO OF THE HOUSE THA
TO PENTHOUSE. YOU GREW UP IN ARKANSAS, WE HAVE 4@A PHOTO OF THE HOUSE THA@
YOU GREW UP IN, THAT IS YOUR
MOTHER.
>> THAT'S ME.
>> THAT IS YOU AS A BABY.
>> THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT I 4@W
BORN IN, MY MOTHER WAS 14, AND
I WAS A PRODUCT OF THAT.
THAT'S WHERE SHE LIVED.
THERE WERE 10 KIDS, AND TWO
ADULTS IN THAT HOUSE.4@4@
LOOK AT THAT HOUSE.
CAN YOU 4@IMAGINE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING THAT
4@YOU WERE ABLE TO GET OUT4@ OF
THAT LIFE, AND I'M SURE YOUR
MOTHER, WHO YOU DEDICATED THE
BOOK TO, YOU 4@DESCRIBE YOUR 4@
MOTHER AS4@ AN AMAZING ROLE MOD
WITH DETERMINATION,
INSPIRATION, RESILIENCE AND SO
MUCH MORE.4@
SHE DID SOMETHING RIGHT TO
RAISE YOU TO THE WAR TODAY.
>> SHE DEFINITELY DID.
AND SHE NEVER FELT SORRY FOR
HERSELF, 4@WE LEFT REALLY,
ARKANSAS, WHEN I 4@WAS ABOUT
THREE, AND SHE HAD ANOTHER
LITTLE GIRL BY A MAN THAT 4@SHE
MARRIED.
AND SHE WORKED AS A WAITRESS,4@
IN EAST ST. LOUIS.4@
SHE WORKED AS A WAITRESS WHILE
HER 4@THEN HUSBAND4@ WENT TO TH
SERVICE, WHEN HE 4@GOT OUT, HE
SAID HE DIDN'T WANT A FAMILY 4@
HE LEFT, SO HERE SHE IS WITH
TWO LITTLE GIRLS.
AND REALLY, AN INSPIRING STORY,
SHE WAS 20, AND4@ MY SISTER AND
WERE VISITING MY GRANDPARENTS
IN ARKANSAS, AND A FRIEND OF 4@
HERS CAME4@, THEY WERE ON THEIR
WAY TO COME AND GET US.
AND IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT, SO I
THINK HE FELL ASLEEP, THEY HIT @
CONCRETE EMBANKMENT GOING 70
MILES AN HOUR, IT WAS THE MOST
HORRIFIC CRASH, THEY HAD TO CUT
HER OUT, SHE WAS 20 YEARS OLD.
SHE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 13
MONTHS.
4@EVERY BONE IN HER LOWER BODY
WAS BROKEN.
I MEAN, IT WAS JUST AMAZING.
AFTER 12 MONTHS, GANGRENE SET
IN AND THEY HAD TO AMPUTATE4@4@
LEG.
WHEN SHE GOT OUT OF THE
HOSPITAL, 21 YEARS OLD, TWO
KIDS, ONE LEG AND WE 4@WERE ON
WELFARE,
>> THAT IS AMAZING!4@
HOW LONG WAS YOUR MOTHER WITH
US?
>> SHE JUST DIED4@ 4@ABOUT 12 Y
AGO.
>> SO, FOR MANY YEARS, 4@SO TAL
ABOUT A ROLE MODEL.>> NEVER FELT
SORRY FOR HERS4@ELF, 4@ALWAYS S
GOSPEL SONGS, JUST LOOKING FOR4
A SOLUTION, NEVER THE 4@PROBLEM
SO IT REALLY WAS,4@4@ I CAUGHT
THIS, AS FAR AS, ALWAYS LOOK
FOR THE SOLUTION, YOU KNOW?
WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS, EVERYBODY
HAS PROBLEMS.
THAT'S HOW LIFE IS.
>> THERE ARE SO MANY STORIES IN
THIS BOOK, IS CALLED FROM
OUTHOUSE TO PENTHOUSE, FROM4@4@
TESSA GREENSPAN.
IF ANY OF YOU EVER STEP INTO
SAPPINGTON FARMERS MARKET, I
KNOW YOU WANT TO READ THIS
BOOK, IT IS, IT'S A GREAT READ.
WHERE CAN 4@PEOPLE BUY IT?
>> THEY CAN BUY IT ON AMAZON.
>> YOU DON'T HAVE ANY UPCOMING
BOOK SIGNINGS HERE?
>> IN 4@CINCINNATI,