Upstate SC Nurtures Euro-Centric Small Businesses

By Mike Switzer

Published November 8, 2017 at 5:09 AM EST

About 14 years ago, our next guest took her love of interior design and plunged into small business ownership by opening a contemporary Euro-style furniture store. And she credits the European presence in the Upstate and her own heritage as contributing factors to the store’s success.

Mike Switzer interviews Ivet Ivanova, co-owner of Bogari Furniture 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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