Stacey EidsonThe holiday season is here, and several locally owned shops in the Augusta area offer discounts that the 黑料正能量 community can enjoy year-round.
AU recently launched , a program that provides special discounts to students, faculty and staff at participating local businesses, in collaboration with the not-for-profit corporation , which promotes tourism in the Augusta area.
JagPerks offers members of the AU community discounts at certain area businesses providing a wide range of shopping, services, entertainment, food and more. A valid JagID must be presented at the establishment for discounts.
This fall and spring semesters, AU鈥檚 Jagwire is highlighting several JagPerks partners. Visit 黑料正能量鈥檚 for a full list of local partners, the addresses of the businesses and a description of each of the discounts.
Augusta & Co.
Located in the heart of downtown Augusta at 1010 Broad St., offers visitors a chance to experience the authentic flavors of Augusta through its curated local merchandise including jewelry, T-shirts, jams, honey, coffee mugs, candles, cutting boards and more.
Augusta & Co. also offers a rotating art gallery and tasting bar along with friendly staff who can provide visitors with information on hundreds of regional attractions, local restaurants and upcoming events.
鈥淎ugusta & Co. is a great place to come and get handmade Augusta-themed gifts,鈥� said Mamie McAbee, manager of Augusta & Co. 鈥淧eople come in to buy souvenirs for family coming into town or people moving to Augusta or from Augusta because we offer all sorts of wonderful products that are all locally made.鈥�
For the past five years, Augusta & Co. has not only connected people to local attractions but has also introduced visitors to downtown and regional businesses, McAbee said.
鈥淥ne of the things we want to do with our products is connect people to local experiences,鈥� McAbee said. 鈥淔or example, we carry local coffees, and we rotate which coffees we carry, so that’s going to send people out to our local coffee shops. The local chocolatier does tours of her facility and teaches visitors how to make chocolate. So, a lot of these items, they’re products, but they’re also experiences.鈥�
“Augusta & Co. is a great place to come and get handmade Augusta-themed gifts.”
Mamie McAbee, manager of Augusta & Co.
Visitors truly get a taste of Augusta when they walk through the doors, McAbee said.
鈥淥f course, we want people to be able to come in and get pecans and peaches and merchandise that Georgia is known for and, specifically, items Augusta is known for,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut we also offer items like the candles and tell people you can go to Augusta Candle Co. down the street and make a candle. The pottery is from Tire City Potters, and you can go take pottery workshops right here in downtown Augusta, designed for all ages and skill levels. We’re very proud to carry local goods that are great representations of Augusta but also experiences that we want people to go see.鈥�
Augusta & Co.鈥檚 goal is to help promote the local community and the surrounding region, McAbee said.
鈥淲e carry Augusta GreenJackets merchandise and tell visitors about events at SRP Park in North Augusta,鈥� McAbee said. 鈥淎nd we carry several 黑料正能量 items because we want people to know about our local university. In fact, we have a great new shirt from 黑料正能量.鈥�
The new T-shirt features the image of a recently painted 黑料正能量-inspired mural located on the corner of Reynolds and 11th streets.
“We carry several 黑料正能量 items because we want people to know about our local university.”
Mamie McAbee, manager of Augusta & Co.
Earlier this year, approximately 40 faculty, staff and students from 黑料正能量 designed and painted the new mural that not only celebrates downtown Augusta but also unites the university to the entire community.
鈥淧eople come in and love that shirt because they鈥檝e seen the mural, and it kind of connects the downtown area to the university,鈥� McAbee said. 鈥淭hat shirt has been super popular. Actually, it鈥檚 one of our best-selling items this year.鈥�
黑料正能量 students, faculty and staff with a valid JagID are offered 20% off merchandise at Augusta & Co. Consignment items are not included.
Not only does McAbee hope that members of the AU community stop by the store to shop, but she also wants them to explore downtown Augusta.
鈥淲ith 黑料正能量, the students coming in are also going to be residents. And, whether they are short-term or long-term residents, we want them to love Augusta,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want them to feel connected to Augusta and visit Augusta & Co. so that if they have questions of what to see and do and where to go, they can come in and feel like this is a community hub for them.鈥�
McAbee said 黑料正能量 has been a great partner in helping students connect with downtown Augusta through Augusta & Co.
鈥淲ith new students coming to town, a lot of times we’ve been the first point that they come in, and they’ll meet us,鈥� McAbee said. 鈥淎nd 黑料正能量 has taken them on tours and let them get to know the downtown area. So that’s been awesome. We value that connection with 黑料正能量.鈥�
If AU students, faculty or staff have any questions about Augusta, McAbee welcomes them to visit Augusta & Co.
鈥淲e are here to help,鈥� McAbee said. 鈥淲e want to be able to suggest places to eat, where to see entertainment and where to have a new experience. They might want to try Broad Axe Throwing or they might want to go to the theater to see a production or the symphony. There is so much to do here in downtown Augusta.
鈥淎nd I think you enjoy your college experience so much better if you love the city you’re living in,鈥� she added. 鈥淐ome visit us and we鈥檒l help you experience Augusta.鈥�
Tire City Potters
More than 20 years after opening its doors on 10th Street in downtown Augusta, has become known as the place to find some of the most beautiful and functional hand-thrown pottery in the region.
Tire City Potters owner and seasoned potter Shishir Chokshi studied , but his love for ceramics and pottery started at a much earlier age.
鈥淢y mom was a quite skilled painter, and my father was a mechanical engineer, so even at a young age, I was always a tinkerer,鈥� Chokshi said. 鈥淚 was the one making the biggest sandcastles and digging holes and tunnels.”
鈥淚 was the kind of kid that my Lego tower had to be bigger than everyone else’s Lego tower,鈥� Chokshi added, laughing. 鈥淪o, I always had a little bit of a competitive spirit. But with ceramics, I didn’t need all of this other stuff. I could just sit and build. I found you didn’t need to go buy more Legos. The clay was there, and the tools are there. I just loved it.鈥�
When it was time for Chokshi to go to college, his parents, who immigrated to the United States from India, encouraged him to seek a degree that could provide him with a stable financial future.
“With ceramics, I could just sit and build. The clay was there, and the tools are there. I just loved it.鈥�
Shishir Chokshi, owner of Tire City Potters
He explored several majors such as pre-pharmacy, computer science and philosophy, but none of them stuck.
鈥淒uring that entire time, I really loved clay,鈥� Chokshi said. 鈥淚 took my first ceramics class at then-Augusta State University, and that was it. I began taking all the ceramic classes that I could.”
鈥淚 slept in that art studio for two years. I never left,鈥� he added, chuckling. 鈥淚t soon became apparent that I really needed to take other classes because I couldn’t just take the ceramics classes since I wasn鈥檛 an art major. It wasn’t fair to the other people there. I was kind of told, 鈥榊ou either need to switch your major, or we have to figure something else out.鈥欌��
Chokshi decided to take a leap of faith and become an art major. It is a decision he has never regretted.
鈥淚 was thankful that happened because it really did open up a lot of doors for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t further rounded out the ceramic side of things for me. It changed how I was designing my pottery, what I was doing and it gave me a far better understanding of the theory behind why art is made.鈥�
He began seeing his ceramics in a different light, he said.
鈥淛ust studying color. That was a huge thing to have proper color theory,鈥� Chokshi said. 鈥淚 also learned how to draw and paint pretty well. So, those things all found their way into my pots in a really meaningful way.鈥�
Eventually, Chokshi and a group of fellow artists started showing their work by organizing pop-up events around Augusta, which provided a catalyst for what would become the city鈥檚 monthly art event, First Friday.
By October of 2001, Tire City Potters was born. Once a tire store a block off Broad Street, Chokshi worked hard to bring great life to what was a shell of a building.
鈥淚 came here, looked at this place, decided it was not too big but had just enough space to work. So, I rented it and immediately started renovating it. I got married at the same time, and we became rooted in Augusta,鈥� Chokshi said, adding he and his wife, Tara, now have two daughters. 鈥淭he man responsible for the name, Tire City Potters, believe it or not, is Raoul Pacheco.鈥�
鈥淚 took my first ceramics class at then-Augusta State University, and that was it. I began taking all the ceramic classes that I could.鈥�
Shishir Chokshi, owner of Tire City Potters
Pacheco, a longtime associate professor who teaches ceramics at AU in the of the , was Chokshi’s first studio mate.
鈥淲hen I rented this building, it was tagged, Tire City, right out front,鈥� Chokshi said. 鈥淎nd he was like, 鈥業t should be the Tire City Potters, like a football team.鈥� I liked the sound of that because that sort of set the temperament of what this place was going to be. By putting that 鈥榮鈥� at the end of Potters, it stopped being just my studio. This is a studio for potters.鈥�
These days, Tire City Potters offers stunning hand-thrown pottery that are functional works of art. Whether shoppers are looking for coffee mugs, bowls or decorative vases, Tire City has one-of-a-kind gifts for any occasion.
黑料正能量 students, faculty and staff with a valid JagID receive 10% off all in-store purchases at Tire City Potters as part of the JagPerks program.
Tire City Potters also offers a series of on-the-wheel pottery classes, various types of instruction and a host of services ranging from seasonal projects open to the public, team-building workshops and private parties.
In time for the holiday season, Tire City Potters offers 鈥淔orever Christmas Trees,鈥� where visitors can decorate their own hand-thrown tree. Guests can carve, sculpt and paint their own creations into a unique luminary or sculpture, with guidance from the shop鈥檚 potters. Guests paint during the session, and the trees will be ready for pickup about three weeks after firing. Call 706-828-0334 for more information.
Orange Otter Toys
Celebrating its third holiday season located in the heart of historic downtown North Augusta, locally-owned is not your average toy store.
Orange Otter Toys specializes in high-quality, American- and European-made products that customers cannot find in big box stores or Amazon.
These unique toys are meticulously scrutinized for their play value and quality, said Orange Otter Toys owner Aubrey Hinkson.
鈥淲e try very hard when we’re curating the toys. Every toy that’s in the store, I’ve picked,鈥� Hinkson said, smiling. 鈥淲hen I’m looking for toys, I’m looking for things that are unique, hard to find and that are American- and European-made brands. Toys that can last from kid to kid, so you can pass them down. We want these toys to be part of your family.鈥�
Hinkson also enjoys choosing toys that are not only fun for the child, but also an activity for the child and parents together.
鈥淎 lot of our craft kits and our STEM kits are activities like building a robot or building a magic treehouse,鈥� Hinkson said, adding that her young children, Parker and Dawson, often help her 鈥渢est鈥� the toys. 鈥淢y daughter built a little magical unicorn house last year that she got for Christmas. It鈥檚 still on her bedside table a year later. So that’s what we really try and find. And we take the guesswork out of it. When you come in our store, you know that it’s been tested.鈥�
Located at 336 Georgia Ave., Suite 105, in North Augusta, Orange Otter Toys prides itself on outstanding customer service, Hinkson said.
Not only does Orange Otter Toys offer free gift wrapping with every purchase, but it also offers free local delivery for purchases more than $75, free shipping in Georgia and South Carolina for gifts more than $99, and customized gifts that can be ordered online.
鈥淥f course, customers can come in the store and ask, 鈥楶lease help me. Point me in the right direction,鈥� and our staff of toy experts are happy to provide personal guidance for specific age- and grade-level toys,鈥� Hinkson said. 鈥淏ut we also offer our online request form. It’s a free service, so people can go online and say, 鈥業 need this gift picked up today when I get off work at 5 p.m. Put it together for me. My budget is $30, and it’s for a 5-year-old girl who loves princesses.鈥� We will send them a reply with three to four different gift options, they pick out what they like and we put the gift together for them. And it’s done and ready for them to pick up at 5 p.m.”
鈥淵ou can’t do that at Walmart,鈥� Hinkson added, laughing. 鈥淲e simply want to make shopping easy for customers because we know people are busy, and they are strapped for time. Just let us know who you鈥檙e shopping for and your budget, and we鈥檒l take care of the rest.鈥�
“We needed a classic toy store that has classic and retro toys, where kids can come in and actually play with stuff rather than just being at the mercy of the online search. So, that’s where it all started.鈥�
Aubrey Hinkson, owner of Orange Otter Toys
Hinkson, who is also an for AU鈥檚 , came up with the idea for Orange Otter Toys after hunting store after store for a quality jump rope with her daughter.
鈥淧arker was about 2 1/2 years old at the time, and we started being invited to birthday parties of strangers in her daycare class,鈥� Hinkson said. 鈥淓verybody was showing up to the birthday party with the same exact gift because we were all doing the same thing: searching online and typing, 鈥楤est gift for 3-year-old boy.鈥� We literally all came with the same gift.鈥�