Friends & Neighbors: Debbie Carter

By Lara Hayes

Debbie Carter had worked for a company in Dalton for nearly 10 years in 1993 when she was sidelined at age 27 by a minor stroke. She said her doctors kept her out of work for three days while they ran tests, which showed the stroke was caused by migraine headaches and high blood pressure. After making sure she suffered no lasting effects, Carter says she was cleared to return to work.

However, according to Carter, the reason for her absence didn’t matter to her bosses. They wrote her up anyway.

“I lost heart with the company, so I worked for a while longer, then quit,” she said.

Carter had always wanted to own her own business, and she says the setback pushed her harder to meet that goal.

“My dad always told me not to give up and keep trying, so that’s what I did,” Carter said.

Born in Indiana, Carter was raised in Cleveland, Tenn., where she quit school at 17 and went to work as a mender and machine operator for a mill in Dalton. After five and a half years, she obtained a GED, then took a job with another company.

Looking back, she’s not sure if she would do things differently now.

“I think it would have helped to stay in school, but I’ve learned a lot from life experiences,” she said.

In the meantime, she married and divorced, leaving her a single mom of a son, Daniel. Carter worked 12-hour night shifts and says she depended on neighbors, friends and family for help.

“I made it a point to be available for Daniel. He doesn’t think he missed out on anything,” she said.

In 1996 she met Danny Carter, and the couple married in 1998. She found a solid supporter. He encouraged her to “step out on faith” and leave the company that she said mistreated her. Emboldened by his words, as well as those of her father, she found a job as a salesperson at a car dealership. She loved the job, but the income wasn’t consistent enough, so after eight months she was looking again.

“I just wanted to find something to do that would make me happy,” she said.

One thing she really enjoyed doing was working part-time at ABC No. 21, a convenience store on Reed Road in Dalton. It was in the middle of her neighborhood, so she knew most of the customers. In fact, many of them would bypass other area stores and patronize ABC precisely because of that familiarity, she said. She was employed with ABC two different times.

In November 2006, Nick Nassauriddian reopened the store and asked Carter to help him build the business back up. All was well until Nassauriddian began having health problems and was unable to run the store. Suddenly her dream of being a business owner didn’t seem so far off. She knew she could do it, and Nassauriddian had faith in her, as well.

The Carters didn’t have a lot of money saved, so they took cash from their monthly income to apply for a business license. Nassauriddian helped with financing. After a three- to four-week wait to finalize everything, Debbie Carter left her full-time job at Lifetouch Chiropractic. The couple officially took over ABC on Dec. 8.

So far they’re having fun.

“I like it because I meet a lot of people. I don’t feel so confined,” she said. “It’s surprising that our neighbors and people we know are already stopping by. We figured it would be a while.”

Danny Carter’s children, Dusty and Tiffany, help out.

“It’s good for them to see their parents accomplishing something,” Carter said. “We’re trying to tell them to step out and want more.”

She says she hasn’t really considered failure and is willing to do whatever it takes to make the store succeed. The Carters haven’t been able to do a home-cooked meal yet since taking over the store, and it’ll be a while before she even thinks about vacation. Still, there’s a big upside.

“It’s different working for yourself, it’s easier to do what needs to be done,” she said. “At least I know I can see this grow rather than working for others and lining their pockets and being treated (unfairly).”

She says she will make it a point to treat her employees differently.

“You learn to respect others when you are your own boss. You see so many of these places, they don’t show any appreciation. It’s all about how much you can do and how fast you can get it done,” she said.

As far as she’s concerned, those days are over for her and her family.  “We’re going for the top, but we’re not there yet.”