This month’s Female Factor was all about family.
The free luncheon featured guest speakers Georgia Ziglar and Sherry Ziglar Helms of the Home Gallery and sisters Helen Dunn and Nancy Harrell of Terra Cotta.
“I’m going to have to contact Jaine Treadwell at the Piddle Around Theater because these women were just as funny as any storyteller I’ve seen,” said Karen Herring after the luncheon, which was held at The Studio downtown.
Sherry said there were only two things that would make her speak before a room full of people: “The Lord and mama. So, you know how special she is to me.”
She came to work in the family business after retiring and said she gave her mom two conditions.
“And that was to pay me good and to let me off a lot to go play,” she said.
Sherry sang the praises of Georgia, who struck out on her own with a neighborhood grocery store and now runs a successful furniture store and clothing store. Georgia went from scraping by to winning Alabama Retailer of the Year.
Sherry did not focus on Georgia’s business skills. She shared her favorite stories, most of them times when the pair broke down on the side of the road while on business trips.
Dunn and Harrell grew up hating each other. They described physical fights and screaming matches like they were yesterday. The fights lasted for 18 years.
“We got a little age on us, got a little wiser and decided even though we are sisters, we could still be friends,” said Dunn. “I’m just so glad I didn’t kill her back then.”
After a few stories of their formative years, Dunn and Harrell discussed a few plants that thrive in Central Alabama’s humidity: drift roses, lime hydrangeas and sky blue vines.
At Terra Cotta, Dunn and Harrell still struggle with who is the boss. But, it is one struggle they have enjoyed.
“She grew on me with time,” laughed Harrell.