Women's Clothing Boutique Near Me Bluffton, SC

As Bluffton residents woke to a sunny morning, clean up efforts began to clear the various debris littering the streets. Amid the pine straw, tree limbs, Spanish moss and Palmetto fronds littering local yards and roadways, coastal tides also remained high.

There were multiple clean-up efforts around the town.

Community members came together to clean up after Idalia impacted the county with strong winds and flooding. They helped clean around local churches and neighbors were helping neighbors.

“I think they love the day,” said Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka. “It’s not hot, so there’s no reason to get in a bad mood.”

Of those who were not cleaning up fallen debris, many individuals around Old Town Bluffton were spotted enjoying the cooler than normal weather out on their golf carts and walking their dogs.

Christie McKenzie and 8-year-old Harrison McKenzie helped clean up fallen debris and palmetto fronds around Alljoy Road and the “Chisholm Cottage” as tree work was occurring behind the residence to clear and remove trees.

During his cleanup efforts, Harrison didn’t hesitate to talk to nearby community members as he continued to drag along various branches, moss and other fallen debris. His opinion on the matter, “I did not like that hurricane,” he said as he carried a “Harrison-sized” palmetto frond above his head and heaved it into the pile of other collected debris.

Luckily, there wasn’t too much damage from Idalia in Bluffton. The Bluffton Township Fire District were only called 10 times between 1 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Wednesday about fallen trees or debris, according to the Fire District’s spokesperson Stephen Combs.

“Overall we dodged a bullet and thankfully everyone escaped rather unscathed,” said Combs.

As of noon on Thursday, all trees that were blocking roads were cleared, said Combs. However, Combs noted that the fire department does not have authority in gated communities and trees may still be blocking roads in them.

“We’re blessed, but I just always feel we got to be prepared,” said Sulka. “We take the steps, thinking it’s going to be a hit.”

Three Beaufort County food businesses, along with one in Jasper County, were cited with “B” grades in November health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:

New York City Pizza, 107 Towne Drive in Bluffton, scored an 80% (B) on Nov. 14 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included the lack of a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate; food handler moving from task to task, going outside and returning to food handling, without changing gloves; no chlorine in the chemical dish machine; issues with cold food temperatures on the pizza prep table; food without date marks; food held longer than seven days; toxic chemicals stored with food and in food prep areas; working spray bottles of chemicals without identifying labeling; and the outdoor ice machine draining to the ground.

SERG Catering, 12 Capital Drive on Hilton Head Island, scored an 85% (B) on Nov. 15 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included issues with cold food temperatures in the open display cooler; food held longer than seven days; a working spray bottle of chemicals in the dish area without labeling; bug repellent stored on food prep table; ice scoops stored directly on top of the outdoor ice machine; single service items stored on the floor of the dry storage area; outdoor cooking without authorization along with no means to protect food items from contamination during transport and cooking, using a smoker/grill on an unfinished surface that is not easily cleanable and no hand-washing sink available during the process.

Wise Guys Lounge, 1513 Main St. on Hilton Head, scored an 83% (B) on Nov. 27 in a routine inspection that was the result of a public complaint. Issues noted by inspectors included issues with cold food temperatures in the walk-in cooler and on the cook line; food held longer than seven days; food held longer than 24 hours without date marks; fresh herbs, raspberries and strawberries subject to splash from spoiled arugula; gaskets to the outdoor walk-in coolers with accumulation of grime; food debris and meat juice on the bottom of the protein walk-in cooler; and an accumulation of grease and food splatter on the sides of equipment.

The following restaurant is located in Jasper County but is frequented by many Beaufort County residents because of its location near the county line. During November, DHEC inspectors conducted 33 checks of Jasper County businesses; all others were given A grades.

Rio Chico, 468D Mark Cummings Road, Suite 107, in Hardeeville, scored an 84% (B) on Nov. 20 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included an employee cutting and handling ready-to-eat fruit with bare hands; beans cooked the night before and still in the process of cooling; the lack of a date-marking system; food held longer than 24 hours without date marks; gaskets of the drawer cooler dried, torn and in poor repair; grease and food debris on line-cooking equipment; food debris and splatter on equipment storage shelving; and an excess of trash, spillage and food debris on floors behind equipment.

Inspectors hand out a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for a variety of infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score.

During November, DHEC recorded 126 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County. The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.

Newer food grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.

Below are the SC DHEC restaurant grades in Beaufort County from Nov. 1-30, 2023.

At the top left of the chart, there is a space to search for the name of a restaurant. Please note that this month’s inspections take up two pages. Switch to page 2 at the top right.

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WSAV) — Sterlin Colvin Jr., known by his stage name “Stee” turned heads with his audition on NBC’s The Voice. He cleared his first hurdle during the blind auditions and now he’s got a new challenge ahead of him, the battle rounds.

“Music, it was just everywhere. It was kind of like you were going to do it,” Stee said. “If you didn’t want to do it or not because everybody did it. You were like, ‘Well, shoot if they’re doing it, I want to do it.’”

That love for music was ingrained in Stee as a kid.

“My cousin, you know, she’s like a sibling to us, I mean she’s a classically trained pianist and my dad’s oldest sister is a classical singer, you know, and my dad’s older brother, he could sing too,” Stee said. “My mom is an incredible singer who could sing everything, every genre. I think that’s where I get the multiple genre thing from.”

His parents are musical legends on Hilton Head Island. The Colvin family started coming to the island when Stee was seven years old so his dad could play gigs. Stee was born in the D.C. area but calls both Bluffton and D.C. Home.

In 2014, Stee, his sister Brooke, and childhood friend Malcolm started their band ‘Ear Candy.’

“In the beginning, it was rough. Oh, my goodness, it was rough. Not musically, it was rough business,” Stee said. “It was where, you know, we had no clout, we didn’t have anything up under our belt. We had no buzz. 2016, we were really going. We were really going and our peak year was 2019. That’s when we were like, you know, just at it, you know, and making money finally.”

But that flame was put out by the pandemic when the world was put on hold, especially for entertainers. Flash forward to 2023, they’re now back in the spotlight.

Stee is making a name for himself on the biggest stage. He said when he walked out on The Voice’s stage, he knew all he had to do was do what he does best — sing.

“Get your nerves in check, because there’s no way in the world that you’re going to get on The Voice stage, anybody, and not have nerves,” Stee said. “You just got to get them in check and do what you are naturally able to do.”

Now, he’s moving on to the battle rounds stage, where he’ll collaborate with another singer but they will also battle with each other for a spot to move on. Collaborating is something Stee has done his whole life and he’s excited to put it on display for the world.

“I never really did anything by myself because it was always me and my sister doing everything musically. Just to see me do something with a totally different artist that you’ve never even seen me with. You know, I’ve been doing music in this area for almost a decade, so you always see me with the same people. I just can’t wait for people to see that aspect,” Stee said with a smile.

In the meantime, you can catch Stee and Ear Candy performing at venues around the Bluffton and Hilton Head areas. Especially at his family’s restaurant and music venue, Kind Of Blue.

The National Weather Service forecasts that Idalia will be at hurricane strength as it reaches southeast Georgia late Wednesday afternoon, then becoming a tropical storm as it tracks along the South Carolina coast. NWS also stated a flood watch in southeast South Carolina will be in effect through Wednesday.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Tuesday ahead of potential impacts caused by Idalia. McMaster warned residents should take precautions despite the state likely missing the "worst of Hurricane Idalia’s impacts."

Track the storm here:How will Hurricane Idalia impact SC?

Hurricane Idalia:Gov. McMaster declares State of Emergency for South Carolina

Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka shares letter to residents

Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka shared a letter to residents of her city.

Dear neighbors,

Thank you for preparing for Hurricane/Tropical Storm Idalia.

Historically, the busiest time for storm activity happens in this area from late August through mid-October. Unfortunately, this storm activity is following its normal pattern and timeline.

As Mayor, I hope to give you the information you need to feel informed and keep you safe. Storm preparation is a group activity, and we need you to be mindful and take some actions for the best possible outcome.

Let me assure you that Town leaders and staff are on regular calls throughout each day to keep our communities as safe as possible. As we say each year, “We may be able to put a person on the moon, however, we cannot predict a hurricane with precision.” Nature has the final word about hurricanes, their path, and timing. Information is constantly changing – the antidote to a lack of control is to control what you can and be proactive.

This storm is most likely to bring standing water, power failures and downed trees.

Hurricane Idalia: List of things to do before storm hits

Hurricane Idalia: Town of Bluffton offices closed

Hurricane Idalia: Utility Contacts

Please keep posted to the Town’s social media platforms and we will be communicating new information as we receive it. Stay safe, Bluffton!

Warmly,

Mayor Lisa Sulka

USA Today contributed to this story.

If you think the Bluffton bakery Cupcakes 2 Cakes looks charming enough to be in a Lifetime movie, you wouldn’t be alone. It seems a Lifetime film crew agrees.

The bakery, located in Berkeley Place near Cinemark Theater off Buckwalter Parkway, was used as a filming location earlier this year for an upcoming television romance titled “The Royal Bake Off.”

Here’s the plot synopsis from IMDB.com: “The rivalries of bakers Allie and Marily intensify when the royal prince of Samavia rolls into town looking for a royal baker. When Allie and the prince hit it off, it seems he might be in the market for more than just a terrific cake.”

While the release date for the movie hasn’t been announced, the owners of the Bluffton bakery are launching some romantic ideas of their own in the meantime, shifting the focus of their business from primarily a custom-order bakery to a dessert bar.

“Custom orders were great, but I wanted to increase the foot traffic coming into the building,” explained Erica Ashby of Okatie, who operates the business with her mother, Linda Ashby, and daughter, Kaiya Medrano.

“We’ve expanded our lines. We’ve expanded our hours,” Erica said.

Cupcakes 2 Cakes started as a home-based business then moved into a Berkeley Place storefront in late 2021. The bakery shut its doors temporarily in July before reopening Aug. 1 with a refreshed purpose.

“We made the decision to shut down and rebrand,” Erica said, “partly because I wanted to change the aesthetic and the feel of the business, and I wanted to change kind of the direction in which we were going.”

Now, Cupcakes 2 Cakes offers at least 13 flavors of cupcakes on any given day. Customers also can choose from 10 or so different pastries or order cake slices and even Jack Frost ice cream.

“Of course, we still have our decorated sugar cookies and then our gourmet cookies,” Erica said.

Everything is done in small batches, she explained.

“We don’t use a lot of dyes. We don’t use extracts and emulsions. We use natural flavorings for our cupcakes. ... We put out our pastries, and when we are sold out, we are sold out for the day,” she said. “We don’t keep anything in the freezer.”

The trio of bakers hasn’t stopped creating extravagant celebration cakes for birthdays, anniversaries and weddings, and they use an edible ink printer to create logo cookies for corporate events.

New to the menu, though, is an expanded lineup of drinks.

“We do more coffee, more tea, more funky drinks like our cotton candy lemonade, our Shirley Temple floats, our bourbon coffee.” The bourbon coffee is non-alcoholic; it uses coffee beans aged in whiskey barrels from The Grind Roasters.

Cupcakes 2 Cakes has started opening in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays and soon will add a menu of special dessert and drink pairings available during that time.

“After the movies, couples, singles, family members, if they’re looking for something to do after dinner, after the movies, they can come in and grab a mocktail that we will set up to pair with a specific dessert so that it’ll be a type of an experience.”

Customers can expect the evening hours will feature the same creativity evident in the current cupcake menu.

“We try to do out-of-the-box flavors,” Erica said, listing habenero peach, elote street corn, or chicken and waffles among some recent offerings.

“We tend to do kind of a crazy flavor each week, and people love us for our creativity,” she said. Holidays are particularly fun because the bakers like to take a theme and run with it.

Right now, they are learning all they can about beverage pairings.

“We’ve been hiring mixologists and baristas, and we’ve been attending classes just to get a better understanding of the chemistry and everything that’s involved with actually making drinks,” Erica said. “We want to do something that’s the show, fancy cocktails, smoked cocktails ... creative stuff.”

What: Cupcakes 2 Cakes

Where: 108 Buckwalter Parkway, Suite 2C, Bluffton

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.

Phone: 843-415-5678

Website: cupcakes2cakes.com

This story was originally published August 17, 2023, 4:00 AM.

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