The Brew – Coffee and Conversation about Laurens County

The Laurens County Chamber of Commerce hosted another session of “The Brew” last week at Laurens CPW in Laurens.

Each event begins with a presentation by a local entrepreneur about their business and challenges.  The presentation ends with 3-4 questions for the audience and then the conversation begins.  The presenter for this meeting was Diane Smith, owner of Designs by D in Laurens.

Smith shared her goals and priorities for Designs by D, a vendor mall that opened on the Square in Laurens in June of this year.

“What I do is not work, it’s my passion,” said Smith. “It’s not always easy but it always comes together.”

Prior to opening Designs by D, Smith worked for 22 years in manufacturing which led to positions in management that would ultimately help her when opening and managing her own business. When working some extra jobs, she found her joy in event planning and floral design and went back to school for degrees in both. And the rest is history.

Designs by D is located at 120 South Public Square in Laurens. Operating hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 am – 6 pm and Saturday 9 am – 3 pm. In addition to Smith’s floral arrangements, nine other vendors have booths for your shopping pleasure.

The booths include:

• Cynde’s Enterprises – Cynde O’Rear
• Sweet on Occassion – Til Culberston
• Kindred Spirit – Sherry Abrams
• The Creative Rooster – Natasha Handley
• W Antiques & Repair – Robert Whitmire
• M-Ma’s Crafts – Gail Saxon
• The Painted Daisy – Jennifer McCracken
• Fun from the Past – Mike and Mary Fortune
• Cutting Edge Solutions – Anthony Smith

Previous sessions of The Brew have proven to be popular and those attending have enjoyed active and lively discussion of the issues presented. If you’ve never attended one of these events, consider coming and being part of the solution at the local level.

“At the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, we strive to provide networking and educational opportunities for business owners across our County. Through great partnerships, we are glad to be able to host these bi-monthly meetings of “The Brew,” said Graysen Lott, Communications and Marketing Coordinator for the Laurens County Chamber. “It’s encouraging to see the attendance continue to grow with each event, and we look forward to the next meeting of “The Brew” in October.”

More information about The Brew can be found under the “Chamber Events” tab on their website, www.laurenscounty.org.