Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

Two popular fast-food restaurants going head to head in Martinez

Crews are busy working on the parking lot, landscaping, and electrical work at the 12th location of franchisee Mike Iezzi. (Photo by Neil Gordon) Starting as early as next month, fast food giants and next-door neighbors McDonald’s and Wendy’s will compete for both burger sales and employees in front of the West Town Shopping Center on Washington Road in Martinez. Franchise owner Mike Iezzi will soon open a 12th location on a 1.7-acre lot – the site of the former Auto Gallery- near the busy Davis Road intersection. “We’re hoping

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Why the housing market is a seller’s market

In the Riverwood subdivision of Evans very few of the 1400 homes are for sale—and if they are—homes are not lasting long and selling prices are higher than normal. This home sold for the asking price of $479,000 within a few days. (Photo courtesy Sally Kolar Photography) I was talking to a former student who was describing how hard it was to buy his first home in Augusta because of the hot housing market. It prompted me to look up some local data from U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency. The

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Consumer Stories

Using J-Tank business concept to break Augusta’s poverty

Jessye Norman School of the Arts students and their families along with other CSRA families are eligible to apply. Provided by Jessie Norman School of the Arts If you’ve ever watched “Shark Tank”, you’re familiar with the show’s concept: Budding entrepreneurs pitch their product ideas to a panel of extremely wealthy judges in hopes of convincing them to invest in those ideas. Some competitors land lucrative deals, while others leave with nothing. The Jessye Norman School of the Arts in downtown Augusta has modeled this concept by creating its own

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Consumer Stories

Gas supply and demand challenge hits CSRA gas stations and businesspeople

One of the Exxon stations on Washington Road, near the National Hills Shopping Center, had cars lined up to buy gas on Wednesday, May 12 because many other local stations had already run out. (Photo by Josh Heath) Business owners hear all kinds of excuses for why their employees can’t make it to work. This week, some of these employees may have an unusual reason for missing work: a lack of gasoline. Gas stations all over the Southeast have temporarily run out of gas, thanks to a May 7 cyberattack

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Consumer Stories

Local charity receives an extra-large check from merchants association

Reynold Borseth, president of the Merchants Association of Columbia County, presented a $150,000 check to Betts Murdison with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta. They’re pictured here with other local business leaders (Photo courtesy of Steve Johnston). Last year, the Merchants Association of Columbia County presented a check for $50,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta. Yesterday, they have tripled that donation. The local Ronald McDonald House – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to help families of children with serious illnesses – just received a check for

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Consumer Stories

Take me out to the ball game…a year later!

While hundreds of people went to the game, SRP Park is operating at 50% capacity, according to Tom Denlinger, vice president of the Greenjackets. (Photo by Josh Heath) The Greenjackets lost to the Columbia Fireflies on May 7 with a final score of 12-2. While the Augusta Greenjackets didn’t win, it was still a great night to take myself out to the ball game. On Friday, May 7, I did something that was impossible just one year ago. I went to SRP Park in North Augusta to watch the Greenjackets

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Consumer Stories

For collision repair director, success is no accident

Classic Collision on Washington Road has been open in Augusta for about three years, but the company has been around since 1983. (Photo by Josh Heath) Being busy is nothing new for Tracy Bryant, but he’s about to add even more to his plate. Bryant, regional director of Classic Collision – a collision repair company – currently oversees three shops in the CSRA: a 70,000 square foot facility on Washington Road, as well as locations in both Aiken and Grovetown. He says Classic Collision has recently bought another company called

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Consumer Stories

Local retailer expects to break another Mother’s Day sales record

Martina’s Flowers and Gifts on Washington Road set a sales record last year, bringing in nearly $200,000 in a four-day period for Mother’s Day 2020. (Photo courtesy Martina’s Flowers and Gifts) At Martina’s Flowers and Gifts on Washington Road, COVID-19 was no match for Mother’s Day 2020. In just a four-day period from Sunday through Thursday, Martina’s brought in nearly $200,000 in sales, much to the surprise of the store’s owner, Brian McCarthy. “We were not allowing customers in the store, but it turned out to be Martina’s best Mother’s

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Consumer Stories

Grocery store chain opens in Daniel Village and helps to relieve hunger in the CSRA

Food Lion made very few changes inside the store. Here’s the new store’s deli/bakery section, which looks about the same as it did when BI-LO was in business. (Photo by Josh Heath) Editor’s Note: We sent Josh Heath back to the Bi-Lo\Food Lion just a few weeks after he wrote the story of the Bi-Lo closing. Here is what we found. There’s a new Food Lion store open at 2803 Wrightsboro Road in the Daniel Village Shopping Center, but it doesn’t resemble other grocery stores in the chain. Instead, it

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Consumer Stories

Local foundation donates $1 million land for new Alzheimer’s care facility

This sign marks the site of the future 24,000 square foot Jud C. Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s Care. (Photo by Josh Heath) A generous donation by the Knox Foundation of four acres of land on Washington Road worth close to $1 million is helping to turn the Jud C. Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s Care’s goal of constructing a new 24,000 square foot facility into a reality, according to Jennifer Pennington, the center’s executive director. “With this new center, we’ll be able to help more families facing this terrible disease,” says

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