Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

Two business owners win Man and Women of the Year honors

Erik Smith of Grovetown and Secelia Brown of Evans are the local winners of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual Man and Woman of the Year contest. Smith raised $46,469 and Brown $135,097 to support LLS’ goal to find cures for blood cancers. “Congratulations to our winners, and to all of our candidates and campaign team members who participated in this year’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign,” said Amanda, Yancey, LLS Georgia–South Carolina Executive Director. “These exceptional volunteers are all unstoppable leaders in their communities. Together, we are

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Consumer Stories

Local medical nonprofit unveils the newest office in South Augusta

Christ Community Health’s new South Augusta location is already open and busy, but the official ribbon-cutting took place on Thursday, May 26. The office is located next to Barney’s Pharmacy at 2604 Peach Orchard Road, Suite 200. It opened in December 2021. “Over the past five months, they have handled over 3,000 patient visits,” CEO, Don Branum said. The non-profit organization, which provides a variety of health care services for children and adults throughout the CSRA, continues to serve uninsured and underinsured patients throughout the CSRA, thanks to financial support

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Consumer Stories

Fitness center will not open Riverwatch location

The owners of Endurance Fitness were prepared to open a second location in Evans in January 2022, just in time to help people launch their New Years’ resolutions. But after months of anticipation and construction, ABD has learned that the location will no longer open. For months, Cliff and Amanda Jennings heavily promoted the fitness center at 4099 River Watch Parkway, the former home of the Playhouse, through social media and billboard advertising. While Columbia County won’t have Endurance Fitness, the couple still owns and operates a successful location at

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Consumer Stories

Women’s clothing store to expand with fourth CSRA location

Business is booming at My Story, a local women’s boutique. The owners just broke ground on a fourth CSRA location on Cabela Drive in the Village at Riverwatch. The new store will be located close to Dave & Buster’s and next door to Guitar Center. My Story also has locations in the Augusta Mall, Mullins Colony in Evans, and Grovetown. The store sells a variety of items, such as pants, dresses, and shirts, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes. The business, which was founded in 2012, made the announcement

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Consumer Stories

Faith Friday: Therapist uses a prayerful yet playful approach to holistic health and wellness

LaSaundria Walker, M.Ed., LPCA, is a woman of faith. Yet when God told her to leave a job she adored, she didn’t listen. After all, she thought she would become director of the mental health agency where she was employed and retire there. That was 2018 and her disobedience came with a cost. “It eventually got to the point where my job, that place that was once one of peace and purpose, became unbearable,” Walker, an Augusta native, said. “I knew that His plan didn’t include going to another agency

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Consumer Stories

Appliance entrepreneur to open a new store in former Earth Fare building

Dave Barrett owns appliance stores on the East and West coasts, but in early July, he plans to open a fourth store in the former Earth Fare building located at 368 Furys Ferry Road, Suite 3 in Augusta. Barrett, the owner of Dave’s Appliance Warehouse, has one store just outside of Athens and two more in Orange County, California. He sells both new and B-Stock appliances, which refer to scratch-and-dent items and canceled orders, among others he buys from major companies. Unlike other appliance stores, Barrett won’t sell used items.

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Local

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 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”. Food

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Consumer Stories

Flooding temporarily closes downtown coffee shop

Water is essential for coffee but too much of a good thing has temporarily shut down Ubora Coffee Roasters. The coffee shop, located at 1128 Jones St., is a popular spot for business people to work and hold meetings. According to a representative of the company, a pipe inside the business ruptured over the weekend and poured water into the store for about two hours before someone could shut it off. Ubora is closed for the time being as crews work to clean up the damage. Fans will be running

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Consumer Stories

Local restaurant remains closed after extensive fire damage

If you’re craving a burrito bowl from Diablo’s Southwest Grill, you can visit any CSRA location – except the original one at 3668 Wheeler Road, Suite 4 in Augusta. That restaurant has been closed since last month due to a kitchen fire. Rob Ashe, President of AdMax Advertising, which handles Diablo’s advertising, said it will probably remain closed for several months. “I haven’t been inside it, but it must be extensive damage,” Ashe said. “It will be closed longer than we would like.” This isn’t the first time its owners

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Consumer Stories

Couple to launch dessert business in Grovetown

Steven and Kim Studdard knew people were driving from Grovetown and Harlem to Evans to buy frozen desserts at Vampire Penguin, so they decided to launch their own. The couple hopes to open their franchise located at 419 Lewiston Road, Suite 2 in Grovetown later this week. Steven said they’re just waiting for their business license. Kim got the idea from her friend, who owns the Evans franchise location. “All this was her idea,” he said. “My wife really fell in love with the idea of opening a Vampire Penguin.”

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