Tom Dobson and his wife, Nancy, are hoping to have some fun with their new business
By Per Peterson
Homer Dobson spent a lifetime making a difference in Tracy, and now his son has returned with hopes of doing the same.
Tom Dobson, along with his wife of nearly 40 years, Nancy, last week closed on a deal with Dale Johnson III on the purchase of the former Tracy Floral building on U.S. Hwy. 14.
“We’re excited, Tom said. “We looked at this building going back to when we were living here six years ago. At the time, it was just way out of our price range, and we really didn’t have a clear picture of what we wanted to do.”
They do now.
The Dobsons’ plan is to use the building for their new store, called Cinnamon Hen — a name derived by Nancy’s love of cinnamon and old farmhouses.
“We want it to have the farmhouse, vintage, antique feel,” she said.
The Dobsons’ plan is to sell repurposed furniture, along with vintage decor. Nancy has a background in the furniture world through Ashley Furniture, and the two also once owned their own floral shop in Annandale. The couple moved from Tracy to Phoenix when Nancy was hired to oversee a number of Ashley Furniture stores, but after about six years of doing that, they made the decision to move back to Tracy to re-establish their roots here and at the same time be there for Homer.
“He needs to be back here,” Nancy said.
“She was pretty burned out,” said Tom, a 1977 graduate of Tracy Area High School. “We’ve been playing with this idea for years.”
See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.