MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man who lost his livelihood and then became a victim of a crime is back in business after some help from a county commissioner and good-hearted Memphians.
Now he’s doing what he can to help others.
Scott Briggs was busy this Friday afternoon, mowing, maintaining yards in Cordova. When the coronavirus pandemic hit Memphis, Briggs could no longer work as a bartender.
“I needed a way to make income,” Briggs said.
So, he got creative. Always having a passion for taking care of his own yard, he started Laid off Lawncare. His business exploded.
“Maybe this could be something that I do coming up for the next year or two,” Briggs said.
But every good business venture always seems to come with a hurdle for two. Briggs faced a big one while out working at a Midtown home Thursday.
“I took my equipment out of the truck like I usually do. I hid it behind some hedges by her front door,” Briggs said. “Started mowing the backyard. Realized I had left my equipment up front.”
Just five minutes later, his equipment was stolen.
“By the time I went up front my equipment was gone,” Briggs said.
He had only been using this equipment for his new gig for a few weeks.
Briggs had been working on Shelby County commissioner Tami Sawyer’s yard at the time of the theft.
“And while I know it’s not my fault, it was at my house and you’re here helping me and I just felt really, really bad,” Sawyer said.
The two checked surveillance cameras in the area. Unfortunately, none of them picked up the culprit.
Briggs said he filed an insurance claim, resigned himself to just taking a hit and tried to keep going.
But Sawyer just couldn’t let it go. She knew she had to do something. So, she took to social media, sharing Scott’s story and explaining what happened, and asked people to perhaps spare a few bucks.
“I figured he would get $200, $300 and that would help a little bit,” Sawyer said.
That didn’t happen, but something much better did.
“Within an hour, the equipment had been paid for with a surplus,” Briggs said.
More than $1,200 was raised in an hour.
It brings more meaning to the phrase we hear so often: “We’re all in this together.”
“Especially in the time of COVID, Memphians are just coming together in so many amazing ways to take care of each other, and this was a great example of that,” Sawyer said.
Briggs plans to donate the extra money raised to Elwood’s Shack, who has been providing meals to healthcare workers.
He also says his business is doing so well, he’s looking to potentially hire someone to help. He might be looking for someone who can also help look out for his lawn care equipment too.