Hilton Head, South Carolina, gift shop owner receives top award from SBA

Artware Owner Jennifer Megliore named South Carolina’s 2023 Small Business Person of the Year.

Jennifer Megliore, the owner of ArtWare, a Hilton Head, South Carolina-based store featuring gifts and art, has been named South Carolina’s Small Business Person of the year for 2023 by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Megliore is among more than 50 outstanding small business owners and entrepreneurs from across the United States who are this years awards recipients. The winners were announced ahead of National Small Business Week, April 30-May 6.

Megliore founded ArtWare was founded in 2000. It became the first store in the country to be named a Queen Bee Store in partnership with the Savannah Bee Company in 2021.

“I’m so humbled and thrilled to be named the South Carolina’s Small Business Person of the Year,” Megliore said. “Being a small business owner runs in my family, and I’m proud to carry the tradition. I am blessed to be a cheerleader for the 33 million Americans like me who own, or work for, a small business.”

“We are so proud the South Carolina Small Business Person of the Year is our very own Jennifer Megliore,” Bill Miles, president and CEO of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, told The Hilton Head Sun. “ArtWare has been an active member of our chamber for 20 years, and a valuable asset to our community.”

SBA celebrates National Small Business Week by recognizing the achievements of outstanding small business owners and entrepreneurs across the United States. Winners will be recognized during the National Small Business Week awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., April 30 and May 1.