Commercial real estate brokers in Charleston, SC

This is part of The Post and Courier’s Daily Digest series, in which one of our food reporters asks a local to describe a day of eating in detail. Interested in being featured in Daily Digest? Email pmilner@postandcourier.com.

Christiaan Marcum lives in Charleston.

I start every day with a full glass of water while taking the dogs out, feeding them and feeding the cat. After all the animals are fed and watered, and my daughter is out the door for school, I settle in for some coffee and a glance at the morning paper.

A New York Times article last summer turned me on to this OXO cold-brew coffee maker, and I’ve not turned back. I am pretty dedicated to Laird Superfood Peruvian medium roast coffee, which I used to buy regularly from Parrot Surf & Skate Shop in Mount Pleasant but had to start ordering elsewhere during the pandemic. It’s great coffee, hot or cold, but I prefer mine cold these days.

Breakfast is pretty simple; usually some combination of toast or an English muffin, eggs and avocado. The avocado, whether in combination with toast, eggs or otherwise, gets a bit of Maldon Sea Salt and a drizzle of this Graza olive oil that our friends at Graft Wine Shop downtown turned us on to. They do a monthly wine CSA which always has a cooking ingredient of some sort in it as an “extra” — often a sauce or spice that’s new to me — and an associated recipe for whatever that ingredient may be. This olive oil is one of my favorite “extras” so far.

If you are into wine, Monarch Wine Merchants downtown also has a good monthly CSA. I have enough room for wine in my life to do both of them! But now I’m writing about wine at breakfast; I digress.

Lunch for me is determined by whether I’ve decided to work from home or head to my office in Mount Pleasant. If home, I largely eat something leftover from the night before or just make a simple sandwich of some sort.

I love Dave’s Killer Bread, or the English muffins from Brown’s Court Bakery downtown, which make great breakfast or lunch sandwiches. If I’m at the office and didn’t bring lunch from home, I’ll often run out to something near my office such as Bon Banh Mi or Kairos for a bowl of some sort, or Mozzo Deli if a sandwich feels right.

Dinner in the evenings is the one meal each day I can have with my wife and daughter. I either cook or my daughter encourages us to dine out somewhere. When I cook, it’s something usually inspired by The New York Times Cooking section; maybe a simple broiled salmon with mustard and lemon, or a slightly spicy butter chicken. There is a lot of variety and great recipe ideas there, though in my experience you have to goose up the spices. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt or other spice, you best double it.

If my daughter has persuaded us to go out, and gets her way, it’s often for Mexican or Asian fare. Current hot spots for us are Tierra al Mar in Mount Pleasant, or if we are hovering near the Charleston Pour House for deck music, we might visit Kwei Fei or Malika Canteen, which is currently doing a residency at the Pour House. If my wife and I have our way, though, it’s more likely Italian; either Wild Olive on Johns Island or La Pizzeria in Mount Pleasant.

And whether at home or out, there will be wine involved.

Several new commercial tenants are coming to a large housing development on the edge of Summerville.

Lombardi’s Pizza Kitchen, The Co-op Frose & Eatery, The Backyard Biergarten, Lowcountry Yoga and children’s gym KidStrong are all lined up to be a part of The Hub in Nexton.

The restaurants and fitness sites are expected to move in by late June or early July, according to Nexton spokeswoman Cassie Cataline.

The Hub is a collection of office and commercial buildings under development on Nexton Parkway and Brighton Park Boulevard near Home Telecom and Refuel convenience store.

Office tenants include Coastal Vascular & Vein Center, Charleston Wound Care, Palmetto Primary and Specialty Care Physicians, Derrington Dermatology and Holliday Ingram law firm.

A new pair of two-story office buildings is expected to be completed in 2024 and 2025. They will be 30,000 square feet and 20,000 square feet, respectively, and be built beside Nexton Parkway.

Nexton is a 5,000-acre, mixed-use development next to Summerville between Interstate 26 and U.S. Highway 176 in Berkeley County. With more than 1,000 homes already sold, the development is expected to have 7,000 at full build-out.

It also could house as many residents as the current populations of Clemson, North Myrtle Beach or West Columbia, roughly between 16,000 and 20,000. That would make it as big as Moncks Corner and Georgetown combined.

Now open

A new pizza restaurant is now open in Mount Pleasant.

BarPizza opened May 12 at 656-G Long Point Road in the former Kiki & Rye location, which was revamped by the restaurant owners for the new pizzeria.

It’s part of Free Reign Restaurants owned by Ryan and Kelleanne Jones. They also operate the recently opened Southbound on the Charleston peninsula and Community Table in Mount Pleasant.

Stepping in

A new retail shop that incorporates a clothing item in all of its wares is close to opening in downtown Charleston.

Respoke hopes to open by the weekend at 377 King St. in the former location of Simply J Boutique.

The shop will offer shoes, clothing and other items that are made in part by repurposing different sections of scarves. Hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, but they could change after the shop opens, according to store manager Joseph Fennell.

New threads

Also, coming to downtown Charleston is a new women’s clothing store, now with a shop in Asheville.

Hazel Twenty owner Lexi DiYeso plans to open in August at 73 Wentworth St., formerly part of 269 King St. that was used as back-of-house storage for the former Gap store. The front part is now clothing shop Aerie.

The 3,641-square-foot space is currently under construction behind clothing store Collared Greens and the next to The Port Mercantile, part of The Restoration Hotel, according to Blair Hines Gearhart of the commercial real estate firm Oswald Cooke & Associates, who represented the tenant. Charles Constant with Robertson Howland Properties represented the landlord.

Fresh return

Ruke’s Produce Stand returns to Mount Pleasant on May 24.

Operated by Arthur Brown, the vegetable and fruit vendor will operate 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Dec. 31. It’s located at 378 Mathis Ferry Road next to Holy Trinity AME Church.

Book it

That Big Book Sale returns for its 41st run May 19-21 at Omar Shrine Auditorium at 176 Patriots Point Road in Mount Pleasant.

More than 60,000 books in all categories will be on sale, starting at $1. Sponsored by Charleston Friends of the Library, the event helps support Charleston County Public Library System.

A pre-sale event for members is 5-8 p.m. May 18. The event is open to the public 9 a.m.-7 p.m. May 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 20, and 10 a.m-3 p.m. May 21.

Checks, cash, major credit cards and electronic payments, such as ApplePay, will be accepted.

Striped Pig Distillery is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with an event on Saturday, June 3, featuring music, food, and good spirits.

Striped Pig Distillery is located at 2225-A Old School Drive, Charleston, SC 29405.

“I’m so honored to be celebrating the Pig’s 10th birthday with our extensive community, which supports us from near and far. This birthday is all the more significant to me, not just as it marks 10 years as Charleston’s first distillery since Prohibition, but also because it coincides with my 60th birthday,” said Pixie Paula Dezzutti, owner of Striped Pig Distillery. “I can’t wait to see family, friends, locals, and visitors get together for this special occasion and to celebrate what an amazing adventure we’ve had growing this family business and serving our beloved community over the years”

Striped Pig’s Party at the Pig will feature:

Music including: Mac Calhoun (@mac_calhoun_live); DJ Nor_Way (@dj_nor_way)

Mac Daddy’s Food Truck (@MacDaddyCHS)

Limited edition beer from Ghost Monkey Brewery

Striped Pig specialty seasonal cocktail

Raffles

Striped Pig helped revive the distillery scene in Charleston when it opened its doors in North Charleston in 2013, becoming the holy city’s first distillery since Prohibition. Its origin story is one of ‘great curiosity’ and a nod to some tongue-in-cheek US history, brought to life by their beloved Striped Pig mascot Jackson, who some may remember made appearances at the Distillery and even downtown. Since those early days, the Pig has continued its support of the community, expanded its lineup, received numerous accolades and awards, and has kept driving the distillery scene in Charleston and the wider industry forward with firsts like its Bottled in Bond Bourbon release and launching the first bourbon on the blockchain.

The award-winning Striped Pig Distillery is a woman-owned, family-run, community-driven business, celebrating its 10th birthday this year, marking its tenure as Charleston’s oldest distillery. Accoladed "SC Distillery of the Year" and ‘SC Producer of the Year’ at the New York International Spirits Awards, Striped Pig is known for its exceptionally good spirits and has picked up multiple awards for its staple lineup of spiced rum, gin and vodka at the most influential, internationally respected spirits competitions. As a small local business, SPD aims to work with and support the local community and other local businesses, encouraging celebrating responsibly together. Striped Pig Distillery has made headlines for raising over $40,000 for local veteran organizations, for the launch of Charleston’s first Bottled in Bond Bourbon, as well as for the release of the first bourbon on the blockchain.

Contact

Striped Pig DistilleryRachyl Sanchy843-814-8347www.stripedpigdistillery.com

Contact

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Teachers and school staff across the state will soon have paid parental leave. Mothers will get six weeks of fully paid parental leave, fathers will get two weeks, and those who adopt a child will also get two weeks of paid leave.

"Teachers, we are humans," said middle school teacher Jody Stallings, who is the director of the Charleston Teacher Alliance. "We are people too. We want to be moms and dads."

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The South Carolina General assembly decided unanimously to give teachers and school staff paid leave. Kathy Maness, the executive director of the Palmetto Teachers Association, said before this, a lot of teachers had to save sick time in order to take time off.

"You get 12 (sick days) a year," Maness said. "In order to build that up, it takes years to be home to have six weeks with a child."

Advocates believe this new law could bring more teachers to the state.

Teachers and school staff across the state will soon have paid parental leave. Mothers will get six weeks of fully paid parental leave, fathers will get two weeks, and those who adopt a child will also get two weeks of paid leave. (WCIV)

"We will be the first state in the Southeast to do something like this," South Carolina Education Association President Sherry East said. "This may attract young teachers from other states."

State legislators did not fund the paid parental leave and are leaving school districts to decide.

The Charleston County School District (CCSD) said they are allocating $1.5 million dollars for the paid leave. The Berkeley County School District (BCSD) and Dorchester School District Two (DD2) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Maness said school districts would have to pay either way.

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"You can't have a baby and go right back to school," Maness said. "They are gonna pay for a substitute no matter what."

"73 percent of educators are women, childbearing age women," East said. "So, we will see how pans out and works out. I'm sure districts figure out something because they want to keep teachers in the classroom."

When it comes to the future of retention and recruiting teachers in the state, some say more needs to be done. Nevertheless, paid parental leave is seen as a step in the right direction.

"Number one is salary," Stalling said. "Paying teachers what it takes to live in the areas that they teach. With housing going up so much, it's difficult to have enough to live and survive."

Providers of single-family rental homes are working diligently to respond to the demand for high-quality, affordably priced, rental housing in safe, well-located neighborhoods. Single-family rental home companies — large and small — are committed to the communities in which they invest and build, providing local families with more options for housing to meet their needs.

In response to the May 13 Post and Courier article, “Rental housing industry under scrutiny as contributor to escalating home prices,” consider some needed context about the single-family rental home market in Charleston and throughout South Carolina:

First, the claim that single-family rental home providers are somehow impacting the pricing of homes in the Charleston area or the state of South Carolina is dubious at best. There are more than 2.4 million housing units in South Carolina, about 301,000 of which are single-family rental homes. The large member companies of the National Rental Home Council, which include the nation’s leading owners and builders of single-family rental homes, own slightly less than 5,200 homes in the state. This equates to about 0.2% of the residential housing and roughly 1.7% of the number of single-family rental homes. Further, in terms of any impact on individual homeowners, the rate of homeownership in South Carolina has increased from 71.5% in 2012 to 74.7% in 2022. In Charleston County during that time, the rate of homeownership rose from 62.9% to 65.3%.

Second, demand for rental housing is directly correlated to population growth and job growth, and on both fronts the Charleston region is booming. According to Federal Reserve data, the population of the Charleston area grew by more than 20% between 2010 and 2020, and the area was recently identified by U.S. News as one of the fastest growing markets in the country. The Charleston area employment market registered the second-highest rate of growth in the country in 2022. As Charleston’s economy continues to attract new residents and businesses, the supply of rental housing will have to expand accordingly.

Third, the supply of housing needed to meet the demand created by the Charleston area’s population and employment growth is not keeping pace. Even though the population grew by more than 135,000 residents between 2010 and 2020, only about 64,000 permits for new residential structures were issued. This mirrors a similar pattern seen across South Carolina, where the population grew by 580,000 between 2010 and 2020 but the housing stock grew by only 246,000.

Finally, and most importantly, providers of single-family rental homes are committing significant resources to the Charleston and South Carolina markets for one reason: demand. It now costs $888 more per month to own than to rent a single-family home, the greatest differential in at least the past 20 years. To meet the resulting demand, companies are investing in local staff, hiring local contractors and business partners, and bringing property management expertise to the local market, all to ensure a positive experience for residents and families who choose a single-family rental home lifestyle. As evidence, National Rental Home Council member companies invested nearly $2 billion in home renovations, upgrades and other property-level operations in 2021, and each of the council’s five largest member companies maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

It is the mismatch between housing supply and demand driving home prices, not the presence of single-family rental home providers. The most effective way to alleviate current and future housing supply challenges and to address the needs of both homeowners and renters is simple: Create more housing.

David Howard is CEO of the National Rental Home Council in Washington.

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