You can see it as you approach Lancer Park, either from the bridge or down on the road. It's an orange, white and black sign and a tent with a metal cart and table under it, forming a concession stand. Maybe you'll see the owners converse with a customer before handing them a white bag containing their order of hot dogs laid out however they wish. The customer doesn't have to wait long and doesn't take much time to either carry their bounty back to eat it or peel off the aluminum foil to have their hot dog right then and there. This is Sloppy Dogs in a nutshell, a hot dog stand in operation since July 18,2011 on the stretch of gravel in front of Lancer Park and facing Carter's Flower Shop. The stand is worked daily by its proprietors Devyn and Heather Montgomery, while their daughters Rebekah, Aamber, Michelle, Haley and Debbie circulate as the crew's third member.
Though it currently has a single location with plans for a permanent Sloppy Dogs, sometime in the future, Heather Montgomery was pleased with how they've done so far. Heather said, "we've actually been growing a lot by word of mouth and a lot of people seem to be enjoying it." Among their widening demand, Devyn said Sloppy Dogs had "15 Longwood regular customers and about five more that have stopped by to try us out."
Of course, its concept that's meant to be welcoming with a name that makes you chuckle at the bare mention. Everything about Sloppy Dogs is geared to make you feel like you can talk to the owners and even take out the time to eat the dog while sitting on a cooler. It's not strictly about money but satisfaction, an approach that sure to garner attention by people who come to care for the Montgomery's hot dog by hot dog. But the origin of their approach may also come from the fact that the Montgomery's have little trouble making you feel like family since they've had so much practice forming one themselves. With seven children brought over from previous marriages, including two sons currently in the military, Devyn and Heather have clearly had a lot of practice learning about and providing for the needs of others.
In other ways, however,, the Montgomery clan has had to deal with a number of pains that have left them with more passion than anything. Last year, Devyn and Heather lost their 23-year-old son, who died by drowning, and several other family members. For Devyn, the loss of his son was the last straw. Having served ten years in the armed forces, worked in logistics and as material management in a hospital, in logistics again for a warehouse, then for his own construction business and three and a half years as a corrections officer, Devyn realized he didn't have all the time in the world. Devyn said, "I finally decided at that point I could work for somebody the rest of my life not knowing when the end would be or I could just do what I wanted to do and make it. Nothing's guaranteed. Here we are."
However, it isn't just passion and the realization that time is not unlimited that drive the little hot dog stand on the road, it's also the idea of "giving back." Devyn and Heather say they "take cash donations for Wounded warriors and Madeline's House. And our company gives 15 percent to those organizations. It alternates. One day we'll do Wounded Warrior, the next day we'll do Madeline's house . . . that's basically why we're here . . . I've got sons in the military and friends who have been hurt . . . We love giving back and we've experienced families who've had abuse."
Heather's connection to Sloppy Dogs is no less strong than her husband's, though he first thought up the idea after weighing the price of capital and the profit margin in the concession stand business. Unable to work for the past three years due to fibromyalgia, back problems and other conditions, Heather is also able to commit time to this relatively new addition to their lives. Beforehand, she did "mostly secretarial work."
Heather's connection to the business' philanthropies is also strong, due partially to the involvement of her sons in the military but also the conditions of her first marriage. Heather said, "my [first] husband and I were married for seven years. It was an abusive relationship. [I] got out of it. I was one of the people who needed a shelter like Madeline's house with my three girls, and then after that I met Devyn." Coming out of this first marriage, Rebekeh, Michelle and Haley have the surname Garcia.
Showing their commitment to customer satisfaction, Devyn said, "we make all our hotdogs on this cart" as he had Rebekah fix up a dog. "If they don't like it while we're making it . . . they can set that off to the side and we'll make them a new one." Boiled and dressed with sauerkraut and sweet mustard on a warm, soft bun, a "Sour Dog is one of their specialties." Without going into much detail, the product was as delicious as promised and was eaten in under two minutes. For this reason, Devyn Montgomery wasn't fooling around when he said, "Stop by, try it and it's guaranteed to be the best hot dog in Farmville."
