South Carolina Business Review

Upstate business finding success on old rail line

By Mike Switzer

Published December 15, 2023 at 6:30 AM EST

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Mary Walsh, co-founder of Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery in Greenville, SC

One of the first former railroad tracks in our state to be converted to a trail, known as rails-to-trails, was the Swamp Rabbit Trail creating a shared-use bike and pedestrian trail from Greenville to Travelers Rest. One of the first businesses to take the plunge and open up on that trail was a small restaurant and market founded by two women entrepreneurs. Twelve years later it’s still going strong. Mike Switzer interviews Mary Walsh, co-founder of Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery in Greenville, 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.

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