Back in the spring, a new store opened quietly in downtown Aiken during the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA is the proprietor of Good Books at 116-A Pendleton St. S.W.

The shop, which is located in a Goodwill Donation Center, sells used books.

“It originally opened as an attended donation center, so it just took donations,” said Angi Harben, senior director of communications for Goodwill locally. “But it was such a great location that we wanted to bring some more use to the space, so we turned the front part of the building into a book store.”

The books are organized based on their subject matter.

Hardcovers cost $5.99 apiece. Large paperbacks are $3.99 each and small paperbacks are $2.99 apiece.

Also for sale are audio books on CDs, DVD movies and DVD games.

In addition, books for children and young adults are available.

“We would like to get more attention for the store and more sales, but because of the health crisis, we can only have four or five people in there at a time,” Harben said. “We’re hoping that people will discover it, tell their friends about it and put it on their list of places to go when they’re out and about.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

For more information, call 803-233-7078.

New North Augusta pastry shop

Sheila’s Baking Company, which started out as a food truck venture, opened a brick-and-mortar location in June at 434 Georgia Ave. in North Augusta.

The owner is Sheila Martin.

Sheila’s Baking Company specializes in handcrafted doughnuts and signature cinnamon rolls.

Also on the menu are Czech pastries called kolaches and apple and blueberry fritters.

Hours are 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday though Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, visit sheilasbakingco.com or the Sheila’s Baking Company page on Facebook.

New veterinary hospital in Aiken

Dr. Jennifer Ray and her husband, Greg Baughman, recently opened Hitchcock Animal Hospital at 101 Summerwood Way in Aiken.

Services provided include preventative care and examinations, vaccinations, dentistry, general surgery, radiology imaging and emergency care.

Office hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

For more information, call 803-679-5001, send an email to info@hitchcockvet.com or visit hitchcockanimalhospital.com.

Agriculture entrepreneur grants

Recipients of grants in June from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship included two ventures in Aiken County.

Kara and Matthew Rutter of Project Victory Gardens will use their $30,000 grant to expand their agri-therapy and agricultural education program for military veterans. Their plans include the construction of a teaching kitchen.

Ben Crawford and Rebecca Goldberg of Woodland Valley Mushrooms will use their $30,000 grant to expand their gourmet mushroom growing operation.

The Department of Agriculture founded the Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship in 2019 to help identify and nurture new ideas and businesses in the Palmetto State’s agribusiness sector.

The total value of all the grants awarded in June was $160,000, and the money was distributed to the owners of seven businesses.


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