Entrepreneurs

While Covid destroyed many businesses, that certainly wasn’t the case for Jim Steed’s seasonal business in Columbia County. Steed owns Steed’s Dairy, 4634 Wrightsboro Road, Grovetown, which he said offers something for everyone, including a five-acre corn maze, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, zip lines, and hayrides. He opened the business in 2010. “We saw a lot of people who wanted to get out of the house,” he said. Every year, the corn maze features a different logo, such as this year’s, which commemorates the Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs winning

The timing may not have been ideal for Brooke Thomas to open a boutique in downtown Aiken. She signed the lease on her Laurens Street shop in March 2020, right before the pandemic shut everything down, but she used the downtime to complete renovations. A few months later, when shoppers began to venture out, Ginger Bee Boutique was ready. Ever since, there has been a hive of activity at her shop. Even at the age of 24, Thomas was ready for that as well. She has a passion for fashion

Onnie Sanford has already expanded her business, but the entrepreneur wants to help other small businesses grow by providing them more exposure to potential customers. Sanford, the owner of Paleo Num Yums and OPP Kitchen, 359 Furys Ferry Road, Martinez, will host a Holiday Market on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at her store. So far, six vendors have signed up, and Sanford would like to find six more. She’s looking for “artists and artisans” that sell unique products people can use as Christmas gifts or

Unlike most businesses during the height of Covid, especially restaurants that struggled to keep their doors open, grocery stores, albeit by curbside pickup or delivery, flourished. Families were staying home and cooking, but that wears thin after prepping, cooking, and cleaning day in and day out for months on end. Enter the charcuterie board. Best friends, Ashley Elvis and Casey Young started their company, Board in Aiken, in the fall of 2019. In the beginning, they made charcuterie boards for family and friends. Their business grew quickly from there. A

After retiring from the U.S. Army, Lt. Col. Mark Douglass developed his own line of barbecue sauces, and he plans to give away more than $10,000 worth of it this weekend. Douglass is the founder and owner of Warrior’s Choice, a company that creates and sells sauces in a variety of military-themed flavors, including Defender, Spartan Heat, and Patriot’s Pride. He will give free bottles to the first 1,080 people who attend Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival, which will be held tomorrow and Saturday at the Columbia County Fairgrounds in