Entrepreneurs

B2B Stories

New shop will capture the spirit of Aiken

Like many visitors, Sarah Dodge and her husband came for the horses but fell in love with the community. Four years ago, after visiting friends in the Winter Colony, the dressage horse trainer and her farrier husband packed up their bags in Colorado and moved to Aiken. When she went looking for Aiken-themed products at the request of friends and family, she couldn’t find them. Her entrepreneurial skills took over and in a few weeks, she will open True Aiken. “I’ve always thought about opening a shop and I thought

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B2B Stories

New CSRA nursery decking the halls of businesses and homes

They might be the new kid on the nursery and landscaping block, but Southern Carolina Palms in Aiken is ready with all things Christmas. Located at 22 Gunter Road, the business opened in July and now six months later, they boast of one of the largest selections of holiday decorations in the CSRA. “Most of our sales come from families looking for a Christmas tree, wreath, swags, or inflatables,” said Annaleyse Black who handles customer questions and deliveries for Southern Carolina Palms. “We have all of that, but we have

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B2B Stories

Small businesses hope shoppers think local for Christmas joy

CSRA small businesses hope shoppers will remember the old saying, “Home is where the heart is,” and support local merchants this season. The biggest shopping day of the year is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when the Christmas shopping season officially begins. Traditionally, shoppers head to the big box stores to score bargains. But a day later, the spotlight turns to small, local businesses for Small Business Saturday. More than a dozen businesses in downtown Augusta will participate in the third annual Small Business Saturday (SBS) Crawl, sponsored by

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B2B Podcasting

Real answers for entrepreneurs

ABD means business. Our recent EXPO provided a panel of experts but also an opportunity for entrepreneurs to ask questions and get answers. Listen in.

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B2B Stories

New athleisure brand opens to the pickleball-loving public

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the CSRA and America. It’s easy to learn and fun to play. It’s a racquet sport and a cross between tennis, badminton, and ping pong, but played on a smaller court. Pickleball is also good for your health which is what brought brothers, Dan and Jon Lawson and David Pope together to form the athleisure company Good Get Apparel. Jon is a pulmonologist, Dan and David were in the technology side of healthcare. “We all understood the health benefits of playing pickleball,

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B2B Stories

New CSRA gift shop opens just in time for the holidays

A charming, southern house built almost 100 years ago has served as a real estate office, a salon, and an interior design shop. Now, another life has been breathed into the property at 1216 Whiskey Road in Aiken. Meadow Aiken is a family-owned shop that opened last month. The rooms of the home now feature an array of gifts and other home décor. “When we first saw it, we thought it was so beautiful we couldn’t stop thinking about it,” said owner, Nikki Mackenzie. “Yes, it was old and had

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B2B Stories

Who are you wearing? New women’s clothing shop answers the question

It’s the epitome of creating a small business. Find a need and fill it. Last spring, Angie Richards and Terri Rourk were shopping for new ensembles to wear during the polo season. They couldn’t find what they were looking for and that’s when the idea to create their own shop was born. Curated Clothiers opened on Nov. 1 at 108A Laurens Street in Aiken. Even though the polo season is over for the year, the holidays lie ahead. If you are shopping for yourself or gifts for others, they have

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B2B Stories

Business startup facilitator unveils new AI platform

Make Startups, the Augusta-based startup facilitator, officially unveiled its new AI software platform, CofounderOS, at the Fall 2023 Startup Champions Network Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 24. “Through our certification and other programs, Make Startups has more than a decade of experience in coaching entrepreneurs, teaching classes, leading accelerator programs, and working with investors,” said Eric Parker, CEO of Make Startups, who has testified before a U.S. congressional committee on the critical need for entrepreneurship support. “CofounderOS takes those 10 years of experience, allowing us the ability, through AI, to predict a

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B2B Stories

Award-winning baker branches out with grand opening for new restaurant

If you’ve ever had a sweet tooth, you’ve probably visited Bottom Line Bakery at 4534 Washington Road in the past couple of years. Surely, the display of cakes and the aroma of freshly baked bread and cinnamon rolls drew you into the establishment started by Kelsey Lucius. You might also have caught her on Season 7 of Chopped Sweets, where she turned four somewhat questionable baskets of ingredients into Million Dollar Desserts which captured the $10,000 winning prize. That was in March 2020. A few months later, Lucius opened her

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