The Contributor | Page 13 | The Contributor helps our homeless neighbors establish their own micro-businesses and work their way into housing through selling an award-winning street paper.

Nashville Humane Association Celebrates 80 Years

By Amanda Haggard | March 11, 2026

“When we help people, we help pets stay in their homes”

Hoboscopes: March 11, 2026

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained astronomer, or a certified mop technician.

Hoboscopes: February 25, 2026

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained herbologist, or a certified tea-guy.

Wintery Weather Prompts Generosity In Unusual Places

With all the wintery weather it is no surprise that I haven’t been on my corner at all since it began. I DO miss seeing my customers, but fortunately, I’ve ran into a few of them in other places.

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‘Pike River’ dramatizes a real-world mining disaster and a fight for justice

In the past decade, people working in the nonprofit sector have increasingly become interested in the creation of housing units to serve vulnerable populations. One local leader who has made the shift from social work to housing development and property management is Nathan Harmening. Since April of this year, Harmening has served as the vice president of operations for AGB Real Estate, the development company that has opened 250 permanent supportive housing units in two complexes called Wallace Studios and Greenview Apartments. Prior to joining AGB Real Estate, Harmening was the executive director of I Am Next, an organization you may have read about in our July-16 issue when Contributor vendor Norma B. featured their work with young people aging out of foster care. At AGB Real Estate, Harmening tackles a dual role of overseeing the property management operations for the company as well as scaling the supportive housing portfolio.

Features

Bill Carey: What Nashville Chooses to Remember about the KKK’s Presence

By Bill Carey | October 15, 2025

There’s a hill south of downtown Nashville that is home to Carter-Lawrence Elementary School and several sports fields, one of which is Belmont University’s home baseball stadium. On a Friday a couple years ago, I took my dog to the top of it and saw joggers, people playing softball and students taking part in their annual field day. It was a wonderful place to be. However, more than 100 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan held its most widely viewed meeting ever in Middle Tennessee there. On the night of June 1, 1923, residents of Nashville were mesmerized by the sight of a huge cross lit by incandescent lights on the hill.

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Longtime Contributor writer and vendor, Jen A., leaves a legacy of brilliant art and love

By Amanda Haggard | October 8, 2025

Jennifer Alexander, longtime Contributor vendor, artist, poet and writer, died Sept. 19 after suffering from a terminal illness. She was 74 years old.

Features

Cover Story

By Amanda Haggard | October 8, 2025

The Salas Family Builds Businesses, Dreams and Community in Nashville

When you walk into LB Auto Repair in South Nashville, there’s a good chance you’ll be greeted not only by the smell of motor oil and the sight of cars in various stages of repair, but also by a four-year-old with big dreams. Her name is Lucy, and though she’s not even in Kindergarten yet, she’s already claiming her spot in the family business world. “She says she sells houses,” laughs her uncle, Jesus Salas Balcazar. “She’s our little CEO.”

That entrepreneurial spark runs through the entire family. Between Jesus, his sisters Perla and Ingrid, and their father, the family operates multiple small businesses in Nashville: LB Auto Repair, Perla’s beauty salon, and Ingrid’s real estate work and her husband’s business J. Any Fix, LLC. Together, they represent not only their own dedication and hustle but also the growing strength of Hispanic-owned, family-run businesses in Middle Tennessee.