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Is Columbia’s Downtown Coming of Age?

Scott Garvin
Mike Switzer/SC Public Radio

Our state’s capital city has been experiencing something of a renaissance lately as its downtown area continues to play catch-up with Charleston and Greenville.  Our next guest has been right in the middle of this activity.

Mike Switzer interviews Scott Garvin, president of Garvin Design Group in Columbia, SC.

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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.