South Carolina Business Review

SC retailer building more stores

By Mike Switzer

Published September 16, 2022 at 5:30 AM EDT

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Ever since ecommerce sprang up across the Internet, brick and mortar retailers have had a struggle on their hands. But there are exceptions. Our next guest’s Lowcountry company, for example, has expanded over the past 20 years from a family-owned kiosk to 36 stores across six states with plans to open more locations soon. Mike Switzer interviews John Thomas, CEO of Palmetto Moon in North Charleston, SC.

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

See stories by Mike Switzer