Consumer Stories

Closings

North Augusta pizzeria shuts down the ovens and closes the doors

Just a month ago, ABD featured the story of Doughboy’s NY Style Pizzeria as free access to our readers. They were struggling and we thought it might help. It was one of our #1 read stories, but as it turned out their challenges were insurmountable. This was their post on social media over the weekend: “I type this with tears in my eyes, but Doughboy’s will no longer be open! At least not in that location. Maybe down the road in a better location. Obviously, not being open means no

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Carolinas-based grocer to open store in Aiken

Lowes Foods is continuing to grow in the Carolinas and has announced five new locations including Aiken. That store will be built at the intersection of Whiskey Road and Powerhouse Road. Other new stores will include one in Indian Land, SC, and others in North Carolina. “We’re excited to be building additional Lowes Foods stores to serve the booming growth areas around Charlotte and northeast of Augusta, Georgia,” Tim Lowe, President of Lowes Foods said. “All five of our new stores are in various stages of planning and construction, and

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Goolsby’s

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”.

Read More »
Awards

Regional award for Aiken Tech’s Community Benefit Report

The businesses who support Aiken Technical College have some bragging rights. As ABD has reported previously, Aiken Tech works closely with the business community including partnerships with Savannah River Site (SRS), Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). Aiken Technical College received regional recognition for its 2021 Community Benefit Report from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). The annual publication was recently awarded the bronze Medallion Award in the NCMPR’s District 2 annual report category for its engaging

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Augusta staffing company awards new car to a hard-working employee

Some companies reward positive work performance with a pizza party. But an Augusta-based staffing company recently gave one of its employees a brand-new car. On Wednesday, Jan. 4, Sizemore, Inc.’s President and CEO, Preston Sizemore delivered a 2023 Kia Rio to Maria Juilia Rodriguez, a housekeeping supervisor with the company’s Fulfillment Center in Tampa. Rodriguez has worked for the company since Jan. 2022, according to Joey Warren, Sizemore’s senior corporate communications coordinator. “It was open to all non-administrative employees companywide,” Warren said. “We announced the contest in June.” At that

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Startup businesses expected to skyrocket in 2023

When Jessica Gaskins moved Maddi P Boutique from Warrenville to Aiken last year, she knew it might not be easy. She and her team stuck with it and together, they have created a successful small business. Are you ready to be your own boss? Do you prefer flexibility over big profits? Are you dissatisfied with corporate America? Not ready to retire? Maybe, like Gaskins, you’ll be running a new business in the coming year. Business statistics from 2022 show that over 3.8 million new business applications were filed in the

Read More »
Consumer Stories

North Augusta entrepreneurs establish endowment for local technical college students

Jack and Judi Poole understand the value of education, which is why the North Augusta business owners have established a $25,000 endowment at Aiken Technical College to provide scholarships for its students. The college will decide how the money will be distributed to its students, and the couple plans to donate $25,000 annually to the endowment. The Pooles own Vampire Penguin, a dessert shop located at 507 Georgia Ave., Suite A that sells shaved snow treats in a variety of flavors. They bought the franchise a little over a year

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Canadian furniture design business moves to Aiken

Covid took a big hit on many businesses. Some reassessed everything about their business. A few reinvented themselves. Some closed their doors forever. Others moved to another location. For Dan Diotte, President and Lead Designer of Chattels In Design, the survival of his business encompassed all those considerations. “Once Covid hit, we reassessed everything about our furniture design business. I believe when one door closes, a new door opens and presents new opportunities,” Diotte explained. Chattels In Design started in Ontario, Canada in 2016 and later moved to Massachusetts and

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Local IT company donates $2,500 to Augusta medical nonprofit

Christ Community Health provides medical services for uninsured and underinsured patients, and many of these patients don’t have reliable transportation. But a donation from a locally managed IT company will help them get the care they need. IntelliSystems, which offers its clients a variety of services, including cybersecurity, IT consulting and telecommunications, has donated $2,500 to Christ Community Health, a local non-profit organization, to provide transportation for its patients. “We are honored to facilitate transportation for people who desperately need medical and dental care, but are challenged by transportation reliability

Read More »
Closings

Downtown fast-food location closes

Arby’s may have the meats, but Augusta now has fewer Arby’s fast-food restaurants. The location at 1823 Walton Way between Papa John’s and Happy China II has closed permanently. To find out why, ABD spoke with an employee at the Evans location. “There just wasn’t enough business,” the employee said. “The closest one is either Gordon Highway or North Augusta.” Besides those, Arby’s also has multiple restaurants throughout the CSRA, including Martinez, Grovetown, Thomson, and Aiken. Founded in Ohio in 1964 by brothers Leroy and Forrest Raffel, the chain currently

Read More »