Home Care In Greer, SC

A new automation facility is bringing more than 100 jobs and creating a $9.2 million investment at the Inland Port in Greer.

Omron Automation Americas is moving its facility from Renton, Washington, to Atlas at Inland Port Greer, located at 311 Genoble Road. The announcement was made on Feb. 8 during news conference held at Spartanburg Community College's Spark Center SC in Duncan, located at the college's Tyger River campus in Duncan.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Greer Mayor Rick Danner, County Councilman David Britt, and SCC President Michael Mikota joined representatives from the company to celebrate the move to Spartanburg County.

Omron Automation will join BMW, Keurig Dr. Pepper, and Milo's Tea in making items in the county that will be used throughout the country and the world. Since starting its move, the company has used the Spark Center as a local base.

"Sometimes we get lulled into this sense that everybody does what we do, but they don't. I'm reminded of that every time I'm with my colleagues from around the country, and I talk about all the amazing things going on here," Evette said. "A place like we're standing in today, a soft landing pad for businesses, that doesn't happen everywhere, but it does happen here."

Moving and expanding in South Carolina

Omron Automation will relocate to Greer between now and May. The facility will manufacture motion controllers and drives, machine vision, barcode readers and verification systems.

The move will coincide with an expansion of the facility's use, which will include the creation of a Proof of Concept Center.

"This latest facility proudly is our fourteenth location in the Americas. It stands as our principal automation manufacturing location, and it joins a network of engineering design test labs (and) state-of-the-art proof of concept centers spanning from coast to coast," President and CEO of Omron Automation Americas Robb Black said. "This site will include manufacturing, warehousing, and a new state-of-the-art automation Proof of Concept Center (that) will demonstrate the latest innovations in sensing control, safety, vision, motion and robotics."

Chairman and CEO of Omron Management Center of America Nigel Blakeway said Greer was chosen after a comprehensive search of 85 cities.

"Spartanburg County stood out as an outstanding location because of the great access we have to a world-class workforce and the community partners that are already established here," Blakeway said.

Now hiring: 100 + new jobs in manufacturing

The company is creating 162 jobs at the Inland Port Greer facility.

Omron Automation offers paid holidays, community service leave, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, a 401(k) with a 4% company match and performance-based bonuses to employees.

They are currently hiring for the Greer facility.

Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture in Spartanburg. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at[email protected] or on Instagram at @sam_on_spartanburg.

Thrift shops can bring big deals that really help families on a tight budget. But, usually, you don’t find everything on your list at a single thrift shop, which is one of the things that makes the thrift stores in Greer to Taylors, SC corridor of Wade Hampton Boulevard such a day trip for thrifting. You can visit 6 unique thrift shops across this little 8-mile stretch of Wade Hampton Boulevard.

And that’s just what my daughter and I set out to do one Saturday morning. We spent several hours and totally checked every box on her clothing AND shoe wish list. Plus I found several cute items for myself, 3 dress shirts for my husband in a usually hard-to-find size, some shorts and t-shirts for my sons, and bonus: the cutest spring teapot ever.

Thrift Store vs. Consignment

Usually, all of the items in a thrift store are donated to the store, and the profit the stores make benefits a specific cause. This is different than a consignment shop where you’ll still find great deals, but it’s the store and the consigner earning the profits. There’s nothing wrong with a great consignment shop, but in this story we’re focusing on the thrift stores, who they benefit, and what they offer.

At the shops in this article, in addition to good deals that help your family budget, you’ll also be helping fund job programs, fight homelessness, helping children with cancer, animals, and victims of domestic violence.

Thrifting Tips

Before we get to the shops, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Miracle Hill Thrift Shop

2419 E Wade Hampton Blvd, GreerOpen: 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday

Beginning in Greer near Lyman, is the Miracle Hill Thrift Shop. This is a larger thrift shop with clothing for men, women, and children, plus furniture, housewares, books, and sometimes even big-ticket items like kayaks!

Prices here are marked on the rack so all pants are one price, etc, unless otherwise marked. Don’t forget to check their clearance section where all items are $1.

Clothes and items are well organized by size, but you’ll have to do some digging if you’re looking for housewares, books, etc.

This thrift shop does offer dressing rooms to try on your items before you buy!

Miracle Hill Thrift Shops benefit Miracle Hill Ministries helping homelessness.

Miracle Hill MinistriesMiracle Hill Thrift Shop Facebook

Carolina Thrift

109 Middleton Way, GreerOpen 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm Saturday

Benefitting animals in need, the Carolina Thrift shop offers a cozy and well-organized shop with a homey feel. They have great prices on clothing ($2 per piece), jewelry, and accessories. They have a free coffee bar for shoppers, a media room with many books, DVDs, and vinyl records for sale.

This shop is where I found my cute spring teapot among the pretty spring displays at the front of the shop. This is a great place to shop AND browse.

Think you’ll be a frequent shopper? Don’t forget to pick up a rewards punch card at the register.

Carolina Thrift Facebook

Goodwill

1333 W Wade Hampton Blvd, Greer, SCOpen: 9 am to 9 pm Monday-Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm on Sundays

The Goodwill Thrift Shop in Greer is another larger thrift shop. It benefits Goodwill programs which provide career services and help for job seekers.

You’ll find clothing, media, housewares, and more at Goodwill. Clothing is organized by small, medium, large, etc. So you’ll spend time here looking for numbered sizes in each section. Don’t forget to take note of the color tags that are on sale. We scored a nice dress shirt for my husband for 50 cents with the sale tags.

Goodwill Industries of the Upstate

Salvation Army Family Store

5152 Wade Hampton Blvd, Taylors, SCOpen: 9 am to 5:30 pm weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays

The Salvation Army Family Store in Taylors is a little more compact than other similar thrift shops, but it has a wide variety of clothing, shoes, and household items at great prices.

This is another shop where you’ll need to spend a little time looking at the sizes on each item within sections to find what works for you. But, it’s worth it! My daughter’s new favorite pair of boots came from this Salvation Army Family Store, and we paid just $5 for them.

Salvation Army Family Store

Carol’s Hope

3245 Wade Hampton Blvd, TaylorsOpen: 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday

Carol’s Hope Thrift stores benefit families dealing with childhood cancer. They help with these families’ financial and emotional needs.

They have 4 shops total, another in Spartanburg, Easley, and Boiling Springs. Follow the Carol’s Hope Facebook page for discount days, and stories about the local children they are helping.

At the Taylors store you’ll find lots of clothing, priced via tag color. Check the signs on the end of the racks to help you figure out how much each item is. You might pay just $1 for a cute top, or closer to $8 or $9 depending on the item. I found a couple of very cute spring dresses for myself here and paid $13 total.

There’s also a large space with furniture and housewares that we enjoyed browsing.

Safe Harbor Resale Shop

2830 Wade Hampton Boulevard, GreenvilleOpen: 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday

I think this is my new favorite thrift shop. It’s huge and extremely well organized. The displays of housewares and shoes and color-coordinated and look like an interior designer put them together. Someone puts a lot of time into the organization of this place and it makes it feel like you’re shopping in a high-end boutique, with thrift store prices, of course. It’s a fun place just to go browse.

This shop has one of the larger children’s sections with lots of clothing at great prices. We got several pairs of pants and tops for my baby nephew at about $2 per piece and everything was in great condition.

There’s also a large selection of clothing for men and women, and my daughter found several items that will work for her here. Being in that in-between tween size, finding so much for her was quite an accomplishment and we really appreciated the large selection and organized layout. You’ll find fitting rooms at the front of the store.

Don’t miss the beautiful jewelry up by the register. You’ll find unique and gorgeous earrings for just a couple of dollars a pair.

Of course, the Safe Harbor Resale Shop benefits Safe Harbor, serving victims of domestic violence in Greenville.

A.J. Jackson

Greer-based Chef and White Wine & Butter owner Michael Sibert was named as one of three 2024 South Carolina Chef Ambassadors as a representative of culinary tradition while endorsing agricultural support within the Palmetto State.

During a press conference at the Columbia State House on Jan. 18, Gov. Henry McMaster announced Sibert as part of the 10th-anniversary class of the ambassadors program, joining Chef Javier Uriarte of Elgin and Chef Leslie Rohland of Bluffton.

"It's a very prestigious award for the state to consider you to represent them," said Sibert, a Greenwood, native. " At White Wine & Butter, we believe in community over competition which means having that bridge between Greenville, Greer, farmers and everyone else in the culinary industry in the state."

Sibert's appointment from the governor endorses the chef's ability to curate quality dining throughout the various food festivals and other promotional dining opportunities that promote South Carolina's growing culinary scene.

In July of 2023, he was featured on the Food Network's "Guy's Grocery Games" and has worked in the food & beverage industry for nearly a decade after training in New Orleans and receiving his education from Cornell University and Culinary Institute of the Carolinas. In the same year, Sibert opened Anonymous Burger in Greer.

"Our state's outstanding culinary talent contributes to the rich cultural heritage and quality that makes South Carolina unique and attractive to all," said Gov. McMaster. "Our newest class of Chef Ambassadors represent our mountains, Midlands, and coast, adding to the top-tier talent that this program has spotlighted over the past 10 years."

While excited to help drive tourism and gain a platform to generate more traffic for his food businesses, the state-recognized chef is also prioritizing food education for children through an upcoming April cooking class at The Children's Museum of the Upstate, and efforts that aim at attacking hunger and food disparity.

"Last year was our biggest involving holiday meals as we had over 100 turkeys sold, and donated an additional 50 during Thanksgiving," said Sibert. "To know we started with 15 turkeys in a garage, to then opening a small restaurant which turned into a catering kitchen and venue space; it's been amazing.

"We have a lot of reach here in the Upstate now, and we want to use the people who want to eat to help me feed people who need to eat."

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– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected], and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened.

Select Dining owner Jeffrey Gossett had made the right kind of headlines before. But this time he’s making headlines for pleading guilty to fraudulent use of coronavirus relief funds.

After purchasing property at 112 Trade St. for $1.1 million, according to Greenville County property data, Gossett opened upscale bistro Select Dining during downtown Greer’s repaving and streetscape projects in 2019. He was one of several businesses owners in the district who talked with news media of their support for city’s improvements.

Then came COVID-19. And like millions of business owners, Gossett applied for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans in March 2020.

But Gossett did things a little bit differently than most, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, South Carolina District.

According to court documents, over the course of six months, Gossett received close to $2 million under various individual and business names, some of which he didn’t own.

Gossett operated accounts under Simply Everything Inc., Select Dining, Select Dining LLC dba as The Epicurean, Keystone Investment Properties, C. Tim Keagy LLC, Jeffrey Gossett and Elizabeth Gossett and Adriel Gossett.

The Epicurean Restaurant, once located on 1455 Woodruff Road, was founded by George Stathakis of the Stax restaurant chain before Stathakis passed the torch to Gossett in 2013, according to Gossett’s Yelp profile. The grill closed permanently, reportedly before 2020, according to CityData.

Today, Gossett pled guilty to felony courts of wire fraud and money laundering through receiving COVID-19 relief funds via fraudulent loan applications, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office for the District of South Carolina, which filed the charge against Gossett on July 6.

“Taking money meant for those in need is reprehensible, especially during a pandemic,” Acting U.S. Attorney M. Rhett DeHart, said in the news release. “With the help of our federal and local partners, this office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who seek to turn the misfortune of others into illegal gains for themselves.”

For the most serious charge, Gossett faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment and restitution. U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Gossett after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office, the news release said.

“While many small businesses were struggling to make ends meet at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gossett submitted fraudulent claims for his personal benefit," Susan Ferensic, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Columbia field office, said in the release. “The FBI and its federal partners will continue to pursue those who take advantage of programs meant to help small businesses during difficult times.”

The FBI investigated the case along with the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Marosek is prosecuting the case.

“Making false statements to fraudulently gain access to SBA program funds is unacceptable,” Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General’s Eastern region special agent in charge, said in the release. “SBA OIG will relentlessly pursue evidence of fraud against SBA’s programs aimed at assisting the nation’s small businesses struggling with the pandemic challenges. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its leadership and dedication to pursuing justice.”

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Tucked within a neighborhood retail center in Greer, Voila French Cafe is a delicious surprise for those looking for authentic French soul food that's also modestly priced.

Owner Fabrice DiNonno's casual cafe concept pops big flavors on a small menu, highlighting scratch-made soups and sandwiches, fresh salads, quiches and pastries.

Originally from Marseilles, France, DiNonno moved to Brooklyn in his early 20s and quickly worked his way up in the restaurant business. He was general manager at the famed brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan and later launched his own New York restaurant, Cassis. He brought the popular French concept, Lulu, to Charlotte. He relocated to Greenville and opened Voila about a year ago.

“During a visit, I found Greenville so charming, very progressive, and the right place to open this idea,” says DiNonno. Here, it is a one-person show as DiNonno does it all -- cooking, prepping, and serving -- but that adds to an experience that’s personal and nothing less than magic.

“I grew up with a big family of cooks and was influenced by my father and grandmother, who both owned restaurants,” DiNonno says. “So, it’s all made from scratch and created with passion.”

The vibe is laid-back, and the no-frills space offers counter service and cafe seating inside and out. The all-day menu pays homage to a few French comfort foods. Popular items include steaming bowls of homemade roasted chicken and lentil soups, omelets and quiches, nic?oise salad, and quintessential French staples like the flavorful Croque Monsieur, a toasted ham and gruyere cheese sandwich with a classic be?chamel sauce. There’s also a lineup of hearty sides such as ratatouille, piperade stew, roasted potatoes and sauteed string beans.

“I am so happy to cook for others,” says DiNonno. “I enjoy the connection with the customer from beginning to end. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing people enjoy good food.”

Each morning, DiNonno fills the pastry case with macaroons, scones, muffins, and chocolate croissants, which all go fast.

“This is just a little cafe? - a place for lunch or a coffee and croissant,” says DiNonno. “I hope people come to enjoy some French soul food.”

DiNonno has expansion plans in the coming year and says he hopes to open additional locations as well as introduce a new Italian dining concept down the road.

Voila French Cafe? is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Saturday. For more info, visit www.voilafrenchcafe.com