Consumer Stories

ABD: Why do you sense there is reason for optimism in the Augusta business community? Rick: Take Valentine’s Day weekend for example. I tried to get dinner reservations for Friday or Saturday night at Frog Hollow Tavern to take my wife and they were booked. We went Thursday and it was still crowded. We went to Augustino’s Saturday night and they had a good crowd. ABD: You realize you only get one point from your wife for your Valentine’s efforts, not two! Rick: Laughs out loud. ABD: What other reasons

Christine Lowe left a stressful marketing job to buy a friend’s business, and now most of her clients have four legs and fur. Lowe, owner of What the Fluff Pet Sitters of CSRA, provides pet sitting services for not only dogs and cats, but also snakes, lizards and other exotic pets. She even took care of some cockroaches one of her clients was breeding, but fortunately for her, she didn’t have to touch them. Lowe said her mother raised her and her sister to love and care for animals. “I

Charles Cypress enjoys turning steel into useful multipurpose tools. As the owner of Cypress Custom Knives, he creates and sells knives for a variety of purposes, such as hunting, fishing, cooking, and collecting. Cypress has a shop in his backyard and a forge near his home in North Augusta. He launched the business about four years ago following his retirement from the South Carolina Highway Patrol. “I start with designs I thought up in my head, and I draw out a knife,” Cypress said. “The forging process is putting the