NORTH AUGUSTA – Riverside Antiques and Treasures Too, as well as the original location and its newly opened cafe, will have a red letter day during their grand opening in Atomic Plaza on Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Attendees will feast on treasures with their eyes in both locations, marvel at new sections of artisan items at the new location and devour treats purchased from a long-promised A-rated cafe, the Market Café @ Organically You, in the old location – all within the same plaza. They will also listen in the back of Riverside Antiques and Treasures Too as North Augusta musician Dennis Hall plays acoustic guitar and harmonica as well as covers everything from James Taylor to Journey.
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Riverside Antiques and Treasures Too is the second location of the antique and vintage item vendor booth business within the same plaza. Both are concurrently open during posted hours. The Cafe in the first location was very recently approved by South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and was given an A rating.
Richard Mayson, owner of the stores and co-owner of Organically You, LLC, which has the cafe under its auspices, said, “Riverside Antiques and Treasures Too is just another location of the same business. It is the same company. We are just in separate buildings (within the same plaza).”
“We have another 45 vendor booths in this second location. There are approximately 40 in the other one,” Mayson said.
Mayson said the second building is partially focusing on local artisans.
“We have a larger variety of things, including items from local artisans or craft vendors,” he said.
The second building features items from a potter in Johnston, a woodworker from North Augusta who specializes in mostly clocks and an individual with etched glass from North Augusta.
Mayson said, “We also have a vintage jeweler who does jewelry repair.”
He said they also have an individual who specializes in gemstones.
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There is more furniture, including more vintage and mid-century modern pieces, in the second location. Mayson said the new building allows more space for it.
The furniture joins clothing, jewelry, antique and vintage items, toys, collectibles, and more in vendor booths at both locations.
Mayson said there will be special pricing/discounts throughout the Grand Opening from the vendors. The second building was to get people off of a waiting list for booth space. This waiting list happened when he, as a vendor, moved from the now defunct Riverfront Antique Mall, which he did not own. In October of last year, he moved his Organically You, L.C.C. and cafe from the now-closed Riverfront Antique Mall on the Aiken Augusta Highway and opened the first Riverside Antiques business in North Augusta to house Riverfront Antique Mall vendors there. He did not have enough space to house all of the vendors in the first building. During 2022, he worked on expanding to the new building.
He also said they took a wall out at the first location in the same plaza to make a larger cafe location and said the final approval for the cafe was given by South Carolina. DHEC on Thursday, April 21 just in time for the grand opening on Saturday.
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They were still doing touch-ups and reorganization of the cafe as of press time. A photo of the cafe, before the wall was taken out, appeared in a previous article in “The Augusta Press” on the opening of the first location.
Janet Decker is part owner and managing partner of the cafe of Organically You, L.L.C., both of which are located at the old location within the same plaza. She could not be reached on Thursday, but Mayson said she is a Mennonite and former owner of Dutch House in Wrens.
Mayson said she uses her cooking skills and management skills from that business in the Market Cafe.
The cafe’s menu, which is subject to change due to recent supply chain issues, sometimes has pulled pork baskets and classic Reuben sandwich baskets as specials with fries, tater tots, or chips with onion rings available for $1 extra. According to the menu, highlights of specialties have been Cajun fried gator tail, an Italian grilled cheese sandwich, a fresh Beaufort shrimp salad and more. They also have a variety of burgers, a selection of sandwiches with different types of bread, many different salads and different types of seafood. The cafe also has pastries and the traditional hot drinks a cafe serves such as cappuccino and espresso as well as cold drinks, including juices, tea, and sodas. It also sometimes has a variety of artisan and imported cheeses, imported meats, imported olives, and artisan/international breads.
Organically You, L.L.C., which the cafe is a part of, is also housed at the first location. The business carries such things as fresh shrimp.
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Mayson said, “Fresh shrimp will be coming in there from Beaufort next week. This is for Organically You and is brought in fresh right off the boat.”
He said they sometimes use the fresh shrimp for recipes in the cafe, depending on availability.
Organically You, L.L.C. also sometimes has 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 this list is subject to change on a regular basis. Check with him or his employees at the first location regarding this.
Mayson said in another month., they plan to have a garden center in a vacant lot out back at Riverside Antiques and Treasures Too. He said they will have medicinal and herbal plants back there and will have somebody making birdhouses for the garden center as well.
Both locations of Riverside Antiques and Treasures in Atomic Plaza, located at 646 E. Buena Vista Ave. in North Augusta, are open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/RiversideAntiquesandTreasures.
Ron Baxley Jr. is a correspondent for The Augusta Press.
