After watching her mom-and-pop gas station in Taylor, 淫性视频 burn in the fall of 2017, business-owner Christy Oeui and partner Burt Adams realized the cost to rebuild was prohibitive. The couple set their sights on opening a unique establishment in Magnolia 鈥� one that would link the City of Magnolia and Columbia County with Southern 淫性视频 University (SAU). The business opened in June 2019 under the name Mule Kick and quickly became a major player in the community and economy of the region.

According to its website, Mule Kick is, 鈥減roud to offer unique pizza of the highest quality! From dairy free cheese to gluten free crusts, we feature options so that everyone can enjoy our fare. In addition to the pizzas, we have coffee, ice cream and snacks all made inside the Natural State.鈥� I sat down with Christy Ouei to learn more about Mule Kick and its impact on the surrounding community:

Question: 鈥淲hat is the driving goal of your business?鈥�

Ouei: 鈥淏usiness models suggest that there be ONE featured area and ONE driving goal. While that may be best for many businesses, I could not adopt that for Mule Kick. Customers pay for an experience, and we aim for them to have that every time. Our beer doesn鈥檛 take a backseat to our coffee, and our pizza doesn鈥檛 sit in second behind the beer. We are all of those things equally. We are simply more than you expect us to be.

We are the first restaurant in our area to make a wholehearted effort to be green. Promoting products made in 淫性视频 not only cut down on fuel requirements to bring in products from other states, but it highlights features of our state that Magnolians might not have known about otherwise.鈥�

Question: 鈥淚n what ways does Mule Kick get involved with the City of Magnolia and SAU?鈥�

Ouei: 鈥淚 want to let the community see us (all of us, managers and employees) working alongside them in Relay for Life, city cleanup days, and homecoming events. We will not just be the pizza place on the north end of town.

We don鈥檛 just have music on Saturday nights. We host trivia nights, comedy nights, painting on the patio, painting with a pro, classes to make reusable grocery bags out of old t-shirts, Improv, and talent shows. We sponsor many sporting events with SAU and Magnolia. I am on the board of the Magnolia Blossom Festival, Kiwanis Club, as well as the Workforce Development Board.鈥�

Question: 鈥淒escribe how Mule Kick connects with SAU students and prepares them to enter the workforce of the region.鈥�

Ouei: 鈥淚n hiring primarily SAU students, we wanted to be the springboard for them into a job within their career. We felt like they needed structure in an environment where making mistakes was considered learning and not failing. When we decided on a [business] name, we hosted a logo contest among the junior and senior graphic arts majors. It gave us a great connection to the art department and gave three students published work for their portfolios.

I feel like college preparation (no matter how thorough) can only take you so far. Eventually you have to get out into the real world and experience it for yourself. Mule Kick shines in this aspect. I hired an accounting assistant that is now working for Murphy Oil as an accountant; my technical officer is now working full time for a bank as their technical officer. One of our team members, who is a bartender and my brand manager, has started his own clothing apparel line.鈥�

Question: 鈥淗ow have you adjusted your operations to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and what advice would you give to other business-owners during this time?鈥�

Ouei: 鈥淭he person I rely on most heavily now is my social media manager. She is the voice of Mule Kick to the world. We had a meeting right after we shut our doors and talked about how it was imperative that we remain visible to our customer-base. We serve pizza and beer, but we also sell atmosphere 鈥� an atmosphere that we now have to give away for free so that we will still have customers on the other side of COVID-19.

[To other business-owners:] do not take this time for granted! We have all been given a reprieve (unwelcome as it may be) from the constant motion of being in business. Haven鈥檛 had time to train that new staff? Now you do. Haven鈥檛 balanced your checkbook in the last year? You have plenty of time. Got a crew that isn鈥檛 connected as well? Have a potluck meal!鈥�

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Mule Kick represents what small, local businesses can achieve when entrepreneurs, like Christy Ouei, integrate their distinct passions and ideas with the communities they serve. To learn more about the products and services offered by Mule Kick, visit their website: .

By William Gloster