Consumer Stories

Openings

CSRA antique shop to launch garden center

For years, Richard Mayson has planned to open a garden center in North Augusta, but next month, his plans will finally come to fruition. Mayson, owner of Riverside Antiques & Treasures located at 646 East Buena Vista Ave., is preparing for the grand opening of the year-round outdoor center, which will be held Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14. It will feature vendors selling a variety of items, including plants, fresh produce, yard art, pottery, and stained glass. He said the owners of New Life Natural Foods located on

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Consumer Stories

Local taekwondo instructor excited to bring academy back to the CSRA

Growing up in the Augusta area, Gary Nistler trained in taekwondo at a martial arts academy that, at the time, was located in Anderson Plaza on Bobby Jones Expressway. Nistler is excited to bring that academy back to the CSRA. On Saturday, Nistler, an eighth-degree grandmaster, will open a Tiger-Rock Martial Arts franchise, near Kroger in the Evans Crossing Shopping Center at 4351 Washington Road, Suite H. The 4,300-square-foot academy that was formerly occupied by Dollar Tree many years ago, will offer classes for children as young as four and

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Consumer Stories

Last chance for advance air show tickets

Look! Up in the air! It’s an air show that hasn’t happened in 20 years! The two-day event returns to the Augusta Regional Airport on May 13 and 14, but advance ticket sales end on Monday, April 24. General Admission for adults is $31.50 and children for $23.25 and it includes a parking pass. There are also preferred seating tickets and lawn boxes. The top tickets are to the Flight Line Club for $179 and include VIP parking and entrance. Among the performers will be the U.S. Air Force F-16

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Restaurants/Food

Business Lunch Review: Hello Poke

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday, he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and the tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”.

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Consumer Stories

Dual dessert and coffee shop to open in CSRA

For many, coffee and desserts are two of the basic food groups, and this summer, local residents will be able to enjoy both at a one-stop shop in Evans. Meybohm Commercial Properties has announced that two new eateries, Alumni Cookie Dough and Rooted Coffeehouse, are coming to 7025 Evans Town Center Blvd., Suite 213, in The Plaza at Evans Towne Center. That space was formerly occupied by Roll On In and Buzzed Bull Creamery, which both opened and closed last year. Alumni is an Athens-based company that sells cookie dough

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Consumer Stories

Hibachi food on the road

The CSRA is flanked by several full-service Japanese restaurants—either for hibachi-style chefs at your table, regular dining, or take-out. TiAmo Hibachi On The Go may be the first mobile food trailer serving hibachi-style meals on an outdoor grill—other than that at local festivals. The TiAmo team specializes in Chicken, Pork, and Shrimp Hibachi Plates, Lo Mein, and Egg Rolls. Soon, they’ll offer their homemade (Tiyumaki) Yum Yum sauce. Their first event is this Friday at Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson’s headquarters at 4102 Windsor Spring Road in Hephzibah. It’s part of

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B2B Stories

How health (good and bad) impacts your business in the CSRA

Are employees in the CSRA unhealthy? That’s a big yes from a recent study by WalletHub. Not one single southern city made the list for healthiest places to live, but almost all the unhealthiest locations were in the southeast including two in Georgia. Columbus came in at #4 and Augusta was #5 in the Top 10 unhealthy cities. WalletHub’s analysis used 43 metrics to rank the cities, including the cost of medical care, residents’ diets, levels of physical activity, and access to green space. Improving our unhealthy ranking has the

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Consumer Stories

Local restaurateur to relaunch food truck for both eateries

Since 2020, Ramiro Galvan’s local Mexican restaurant has had its own food truck he uses at various events, but he now also plans to use it for his other eatery located in downtown Augusta. Galvan owns both Taqueria El Rey located on Washington Road in Martinez and Munchies Lab on Walton Way in Augusta. He started El Rey on Wheels, which serves a variety of Mexican fares, such as tacos and burritos. But people now have the option of getting other menu items, including hot dogs, hamburgers, and even provocatively

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ABD Extra

Simon Says: Staffing Strategies

The labor shortage continues to be a concern for many businesses. The Augusta metro area employment level is still 4,000 persons below pre-pandemic levels and the labor force is almost 8,000 people fewer. A new survey of businesses conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates how firms are trying to attract more applicants. The most popular strategies were increased advertising and higher starting pay. Nationwide, 5.4% of establishments have increased advertising, with 11.8% of accommodation and food services and 9.7% of health care and social assistance increasing advertising. The

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ABD Extra

More seats, more events, more tourism for CSRA

A $150,000 grant has opened the door for changes to seating capacity at the Sharon Jones Amphitheater in North Augusta. The grant is through the Undiscovered South Carolina program in the state’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism department. Karl Waldhaur, superintendent of Facilities and Programs in the North Augusta Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department briefed council members during the April 10 study session. “The purpose is to highlight places in South Carolina that have less than $900,000 of accommodations tax revenue,” Waldhaur explained. “So, the purpose is to kind of highlight

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