Who Is This Emily Young Character Running for Ward 2?

I've lived in Russellville since 1997, the year that Intelligent Qube was released on the original Playstation. In other words, it was a great year for a few reasons. My dad was from Russellville so when we moved here it was like moving "home" to a place I had never called home before.

Russellville became my hometown and continues to be so. I have opened 4 businesses in the Historic Downtown area that have each taught me lessons about the community. Dog Ear Books, Retro Roasts, The Garage Arcade, and The Brainstorm Agency- they're basically my children, and just like children you want to root them in the best environment you can.

Having a bookstore has shown me so many things about the community I would have never known otherwise. Seeing someone find that perfect book they needed never fails to make my heart swell. A child coming in and running to their favorite book series gives me unbelievable hope for the future.

Coffeeshops are notorious gathering places. The places you meet up with friends after work, or study sessions with a classmate, or even where you go on a first date. There is nothing that says "community" more than a coffeeshop, and Retro Roasts has shown me just how many amazing groups of people we have in our community.

An arcade is somewhere people from any and all backgrounds can go to have fun. You can take a friend, a grandparent, or just meet someone new there and challenge them to a friendly game of Turtles in Time. The arcade has taught me that giving people a place they can experience has a completely different feel than a retail-centric place.

The Brainstorm Agency was my "first born" and will always be with me long after the agency is no more. Design has always been a natural love of mine. Even if I hadn't gone to school for my design degree I would still find myself admiring a new typeface found in an old book, or geeking out over a logo on a dumpster. It's part of who I am. Design has taught me that when you have something to say - how you say it and present it matters. Plus, helping the small businesses in the area has been really cool.

I decided to run for City Council because seeing the community from these points of view opened my eyes to what we can become. Russellville is on the verge of greatness, I just hope to lend a hand in making the right choices for the people of Russellville. They deserve to have the best quality of place.