Hiawassee, Georgia. Population around 1000. That’s where Carol Billips, founder and owner of Alex’s, still calls home. “When I go home to the mountains, it gives me energy. That’s God’s country up there.”
Carol grew up in north Georgia as one of 10 children. And it wasn’t until one 4th of July when she left those crystal clear mountain streams of her hometown for the very first time to visit her uncle in Charleston, SC. She recalled being amazed at just how hot and humid it was in the Lowcountry. You can just imagine … July in Charleston. But despite the heat, and like so many others who have visited, she found there was something quite charming and unique about the Lowcountry. “I’d never been anywhere other than the mountains,” she said. “Life’s funny. You just never know where you’re going to end up.”
Luckily for the Lowcountry, Carol ended up here. It was 1972 when the first Alex’s opened in Mt. Pleasant. A few years later, in the mid '70's, the Goose Creek restaurant opened. Since then, there have been locations on Savannah Highway (West Ashley), Rivers Avenue, Dorchester Road and even Moncks Corner. In 1984, Carol remodeled a former liquor store in Summerville. It’s now the Mustard Seed (by the railroad tracks) because In 1998, Alex’s “Flowertown” restaurant moved from that remodeled liquor store building to its current, larger Highway 78 address in Summerville. Goose Creek and Summerville are the only restaurants today. And that’s perfect for Carol who is now able to spend more time focused on her loving family.
