downtown aiken magazine fall 2009 issue
DESCRIPTION
Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller Downtown Aiken area business owners than they do from large companies.TRANSCRIPT
Articles:
Buy Local
A One Tank Trip
Profiting From The Green Movement
$ Priceless $
Onl
ine
Mag
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e
ContentsFrom The Editor 5
Charleston’s Office Of Cultural Affairs New Website 9
Organize Your Kitchen 11
Good Sleep, A Bath, And A Glass Of Wine 13
Profiting From the Green Movement 15
The Bed Has Become A Place Of Luxury 16
If People Sat Outside 18
How Beautiful It Is To Travel 21
Every Normal Man Must Be Tempted 23
Barter Is Smart Business 25
The Nature of The Strong Heart 25
When Twilight Drops Her Curtain Down 31
Time To Refinance or Buy!? 32
A One Tank Trip 34
The One Who Hold The Storms 36
South Carolina Firsts 38
Just Let The Wardrobe Do The Acting 40
About Columbia 41
If I Were Shipwrecked 43
South Carolina Wedding or Event Planners: Career Outlook 45
Chandeliers On The Market 47
What Is My Loftiest Ambition? 50
Don’t Sit Under An Umbrella Waiting For It To Rain 53
Carolina Girl Gear 56
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 3
wwwAiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 4
Buy LoCaLPromoting local business is as simple as having other company’s business cards or brochures posted on a board in your store. In an effort to promote your area, we are distributing decals that say “Check us out at www.Downtown.sc,” in hopes that local shoppers will visit the site to find local restaurants, clothing, specials, coupons and more. We are doing our part, so please join us, and promote your local merchants, and everyone will benefit!
top ten reasons to think LoCaLBuy LoCaL - Be LoCaL – heLp LoCaL Businesses
1. Buy LoCaL -- Support yourself and Aiken. Many studies have revealed when you buy from an independent, locally owned business in the your own area, rather than a nationally owned businesses, considerably more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses. Local businesses continue to strengthen the economic base of the local community. These include case studies showing that local owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.
2.support LoCaL area Community Groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller Aiken area business owners than they do from large companies.
3. keep your area unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind local businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character. Local tourism businesses also benefit. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust.
4. reduCe environmentaL impaCt: Locally owned businesses in your area can make more local purchases requiring less transportation. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
5. Create additionaL JoBs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in the community, provide the most jobs to local residents.
6. reCeive Better serviCe: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products and services they offer, and take more time to get to know customers.
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From the editor
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 5
7.invest in your Community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, and they are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the commu-nity’s future.
8. put your taxes to Good use: Local businesses require a relatively little infrastructure investment and make more ef-ficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering your area.
9. Buy What you Want, not What BiG advertisinG BudGets Want you to Buy: A South Carolina marketplace comprised of tens of thousands of small busi-nesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products and services based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, promises a much broader range of product choices.
10. promote LoCaL prosperity: An escalating body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.
Larry LocalEditor in Chief
www.LocalTraffic.scSouth Carolina’s #1 Live Local Traffic Website
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CEO Dennis Stewart
EdiTor in ChiEFLarry Local
CrEATivE DirECTOrDaniel Holliday
ArT DirECTOrAmy Coats
WEB DEvELOpErs Matthew Coats
AdMinisTrATion & MArkETinGVivi MorilloAngie Woods
WWW.AikEn.doWnToWn.sC onLinE MAGAZinECopyright © 2009Carolina Media Services. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.
3290 Ashley Phosphate Road Charleston, SC 29418Toll Free: (843)720-9604Fax: (843)[email protected] www.Downtown.sc
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carolina media SERVICES
CharLeston’s oFFiCe oF CuLturaL aFFairsLaunChes WWW.CharLestonarts.sC, as thier neW arts WeB siteFrom: Charleston Currents
The City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs has launched http://www.CharlestonArts.sc, a companion Web site to the OCA’s primary page at the city’s official site. CharlestonArts.sc will be updated daily with information and features, including an arts calendar that users can search by date, artist, presenting group or venue; social networking widgets; and a directory of local arts and cultural organizations and venues.
“We are hopeful that CharlestonArts.sc will be a major benefit to local artists and arts organizations by disseminating information about their events with the most up-to-date information to a broader public,” said Ellen Dressler Moryl, director of the Office of Cultural Affairs.
Other options for users at CharlestonArts.sc include the following:
• Arts organizations can download forms from the Office of Cultural Affairs, submit events, update contact information and compare performance dates with other area organizations.
• The Tools for Professional section of the Web site features job listings for arts professionals, including full time and part time work as well as internships and volunteer opportunities with arts and cultural organizations in the tri-county area.
• Updated grant opportunities for arts organizations, with detailed information, including deadlines, application and contact information.
• Call for Submissions and Call for Auditions pages with details about the location, deadlines, fees and additional requirements.
The new Web site also hosts connecting pages for general information on the Office of Cultural Affairs and its projects: the Charleston Farmers Market, the City Gallery at Waterfront Park, Holiday Magic, Happy New Year Charleston!, the Holiday Parade of Boats, the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant Program, Piccolo Spo-leto and the MOJA Arts Festival.
The Web Site was developed and is being hosted by Carolina Media Services ( www.ONLY.sc) .
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www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 10
“If you can organize your kitchen, you can organize your life.”
Louis Parrish
Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
proFitinG From the Green movement
People in South Carolina are active in “going green” and doing their part to save the environment, save money and promote the local economy in the process. There are many green initiatives in the state from local blogs getting the word out to green businesses, green home builders and homes, recycling programs, as well as, organizations designed to promote South Carolina agriculture and SC products. Surely you have heard the buzz on going green and if you want to start getting involved and doing your part, here are some tips to get you started:
• Avoid letting your cAr idLe - Every second you spend idling your car’s engine means needlessly wasting gas, as well as, adding wear and tear on your vehicle. Idling over 10 seconds wastes more gas than is needed for startup. Overall, Americans idle away 2.9 billion gallons of gas a year, worth around $78.2 billion.
• turn off your computer - Save energy and wear and tear on your machine by shutting down your computer when you are done using it and in the evenings before you leave work. You’ll save an average of $90 of electricity a year. The Department of Energy recommends shutting off your monitor if you aren’t going to use it for more than 20 minutes, and the whole computer if you’re not going to use it for longer than two hours.
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www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 15
“The bed has become a place
of luxury to me! I would not
exchange it for all the thrones in the
world”
Napoleon Bonaparte
www.Business.scSouth Carolina’s #1 Business Directory
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www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 17
“If people sat outside and looked
at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d
live a lot differently.”
Bill Watterson
proFitinG on the Green movement- Continued
• Ask your power compAny aBout Green enerGy - More than half of all electricity consumers in the U.S. now have the option of purchasing green power from their local utility. Find out how you can purchase green power by visiting the Department of Energy’s state-by-state list of providers. You can also check with your own utility to see what’s available. Palmetto Clean Energy is a local South Carolina green energy program http://www.palmettocleanenergy.org/default.asp
• keep sensible tAbs on your thermostat - It is to your benefit to pays to pay close attention to your thermostat, since most South Carolina households spend 50 to 70% of their energy budgets on heating and cooling. For every degree you lower the thermostat, you’ll save between 1% and 3% of your heating bill. Do the same thing in reverse with air conditioning.
• wAsh your clothes in CoLd Water - An easy way to clean green is to turn the dial on your washing machine to cold. Most laundry loads do not require hot water, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating the water. The higher the water temperature, the higher the cost to you and the planet.
• enroll in online billing - Save natural resources, as well as late fees, by registering with online bill-paying options. Paperless billing not only saves trees; it also reduces the fossil fuel needed to get all those billing envelopes from them to you and back again. Plus, you’ll save money on stamps.
• get rid of junk mAil - Approximately 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water are used to send junk mail to Americans annually. You can eliminate 75% of unsolicited mail by registering on the Mail Preference Service on the Direct Marketing Association website (for a fee of $1). Within 90 days, most unsolicited mail will stop.
• print on both sides of paper - Most software programs give the option for double sided printing, but yet most still print only on one side of the page. Consider this: the U.S. alone uses 4 million tons of copy paper annually, about 27 pounds per person. Save dough and South Carolina landfills.
• cArpool! - If your commute to work is 25 miles each way and at least half is in typical stop-and-go traffic, you’ll save roughly 10 percent of your monthly carbon emissions by carpooling. Not to mention saving money on gas!
• buy certified south CaroLina produCe - The Certified South Carolina program is a new, exciting, cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) to brand and promote South Carolina products. Our goal is for consumers to be able to easily identify, find and buy South Carolina products.
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes
home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”
Lyn Yutang
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“Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands & hoist the
black flag”
Henry Louis Mencken
the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation.
What are the BeneFits oF Barter?
Barter Can Bring New Customers: This enables you to expand your market and maintain your cash-paying customers.
Barter Conserves Cash: Barter generates new customers
because buyers are encouraged to pay with their products or services and save cash.
Simply put: If you had to make a purchase for $1000, would you rather write a check or pay with an equal amount of your product/service at its normal selling price to a new customer? Most businesses prefer to barter and keep cash.
Barter Raises Profitability: Barter customers pay retail prices and fees, so you get the full value of your goods and services.
Barter Moves Surplus Inventory: Retailers must keep their inventory moving and our customers shop for the most up to date merchandise each season. Carolina Barter Exchange can deliver you buyers to move excess inventory, eliminating the advertising costs and heavy discounting otherwise needed to achieve this goal.
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Barter is smart BusinessBy Zach Hanebrink
Barter is a form of trade where goods or services are traded for other goods and/or services, without cash being exchanged. Barter normally replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, or when
Want to grow your business?
Join the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce!
As the unified voice of business, the South Carolina Chamber is working to grow wealth for South Carolinians and businesses in order to improve economic development and quality of life.
We help your business and you by:
• GettingyourvoiceheardbyourstatelegislatorsthroughourGrassrootsNetwork• Workingtopassbusiness-friendlylegislation• Keepingyouinformedonissuesandprovidingsolutionsforgrowingyour business through our monthly magazine, South Carolina Business • Providingnetworkingopportunitieswithlegislatorsandotherbusinessowners• Trainingyouremployeesonhumanresources,qualityandmanagementissues• Publishingalegalreferenceseries
Join the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce! Contactustodayat800-799-4601.Learnmoreatwww.scchamber.net.
“It is the nature of the strong heart,
that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it
is most burdened.”
Sir Philip Sidney
Visit www.Barter.scAnd See Why Business Owners
Love To Barter
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EXCHANGEBarter
Carolina
Click & Point To Join Carolina Barter Exchange Now!
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 28
What is Barter?- Continued
raise eFFiCienCy
Service Business: Increase billable hours! If you are not at 100% capacity 12 months a year and you can handle new customers, Carolina Barter Exchange can help you fill your free time with new business opportunities. And now you will have trade dollars to purchase the products and services you need.
Hotels: Suppose you have 10 vacant rooms at $100 a night and you need a new brochure for $1000. Barter provides a way for you to buy your brochure, fill your rooms (at your cost), and maintain your cash.
Networking Increases Your Customer Base: Barter customers will bring you all the cash referrals that your current clients bring. You will increase new cash paying-customers, as long as you give your barter cus-tomers the same great services and pricing you offer everybody else.
get virtuAlly Anything!
Recent year statistics:
• The common dollar amount of commercial barter rose to $1,927.
• Merchants accounted saving an average of $32,700 using barter and saw and average cash flow raise of 18%.
• 1 in every six businesses participated in at least one barter transaction for the first time with intentions to do more in the future.
• 1,845 new corporations had barter transactions surpassing $100,000.
• 74% of all Fortune 500 companies utilized barter-up a whopping 14% from last year. • 93% of all small business owners (less than 25 employees) report trying barter with a positive result.
Carolina Barter Exchange (CBE) is the fastest growing barter company based in South Carolina. CBE has representa-tion in all 46 counties including Charleston, Columbia, Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, and Greenville.
CBE is the fastest growing trade exchange in The Carolinas. CBE helps its member companies enhance their businesses through exchange of products and services instead of making cash disbursements.
Some examples of the products and services we offer include: advertising, printing, travel and vacations, auto repairs, restaurants, caterers, art and custom framing, office equipment, medical treatment, computer services and more.
Visit www.Jobs.scTo Find Your Dream Job!
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www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 30
“When twilight drops her
curtain down and pins it with a star,
remember that you have a friend though she may
wander far.”
time to reFinanCe or buy !?Right now, mortgage rates are at their lowest level since 1971. Think about that. Twenty-five years ago, homeowners were paying as much as 18% on a 30-year fixed. Today it’s just a little over 5%.Combine that
rate with the tax advantages of a mortgage, and you have an incredibly cheap way to build wealth, but you better act now.
Real estate guru Barbara Corcoran has already seen a tremendous surge in refinance applications – more than triple the average – and the number of people getting approved is astronomically higher as well, she says. But that doesn’t mean the low rates are a panacea for the ills of the housing market. It is only once home prices start to go up that we will finally see a light at the end of tunnel, Corcoran says. Until that happens, we are still going to have to crawl out of this mess. “[Low interest rates are] a not a lifesaver,” Corcoran says. “This is just a helping hand.”
David Kittle, chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association, has this advice to homeowners looking to refinance: Do it. Don’t get greedy searching for another quarter-point. Lock in rates now. He is seeing applications soar over 125% just since Thanksgiving due to the low rates.
Of course, you should only refinance if it saves you at least 3/8 on the rate and if you plan on staying in your home for at least four years, Kittle says. Along with good credit, proof of income and money by means of a down payment or equity in the home, there are certain things every homeowner needs regardless of interest rate levels.
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a one tank trip
Got the vacation blues? South Carolina abounds with destinations you can visit on one tank of gas…trips that showcase the Palmetto State’s beauty without busting your budget. What a rich, exotic place South Carolina is. One of the original American Colonies, the state has an abundance of historical sites that bring our nation’s past to vivid life. The outdoors lover can enjoy a variety of activities such as kayaking, hiking, saltwater fishing, even scuba diving in the company of alligators. The state’s culture has been shaped by its European, African and Caribbean settlers, as evidenced especially by the food, which is some of the most delicious we’ll ever have the pleasure of eating.
aiken
Do you like horses, the City of Aiken is your destination. Explore the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame & Racing Museum; the facility presents the history of thoroughbred racing, spanning more than a century. Admission is free. Also in Aiken, is the DuPont Planetarium, located on the grounds of the University of South Carolina. The 30-foot dome has fully-automated, state-of-the-art projection systems; an observatory is also on hand, featuring a variety of powerful telescopes for stargazing purposes. Downtown Aiken is filled with southern charm. The restaurants, antique shops, and local stores will fill anyone’s afternoon.
GreenWood
Continuing on your trip and take Highway 19 towards Greenwood. On the way you will pass by the Ninety-Six National Historic Site, where two battles of the Revolutionary War were fought and where settlers braved harsh winters and Indians to stake their claim. Now, visitors can experience it for themselves in the original Star Fort, built in 1781, the Stockade Fort and siege trenches, or by strolling through the original town sites of Cambridge and Ninety-Six. This historic site is a fascinating look at the way things were when our nation was in its infancy. Well worth the time to explore! Get back on Highway 19, and continue on to the US-25 which leads you to Greenwood. This town, with its fresh air and sunny skies is a great place to pull over and enjoy some of the many outdoor activities to be found here. The Heritage Trail is a 2-mile paved path, perfect for walking, jogging, or biking. Lake Greenwood is a fine place to break out the rod
and reel and try your luck with the catch of the day. By night, you can dine at any one of the myriad of fine restaurants, which showcase cuisines from Europe, the Caribbean, or good old-fashioned American steak and potatoes.
CLemson
Get back on the US-25, and merge with the US-178 to Clemson. (Thirty miles later via the US-123 and you are in Greenville). Both cities offer more opportunities for fishing, golfing and fine dining. In Clemson, you should take a day to enjoy the natural wonders of Paris Mountain, with its 1200-acre grounds, majestic, monument-like peak, and the Sulphur Springs hiking trail which makes for an excellent workout.
Truly, South Carolina offers visitors a chance to enjoy the modern age while giving us a glimpse into our nation’s past; it’s the perfect place to enjoy the best of all possible worlds for just One Tank of Gas!
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 34
In our lives there is bound to come some
pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the one
who holds the storms will bring the sun.
Visit www.Weather.scTo Get your Local & State Weather
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wwwAiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 37
south CaroLina Firsts Like any other State, South Carolina is full of “Firsts”. The following is a list of some of the more popular Firsts, that may be good to brag about, or for use in a trivia game:
• First opera performed in America - Charleston, February 18, 1735
• The Charleston Chamber of Commerce was the first city Chamber of Commerce in this country - 1773
• First business publication - South Carolina Price Current in Charleston, 1774
• Golf was first played in the city limits of Charleston. The South Carolina Golf Club was formed in 1786 - this was the first golf club.
• First cotton mill built - James Island, 1789
• First steam locomotive built in the United States to be used for regular railroad service - “Best Friend of Charleston,” 1830.
• First Roman Catholic cathedral in South Carolina Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar - Charleston, April 1845
• First state to secede from the Union, December 20, 1860.
• The first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship was the H.L. Hunley used by the Confederates on February 17, 1864 in Charleston Harbor
against the U.S.S. Housatonic.
• First commercial tea farm - Summerville, 1890
• The first car was manufactured in Rock Hill by John Gary Anderson in January 1916
• First national historic preservation ordinance passed by Charleston city council on October 13, 1931
• First U.S. Senator elected by a write-in vote - Strom Thurmond, November 2, 1954
• First Spoleto Festival held in Charleston May 1977
• First Internet company to bring you the Internet, Streaming Radio, and Online Magazines- www.ONLY.sc ( click here for more information)
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 38
Just let the wardrobe do the
acting
Jack Nicholson
aBout CoLumBiaDowntown Columbia SC is the original city, built at the conflu-ence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers, close to the geographic center of South Carolina. This is where the most mature neigh-borhoods are located, many of which are being refurbished by locals who love older architec-ture and the undeniable charm of shady streets, wrap-around porches and children playing on sidewalks. I-126 starts down-town at Elmwood Avenue and joins the city to routes such as I-26 and I-20, used to travel to the airport, Charleston, Spar-tanburg / Greenville, and Lake Murray. Rt. 277 intersects into
Bull Street and connects down-town with directions to the east and north like I-20 East and I-77 towards, Myrtle Beach and Char-lotte. A lot of the state’s banking headquarters, corporate and legal offices and big time medical facilities are situated in Central Columbia. State government offices, the University of South Carolina and other influential employers are located downtown Columbia SC. The convenience of being close to one’s work-place makes Central Columbia a popular area of town. There are new homes and new apartment communities being constructed downtown Columbia.
Riverfront Park and Finlay Park are the first two in a series of parks - a “greenway” system that will tie Main Street and the river. Finlay Park is named for former mayor Kirkman Finlay, a man whose vision and hard work started many of the Vista’s proj-ects. Mayor Finlay gave the Con-garee Vista its name, a name that mirrors the area’s physical depiction as well as a prediction for its future. As the city works on making the Vista more reach-able and attractive, the prospect
of living downtown becomes more sensible. New apartments are being developed in older buildings downtown Columbia. Owners of shops and galleries are converting upper floors into loft apartments. The formation of desirable, residential neigh-borhoods is an essential part of the overall plan for restoring liveliness to the Vista. The new 19,000 seat USC arena, Colonial Center, opened in November of 2002. The Columbia Metropoli-tan Convention Center opened in 2004.
The Congaree Vista Revital-ization Plan was planned by the Central Midlands Regional Planning Council in 1983, and highlights the significance of the city’s riverfront development in relation to Columbia’s continued growth. The City of Columbia has assumed a number of note-worthy projects that have greatly affected the Congaree Vista. The first was the removal of the train tracks from city streets. This massive task was completed with the assistance of the rail-roads. Dozens of tracks were removed and relocated.
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“A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could
only have one book, what would it be? I always say ‘How
to Build a Boat”
Stephen Wright
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south CaroLina WeddinG or event pLanners: Career outLook Can you imagine a more exciting career than being the person who helps to plan a couple’s happiest day together and makes them lasting memories for the rest of their life? Or planning a Corporate Event for some of the largest companies in South Carolina. The best part is you are creating an event that you do not have to pay for. If you are interested in a career as a wed-ding or event planner, read on to discover general description, educational require-ments, and your job outlook information.
WeddinG and event pLanner JoB desCription
Wedding or Event planners, as the name implies, handle many or all of the details of setting up a wedding or other event from coordinating the caterers to directing the dinners. The term wedding planner is a classification of how involved the person is with their clients’ wedding. There are two other classifications which are wedding consultants and wedding directors.
Wedding consultants allow couples to plan the wedding and offer only their advice and expertise. Wedding planners oversee and are responsible for much of the work of the wedding from beginning to end, but the couple is still involved. Wedding directors take care of the entire wedding event, which affords the couple getting married to only focus on getting married. Wedding directors sometimes usually attend the wedding to make sure the day goes exactly as planned. If it rains on the day of an outdoor wedding, the wedding director will have an alternate plan already in place.
Wedding planners, specifically, perform a variety of tasks. They make appointments with clients and vendors, provide gown
options, provide wedding theme options, and plan for the unforeseen among other things. The business side of wedding planning involves staying within your budget, and making sure the vendors get paid. Wedding planners who handle all aspects of the event are mostly self-employed working both part-time and full-time. However, special event centers, wineries, hotels, and other hospitality facilities also offer employment opportunities.
Wedding planners must also write contracts and be efficient marketers of their business. The best wedding planner in South Carolina must get their name known, and can only handle a certain amount of weddings in any given time.
An event planner does the same basic tasks as the wedding planner, but the event will dictate what is different. A big corporate event may require several sound and video systems. A golf tournament may require many sponsors being adequately recognized. Whatever the event, having alternative plans when things go not as planned is the mark of a good planner. This means that you must have a long list of suppliers and people in the service industries that can stand in when problems arise.
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 45
There really are some incredible
chandeliers on the market now.
The designs are a lot softer and
warmer than they used to be. I
think the overriding design
factor that most homeowners
are seeking is something that
says their home is warm,
inviting and comfortable.
Susan Humphress
eduCationaL requirements For WeddinG pLanners
There are no federal, state, or local laws requiring wedding or event planners to have anything other than a business license. Very few colleges/universities offer degrees or certificates in wedding and planning. Online schools offer training; however, carefully research the online school prior to paying any fees or signing up for classes. The best schooling is the College of OJT ( On the Job Training).
Working for a wedding or event planner and learning from the ground up is the only way to truly learn the business. Certification is increasingly becoming sought after because clients want to make sure their special day is handled by a professional.
JoB outLook For WeddinG pLaners
Wedding and event planning in South Carolina is a growing field with more and more opportunities. Creating a profitable business is a slow process. Attracting clientele takes time, but there is always plenty of work for good planners.
www.Aiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 48
“What is my loftiest ambition? I’ve always wanted to throw an egg at an electric fan.”
Oliver Herford quotes (1863-1935)
Don’t sit under an umbrella waiting for it to
rain
FinaL Words
In riding a horse we borrow freedom
hELEn ThoMson
wwwAiken.Downtown.sc Online Magazine | 2009 55
