Another hardworking and generous local celebrity who helps us here is Mr. Nathaniel Abrams. If you don't know him, let me introduce him. Should your paths ever cross, tell him I was bragging about him! His story is inspiring. I hope you will read on.
For Nathaniel Abrams, the seeds of entrepreneurship were planted early in life, nurtured by the lessons he learned at his father’s side. Growing up, he spent countless hours at The Magnolia Street Service Station, his father’s old-fashioned gas station that served as a community hub and a classroom for the young entrepreneur-in-the-making.
“I fell in love with meeting and serving people,” Nathaniel reflects. “It all started there, with my father. When I started, I was so small I couldn’t even take the gas caps off the cars.”
Despite his size, Nathaniel found ways to contribute, pumping gas and writing out charge tickets while someone else handled the gas caps. As he grew, so did his responsibilities and his passion for the family business.
“Eventually, I grew into servicing cars,” he recalls. “I did everything that could be done at an old-fashioned service station. That experience was very beneficial.”
But the lessons Nathaniel learned at The Magnolia Street Service Station extended far beyond the mechanics of running a gas station. He watched his father, a man who had grown up on a farm and learned the value of hard work and versatility, embody the entrepreneurial spirit.
“On a farm, you have to be everything from a mathematician to a weatherman,” Nathaniel explains. “My dad brought that same mindset to the service station – he was always learning, always adapting, always finding ways to better serve his customers and community.”
It’s a mindset that Nathaniel has carried with him throughout his life, from his early entrepreneurial endeavors selling pine straw and watermelons to his current role leading Abrams Mobile Document Destruction Service, Inc., founding board member and volunteer coach with Spark Thomasville.
“I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to leave the world we found in a better place,” Nathaniel says of his dedication to Spark, an organization that empowers underestimated entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, and community support.
For Nathaniel, this mission is personal. He recognizes the gaps in his own early education around economics and entrepreneurship, and he’s passionate about filling those gaps for others.
“When I was growing up, economics were rarely taught in our community,” he shares. “My first taste of real economics was in high school, from a teacher named Ms. Breedlove. She taught me things that I cherish to this day.”
“I learned a lot from my mother; she was a home economics teacher. She taught me a lot about people and caring for people. I am a combination of the places I have been, the things I have done, and the people I have met. This includes plantation workers, people in the logging industry, and some mentors. Like Ben Corbett, Sam Boykins, David Lewis, George Lewis, and Walter Mariah.”
Among those cherished lessons? The importance of investing, not just consuming. “There are many people who will tell you how to make and spend money, but few will teach you how to invest money. We are taught to be consumers but not investors.”
It’s a paradigm that Nathaniel is working to shift through his involvement with Spark. As a coach in the organization’s intensive 12-week training program for aspiring entrepreneurs, he helps participants “peel the onion” and understand what it really takes to build a successful business.
“We cover everything from managing quarterly taxes to building relationships and providing exceptional customer service,” Nathaniel explains. “It’s about giving these entrepreneurs the tools and knowledge they need to turn their dreams into thriving realities.”
This work is a way Nathaniel honors the legacy of his father and the lessons he learned at The Magnolia Street Service Station. It’s about passing on the entrepreneurial spirit that has guided his own journey, and empowering others to create their own paths to success.
“My father taught me the value of hard work, adaptability, and service,” Nathaniel reflects. “Through Spark, I have the opportunity to pay those lessons forward, to invest in the next generation of entrepreneurs and watch them grow. It’s an incredible privilege.”
And it’s a privilege that Nathaniel believes has the power to transform not just individual lives, but entire communities.
For Nathaniel, empowering underestimated entrepreneurs is about unlocking the full potential of Thomasville. “When we provide the support and resources for these talented individuals to succeed, we’re not just changing their lives – we’re writing a new chapter in the story of our community,” he shares. “A chapter filled with innovation, shared prosperity, and the unstoppable power of the entrepreneurial spirit.”
That’s what Spark Thomasville is all about: igniting potential, one entrepreneur at a time. And Nathaniel invites others to join him in this transformative work.
“If you have knowledge, skills, or resources to share, I encourage you to get involved with Spark,” he says. “Whether as a coach, mentor, donor, or community partner, you have the power to make a real difference in someone’s life – and in the future of our community.”
Warmly,
DeShay Williams
Executive Director
P.S. To learn more about Spark Thomasville and how you can support the mission of empowering underestimated entrepreneurs, visit www.sparkthomasville.com
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