NORTH AUGUSTA – North Augusta businessman Richard Mayson led an entrepreneurial exodus toward the end of 2021 and found new territory for his businesses, which are growing and thriving in early 2022.
On Aug. 6, 2021, Mayson left the Riverfront Antique Mall inside the former Kmart building on Jefferson Davis Highway and transitioned his own still-growing business, Riverside Antiques & Treasures to 646 E. Buena Vista Ave. in the former Community Ministries of North Augusta building.
“We ended up moving because the proprietor of Riverfront Antiques, Edie Connoway, could no longer keep it open. We were given a 30-day notice due to her personal health reasons… all of us, the café and the booth vendors. She was going to leave as well. The lease was going to expire,” Mason said.
Mayson had started as an organic products business owner with Organically You in Riverfront Antiques in 2013. Later, he branched out with a café.
When Connoway’s lease expired, vendors wanted to stay in the old Kmart location, but it didn’t pan out, he said. The aging space was in need of many repairs, and Mayson hesitated to take on the lease.
“The liabilities of trying to get it back in shape were too much,” Mayson said.
The building did serve its function, and the spread-out space was good for business during the pandemic. People did not feel overly crowded and could practice social distancing.
In October 2021, about 30 of the vendors from Riverfront Antiques joined with Mayson and rented spots from him at the new location.
He said he has gotten such a great response from vendors that he’s planning to open a second location in March in Atomic Plaza, a shopping center not far from his current location.
“We have another 40 or so vendors from our waiting list who have been waiting on booth spaces,” Mayson said.
Mayson’s waiting list has grown to about 120, but even with the expansion, he’ll only be able to accommodate another 40.
The new location will almost double his combined floor space. The current location has about 10,000 square feet while the Atomic Plaza building has 9,500 square feet.
Vendors sell a variety of products in their spaces.
“We do have guidelines about what can come into the store. We want things that are in good taste. Also, we have antiques, but we also have treasures or vintage items,” Mayson said.
He said some of his vendors go to yard sales, flea markets and estate sales for items and resell them. Vendors and even other antique and vintage stores do not have a strong sense of competition with one another.
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“Most of us in this area care about antiques. We have a passion for collectibles,” he said. “It’s all about being collaborative and working together to see what benefits the customer. What benefits the customer also benefits the businessperson.”
Merchandise includes antiques and collectibles such as old advertising icons, vintage toys, vintage furnishings, antique furniture, art, records, books, decorative furnishings, and so much more.
“They contain a mix of the antique, vintage and modern,” he said.
Other vendors create their own wares.
“Jerry Adams builds his own furniture. Sometimes, they are repurposed pieces. He comes up with some really unique pieces. He took some old shutters and made a bathroom rack, for example,” Mayson said.
Ramie A Designs, a small family business in Harlem, sells signs and home décor made with new and repurposed materials.
The Cafe That Grew from Organically You
Another expansion will be the addition of a café like the one he operated in the former Kmart. He had hoped to have a soft opening by the end of the month. It will start out smaller but will expand by the first week of March. He plans to have live music on occasion and mirror past events such as V.I.P. drop-ins where vendors could invite friends, family and their own customers to their booths.
The café’s menu, which is subject to change, includes items such as pulled pork baskets and classic Reuben sandwich baskets as specials with fries, tater tots, or chips with onion rings. Specialty items have been Cajun fried gator tail, an Italian grilled cheese sandwich with pepperoni and marinara, a fresh Beaufort shrimp salad, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and seafood. Also pastries, traditional hot drinks a cafe serves such as cappuccino and espresso as well as a variety of cold drinks, including juices, tea and soda will be included on the menu.
Artisan and imported cheeses, imported meats, imported olives, and artisan/international breads have been known to show up on the menu.
“We expect to keep the menu as close to this as possible,” he said.
Not only does he have prepared foods, but fresh seasonal seafood items such as shrimp, scallops and oysters, sometimes makes its way to his coolers.
“Unfortunately, we do not have a product list of the items we carry at Organically You since it is subject to change on a regular basis. We provide fresh, local seafood from Beaufort, SC as it is available; raw Grade A milk from local dairies; farm-fresh eggs; artisan cheeses (local and imported); organic hygiene products; organic dietary supplements; local artisan chocolates; organic teas and coffee; organic herbs and spices and organic CBD products,” Mayson said.
Riverside Antiques & Treasures is currently open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/RiversideAntiquesandTreasures
Ron Baxley Jr. is a correspondent for The Augusta Press.
