Augusta, GA June 2024

Letter from the Editor

Welcome to our June edition, dedicated to celebrating and telling the stories of remarkable men making waves in our community.

In this issue, we delve into the world of Aluminum Products of Augusta and Plantation Shutters Plus. We explore the versatility of three distinct window coverings: the sleek and modern Exterior Motorized Roller Shades and Screens, the timeless elegance of Plantation Shutters, and the coastal charm of Bahama Shutters. Discover how these shades not only enhance living spaces, but also reflect their commitment to quality and innovation.

Turning our attention to the legal realm, we spotlight Garon Muller, an attorney and Partner at Burnside Law Firm. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Garon's role as President of Turn Back the Block, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing Augusta, showcases his dedication to community development and social impact.

Thank you for joining us on this exploration of strength, vision, and purpose.

June 2024

PUBLISHER

Jana Morris | jana.morris@citylifestyle.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Bailey Hall | bailey.hall@citylifestyle.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

Steve Candler | steve.candler@citylifestyle.com

PUBLISHER ASSISTANT

Michelle Parnell | michelle.parnell@citylifestyle.com

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

Daniel Morris

INTERN

Daria Terry

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bailey Hall, Lisa Van Horne, Michelle W. Parnell, Nicci Lavine

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Poppy & Co. by Kelsey Huffer

Corporate Team

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson

AD DESIGNER Matthew Endersbe

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsey Ragain

Proverbs 3:5-6

Medical Construction

Retail Facilities

Industrial Facilities

Office Spaces

Government Buildings

Restaurants

Church buildings

Convenience Stores

city scene

WHERE NEIGHBORS CAN SEE AND BE SEEN

New Bakery at Southern Willow Market

Southern Willow Market’s new bakery collaboration with Kristina Pye of Indulge A Little Cakery brings familiar recipes and expanded delights to patrons, promising a mouthwatering experience for all.

SafeHomes Domestic Violence Center

T-Mobile’s generosity shines as they delivered a U-Haul packed with donations to SafeHomes Domestic Violence Center, demonstrating a commitment to supporting survivors and making a positive impact in the community.

Community Yard Sale

The Augusta Elks #205 is hosting a community yard sale at the Elks Lodge on June 8th from 8am to 1pm. The general public is invited and booths are available to those that would like to sell their items. This is an indoor event and there will be food and drinks available for purchase. To rent a booth, email augustaelkslodge205@gmail.com.

We have such amazing, innovative business leaders in our community who are proud to serve you, our residents, with class and quality. We’ve compiled some of our top company picks for the services that might be on your mind this month in an effort to make your lives a little easier.

Barber Shops / Men's Salons

JT's Barbershop jtfadez.com | 706.305.9331

Durdens Barber & Hair Styling

706.738.3653

Sports Cuts www.sportscutsofaugusta.com | 706.364.4263

Augusta Barber Post

706.736.7230

Russell's Corner Barber Shop 706.860.8339

Mens' Clothing Store

Boardroom Clothing Company boardroomaugusta.com | 706.733.6203

Keith Jones Made to Measure www.kjonesmtm.com | 706.251.5202

Low Country Clothier www.lowcountryclothier.com | 706.869.4230

Want to suggest a monthly pick?

Gentry Mens Shop gentrymensshop.com | 706.733.2256

Rivers & Glen Trading Co riversandglen.com | 706.738.4536

STAYING Cool

Plantation Shutters Plus offers several options for escaping the heat this summer

As we gear up for a hot, fun Georgia summer, it’s time to explore options for cooling down our homes and businesses. Plantation Shutters Plus offers several options designed to decrease the temperature inside even while it’s heating up outside.

Exterior Motorized Roller Shades and Screens

In addition to providing privacy, roller shades and screens are customized in percentage of gradient that can be made to block up to 97% of UV rays, making outdoor living areas significantly cooler in the summer. Those same spaces also become usable year-round with additional climate control items such as portable heaters for cold weather. Shades can be as large as 12 feet tall and 16 feet wide. The motorized system allows for up to 15 different shades on one remote.

Plantation Shutters

Made locally, these custom-made shutters are constructed from a lightweight wood which absorbs heat.

The design allows for shutters to be adjusted to allow light into a room while still reflecting heat from the sun, keeping the room cooler. The shutters can be customized in various shapes and sizes.

Bahama Shutters

Made from heavy extruded aluminum, Bahama shutters provide privacy and shade, can be closed for protection during severe weather, or can simply be an aesthetic addition to the exterior of a building. Custom-made locally, the shutters are painted with a powder coating system.

Powder Coating

Powder coating is the process of applying powder paint that, when cured with heat, forms a chemical bond with the metal. This produces a durable coating that protects the metal and keeps colors vivid. Plantations Shutters Plus can coat shutters, commercial canopies, ornamental iron, car and motorcycle parts, and more.

LEARN MORE: You can find out more about the products and powder coating offered through Plantation Shutters Plus by visiting their Facebook page, www.plantationshuttersplus.com , or by calling 706738-4196. You can also stop by their showroom at 120 North Belair Road.

Rolling Shades

Plantation Shutters

MEET

GARON MULLER

Garon Muller is helping others and staying involved in the community

Attorney Garon Muller lives in Augusta with his wife Ashley and their son Knox. He is the President of Turn Back the Block and a Partner at Burnside Law Firm. Turn Back the Block is a nonprofit based in Harrisburg, which is a neighborhood in Augusta, and their main goal is revitalizing Harrisburg through homeownership. One of the great things that Turn Back the Block offers is their homeownership program. “We have a 0% interest rate program where we take applicants through a one or two-year program of credit worthiness, homeownership education, budgeting, and counseling, so that they feel prepared to own a home.

Oftentimes, it’s families that end up with our homes. They get to have a place to put their roots and create economic mobility,” he shares. “It’s really a worthwhile and rewarding program.”

Garon credits his father for starting his passion of helping those in need and hopes to instill those same values in his son. “My dad taught me

to always help others before you help yourself and to always say yes and get involved. You really end up enriching your life and the lives of others through involvement, supporting others, and giving back. I think if everybody did that, we’d be in a much better place.”

In his spare time, Garon is the lead singer of a band called The Coveralls.

“The lead guitar player is Charles Huggins, the drummer is Matt Padgett, and our bass player is John Capers. We play what we call Dad Rock. Anything from the Eagles to Eric Church, from Word Up by Cameo to Pony by Ginuwine, and we always play Purple Rain by Prince.”

For more information about Turn Back the Block, visit turnbacktheblock.com. Follow The Coveralls on Instagram at @thecoverallsaug and their Facebook page The Coveralls.

EXPRESSIONS IN WOOD

HOW A BOULDER WOODWORKER IS REDEFINING FURNITURE DESIGN

“Woodworking had become more than a hobby, it was all that I wanted to do.”

Woodworking is a deeply personal venture for Nick Ridings, owner of Boulder’s Rooted Furniture. In both his process for creating his custom furniture pieces and in the story of how his company came to be, Nick’s passion for helping people, and for creating and for bringing his clients’ design dreams to tangible life, are constants.

“Furniture is an expression of you,” says Nick. “You choose the clothes you wear, the way you do your hair, how you paint your room. So why shouldn’t you be able to customize every aspect of your furniture in the same way?”

Rooted Furniture provides clients with the opportunity to be more invested and involved in the design of their furniture. Drawing on his background in psychology and various means of communication, Nick created a system to simplify the furniture design process, making it a fun, fulfilling journey in which clients are able to understand their choices and create an accurate vision for their piece. The result is high-quality furniture that truly speaks to their style and needs.

“The average person cycles through furniture every three to seven years,” says Nick. “So wood, chemicals and plastic are just filling up landfills. Rooted was created to give customers truly custom, heirloom-quality pieces that represent their style and that will last for generations.”

Rooted Furniture specializes in creating dining and coffee tables but also offers benches, accessories and many other types of wood furnishings. With White

“My favorite pieces to make are ones that elicit a response.”

Oak as his material of choice given its strength, durability and rich history, Nick also prides his company on the fact that there are no screws or nails in his woodshop. He only builds with traditional joinery so that each piece of wood fits perfectly together—like a puzzle that never comes apart.

Rooted Furniture also offers clients the opportunity to request commissioned pieces, a process that involves collaborating even more closely to discover the client’s hopes for the specific piece. This results in a creative process that, as Nick says, is very meditative. He keeps the future life of the piece top-of-mind throughout the build—whether it’s a rocking chair for a new parent or a dining table for families to eat at every day—and builds each piece knowing that it will be deeply rooted in many future memories.

Moving ahead, Nick looks forward to continuing to create distinct furniture pieces of increasing complexity and beauty for his clients, from cutting boards and simple benches to elaborate dining tables and more.

“My favorite pieces to make are ones that elicit a response,” says Nick. “Our clients will live with and cherish our creations for the rest of their lives. My intention is to imprint their thoughts and energy into each piece and make their connection to their design dream all that much more potent.” RootedFurniture.com

The bluegrass state of Kentucky with the Appalachian Mountains is indisputably known as the Mecca of bourbon and the location of America’s only Bourbon Trail.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, established in 1999, is dotted with a total of 37 distilleries scattered throughout the regions of Louisville, Western Kentucky, Bardstown, Lexington and North Kentucky.

For bourbon aficionados and road trip lovers alike, the trail promises scenic country drives, historic architecture, and an abundance of restaurants and tasting rooms with some distilleries spanning more than 100 miles apart.

The most popular bourbon distillery locations one might expect to see along the trail are: Angles Envy, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill, Lux Row, Old Forester, Four Roses, Evan Williams, Bulleit, and Jim Beam.

Within each distillery and on its grounds, bourbon lovers can expect to find a variety of bourbon price points, flavor profiles, distilling and aging techniques, and historical points of interest. Each location offers a variety of tour options: some focusing on the chemistry of bourbon distillation, the art of tasting, the barrel charring process, or the rich (and checkered) history of bourbon’s origins.

A TOUR OF AMERICA'S ONLY BOURBON TRAIL

TOASTING

One constant seems to remain—most Kentucky distilleries cannot broach the topic of their favorite drink without also offering a glimpse of its history. The name “bourbon” hails from the original Bourbon County, which was a region carved from a portion of the Fayette County of Virginia in 1785. The county, which belonged to the then-brand-new state of Kentucky, was named in honor of the French House of Bourbon to show gratitude to King Louis XVI for his vital assistance during the American Revolutionary War.

Prior to its exodus from the region, loads of white oak barrels cut from the forests of Arkansas were first branded with the Bourbon County label. The county logo branded on the barrels soon gave way to its shorthand references: Bourbon. The rest is, quite literally, history.

THE

The oldest operational distillery in Kentucky is Maker’s Mark, which began distilling in 1805 and has since been recognized as a National Historic Landmark. In 1964, a Congressional Resolution declared bourbon to be an indigenous product of the United States. This distinction renders bourbon as the official American Spirit. To be recognized as a bourbon, a spirit must meet specific and strict requirements set forth by law. In fact, bourbon distillation marks one of America’s very first examples of a consumer protection law with the establishment of the “Bottled-in-Bond” Act in 1897 (The Bottled-in-Bond designation have bourbon standards which supersede those of single-malt Scotch).

All bourbon starts as what distillers refer to as White Lightning—an uncolored, unaged, and unflavored whiskey. During the distillation process, the liquid must not supersede a proof of 160, and must not supersede a proof of 125 at the time it’s poured into barrels to begin the aging process. All bourbon must be aged in new, charred, white oak barrels for a minimum of two years before it is finally bottled at 80 proof or higher. No other dyes or flavors may be introduced into the distilling or aging process if a bourbon is to retain its namesake.

Even though 95% of bourbon is distilled in Kentucky, bourbon does not need to be distilled in the state to be considered authentic. Most bourbon was historically made in Kentucky due to its geography. The rich source of limestone in Kentucky earth acts as a natural aquifer, purifying the water and removing the more peaty flavors one would find in spirits distilled with earthier water quality, such as Scotch. The varied temperatures, humidity levels, and weather patterns in the Kentucky region cause the white oak barrels to contrast and swell. This unique aging process gives bourbon its signature amber hue as well as its sweet and dynamic flavor.

While the tour itinerary is flexible enough to have many starting points, the official “start” of the trail can be found at the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Welcome Center located at the Frazier Museum on Historic Whiskey Row in downtown Louisville. The destinations along the trail can be planned a number of ways: by distillery, by region, or by organized tour itinerary. Some distillery locations are packed as tightly as an 8-mile radius, with the average tour lasting about 90 minutes.

For those who want to travel off the beaten path, several famous distilleries in the area do not appear on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail list. One of the more famous of these is the Buffalo Trace Distillery, responsible for distilling bourbon of that name as well as the more rare and sought-after bottles of Blanton’s and E.H. Taylor. The Buffalo Trace distillery is located on a national landmark and offers free tastings, as well as Ghost tours for those who are interested in a different kind of spirit.

For a complete list of distilleries, tour schedules, tour booking details, and frequently asked questions, visit KYBourbonTrail.com

•Comprehensive Pregnancy Care

•Minimually Invasive Surgery

•Emsella (Pelvic floor strengthening)

•Emsculpt NEO (Body contouring)

•Monalisa Touch (Vaginal dryness, atrophy)

•In-office Endometrial Ablations (bleeding)

•Fibroid & heavy bleeding Management

•Menopausal & Bioidentical Hormone treatment

JUNE 1ST - 2ND

Show Me Reptile & Pet Expo

Columbia County Exhibition Center

The Show Me Reptile Show & Pet Expo is back at the Columbia County Exhibition Center on June 1st and 2nd! This event is your passport to a reptilian wonderland where you can not only admire these remarkable animals, but also take home a scaly friend of your own! For more information and tickets, visit ShowMeReptileShow.com

JUNE 6TH

Bluey's Big Play

Columbia County Performing Arts Center

Join the Heelers in their first live theatre show made just for you, featuring brilliantly created puppets. This is Bluey as you’ve never seen it before, brought to real life. For more information and tickets, visit TheCenterOfCC.com

JUNE 9TH

Movies at the Miller: Moana

Miller Theater

Bring your family for a free showing of Moana at the Miller Theater! Admission is free but you will need a ticket to enter. Tickets are available at the Miller Theater box office. Movie starts at 4pm.

JUNE 15TH

Father's Day 5k and Fun Run

Mill Village Trail Head

Celebrate Father's Day weekend at the Bridge Builder Communities Father's Day Superhero 5k and Family Fun Run on Saturday, June 15th at the Mill Village Trail Head near the Kroc Center. For more information, visit runsignup.com

JUNE 16TH

Father's Day

The Augusta City Lifestyle team would like to say Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing dads in our community!

JUNE 21ST - 23RD

2024 Augusta Toy and Comic Book Convention

Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center

The Augusta Toy and Comic Convention returns on June 21st-23rd! Shop collectible toys, comic books, get autographs from artists and celebrities, and over 200 vendors. Tickets and more information is available at joefestusa.com