Table of Contents August 2012
August 2012
Cover story
Money for nothing
Standing at the door of the chartered Cessna Citation II, a beaming Keith Simmons greets his guests. “This is the way we roll!” After bounding up the steps, Scott Mabe, who mows lawns and does repairs for Simmons, sinks into a soft leather seat. Ninety minutes after clearing nearly deserted Wilkes County Airport, the jet touches down in Florida. Mabe, with the others, checks into his $188-a-night hotel room, changes into shorts and relaxes. That evening, he’ll watch wide-eyed as Cage Dolls cheerleaders dance while opponents pummel each other in contests staged by Tampa-based Xtreme Fighting Championships Inc., one of Simmons’ investments
Features
Party time
Slow ride
Photo Feature
Needle work
n the late 1940s, Bill Claydon’s father opened a tattoo parlor in Oceanside, Calif. A 6- by 12-foot room inside an arcade, it was the only one between San Diego and Los Angeles, catering almost ex- clusively to Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton. When Claydon bought this one in Fayetteville in 1986 — he thinks it opened in the ’70s, making it one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the state still in business — it was a lot like his dad’s, with mostly military clientele and little competition. Now rivals surround Bill Claydon’s Tattoo World Inc.
Departments
Up Front
We're No. 1.
NC Trend
How the economy turns.
Free & Clear
John Hood's introductory column.
Capital Goods
State needs restrictions on licensing.
Regional Report
Eastern Triangle Triad Charlotte Western
