Consumer Stories

Augusta BizBitz

Happy belated Thanksgiving! Yours truly got to spend the front part of the holiday as a guest of my son, who treated for a cabin and entertainment in Pigeon Forge, which natives say is mostly owned by Country music legend, Dolly Parton. She’s known for her sass, service and superior entertainment. “Dolly” hit a home run business-wise as all of her dinner-theater showings in town were pretty much sold-out. It was the first time I had been to a dinner and a show since the Fort Gordon Dinner Theater about

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Coke, Baymont Inn and Spanx!

      Coke’s kicking its ad campaign into high gear for the holidays. A hotel with ties to the CSRA responds to a negative review and a young CEO follows in the footsteps of the Spanx founder.

Read More »
Consumer Stories

“Nutty” retailer ready for big move to Washington Road

Brian and Kam Kyzer plan to relocate their gourmet nut business to a much larger space early next year. Watanut, currently located at 3604 Verandah Drive, Suite A in Augusta, is moving to 3311 Washington Road near Infiniti of Augusta. “It’s 10,000 square feet, so at least four times larger” than their current location, says Brian. “We’ve outgrown our current space.” He states they look forward to having more retail and storage space, as well as a larger kitchen. The business sells a variety of items, such as nuts, cookies,

Read More »
Consumer Stories

SIMON SAYS: Augusta not stacking up well on job front

Last week I described the weak labor market in Augusta over the last year. The Labor Market Index, a composite index of five labor market indicators (employment, unemployment rate, average weekly earnings, labor force, and hours worked), increased just 1.4% over the last year. Compared to other Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Georgia only Columbus and Hinesville have performed worse. The most robust labor market can be found in Savannah, increasing 5.6% over the last year (see photo above). Strong growth was also seen in Atlanta, Brunswick, Dalton, and Gainesville, all

Read More »
B2B Stories

Nearly $2 million price tag for Augusta landmark

After 25 years in business, a local liquor store has been listed for sale for $1.9 million. According to a newsletter from the Beman Group with Blanchard & Calhoun Real Estate Company, the owners of Harvard’s Wine & Beverage, located at 110 Old Evans Road near the intersection of Bobby Jones Expressway and Washington Road, are ready to retire. The more than 9,000-square-foot store, which opened in 1996, carries a wide selection of alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, and liquor. There’s also a second location at 145 Kings Grant Drive

Read More »
B2B Stories

How to improve the value of your business to a buyer

In working with business owners on the sale of their businesses, we always start the process with a business valuation to determine what we feel the company would sell for in the market place. And it probably comes as no surprise that many business owners are hoping for a price greater than what the market probably will pay. Why this occurs is there is no public database of what businesses sell for that a seller or buyer can research to arrive at a value, especially if there is no real

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Good Deeds Holiday Style

ABD is big on good deeds in our area by CSRA companies! Apparently, “Tis the Season” to share the joy and blessings area companies have received in 2021. ABD Publisher Neil Gordon has more in his “VLOG”.

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Exclusive U.S. Equine Business in Aiken

Maxine Maxine Emerich has established herself and earned credibility for her Engineered Equine Performance (EEP) business in a short period of time as Aiken’s “Horse Business” continues to spread out and diversify. Aiken was never a “one horse town.” For most of the past 130 years, it was primarily a three-horse town: Thoroughbred racehorses, fox hunters and polo “ponies.” Of course, several other horse disciplines began to train here over the years, but it has been in the past 20 years or so that it seems the whole equestrian world

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Local family celebrates 50th anniversary in business

Clarence Bush has owned a successful family auto repair shop for 50 years, but he gives God all the credit for this accomplishment. Clarence, 92, has owned Bush’s Auto Repair & Service – located at 247 Main St. North in the small town of New Ellenton, South Carolina – since Nov. 20, 1971. “That’s when I bought the other man out,” he says. “I worked with him for 16 years.” Many years earlier, in 1954, Clarence broke his leg and was out of work for several months. At that time,

Read More »
B2B Stories

Turning empty office space into possible money

Editor’s Note: Don Lawrence and his company have been helping Augusta Business Daily to sub-lease unused offices at the building we lease at 930 Stevens Creek Road. He’s leased three executive suites for us and I thought if he can help ABD, perhaps he can help your company! Have you ever walked around your CSRA office building and seen a lot of rooms with the lights off and no one there? Do you ever think that space is being wasted? Even after the pandemic, more employees are working from home

Read More »