Growth in Spartanburg County isn’t just measured by new jobs or major economic development announcements. It’s also reflected in the entrepreneurs who choose to start businesses, invest in their communities and create opportunities for others.

Since 2023, more than 2,835 entrepreneurs and small business owners have received support through Power Up Spartanburg, helping strengthen the county’s small business ecosystem and launch dozens of new businesses.

For Aimee Cheek, that story is personal.

When Aimee Cheek moved to Spartanburg in 2014, she saw something many longtime residents might not have noticed.

Potential.

Coming from the Midwest and a career in corporate hospitality and event planning, she had spent years traveling to communities that were investing in their downtowns, attracting visitors and creating vibrant places for people to gather.

“When I relocated here, downtown was pretty barren,” Cheek said. “People didn’t really want to be there. But I was connected to people who had a vision, and over the years I’ve watched that vision unfold.”

Today, Cheek is the owner of C&S Events and Catering and event venue The Carolina on Southport, businesses that have grown alongside the community she now calls home. But her journey began with a simple desire to contribute.

In 2018, she helped open Market on Main, recognizing a need for a locally focused artisan and gift shop downtown. Working in the heart of the city every day, she watched new businesses arrive, new investments take shape and more people choose to spend time downtown.

“I saw things in other communities that inspired me,” she said. “Rather than wishing we had them here, I decided to help create them.”

That desire eventually led her to event planning and hospitality full time. What started as a venue operation grew into a thriving catering and events business. By 2025, the company had outgrown its downtown space within the historic Citizens and Southern Bank building.

With support from a local bank, guidance from community connections and assistance navigating the process, Cheek purchased the former Fatz Café building and transformed it into her new home base. Along the way, she found a network of organizations, including Power Up Spartanburg, that helps entrepreneurs navigate challenges, make connections and access resources, reinforcing her belief that Spartanburg is a community willing to invest in local people and local businesses.

The project moved quickly. Cheek purchased the building in October and hosted her first event just five months later. For her, that experience reinforced something she believes makes Spartanburg unique.

“The support in the small business community is incredible,” she said. “We’re not competitive. We’re supportive. We share ideas, people, resources and best practices. That’s highly unusual.”

That spirit of collaboration continues to shape her work today. Just days before this interview, Cheek coordinated several large events that required staff from multiple local businesses and kitchens.

“Nobody knew it was multiple businesses working together,” she said. “We all operated as one team. It made me so proud to be part of Spartanburg’s small business community.”

As Spartanburg has grown, so has demand for the types of experiences her company provides. Weekday corporate meetings have increased. More businesses are hosting events locally. Clients from Charleston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and beyond are choosing Spartanburg for celebrations and gatherings.

“People are coming here and realizing that we can do amazing things in Spartanburg,” Cheek said. “You don’t have to bring vendors in from larger cities to create something exceptional. The quality, creativity and expertise are already here.”

For Cheek, success is measured by more than business growth. Her company regularly donates excess food to local organizations, prepares meals for children at the Hope Center for Children, partners with Ruth’s Gleanings to reduce food waste and provides opportunities for aspiring food entrepreneurs through a commissary kitchen.

She sees those efforts as part of the same community-minded spirit that helped her succeed.

“Every purchase, every order, every event creates opportunities for someone else,” she said.

After more than a decade in Spartanburg, Cheek still points to the people as the reason she stayed.

“As an outsider, I never felt like I wasn’t welcome,” she said. “Everybody is willing to make a connection, make a recommendation or help you solve a problem.”

For someone who arrived from another part of the country, built a business and found a community along the way, that support has made all the difference.

“When people focus only on the negatives, they miss what’s really happening,” Cheek said.

“Spartanburg is investing in its people, supporting local businesses and creating opportunities for growth.”

And for Cheek, that’s the kind of community, and the kind of growth, that is worth celebrating.

THE FACTS ARE: One location. More than 135 years of Spartanburg history. Still helping shape the community today.

The story of Beaumont Mill is not simply about what was lost or what was built. It’s the story of a community adapting over time, preserving its history while finding new ways to create jobs, housing, healthcare services and community connections for future generations.

For more than a century, Beaumont Mill helped power Spartanburg’s economy. Built in 1890, the mill employed generations of workers and served as the center of a thriving mill village. At its peak, Beaumont was part of the textile industry that helped shape Spartanburg County’s identity and growth.

Today, the same site tells a different chapter of Spartanburg’s story.

The former mill now serves as the administrative headquarters for Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, supporting hundreds of healthcare professionals and employees. The surrounding area continues to evolve through new housing, trail connections and community investment.

Then

Watch: SCETV segment on the history of Beaumont Mills

• 1890: Beaumont Mill opens.
• Early 1900s: Thousands of workers and families connected to the mill.
• 1997: Mill operations cease.

Now

• Healthcare: The former mill serves as Spartanburg Regional’s administrative headquarters.
• Housing: New residential investment is bringing hundreds of housing units to the area.
• Connectivity: The DAN Trail System connects Beaumont to neighborhoods, parks and downtown Spartanburg.
• Historic Preservation: The Beaumont Village Historic District preserves the character and history of one of Spartanburg’s most recognizable mill communities.