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The 2003-2004 school year began as usual for Marthalyn Schimsa and Allison Wilks. Both were working with special needs students at a local elementary school – Schimsa a speech therapist and Wilks a learning specialist. Their careers were personally rewarding but after years in the public school system, both were frustrated with large caseloads and overburdened with paperwork. It was time for a change, and they had been discussing the possibility of opening a small business.
In October 2003, Schimsa’s daughter, a sophomore at Clemson, came home for fall break. She mentioned how difficult it was for students to find promotional and gift items representing their sororities and fraternities in Columbia. Clemson supported a Greek Store, and with the University of South Carolina nearby, she felt like Columbia was the ideal market for a gift shop with sorority and fraternity accessories. Schimsa and Wilks agreed and began taking steps toward making their dream a reality. Schimsa found out about SCWBC through online research. She and Wilks met with SCWBC Business Development Counselor Bill Littlejohn, who assisted them in writing a business plan. “We weren't exactly sure where to begin and had little time to research while teaching. Bill gave us a step-by-step plan to follow,” said Schimsa. "He also recommended we obtain the advice of both an attorney and a CPA, which we did and found them extremely helpful." Barriers to SuccessWhen asked about obstacles they had to overcome, Schimsa’s first response was time and money. The local banks were a dead end street so they were forced to use credit cards and their personal savings. They were able to lease a space in February 2004 but then there was the time factor. Both were committed to honoring their teaching contracts until the end of the school year. On top of that, Schimsa’s husband was deployed to Baghdad in May 2004, and Wilks decided to get married in June 2004. But through it all, they managed to open Greek Store and More in July 2004. Success and BeyondIn 2005, with the help of SCWBC, Schimsa attended a marketing seminar sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Also, Schimsa says their combined motivation and organizational skills plus a willingness to share responsibilities have helped them achieve success. Having different tastes themselves and seeking buying advice from Schimsa’s daughter and Wilks' niece (a non-Greek college student) have resulted in a wide variety of merchandise for their customers. In addition to collegiate and Greek items, about half the inventory is geared toward the general public. The goal is to provide first-rate customer service and unique, quality gifts and accessories, including many items made by local artists. They also want to be known as the best sorority/fraternity store in the country. While not admitting any partiality, both owners acknowledge they enjoy their college-age customers and the energy level and enthusiasm they bring into the store. Schimsa and Wilks feel strongly about giving back to the community. On average they make three to four donations per month, primarily to support philanthropy projects of the Greek organizations on the USC campus such as SisterCare, Ronald McDonald House, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research. Greek Store and More
745 Saluda Ave.
Columbia, South Carolina 29205
(803) 771-9837 |
Success Stories 
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The SC Women's Business Center is a program of the SC Manufacturing Extension Partnership, with management, oversight and support provided by SCMEP and its resources.