Hardin Local E42: Firehouse Subs, HomeGoods and Halloween

What We Covered This Week

Rachel Brantingham was out this week, so Grafton Sizemore took the lead. "I am Grafton Sizemore, and I get to sit in the big chair today," he said, with Nate Bryan, Jon O'Brien and Phil Taul around the table and Britten McDowell joining later for the Experienced Eater.

Nate brought the giveaway winners and a busy week of openings, Jon and Grafton covered a week ahead that is almost entirely Halloween, Grafton's Money Move took on the middle-class money trap, and Britten went back to one of his regular spots in Radcliff. Before any of that, the Icebreaker was Halloween Would You Rather. Nate would rather hand out candy dressed as a pumpkin than spend a night in a haunted house. Jon would happily trick-or-treat for nothing but candy corn, especially mixed with peanuts. Phil would rather be a scare actor all night than walk through Sinister Tombs alone, and for the record, he hates candy corn. And Grafton, the loan officer, picked a vampire as a loan client over a werewolf next door. "I think most people think loan officers are bloodsuckers anyway," he said.

Congratulations to Belinda Camp and Megan Hatfield Goodman, the winners of the Splatter & Shatter giveaway. Thanks to the more than 750 people who entered.

In This Episode

Firehouse Subs Returns, HomeGoods Opens and the Eriksen Fountains Come Down

Nate's Business Buzz

The Splatter & Shatter winners, Firehouse Subs coming back to Etown with a Radcliff location to follow, HomeGoods opening October 22 at City Center, a new fountain on the way there, and the end of the Eriksen building on Mulberry.

Ghost Walks, Haunted Trails and Trunk or Treats: Your Week in Hardin County

Hardin County This Week, with Jon O'Brien and Grafton Sizemore

October 19 to 25: the Hardin County Playhouse Ghost Walk downtown, Hondaween, the Ansar Plaza Trunk or Treat in Radcliff, the last weekend of Spooky Movies at the State, and haunts from Sinister Tombs to The Last House on Springhurst.

Money Moves with G: The Middle-Class Money Trap

Money Moves with G, with Grafton Sizemore

You can make six figures and still feel broke. Grafton Sizemore on why your bills can look like success, why income is not the same as wealth, and why you do not have to upgrade everything every time your pay goes up.

Eat at the Spot in Radcliff: Jerk Chicken Worth the Return Trip

The Experienced Eater, Britten & Michele McDowell

Britten went back to Eat at the Spot Caribbean Restaurant on South Dixie for smoked jerk chicken, peas and rice and a spicy beef pie. The verdict: 4.5 out of 5 forks, and a new bar and a food trailer are on the way.

Election Day Is Tuesday, November 3

Phil Taul gave an update on the Hardin Local 2026 voter guide. Most of the candidate interviews are done and up now, with very few left. Every contested race in Hardin County has its own page, laid out the same way for every candidate, and if a candidate sat down for an interview, the video is right there on that race's page.

Grafton asked how candidates get interviews. Phil explained that he invited candidates to register for a free election interview, and everyone who registered was contacted to schedule a time. The people interviewed are the ones who registered and then scheduled. A handful registered but have not scheduled, and he plans to reach out to them.

To see your own ballot, go to the Find Your Ballot page, use the link there to look up your precinct by address, then pick that precinct to see everyone on your ballot, with their videos if they did one. The page also has the dates you need: mail-in absentee requests close Tuesday, October 20, which is this week; no-excuse early voting runs Thursday, October 29 through Saturday, October 31; and on Election Day, polls are open 6 AM to 6 PM at any vote center in the county. The guide is nonpartisan and free.

Episode Highlights

"I think most people think loan officers are bloodsuckers anyway, so we might as well just have the vampires with it and just take the name on." - Grafton Sizemore, on the Icebreaker

"Hardin County is going from zero to two Firehouse Subs." - Nate Bryan

"Ghost stories of downtown, historically accurate." - Jon O'Brien, on the Hardin County Playhouse Ghost Walk

"Your income isn't the same as your wealth." - Grafton Sizemore

"It's a plate full of flavor every time you're there." - Britten McDowell, on Eat at the Spot

Tell Us What You Want

If you have a high school athlete, check out the sports portal on the Hardin Local website. It is newer, so give us your feedback and tell us how it is working for you. Grafton asked at the close of the show.

And a question from Phil: do you want more Kentucky or Louisville football talk on the show? He and Britten, who played and coached, talked UK at Oklahoma this week as a test. Let us know.

Keep Hardin Local Going

This Week's Sponsor: philtaul.com

Phil Taul builds AI automation for businesses: not chatbots, not robots taking over the world, but the boring stuff that eats your week. His example, kept anonymous: a multi-location auto group went from 20 to 30 hours a week of title data entry to two or three hours a week of review, and the system has caught errors the manual process was missing. A person still reviews everything. "The robots don't get the car keys," Phil said.

The way in is a Workflow Roadmap Session: 90 minutes going through how you actually work, then a written roadmap within three business days of what is worth automating, in what order, and what to leave alone. It is $450, and if you have Phil build something within 30 days, the whole $450 comes off the project. There is no form to fill out. Just get in touch at philtaul.com/consulting and tell him what your business is and what is eating your time.

One More Show

Bourbon Local, Hardin Local's sister show about bourbon and the people who make it, airs Sundays at 9 PM ET, right after Hardin Local.

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