non sibi sed aliis / not for ourselves, but for others

motto on the colonial seal of the State of Georgia, USA

During a recent conversation, the topic of Augusta’s history arose and quickly turned to the monument walk on Greene Street (thanks, JP). The winding path down the center of Greene Street creates a walking “tour” of Augusta’s past and one worth taking.  You can find out a lot about this great town we live in, and what history has to teach us. 

For those of you who might be new to the area, or if you are a life long resident, I also recommend a quick stop at the Augusta Common. There you will find a statue in remembrance of James Oglethorpe. When you gaze upon this statue, you are looking directly at the man who founded Augusta.  Also in the Common, you can read James Oglethorpe’s orders given to Nobel Jones which instructed Jones to perform a survey of the area in 1739 after the completion of Fort Augusta. The communication by Oglethorpe to Jones clearly outlines his expectations for the development of Augusta into a vibrant city, complete with renderings. Our founding father put a lot of thought and care into the city’s construction with several demands in his lengthy discourse. The same forethought that Georgia’s founding fathers gave when they chose the state motto “non sibi sed a liis,” or “not for ourselves but for others.” 

Augusta’s original plan was focused on one large square/plaza, which was to be four streets deep. Fort Augusta sat adjacent to “town lots” near the river, forty total. At this moment in time, two streets (Reynolds and Ellis) were named after early colonial governers. 

What a long and storied history Augusta has. As with everything in life, times change, economies change, public demands change, industries change, populations change, demands from those populations change. Clearly, at this time in Augusta’s history, not unlike many others, you and I have an opportunity to be an active part of something great. As events continue to unfold, our hope is that, in a hundred years, residents will look back and say, “Wow, what an effort.” Keeping that in mind, I ask: are you involved? Are you asking yourself the question that our founding fathers were asking themselves? What can I do for others and not myself? What a challenge they put on the future of this great state. How are you living up to the motto? 

There are many opportunities for you to become a part of your community. Koinania. There’s that word again. Do you get it? Let me give you another word to think about: doulos; which means to be devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.  Doulos means to build a community that has the interests of others in mind first. A great goal for Augusta. This is our charge as put forth by Georgia’s founding fathers.

With that new found energy and growth, as you enjoy the pages of this month’s verge, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of our supporters. verge is about you. verge is about our community. verge is about downtown Augusta. verge is about becoming a part of your community. Supporting the locally owned businesses that advertise, participating in the events that you see, and getting to know the people between these pages helps build our community. 

We have been extremely humbled by the support our publication has received. We’ve grown a little this month, due to our advertisers and you. We thank you and truly look forward to seeing you downtown - the heart of our community.

Doulos.  Koinania.

September

marketing for the people

acquiring and maintaining targeted customers

As Texas radio personality and politician Pappy O’Daniel once said “We ain’t one-at-a-timin’ here. We’re MASS communicating!” But is mass communication right for everyone?

Have you taken a percentage of your company’s profits and set them aside for the purpose of advertising? If so, were you envisioning a huge colorful billboard, a TV commercial or a flashy website? Though it’s quite exhilarating to see your name in lights, diving in without research could shatter your budget and leave you with little return on your investment. Your product or service may have specific clientele and it may be wiser to cater your marketing to that crowd. Here are a few tips on acquiring and maintaining a targeted customer, and possibly doing it for a good price.

Finding this targeted clientele isn’t always the easy part. Your customers may be found through a number of methods including word of mouth, networking with complementary businesses that cater to the same clientele, using demographic mailing lists or asking around and finding out what your customers listen to, where they go, what they watch or even read. Once you discover these avenues, it should be a goal to get involved with them. Whether you spend time contributing to an online forum that deals with your product or investing in a single billboard that your targeted neighborhood must pass by daily, you should make the first move. Making this move requires quite a bit of brainstorming, and it’s more effective if you do it with a group of friends that will be honest and help tie your feet the ground.

If there is no current local interest or clientele avenue, then create one. Send invitations to some friends and ask them to bring more friends for an after-hours party with free drinks and refreshments. Be creative and think of some incentive to get people in the door. It’s cheaper to give away product you buy (or make) at a discount rather than paying cash for an non-targeted advertising spot with a risky return.

If you have a service-based business, find a location and have an afternoon workshop. I’d love to learn a couple electrical tips; how to properly fix a piece of pipe or even what to do in the state of a emergency. Some of you may say, why would I ever share anything from my trade, if I teach them to do this, why would they need me? The answer is this: you don’t have to share super in-depth information, it’s simply an opportunity to demonstrate that you know what you are doing, you’re trustworthy, you do it right and you actually care. You will be the first person I call when I need that service.

Maintaining this clientele should been seen as creating relationships and these relationships often continue even if you switch industries. Investing in clients costs time and effort, but it doesn’t always have to come from your checkbook. For example, making the small effort to remember a customer’s name holds great value.

Again, these are just a few tips on a targeted customer, and at later date, we’ll get more specific on the roles of larger and smaller marketing vehicles.

Shane Thompson is the founder of Westobou, a local marketing and design firm. He’s from Augusta, and enjoys chatting about financially efficient and effective ways to market a small business.

a request of conversation

the hobo who wears socks on his hands
and shouts bible verses on Sundays
he
he could tell me he loves me

the angry little balding man
who cleans my laundry with a sadistic smile
he
he could tell me he loves me

the red headed child who steals
people’s parking tickets
she
she could tell me she loves me

the group of Chinese tourists who drive by
every other month on mopeds
they
they could tell me they love me

the old man who lives a floor above me
and beats his dog with a cane
he
he could tell me he loves me

but

Chuck can’t tell me why I never finish a crossword puzzle
Mr. Goldman can’t tell me what constellation my freckles make
Carol Anne can’t tell me why I wear a certain perfume
Chan and Lee can’t tell me how I choose between a bath or shower
and Ol’ Saw can’t tell me the difference between my laughs

just
just tell me I’m a bad speller
tell me that I have Ursa Major on my arm
tell me that I only own two; one to feel pretty, the other beautiful
tell me I bathe when I’m lazy and shower to wake up
I just need you to tell me
snort, cover nose and mouth, silent , and a giggle

tell me that
just
tell me that

Marian May Kaufman is a senior at Davidson Fine Arts. Her passion for living emanates from her smile, her writing and her stage acting. Wrapping her talents and dreams into one, she plans to pursue writing as a career.

River Boat Tours begin in April on the Savannah River

The Patriot, an 85 passenger river boat, made its first launch into the Savannah River on March 25, 2008.

Captain Jim Bradshaw will operate daily river boat tours beginning April 4, 2008. Tours will depart from the 10th Street dock at Hero’s Overlook on Riverwalk, behind the Marriott Hotel and Suites.

Tours will be offered daily at 10:30am and 1:30pm. Two to three hour cruises will be offered on Friday and Saturday night and may include music and food. Reservations required.

Daily one hour tours are $12 and the two hour tour is $20 per person. The boat is available for charter and begins at $355 for the first two hours and $100 an hour for every hour after.

Captain Bradshaw and his wife Cindy purchased The Patriot, in Boston, Massachusetts. They drydocked the boat in Augusta and have spent the last 18 months working on its complete restoration. The boat is 16 feet wide and 51 feet in length. Captain Bradshaw graduated from Cape Fear Maritime College in Wilmington, NC in 1970 and has been operating passenger boats in Augusta for the last four years.

Captain Jim Bradshaw at 803-730-9739 for reservations and more information.

Thank you Augusta!

The immediate positive response to our first issue of verge amazed me. We are grateful for the many people who have expressed their enthusiasm for verge and its mission. As we move forward into April, Augusta has definitely stepped up to the call re-building our great downtown community street by street, business by business and event by event.

As you read on, we want you to see that downtown Augusta is a bustling epicenter of excitement every month. Choices abound: clubs to check out, live performances to experience, volunteer opportunities to get involved with, restaurants to enjoy, retail stores to shop at and people to meet. There are CD release parties, acoustic sets to hear, throw back dance parties to attend, new recipes to try out and a plethora of events to attend this month (check out pipeline).

Downtown is a desirable place to live, work and play. We’re also providing you the opportunities to come, see and do as well. CADI teams are busy cleaning the streets, Saturday Market kicks off mid-April, new real estate projects are breaking ground as existing projects continue to move forward. This is an exciting time to be involved with downtown, reach out into your community and look for these opportunities. You will be amazed.

In this month’s verge, you will begin to meet the people behind the scenes. These are our heroes, quietly working hard to make downtown a better place for us and our families. Whether they assist people in finding events or places, help in cleaning up the clutter, provide us with volunteer opportunities or fulfill a dream of being an independent business owner, they are some of the most dynamic people you can want to meet. We are introducing you to just a few of them this month and will continue to do so in coming months. If you see them at an event downtown, eating at a restaurant or at your church, go up and greet them and you will see first hand the dynamic makeup of this community.

We all have a challenge ahead of us and that challenge is to become more involved, whether that’s trying to go greener or start a business or simply support the local economy, the challenge can be met and overcome by involvement. As you begin to meet these folks see how you can get involved and help out. The benefits are far greater than the costs.

We’ll see you downtown!

matt

the slusky building

The Slusky Building located at 1015 Broad Street stands as a testament to the faith that generations of Augusta business people have had in our downtown. Each owner has been applauded for their investment in this site which in turn has benefited our community. A June 15, 1932, article in the Augusta Chronicle noted: “Instead of timidity in a time like this Mr. Slusky has shown his characteristic faith, vision and enterprise and he believes that there is a golden future ahead of Augusta.” Indeed, the golden future of downtown Augusta is upon us.

1886 David Slusky, a Russian immigrant and sheet metal worker by trade, established a business selling stoves, furnaces, tin roofing, galvanized iron, hard wood mantels and cornices.

1891 The Slusky business prospered allowing the proprietor to build a three- story building at 1015 Broad Street. Around 1905 David Slusky also built a fine Beaux-Arts style home located at 2605 Walton Way.

1919 Moses Slusky, son of David Slusky, joined the business. Later in life
Moses Slusky also became a director in the Georgia Railroad Bank and Trust Co.

1931 Culpepper Brothers Furniture Company’s five-story building at 1021 Broad Street burned to the ground on Sunday, October 24, 1931. Later that week on October 31, the burned out shell collapsed, causing enormous damage to the adjoining buildings, including the Slusky building, killing one woman in the Reel-Simkins Seed Company building at 1027 Broad Street and injuring thirteen others. David Slusky and Son moved their business temporarily to 1033 Broad Street by November 6, 1931 and immediately made plans to construct a new building to replace their damaged one.

1932 The new Slusky building at 1015 Broad Street opened the week of June 14, 1932. The architect of the building was Willis Irvin and the general contractor was Hanford Anderson, Jr. It is an interesting coincidence to note that the foreman was John Daly, the son of T.J. Daly who was the foreman for the original Slusky building constructed in 1891.

The façade of the two-story Art Deco style building was made of white
glazed terra cotta and Vermont marble accented by satin bronze metal. Three stores were located on the first floor with apartments on the second. A warehouse at the rear of the new building housed the David Slusky and Son firm.

1946 The business changed its name to Slusky Builders’ Supplies Inc. after the death of David Slusky. At the time of his death, David Slusky was also
the vice president of the National Exchange Bank.

1970s After the death of Moses Slusky in 1969, Slusky Builders’ Supplies Inc. merged with Maner Builders Supply Co. and the Slusky Building became the showroom of Augusta Gallery Office Furniture

1995 The owner of Augusta Gallery Office Furniture, Gail Williams, rehabilitated the Slusky Building on the interior and exterior, using the city’s façade rehabilitation program for the exterior work. A Preservation Award was presented to the owner by Historic Augusta, Inc. the following year.

Today R.W. Allen and Associates purchased the building in 2007 and are currently renovating it to become their corporate headquarters.

art bylines:

original: Augusta: A Postcard History by Joseph M. Lee, III, courtesy of Historic Augusta

[showing the 1891 Slusky Building that was damaged when the Culpeper Furniture Store Building collapsed in 1931]

artist rendering: original rendering by Leigh Margaret Pearson

gabi hutchison

credits: Untitled, Gabi Hutchison, 2007, Collage/Mixed Media

Collage techniques first appeared in China around 200 BCE. 1500 years later, medieval Europeans developed it into a formal art. Today, collage connotes craft and scrap-booking to the general public, but this untitled piece sets visceral reactions aside. Beyond the evocative image of a young girl praying as a plane crashes, the composition draws the viewer inward. The earth-tone palette soothes the eye and allows one to contemplate the piece’s uncomplicated elegance. Experience more of the artist’s work at The Book Tavern through April.

rick wiggins

CADI Manager Gets to Know Downtown Block by Block

Downtown Augusta’s newest neighbor carries a broom and rides a segway. Rick Wiggins is the program manager for the Clean Augusta Downtown Initiative (CADI). While a member of the community since 1999, he is relatively unknown to downtown, inspiring us to make an introduction.

Mr. Wiggins undertakes the task of cleaning up downtown in hopes of drawing in new business while making the streets safer and cleaner for consumers to traverse. With twenty years experience as an Army drill instructor, Mr. Wiggins brings a strong sense of organization and dedication to this post. A family man who describes himself simply as a husband, father, and grandfather, Mr. Wiggins shows true excitement about the cleanup project and its potential impact on downtown.

During CADI�s inaugural phase, Mr. Wiggins says a cleaner and safer downtown district is his ultimate objective. Downtown Augusta can look forward to regular pressure washing of the sidewalks and crews of pan and broom walkers cleaning up the streets. He believes deterrence will be the result of the example and hard work of his clean and safe ambassadors.

Mr. Wiggins visibly warms to discussing his crew members. The Cleaning Ambassadors will run the equipment beautifying the area. These same crews are the pan and broom handlers working to revitalize the walking paths. The Safety Ambassadors can already be seen riding through downtown on segways offering directions, assistance, and protection to the citizens of the community and those who come downtown to shop and relax. CADI plans to add bike patrols canvassing the streets and providing door-to-car safe conduct for business owners opening or closing shops.

Though CADI is still a relatively fresh initiative, Mr. Wiggins is already tracking the work undertaken thus far with statistical data and diagrams. CADI covers the district from Sixth to Thirteenth Street; from Greene Street to the Riverwalk. In the first week, CADI has already completed an initial clean sweep of about half the area, and Mr. Wiggins expects the rest to be finished over the next few weeks. The initial block by block concentration will pave the way for easier maintenance in coming months.

Turning our conversation to the future, Mr. Wiggins explains his long-term goal is to see the program expand. While the initial area is large, it is only a portion of downtown. He foresees a day when all of downtown can be beautified and safe for commerce and residence. He also plans to extend the hours of coverage by his crew and hopes to have them on duty throughout the day and evening for the protection and care of the people downtown. Furthermore, he states that making the city more attractive to merchants and consumers is a powerful inspiration for economic development, and hopes to add Augusta to the list of the most clean and welcoming cities in the state.

By applying his organizational and discipline training to CADI, Mr. Wiggins seeks a smooth running environment for business and recreation downtown. He notes that the overall goal of CADI is to please his clientele, the merchants and consumers of downtown Augusta. The initiative is off to a fast start and Mr. Wiggins seems genuinely enthusiastic about the possibilities CADI holds for downtown.

by J. Edward Sumerau

A Sidewalk to Downtown Growth

Walking down Tenth Street, it’s hard to ignore the recent change in footing that offers a newfound beauty to the section between Ellis and Broad Streets. For some insight into this undertaking, I sat down with Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority Margaret Woodard.
Ms. Woodard smiles as she speaks of the success of this difficult project. Despite the struggles inherent in structural transformations and the wrestling match found in the fifty year old utility pipe work below the sidewalk, the project is completing on schedule and has turned out well. She hopes this project will inspire other sections of downtown to work towards beautifying the atmosphere downtown, and simply offers this sidewalk as a picture of what downtown could look like in the future.
In the coming weeks, we may expect to see the addition of banners welcoming people downtown, poles crafted with artistic designs to compliment the beauty of the trees being added along the sidewalk, and the first kiosk installation promoting events in the area. In all these efforts, the renovation of Tenth Street is an early step toward a more pleasant downtown for consumers, residents, and businesses to enjoy.

by J. Edward Sumerau

photo credits:

before: courtesy of DDA
after: Ben Riche

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