According to Augusta Business Daily, the strip center on Washington Road directly across from the McDonald's on Davis Road is getting a new sign this fall. It will be its third in under two years. Canales Deli tried the space first, built around take-out lunches and casseroles. Angie's Kitchen followed with a similar concept. Neither lasted a year. Now Marie's Creole & Catering, an established caterer and food truck operator with regular stops at Wellstar, Bridgestone and Kimberly Clark, is moving in with Shrimp Po'boys, Jerk Chicken Tacos and seasoned egg rolls.
Three miles down the road, on Furys Ferry, a storefront just filled in. Ironwood Tavern opened its second location in the back left corner of West Lake Commons, joining Swank, Oxygen Fitness, Cucumber and Mint, Kettle Creek Creamery and Rooted Coffeehouse in a shopping center developed by Rafy Bassali, who also co-owns Swank and Escape Outdoors.
Washington Road and Furys Ferry Locations
Local business coverage has noted that getting in and out of the Washington and Davis address parking lot can be challenging. Canales Deli and Angie's Kitchen each operated in the location for less than a year. Marie's Creole & Catering is moving into the same location.
West Lake Commons is a newer development built as one project on Furys Ferry Road. Ironwood's original location sits in a Publix-anchored center on Washington Road in Evans. The Furys Ferry location is Ironwood's second address.
More Businesses Along Washington Road
According to Augusta Business Daily, John Phan, Hung Nguyen and Tim Nguyen own Cho Ba Mien Asian Market at West Town Shopping Center at 3830 Washington Road. When they wanted to add a bubble tea shop, they opened Ding Tea next door in Suite 27 and put John's brother Paul in as manager. The opening drew a standing-room-only crowd, with lines out the door. Taqueria El Rey operates in the same center.
What's Filling In This Fall
| Location | Currently there | What came before |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Road at Davis Road | Marie's Creole & Catering, opening fall 2026 | Canales Deli, then Angie's Kitchen, both under a year |
| West Town Shopping Center, 3830 Washington Road | Ding Tea, Cho Ba Mien Asian Market, Taqueria El Rey | Same ownership added Ding Tea next to their own market |
| West Lake Commons, Furys Ferry Road | Ironwood Tavern's second location, Swank, Oxygen Fitness, Cucumber and Mint, Kettle Creek Creamery, Rooted Coffeehouse | First tenants in a newer development |
Columbia County is also set to get its first Martinez Parker's Kitchen this year, the fourth in the county after two locations in Evans and one in Grovetown. That's another addition to the corridor rather than a replacement for something that closed. Willie Jewel's Old School BBQ, a longtime stop for smoked plates, isn't part of any of this turnover. It's just still there while the storefronts around it change hands.
The One Thing Every Corner Still Shares
For all these storefront changes, the trail start hasn't moved. The Augusta Canal Towpath Trail begins in Martinez at Savannah Rapids Park on Evans to Locks Road and runs along the old towpath toward downtown Augusta. The Bicycle Peddler, at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, rents bikes at the headgates for anyone heading out. Whether dinner that night comes from a new Creole take-out counter on Washington Road or a plate at Ironwood's Furys Ferry bar, the ride afterward starts in the same spot it always has.
Keeping track of which storefronts hold and which don't is part of knowing a neighborhood block by block, not just by its main roads. If you're curious what's opening next along Washington Road or Furys Ferry, or want a read on how a specific corner of Martinez is holding up, that's the kind of detail Lisa Moss and The Moss Group track every week.
