Since announcing on Facebook two days before Christmas that it would be staying open for at least another five years, Ruth’s Family Restaurant has been as busy as ever, says server Dianna Davis.
Regulars of the nearly 60-year-old breakfast diner have been begrudgingly bracing themselves since Nov. 11, when it announced that Dec. 30 would be its last day open, amid current owners Dee and Peter Garland retiring.
As of Dec. 27, Ruth’s is hiring, according to its Facebook page, looking for a full-time dishwasher and cook.
Davis and her husband Vernon will take over managing the beloved Martinez eatery amid its new five-year lease.
Furys Ferry Hardware, the new shop taking up the space at the former site Final Cut, is also currently hiring. The store has had “coming soon” flyers displayed on social media since November, and as of Dec. 28 has posted openings for part-time sales associates.
Back in October, co-owner Charles Cates told The Augusta Press that restorations of the Petersburg Shoppes building should be complete in time for the new shop to open in February.
The day after New Year’s, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on a major PUD revision request to allow for those renovations, which include a greenhouse and storage area.
Komma Tea, a café chain based in Virginia, is slated to open a store location soon at Augusta Mall, according to both the company’s and the mall’s websites.
The dessert shop sells specialty milk teas, in flavors such as Oreo, coconut and Thai, fruit teas, with ingredients such as jasmine, rose and lychee and macaroon pastries.
The company, which started in 2020, currently has six locations in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, with its closest location in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Miniso, a billion-dollar discount store chain based in Guangzhou, China, is also slated to open soon in the mall. The variety retailer sells everything from toys to electronics to clothing at low-cost, with a particular emphasis on branded products, especially since entering an agreement with Marvel Entertainment in 2019.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
