Teen entrepreneur doesn’t let pandemic stop him from opening new store

SUMTER, SC - It’s been a tough time for small businesses over the last year but that’s not stopping one young entrepreneur in Sumter.

Jaiven Lowery-Isaac just turned 18 in January and just held the grand opening for his new shoe store in Sumter in February called Check Your Solez.

Lowery-Isaac says he’s always had a love for gym shoes and that his parents eventually encouraged him to open up his own shoe store. He spoke with WIS-TV about what it’s been like opening up a business during a pandemic. He also talked about how exciting of an accomplishment it was to finally have the store’s grand opening, and being able have a career surrounding something’s he’s always loved.

“They’re really nice and they make you look good. You look good, you feel good. It was hard but it was like, I liked it because I knew what the outcome was going to be. The grand opening, it was great. A whole bunch of people came out and supported me. Some people, I didn’t even know at all. It made me feel look. It was just a dream come true,” said Lowery-Isaac.

He says he wants to encourage other young people to never give up on their dreams. He also credits the continuous support of his parents as to what helped him achieve his goal.

The South Carolina Small Business Development Centers offers assistance to small business owners across the state. The organization assisted more than 22,000 small businesses just within the last year amid concerns surrounding the pandemic.

For more on the services they offer, visit: https://www.scsbdc.com/

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