Beginning Sunday, May 17, exactly one week after Mother&squo;s Day, the sellers of several mountain homes will begin lowering their list prices by $2,000 a day. Every twenty-four hours the prices will lower by $2,000 until the house sells or the seller says stop. &bsp;

Now, the gamble is on the prospective buyer. They can wait to see how low the seller is willing to go or jump in to get Mama her mountain home before someone else buys it. Or does the seller stop the action all together?

The idea is to stir up the pool of prospective buyers sitting on the fence waiting for the bottom to drop.&bsp; We never know when the market is at the bottom.&bsp; The only time a buyer knows it has hit bottom, is when it starts going back up.

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Cole Boyle, daughter of John and Cindy Boyle of Landrum, is part of a group of employees which has purchased their former employer, Relix Magazine in New York City.

Boyle will be vice president of sales and marketing in the new company.

The magazine was founded in 1974 as a hand-stapled newsletter for Grateful Dead fans and tape traders. Today Relix is focused on live, independent music and the jam band scene, exclusive, in-depth interviews with high-profile musicians.

Relix is &dquo;the only music magazine with exclusive coverage of jam bands, non-mainstream, and improvisational music including genres as divergent as blues,reggae, bluegrass, and jazz.&dquo;

Relix will relaunch under the direction of new ownership with the June issue and the newly branded web properties will go online in coming months.

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Steve and Allison Landon, the owners of Persimmons Bistro & Tea Room, have announced plans to move back closer to their children&39;s grandparents in Upstate New York. Steve Landon said he expects to sign the final papers selling Persimmons to the new owner, Jack Bunn, next Tuesday. Bunn is a native of Landrum.

&dquo;We serve local foods. We figured why not local ownership,&dquo; Landron said. The name and web page will remain the same.

The Landons ran the restaurant, a catering business, taught cooking classes, baked cakes, breads and pastries and worked with local charities since opening the restaurant in June, 2005.

Steve Landon said they are hoping to become vegetable farmers in Upstate New York, perhaps eventually opening another restaurant associated with the farm, and perhaps creating a television show about both.

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Abbie G. Yandle, LMBT, is now practicing therapeutic massage and bodywork at Merle Norman/ Salon Rachelle in downtown Tryon. She is a 2001 graduate of the Southeastern School of Massage and Neuromuscular Therapy and will be offering Swedish, mini massage, neuromuscular, craniosacral, Reiki, and hot stone massages. Yandle also serves as secretary treasurer of the Emergency Response Massage International, a non-profit, volunteer organization of massage therapists that provide stress-reducing chair massage to Emergency Responders following a disaster/critical incident.

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Jean-Jacques and Susan Benoist of Mill Spring, N.C. have opened a new business, &dquo;Photography to Art.&dquo; The pair has been busy photographing, printing, and canvas wrapping their new images to make ready for their first art show, the Saluda Arts and Music Festival being held Saturday, May 16.

The Benoists retired and moved here three years ago from South Florida where they owned and operated a commercial photography business for 28 years known as Benoist Studio.

The three-year rest was long enough and they have jumped in with both feet to begin creating amazing images of nature and our local towns. Once captured they take their images back to their studio where they apply a subtle creative technique that truly turns their work into art. All of their images are printed on heavy canvas in the Gicl´e style, gallery wrapped and then trimmed in &dquo;IPE,&dquo; a Brazilian exotic hardwood; they call their work &dquo;Photography to Art,&dquo; an idea born just 5 months ago while discussing with friends who had encouraged them to get back to creating images.

They are ready to show off their &dquo;Photography to Art&dquo; images and so have applied to many local events. Currently they have been accepted by jury to attend not only the Saluda Arts and Music Festival but also the Blue Ridge BBQ Festival in June and the Bele Chere Festival of Asheville in July. They hope to attend 6-8 shows in the first year and want not only to keep&bsp; the images that they create local but also to attend only local area shows.

Their first public debut was at the recent Live and Silent Auction event held at The Tuesday School in Tryon.

&dquo;Photography to Art&dquo; will also offer the printing of your own images on canvas.

Jean-Jacques and Susan have a new website, www.benoiststudio.com that shows off many of their new images and contains info such as their show schedule along with contact info. &bsp;

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Now is the time to join the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce, the chamber says. The chamber has extended the deadline for the Save Local Coupon Book to May 15. If you are already a member, you should have received entry information in the mail. If you are not a member but would like to be, go to the website www.polkchamber.org and click on the Save Local Coupon Book link for the application. Each business will be allowed two coupons in this first-ever book. The coupon book will be available for sale at the end of May. For more information, call Janet Sciacca at 828-859-6236.

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Dr. Rebecca Anne Ashworth, R.N., D.C. recently moved her chiropractic practice from Florida to Landrum, S.C. She specializes in treatment for post-traumatic stress and also provides nursing care at home or farm for critically ill animals, both large and small. &bsp;

Dr. Becky&squo;s experience is extensive and unique. A nurse practitioner for more than 30 years and a chiropractor for more than 20, she has been an animal telepath, empath and medical intuitive for some 52 years. This range of knowledge and skill has culminated in the development of both a diagnostic system and permanent cure for post-traumatic stress called Emotional Disaster Relief and her animal-nursing-care service, H.O.P.E.

EDR treatment sessions for adults and children as well as large and small animals are provided in the home or in the barn, respectively. &dquo;Animals have taught us we all get better faster,&dquo; Dr. Becky says, &dquo;when we feel safe and comfortable in our own familiar surroundings.&dquo;

Dr. Becky will be leading an equine seminar, &dquo;Is it Attitude or is it Pain?&dquo; on Saturday, May 16, 2009, at Ivey Sumrell&squo;s farm in Columbus, N.C. Dr. Becky and Ivey Sumrell can be contacted at iveysum@aol.com for information on this seminar.

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Darrin J. Fedder of Lionheart Development Group has put the Tryon Pointe project on hold and is selling the renovated former Skee&squo;s Automotive building on South Trade Street. Tryon Pointe is a project to build nine Aspen style post and beam homes on two acres next to the former Skee&squo;s building.

&dquo;One interested party is seeking both tracts and the building for a financial institution,&dquo; Fedder said. &dquo;I would prefer to keep the development site and either rent or sell the building.

&dquo;Recently I have noticed good activity in the below $300,000 market here in Tryon, which is a positive sign. When confidence returns to both the Tryon and Florida markets, I would like to still pursue the project.&dquo;

The former Skee&squo;s building is being offered at $979,000. It was modified, post and beam construction, and features approximately 3,000 square feet and 200 feet of frontage on Hwy. 176 on a 1/2 acre lot.

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Regional news

The Inn on Church Street in Hendersonville is celebrating its 90th anniversary this weekend, with one entree free with the purchase of a second entree. Anniversary cake is &dquo;our treat.&dquo;