Burton woman went from prison to owning her own business. Now she’s giving back

Nineteen years ago, Tamah Rivers said goodbye to her 3-year-old son.

The Burton woman had been convicted of conspiracy in connection with her boyfriend’s alleged cocaine dealing, and she was heading to federal prison in Coleman, Florida, to serve time.

“The relationship and all the bad choices — being a young girl, not knowing myself and not knowing where I was going — made me end up in prison,” Rivers said.

It was rock bottom. Rivers spent the next six years behind bars working toward an early release to get back to her son and get her life on track.

“I spent those years trying to figure out who am I? How did I get here? How do I get myself out of this?” she said.

She was released in 2005 and came home to Burton where her son was in 5th grade. She got to work as soon as she could.

Rivers was hired as a secretary at what was then Appliance Parts of Beaufort, located at 3 County Shed Road — down the street from where she grew up.

While Rivers worked, she went to school at Technical College of the Lowcountry, where she earned her associate degree in general business and accounting. She then went to Park University and earned a bachelor’s degree.

But just as things were looking up for the single mother, the business went under in 2016.

“I did what I knew best, which was selling and sales,” Rivers said. “I got a 10-by-10 storage unit in Beaufort and started selling appliances. I was back in the swing of things with what I knew.”

While business was good, it wasn’t quite enough to pay all of the bills, so Rivers also substitute taught throughout the Beaufort County School District.

It was in the county’s schools that she started meeting young women who reminded her of herself, she said.

“These girls were in underprivileged and high-risk communities,” Rivers said. “They had no clue where they were going after high school. When I mentioned college, they hadn’t thought of it.”

So Rivers started mentoring. She is now in the process of establishing a foundation called God’s Princesses to mentor girls of all ages and motivate them to pursue their dreams.

“This is a great program,” said Kalyea Bruki-Pali, a Whale Branch High School student whom Rivers mentors. “I actually have a partnership and a team outside of school. I feel like this program is really beneficial to me.”

“I saw their potential,” Rivers said. “If they had the right support and someone there believing in themselves, that’s all they needed and to support them along the way.”

After a year of substitute teaching, selling appliances from a storage unit and mentoring young women, Rivers got a chance to return to the location of Appliance Parts of Beaufort — this time as the owner.

“I was turned down twice by the landlord,” Rivers said. “But I finally was able to open my own store.”

Now called Reconditioned Appliances of Beaufort, the store celebrated its first anniversary at that location at the beginning of November. Rivers plans to set up internships for young women at the business in order to teach business tactics and entrepreneurship.

She also plans to bring the program to area schools.

“This is the same community where I was involved with my boyfriend and the drugs,” Rivers said. “And now I’m giving back to this community with my business and with the mentoring program. ... I’m just so grateful for my new life.”