Oct. 19—Sally Rich and Kathy Reynolds have owned 3 Monkeys Fine Gifts in Downtown Aiken for 13 and a half years. The store is filled from floor to ceiling with unique gift items, jewellery, glassware and books.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Rich and Reynolds both have education backgrounds – after leaving teaching, they worked together part-time at another shop in the city.
Soon, he joined the 3 Monkeys scheme with friend Bill Thomson.
“Our beloved, now deceased Third Monkey Bill Thomson, who already had a business in town, talked us into it,” Rich said.
After about a year, Thomson left 3 Monkeys to run another business in Charleston. “We loved working with Bill,” Rich said with a smile. “I guess he’s decided he can’t deal with two women.”
Reynolds’ favorite thing about running the shop is interacting with the variety of customers who come through the door. “We have a lot of visitors every day, and they’re fun to talk to. I guess I just enjoy being around people.”
Women faced some challenges at the beginning of their business journey. “We were struggling,” Rich said, but “it worked out,” Reynolds said. Now, the shop’s unique items are popular among visitors to the city.
“It’s a great atmosphere here,” Rich said.
Reynolds said Rich was one of the first people he met while living in Aiken 37 years ago and it was special to work with a like-minded friend. “It’s good to have a business partner for many reasons,” he said. “We both have grandchildren, the kids live out of town, and we both travel. She can go on a trip for about two weeks and I get it, you know, and vice versa. “
Both women plan to keep running the business indefinitely. “It keeps us healthy and hopefully young,” Reynolds said, laughing. “There’s something good going on between us.”
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