Author: Tom Ingram

Holidays are hectic. We’re rushing around, buying gifts, cooking, and many of us are traveling, too. Finding ways to relax during this busy season is a challenge. Brett Chastain, owner of Sweetbriar Smokeshop offers his customers a way to unwind between whatever chaos this holiday season brings. “We’re in the relaxation business,” Brett explains. “People come here at the end of a long day to enjoy premium cigars.” Since 1975 they have been frequenting this…

Since 2000, Phenix City-based American Guitar Boutique has provided musicians in the Chattahoochee Valley with the service and expertise only working musicians can provide. Owners Tim O’Brien and Mike Childree have more than eighty years of professional experience between them. Their experience in the trenches gives them the broad, real-world knowledge necessary to guide players of all skill levels, from beginners to pros, toward the right products and services. This locally owned shop, located at…

David Benefield is proud to celebrate 33 years in Midtown, at St. Elmo Shopping Center on Lakebottom Park. Customers whose wedding flower arrangements he made three decades ago now come in with their adult children, who need arrangements for their weddings. David has served generations of Columbus families, and when you visit his shop, currently bursting with festive adornments, it’s no wonder that Ann’s Porch is a local institution. David specializes in weddings, anniversaries, funerals,…

Shooter’s Valhalla, a retail gun shop located on the corner of 12th Street and 1st Avenue, actively serves the community, and exists because the community asked for it. Shooter’s grew out of Valhalla Training Academy, directed by Rob Phipps, who proudly served 22 years in the US Military’s Special Operation’s Command, 75th Ranger Regiment, with extensive instructor experience and many prestigious awards. Gene Lively, a partner in both businesses, is proud that clients, impressed with…

Since 1873, Chancellor’s has excelled at the two things a men’s clothing store must do in order to be the best: selection and service. With 144 years behind the historic shop, the last independent men’s store in Columbus, Chancellor’s is look ahead to another 144 years of stocking the best clothes and accessories and rendering customers the absolutely best in service. When you visit Chancellor’s and talk to owner Roger M. Stinson, who purchased the…

Ride On Bikes, located at 1036 Broadway in Columbus, specializes in Specialized brand bikes because they are the number one bikes in the industry. Whatever angle, the one resonant theme throughout Ride On Bikes is that everything they do is done at the highest level of quality. Consider the saddle. What’s comfortable in the department store likely won’t be comfortable twenty miles down the trail, and this discomfort can even lead to injury. Ride On…