Little Mary’s: More Than Pixels & Secondlife- Definate Balfour Reporting…

Often, when I take an assignment I begin with some sort of idea of what I’m going to cover, but in this case my assignment originally began in a pursuit for something  business related, but during a conversation the sentence got uttered to me, ’You really should check into Little Mary’s, they got a unique story.’ With a nod I did just that and I contacted Ron Farslider, one of the owners of Little Mary’s. With a teleport and a conversation I was left with a smile and thought on how much Second Life© and first life cross over. Here’s that conversation with Mr. Farslider, the story of Little Mary’s, and why you should take yourself over for a visit.

Interview with Ron Farslider

Ron - I'll give you a little background on Little Mary’s; it’s a real bar in Krum, Texas. It’s owned by a woman named Mary Wilson, and she’s about to turn 70. In about 1975 she turned her home into a bar, completely taking out walls did a kitchen pass through, put in a bar, two pool tables, and from her efforts it became the towns hang out. I nodded letting him continue his story.

Ron – That’s Mary on the wall behind me.

Definate: I  noticed that there were pictures of the real bar and the real owner of Little Mary’s. It was a nice touch to see something like that in Second Life, a world of pixels.

Ron – One night, when my partner and real fiancé were sitting in our house, here, I decided I was bored and it was time for me to do another bar. Since Mary’s was a place my partner spent a lot of time in her life beyond Second Life, with her friends. I decided after hearing all the stories it was something I’d like to do here in Second Life.

Definate – Very interesting, bringing the in real life hang out here.

Ron – I felt Mary’s is the kind of place everyone should have to hang in with their friends.

Definate – I must say it is a very nice and unique venue for sure.

Ron – As much as I’d like to be one of the top clubs on Second Life, if only our friends come, I’d consider it a success.

Definate - *nods* Yes, but sometimes it’s not a bad thing either. Overcrowding can take a place down, people not wanting to go and visit. Tell me, what’s some things you do here, any events that would draw a crowd?

Ron – I think we have some unique things here, like the jukebox, you can request songs when nobody’s here, and its free to the user.

Definate – I’ve never seen that before, it’s very neat.

Ron – Here let me show you.

(Defi) I watched Ron as he began showing me how the jukebox worked, with a simple click you get a menu to go to the page to request. From the website you can then choose from the artists and music to request, many different genres, I noticed everything from classic rock to modern hip hop, a nice variety for anyone and any taste that may come through the doors.

Ron – Also considering doing a comic night.

Definate – Very nice, those can be a draw from their own fan bases.

Ron – We also have a pond with ducks with fishing tournaments, beyond those is the waterfall with g-rated pose balls. We’ll be open 7 days live djs or entertainers from 4pm to 10pm, from there the jukebox will take over. If you like games we have zilch and pool tables, all working.

Definate – You have a contest board; will you be working with other companies on sponsored events?

Ron – Yes, eventually. I did those with my previous clubs and they worked out nicely.

Definate – How are you finding starting a business based off of an irl one working for you? It is unique.

Ron – I think it’s made it easier since we’re building off of real experiences, although we’re not a converted house to a bar, I think we’ve incorporated the spirit of Little Mary’s.

Definate – What’s the most difficult part of running a business for you?

Ron – In a club atmosphere it’s the djs and hosts that can make or break you. If they don’t show up it’s devastating to your business.

Definate – I’m curious on your business side, how things are run and so on.

Ron – I think for a place like Little Mary’s the most important thing to its success is finding people that love the place and want to see it grow. I had that with my last club, the manager loved it as much as Dawn and I did, and worked very hard for us. People with her work ethic are so rare to find today. She now sells land and puts in 12-14 hours a day, that’s dedication.

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