A website that earns its keep
A clean, fast, mobile-first site that makes your business look as good online as it does in person — and is built to convert, not just decorate.
Forever Still
Veteran-owned · Columbia & the Midlands
Columbia small businesses deserve a website that actually brings in customers.
Forever Still Studio builds fast, found-online sites for small businesses across Columbia and the Midlands — veteran-owned, locally backed, and built to get you booked. Not just pretty. Profitable.
The edge you can't get from a template
Built by an Army veteran. Backed by people who get it.
Forever Still Studio is veteran-owned and run by a retired Army vet. We know what it means to show up, do the work, and keep our word — and we build websites the same way.
Here in Columbia, that means something. If you're a veteran-owned shop, a military spouse running a side business, or a Fort Jackson family chasing a dream on top of everything else — you're our people. We speak your language, we move at your pace, and we don't waste your time.
Local point of contact: Trina Maillot, Columbia, SC.
Local roots
We’re not new to Columbia.
Before Forever Still Studio, I spent six years living in Columbia and working in its restaurants — and I went to basic at Fort Jackson. Trina’s been here most of her life and worked the restaurants too. Between us, we’ve run the floor, worked the rush, and dealt with the same headaches you do. So when we say we get the Midlands, we’re not guessing. We worked here.
Found locally
Built to rank for Columbia & Midlands searches — so the right neighbors find you first.
Fast by default
Lightweight, hand-built pages that load in a blink — on the cheapest phone, on the worst signal.
Seen by AI search
Set up so Google, ChatGPT, Claude & Perplexity can actually read and recommend you.
Built to last
Clean, hand-built code — no Wix lock-in, no clunky templates. And we stay on to keep it fast, current, and handled.
Our story
A studio that treats your business like it matters
We're not a faceless agency in some other state running you through a template. Forever Still Studio is a small, hands-on shop — and in Columbia, Trina is the person you'll actually talk to. No phone trees, no account-manager roulette.
Here's the honest part: most small-business websites are built once, look fine, and then quietly do nothing. They don't show up in search, they don't turn visitors into customers, and nobody touches them again. We build the opposite — sites designed to get found (by Google and by AI search), load fast, and point every visitor toward booking, ordering, or calling you.
We started in small-town Pennsylvania serving local shops, bakeries, and family businesses. The work travels. The standards don't change. Now we're bringing it to the Midlands.
Meet your local contact
The person you'll actually talk to
Trina Maillot · Client Relations & Customer Experience
I'm usually the first person you'll meet when you reach out to Forever Still Studio. Chrissy handles the creative strategy, branding, and website design — I'm the one who makes sure you feel comfortable, informed, and supported, from your first question to launch day and beyond.
Having worked in Columbia's restaurants myself, I know how much is riding on every busy shift — so I make sure your website actually pulls its weight instead of just sitting there.
I've built my life here in South Carolina around family, real connections, and helping people — I'm usually the one folks come to when they need someone to actually listen. Running a business is overwhelming, especially the online part. I love helping owners sort through the noise, figure out what they actually need, and watch them go from unsure to genuinely excited about their brand.
Whether you're just starting out, ready for a rebrand, or you want a website that finally looks like you — I'd love to connect. Reach out anytime. I'm here to answer questions, offer guidance, and help you take the next step with confidence.
"Great service isn't about managing projects. It's about making people feel heard, valued, and respected." — Trina Maillot
What we build
What we build for Columbia small businesses
Most web shops can make you a website. We make you a website plus the software that runs your business on it — booking, ordering, reviews — all built in-house. Here's what that gets you:
Get found — by search and by AI
We set your site up so Google, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can actually see and recommend you. Most local sites are invisible to AI search. Yours won't be.
Online ordering & booking that just works
Restaurants, bakeries, salons, venues — let customers order and book straight from your site with our own tools (Drawbridge & Belltower). No third-party app skimming a commission off every order.
Keep the customers you win
Reviews and repeat-customer follow-up, handled automatically with The Hearth — so a happy customer turns into a 5-star review and a second visit, not a one-time sale.
Packages start at $350 for a simple online presence and scale up from there — most local builds land between $650 and $1,200, with ongoing care plans from $400/mo. Get a free audit and we'll match you to the right one.
Packages & pricing
What we build. What it costs.
No surprise invoices — you'll know the number before we start. Pick the package that matches where you are, or run a free audit first to see where you stand.
Get Online
Your website, done right.
$350 one-time
Best for: businesses with nothing online, or a site so outdated it's embarrassing.
- Up to 5 pages: Home, About, Services, Contact, Gallery
- Mobile-first — looks right on every phone
- Your brand colors, logo, and photos built in
- Contact form, Google Maps, business hours
- Domain & hosting setup — you never touch a server
- Hosting covered for the first year
- Live within 2 weeks · 30-day post-launch support
Get Noticed
Website + social, set up for you.
from $650 one-time
Best for: businesses that need a website and want to show up on social — without managing it.
- Everything in Get Online, plus:
- Social media setup on 2 platforms
- Full profile setup + bio written for local customers
- Google Business Profile claimed, verified & filled out
- 3 ready-to-post captions per platform + hashtags
- Simple one-page posting guide — no jargon
Get Found
Website, social & Google — the whole thing.
from $1,000 one-time
Best for: businesses that want website, socials, search visibility, and a content plan.
- Everything in Get Noticed, plus:
- SEO: keyword research, meta descriptions, image alt text
- Google Search Console + Analytics connected
- 30-day Content Starter Pack: calendar + 12 captions
- 3 branded Canva post templates
- Brand font & color guide
- 30-min launch strategy call after go-live
The Full Plate
Built for restaurants & food spots.
from $1,200 one-time + Drawbridge plan
Best for: restaurants, bakeries, cafés, and food trucks ready to stop fighting Facebook to update their menu.
Get started- Everything in Get Noticed, plus:
- Custom menu page designed to match your brand
- Drawbridge live menu — update prices & items yourself from your phone
- Google Business Profile with menu link
- Professional email at your own domain, set up & looked after
- Menu photography tips guide
- First month of Drawbridge included
Ongoing care
After your site is live
A website that just sits there goes stale. The Regular keeps yours working — posts, updates, and support handled every month. Like having a web person on call.
The Regular
Like having a web person on call.
from $400 / month
Best for: owners who want zero involvement in their online presence.
- 3–5 social posts/week across your active platforms
- Monthly website content updates & security maintenance
- Monthly one-page report — plain English, no jargon
- Uptime monitoring — we know before you do
- Text/email response within 24 hours
- Emergency fixes handled same day
À la carte add-ons — logo design, menu pages, extra social platforms, rush delivery, and more — can stack onto any package. Just ask Trina.
Our moat
Your site runs on software we built ourselves
Most web designers hand you a pretty page and bolt on a third-party plugin that charges you every month. We build our own tools. That means your site does things theirs can't — and you're not handing a cut of every sale to a plugin company.
Drawbridge — menus & online ordering
Restaurants and food businesses take orders straight from their own site. No commission-hungry middleman skimming every ticket.
Between us, Trina and I have years behind Columbia restaurant counters. We know exactly what a clunky menu update costs you on a busy night — that’s why we built Drawbridge, so you update your menu from your phone in ten seconds instead of begging Facebook.
Belltower — booking & appointments
Real capacity control built in, so you can't oversell.
Proof: Warner's Bakery was juggling wedding-cake orders by hand and double-booking weekends. We put them on Belltower — now the calendar enforces capacity automatically, and the overbooking stopped.
The Hearth — reviews & repeat customers
Turns a happy customer into a 5-star review and a second visit, automatically.
Proof: In rollout across our client sites.
And we don't disappear.
Missy's Arcade was our anchor client — and she's been sending us new business ever since. Build it right, keep it running, earn the referral. That's the whole model.
Proof
Real businesses. Real results.
These are real builds from our studio. We’re bringing the same work to Columbia — yours could be the first one here.
“I’ve been running a restaurant in this town for 25 years. When Chrissy did my menus and built my website, it was like she just KNEW me — she got my style, my voice, all of it. The new breakfast menus rolled out and they were a BIG hit. The site looks AMAZING.”
“Chrissy didn’t just build me a website; she captured the heart of my business. She took my everyday photos and turned them into professional brand assets, giving me a digital storefront I’m finally proud to share.”
Straight answers
Questions Columbia owners actually ask
What does a website actually cost?
No surprise invoices. Most local builds land between $650 and $1,200 as a one-time project, and you'll know the number before we start. A simple "just get me online" site starts at $350. If your business needs ordering or booking software, that runs on a flat monthly plan — and we keep it running, updated, and found. Never a cut of your sales. The free audit ends with a clear price for your specific situation, not a guess.
How long until my site is live?
Most local sites go live in 2–4 weeks, depending on how fast we get your photos and content. We don't drag projects out. You'll get a timeline up front and we hit it.
How do I know it'll actually bring in customers?
Because we don't build brochures — we build sites pointed at one job: getting visitors to call, book, or order. Fast load times, local SEO, AI-search visibility, and a clear next step on every page. The audit shows you exactly what's costing you customers today, so you can see the gap before you spend a dollar.
You're based in Pennsylvania — can you really serve Columbia?
This isn't a cold out-of-state pitch. I lived in Columbia for six years and worked its restaurants, and I went to basic at Fort Jackson. Trina Maillot has been here most of her life and worked the restaurants too — she's your local point of contact. The build happens online, the way every modern studio works, but you're never talking to a stranger in a call center. You're talking to two people who've actually worked this town.
Do you really build your own software, or is that marketing?
We really build it. Drawbridge (ordering), Belltower (booking), and The Hearth (reviews) are our own tools, already running on live client sites. That's why your site can do things a template can't — and why you're not handing a third-party plugin a cut of every order.
I already have a website. Is it worth switching?
Maybe — that's exactly what the free audit tells you. If your current site is fast, found, and booking customers, we'll say so. If it's quietly losing you business, we'll show you where, in plain English. No pressure either way.
Free audit
See how your current site stacks up
Drop your website URL below. We'll run a real audit in real time — no email required, no sales pitch, just the truth about how your site is performing.
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No pitch, no pressure