Southern cooking show host and entrepreneur, Vera Stewart talks with host, Deke Copenhaver on The Change Maker podcast about the beginnings of her business, food competition appearances, and how she continues to give back to young people teaching them life skills and good manners.
ABD wondered how many millions of dollars in acquisition or renovation costs Chick-Fil-A paid to expand its store to include the old Mi Rancho property. The operators didn’t want to discuss those numbers or how many millions in increased sales they believe is possible. Chick-fil-A, 3066 Washington Road, celebrated its grand re-opening yesterday morning. The new store has a larger parking lot, a fully updated kitchen, patio seating, two drive-thru lanes, and a drive-thru door instead of a window, according to franchise operator, John Powell. “Employees won’t be leaning out
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
Last week, I reported the labor force was down 500 people in the local area. Unfortunately, I was not specific about the “local” bit. I was referring to the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), while the headline referenced the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). These are not the same with the MSA including Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, and Richmond counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina. The CSRA is a 13-county region, entirely within Georgia as seen in the map below (source: csrarc.ga.gov). The CSRA does
An Aiken-based business is saddled up and ready to ride to a new location next year, according to Meybohm Commercial Properties. Custom Saddlery, which is currently located at 127 Hedge Road, will move to 390 Croft Mill Road, an 8,100-square-foot facility on a seven-acre property. Founded in 1992, the international company provides a variety of services to its customers, including designing, fitting, and repairing custom saddles. Besides Aiken, Custom Saddlery also has locations in Europe. For more information, visit mysaddle.com or call 803-649-2766.
Joey Blackwell may not fit your vision of a baker of delicate Italian pastries. He’s a self-described “big, burly, bearded guy.” But in the past two years, he has refined his recipe of macarons, started his Mac Daddy Macaron business, and was invited to compete in New York against fellow macaron bakers. “My interest in baking started in 2020 during the pandemic when many of us were staying home,” he said. “My wife and I got hooked on baking shows, particularly The Great British Bake-Off. At about that same time,
Some Georgia small business owners caught in covid relief fraud and solar farms are creating pollution in rivers in the southern part of the state. Georgia Business Daily Business Update by Mike Petchenik.
Not all email links are what they seem. Patrick Reynolds of Cross Link Consulting talks about a spam filter solution that helps protect you from illegitimate links.
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
Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about how the pandemic affected school children and the impact it could have on businesses in the future. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: We’re seeing the results of studies showing that the past couple of years has had a negative impact on school children. What are some of those issues? Rick: To be honest, I think it affected everyone.
