Veterans Day has come and gone, but Augustans can honor veterans and some active duty service members throughout the year by supporting their businesses. And there is no shortage of options.
One is located in Downtown Augusta: Ubora Coffee Roasters.
Founders Andre Leon and Phillip Weisner are both currently serving in the Navy. According to Leon’s bio on the Ubora website, he is committed to the service of others and improving lives. Weisner’s says he has seen firsthand how a cup of coffee can connect people. The two have staffed their shop with veterans and active-duty military personnel, and their roastmaster and social media marketer have served in the Navy as well.
Ubora is open seven days a week and fits into a strong network of coffee shops and restaurants in the downtown corridor.
Just down the block from Ubora is Laziza Mediterranean Grill, a second location growing from an original restaurant in Evans. The original location has been around for a little over 10 years and is run by Nader Khatib.
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Khatib spent years in the Air Force before establishing Laziza in July 2011. The opening of the downtown location was delayed for a while due to economic factors stemming from the pandemic, but now it’s going strong at 901 Broad St.
Just a few streets over, Riverwatch Brewery is serving the community after owner Brey Sloan served in the Army for decades.
MORE: Augusta’s Breweries Primed to Enjoy Resurgent Summer
Sloan is the owner, operations chief and head brewer for the first microbrewery in the Augusta area since Prohibition. She operates a 20-barrel brewhouse, distributing draft beer to the 11 counties around Augusta on the Georgia side of the Savannah River and four counties in South Carolina.
I recently had a chance meeting with Alice Garner at the Cookin’ for Kids oyster roast hosted by Child Enrichment Inc. and the Exchange Club of Richmond County. I learned she was just exiting military service with hopes of enjoying a totally new career.
MORE: Veteran Turns Passion for Baking Into Business
Garner was halfway through a planned 20-year career in the military before a cancer diagnosis kickstarted her second career as a baker.
“Twenty years was the plan, but after being diagnosed with cancer, I was medically retired out,” Garner said. “I’ve always been baking and cooking and did that in the military, too. I decided to try to start my business with cupcakes.”
She currently sells out of her home but will operate a small kiosk in the Augusta Mall in 2022.
On a related topic, Small Business Saturday in Augusta is Nov. 27. Several downtown businesses are participating with Augusta & Co. serving as the headquarters.
From the Facebook page for the event, “Stop by Augusta & Co. to pick up your free Love Augusta tote (first 200 shoppers) & crawl guide. Shoppers will receive a custom button with each purchase at a participating business. For each button collected, you’ll get one entry for a gift basket grand prize drawing. Free gift wrapping is offered all day at Augusta & Co., so bring all your goodies back to crawl central and wrap them up.”
This event is a great opportunity to get ahead on Christmas shopping which will be more difficult and expensive this year using traditional methods like ordering from online retailers. Supply chain issues and inflated prices are already present and will continue, so knock out two birds with one stone and support local businesses while also saving some time and money by skipping the online retailers. Augusta businesses and community will thank you.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com
