Need input from Columbia. (Spring Hill: how much, new home, living)

[fabman_52]

Hello to All,

I have a brother in Columbia, he has been there for about 22 years, he owns an auto repair shop, seems to be doing well. Lately he has been calling on me to move down there. He tells me there is a building with living quarters at a reasonable price right next to his shop.
He seems to think it would be good for me in my field of work. I have been a welder for the past 36 years, am good at what I do, and would love nothing better than to be close to my brother.
So I guess what I'm asking is, is there a need for a small welding shop in Columbia?
I can weld about anything, but I think I would specialize in Custom Wrought Iron for homes and businesses with the rest as a sideline.
I trust what my brother is telling me but its always nice to hear from folks that are not directly involved to get a well rounded view.
My wife and I have lived in the same home for 33 years so I have to be
sure that I'm making the right choice. I really need some good honest input!
I would like to Thank Everyone ahead of time for any and all input that you may have.
George.

[SteveWintrow]

alot depends on where you are coming from. columbia is a small southern town, the people are very friendly, but you probably know this from your brother.

there are some welding shops in columbia but not sure if they are into specialty designs and wrought iron. there are some homes in columbia with wrought iron fences that could use some repair so they may need someone with your skills.

what type of recreation do you enjoy.... nashville has pro football and semi pro baseball along with nhl hocky(for now). if you like a quiet town, with friendly people you will enjoy life in columbia, but if you want night life, and such you may want to consider staying where you are because there is not much here. just remember columbia's claim to fame is mule day weekend, with a parade, mule pulls, liars contests and such.... it is a nice event. people come from all over the country to visit for that weekend and show thier mules.

there is lots of good fishing and hunting around if you are so inclined, bass fishing is a big thing down here.

well i hope this helps some.

[SteveWintrow]

if you do choose columbia as your new home... let me know and i will photograph your new business for you to help you set up a webpage or use the photos for advertising. i am embarking on a 2nd career as a photographer.

hope to see you here sometime.

[SteveWintrow]

i also forgot to ask what is the name of your brother's shop.

[PaulaC]

I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to make such a decision. You may want to wait and find out what may (or may not) happen with the GM plant in Spring Hill. If that plant does remain closed after the November shut down, I don't know how much of a demand for any services are going to remain in Columbia.
Best of luck to you.