By Landon Pertuset
Sept. 29, 2025
After three generations, Judy Chavis assumes the leadership role of her family’s century-old grocery chain, Chavis IGA. The company announced Chavis will succeed her father in running the seven-store business that serves neighborhoods across the Midlands.
Chavis, 40, assumes the position following the retirement of her father, William Chavis, who led the company for 60 years starting at the age of 20.
“I have worked at Chavis IGA all my working life but am now just learning about the business from the perspective of president,” Chavis said in an interview.
Chavis said she started as a cashier during her teenage years, later becoming a produce manager before moving into payroll at the company’s headquarters located in the Shandon neighborhood of Columbia.
“I think my years of experience, working both in store and in the headquarters gives me a great background to become president,” Chavis said.
A Fresh Look
According to Chavis, her first major project for the company is to add in-store bakeries and delis to all locations and upgrade interiors.
“We are excited to be adding bakeries and delis where meat and cheese will be cut to order,” Chavis said. “We are also planning lighting and appearance changes to modernize the stores and enhance customer experience.”
Chavis said she secured a line of credit from Founder’s Federal Credit Union to fund this initiative.
With new additions to the store come new hires, as Chavis announced the appointment of Beth Prescott to lead the bakery and deli operations.
“One of my first moves as the new president was to hire Beth Prescott to run the bakeries and delis. She has a 10-year career running similar operations in Charleston in upscale grocery stores,” Chavis said. “We are glad she will join our team and run these new exciting additional operations.”
“I am looking forward to joining Chavis stores and making a contribution to its already great reputation,” Prescott said in an interview.
Prescott said the bakeries will offer fresh bread, cookies and cakes daily, along with catering and customization options. She also said the deli will offer both grab-and-go and made-to-order items.
“We’ll combine the fresh breads with deli items to make made-to-order sandwiches and subs. And we’ll have fried chicken cooked right in the store,” Prescott said. “Part of the remodeling plan includes small seating areas next to the delis.”
From Dock to Table
Chavis IGA stores, all being in established neighborhoods, have always offered a selection of locally sourced meats and produce. Chavis credits her father’s long-standing relationships with area suppliers for the stores’ unique access to fresh goods.
According to Chavis, fresh seafood is delivered daily from Chavis’ family members who work on a dock in Georgetown. Each morning at 4 a.m., seafood is transported to the company’s central facility and then distributed to all seven stores.
In addition, Chavis said a local meat supplier from Saluda County delivers fresh meat to the stores daily. Produce is also sourced from within the state, including peaches coming from the Upstate and strawberries coming from Cottle’s Farm in Columbia.
“I’ve always realized that my father had cultivated relationships with local farmers for produce and meats and that our family’s Georgetown seafood business supplied our stores,” Chavis said. “But I was in a local chain store yesterday and noticed the featured seafood there was coming out of Thailand. I think we will need to emphasize our local suppliers in our marketing and in-store displays. That’s part of our remodeling plan.”
Chavis said that the locally sourced goods and long-standing community presence has built a loyal customer base.
“Some of these stores have been in Columbia for 100, 80, 75 years,” Chavis said. “We have a very loyal customer-base from the neighborhoods surrounding our stores, and we also see customers coming in who work downtown and are on their way home stopping in to pick up a few things.”
Independent but Affordable
Despite being independently owned, Chavis IGA competes with the prices of larger chains like Publix, Lowes, and Food Lion. The seven stores are part of a statewide IGA distribution network based in Florence, which supplies frozen, dry and canned goods twice a week.
“New customers are surprised and pleased that our prices, even though we are smaller and independent, are like the larger chains in Columbia,” Chavis said. “South Carolina IGA grocers combine their buying power in dealing with suppliers, so we can offer prices in line with other grocers. And we have great weekly sales too.”
About the Author
Landon Pertuset is a senior sports media major at the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications. He is a 2026 recipient of the David J. Morrow Scholarship for Business Journalism.