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YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WANTS TO CREATE COMMUNITY WITH NEW WORKSHOP
Brandi Collins has only lived in the Augusta area for a couple of months. But she is already, quite literally, building community. This summer, Collins will open AR Workshop, a DIY workshop that is part of a company founded by designers that is gaining huge popularity around the country. This summer, Augustans will be able to get in on the DIY fun when the mother-daughter duo of Anita Barr and Brandi Collins opens a 1,800-square-foot AR Workshop at The Market at Riverwood in Evans, which will be one of around 80 locations nationwide. All that locals will have to bring to the project is themselves; all the necessary materials–including wood, non-toxic stains and around 70 colors of paint–are stored in-house. The workshop will be located at 3116 William Few Pkwy, Suite 2. Classes will be planned in 3-hour time slots and will seat up to 36 people. Collins says she’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She’s the only one of her four sisters who doesn’t live in the Charlotte, NC-area, so coming to Augusta with her husband was a new adventure.
20 Buzz on Biz April 27–May 24, 2018
Because of the slower pace of life in Augusta, it’s been difficult for her to find community at times. So Collins took initiative. Her mom, Anita Barr, who is the co-owner of the new AR Workshop on William Few Pkwy in Evans, already wanted to open one after attending a workshop at the Charlotte location. Once Collins looked at the website, she was hooked. “You get a new project every time,” Collins said. “Something different every time. It’s all unique to you.” Collins says working with her hands has given her and many others a great sense of purpose in their projects at AR Workshop. The company has hundreds of designs to choose from. Patrons place an order for the design they want, the company sends it to the local store, and Collins has a stencil ready for them when they arrive at the shop. From there, it’s all fun and games. “Whatever you want it to be, it can be that,” Collins said. “There’s lots of different seasonal designs. You can get lost in all the pictures of the designs that we have.” Collins is passionate about giving people in her area something fun to go do both during the day and at night. Most
workshops will take place in the evening and will be an ideal place to meet new people, bring a group of friends or have a fun-filled date night. “We wanted to provide the people in this community somewhere to go, to hang out, to be proud of,” Collins says. “It’s a place for community to build community. You get to meet new people. You might come in and not know anyone in a workshop and sit beside someone whose son goes to the same high school as yours, and you guys become fast friends.” Collins gives credit to the founders of AR Workshop for creating what has become a special place for so many people. “They have built this community— this awesome community—of people who are creatives by right, by birth. They have sparked that creativity in so many other people.” It all became real when Collins completed her sign that says AR Workshop Evans. The empty building at 3116 William Few Pkwy is still a couple months away from being ready, but Collins is prepared to hit the ground running. She can’t wait to wake up every day with a renewed sense of purpose—
being able to head to the shop and provide a place for people to come together. “It’s awesome that I honestly will look forward to getting up every day,” she said. “Let’s get to know the people in this community and make friends…and have a sense of growth and excitement about doing something.” She wants the rest of Augusta to be able to do it too.
3116 William Few Pkwy #2, Evans, GA 30809 (706) 817-4113 www.arworkshop.com/evans