Openings

A bakery will be joining a longtime barbershop in Martinez in the same center. Russell’s Corner Barber Shop had been next to McDonald’s at the corner of Washington Road and Davis for more than 35 years. Soon, the Suga’ Buzz Bakery will open there. The owners spent almost 20 years perfecting thousands of cakes from a home kitchen, while selling them at local venues. She posted in a Columbia County FB group that she’ll invite a few other entrepreneurs to share her space. Expect old-fashioned, custom cakes with edible decorations

Have you had oxtail or curry goat before? If not, perhaps you’ve had jerk chicken. A new Caribbean restaurant is now open, complete with a coffee drive-through. The Jerk House is now open, serving small and large plates generally in the $11.00 to $23.00 range, including Jerk Chicken Pasta, Jerk Pork, Stew Chicken, Fried Chicken, and more. The restaurant replaced Café Dulce, which lasted about three years, in a new building that featured a second level, a side patio upstairs, and a drive-through. All are being used for the Jerk

Perhaps the third time is the charm for a high-profile restaurant building in Aiken. Zaxby’s was the last server of food at this location on Whiskey Road. They vacated the 3600 square-foot property in the second half of 2022 to move nearby. In late 2025, a deal was in place for Freddie’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers to open its third restaurant in this building. Here was our story then on how that deal fell apart.  The building then went on sale for nearly $1.5 million. Now, the independently owned Ace