Women's Clothing Boutique in North Mount Pleasant, SC

Charleston’s culinary scene has been featured on food networks and the city has established a reputation as a destination for quality fare. However, downtown Charleston isn’t the only area in the Lowcountry to enjoy a great meal.

Mount Pleasant is setting food trends of its own, so you don’t have to travel over the Ravenel to find scrumptious dining options. You can sample savory, delicious cuisine right here in your own backyard. Within the town limits alone there are 300 restaurants, so picking what to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner can sometimes be overwhelming.

This is where we come in. The following eateries consist of tried and true staples as well as something new to please your palate.

MOZZO DELI

Located off Coleman Boulevard, Mozzo Deli is a go-to spot for tasty sandwiches, burgers, salads, deli meats and salads. Their top-selling sandwich, the Honey Slide, features roasted turkey, crisp bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and honey mayo. And breakfast is served all day — as if one needs a better excuse to eat a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich at 2 p.m. Looking for a dependable caterer to service your next breakfast, office meeting or event? Mozzo has you covered there as well. This place is always busy, but their efficient and personable team provides exceptional customer service to get you in and out in a timely manner. For hours and more information, visit mozzodeli.com.

WHITE DUCK TACO SHOP

Taco lovers, rejoice! Tequila shots, but of course! And don’t forget their margaritas! There is a new kid on the block in the local food scene. This mouth-watering addition to Mount Pleasant has only been open a few months and already there are lines out the door. White Duck Taco Shop boasts 11 locations within the Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina area, with just one here in the Lowcountry. Situated just outside of the Village Pointe Shopping Center, White Duck Taco’s menu will leave you salivating. From chips and queso to creative taco selections such as spicy buffalo chicken, steak and cheese, fish, duck with mole, mushroom potato with romesco and lamb gyro, their extensive options have something to please all taste buds. This is a cool spot for hanging out with family and friends or grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading home from work. Learn more at whiteducktacoshop.com.

STEEL CITY PIZZA

We all love a great pizza, but if you’re looking for a place that offers more than just pizza, like say a relaxed, laid back atmosphere where everyone can hang out, then Steel City Pizza is where you need to be. Conveniently located off Ben Sawyer Boulevard, Steel City Pizza was born in Pittsburgh, but raised in Charleston and has been serving the Charleston community for more than 13 years. Owner Adam Carb, along with the Steel City family, want you to feel like you’re dining at home when you enter their doors. In addition to a wide variety of pizzas and calzones, their vast menu includes pastas, sandwiches, wings, salads, authentic cheesesteaks and Weggies (their signature sandwiches). Even the pickiest eater can order off this menu. Try the Ranch Rub wings or the Steel City Special Pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, black olives and Italian Sausage). Visit them at www.steelcitypizza.com for more info.

LOLA ROSE

If you are a fan of The Grocery by Chef Kevin Johnson, then their sister restaurant, Lola Rose, will blow you away. Located across from the North Mount Pleasant Costco in the Carolina Park development, Lola Rose is slated to open at the end of August. Their coastal, Mediterranean cuisine, all prepared with fresh, local ingredients, will keep you coming back. “It took us seven years to have the perfect spot here in Mount Pleasant, our community. We felt that North Mount Pleasant needs this type of place. This is our community and we love it,” said Johnson of the new venture.

Lola Rose will feature regional inspirations along the Mediterranean coast alongside wood fired pizzas and pasta dishes. From Spanish to Portuguese, the eclectic and creative dishes on the menu will elevate your palate. They also feature a wine list focusing on Mediterranean and coastal American winemakers. A neighborhood trattoria with a relaxed, warm vibe, Lola Rose promises to be a welcoming spot for the community to gather, dine and socialize. For hours and more information, visit lolarosemtp.com.

By Maurice J. Frazier

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An Atlanta-based merchant is laying down plans for a second big-box store in the Charleston area.

Floor & Decor is eyeing a site at 2233 U.S. Highway 17 next to Home Depot in Mount Pleasant to build a 64,450-square-foot retail outlet.

The building is slated for roughly 8 acres on the back portion of a parcel that formerly housed longtime dive bar Richard’s, which was demolished last year, and a small office building. A Spinx gas station and convenience store is going on the front of the tract.

Floor & Decor’s East Cooper expansion is making its way through the town’s approval process. A company representative did not immediately respond for comment.

The flooring merchant opened its first South Carolina store on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston in 2019.

Publicly traded Floor & Decor operates 203 warehouse stores and five design studios across 36 states, including other Palmetto State locations in Columbia and Greenville.

Opening soon

An Ohio-based restaurant chain is just a few days away from opening a new venue in the Lowcountry, its second in South Carolina.

Condado Tacos will open at 11 a.m. Nov. 4 at 1712 Towne Centre Way next to Lenscrafters in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.

The first 100 people in line who enter the doors on opening day will win a “Year of Yum,” or free tacos for a year.

The restaurant will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is 3-6 p.m. weekdays, offering $5 margaritas, $1 off tacos and other food and drink specials.

Condado Tacos has one other restaurant in South Carolina. The Greenville location on Woodruff Road opened earlier this year. The company has 45 locations in nine states across the South, Midwest and Northeast.

(Note: Condado Tacos changed the opening date twice before settling on Nov. 4. This story has been updated to reflect the latest change.)

New tenants

A Mount Pleasant retail site where a proposal has been in the works to redevelop a former grocery store recently landed four new tenants.

Dear Lucy Shoes, The Works Cycle, facial bar Clean Your Dirty Face and Findings Boutique joined Oyster Park Shopping Center at 1400-1421 Shucker Circle and 1440 Ben Sawyer Blvd.

Tim Rowley of the commercial real estate firm Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented the landlord, an affiliate of Atlanta-based Dewberry Capital.

The property owner presented plans to the town in 2021 to transform the long-vacant former Bi-Lo grocery store building into office and retail space. Oyster Park already includes a 269-unit apartment development.

Rowley also represented Paragano Associates of Mount Pleasant, the owner of the redeveloped Montague Corners Shopping Center at 5060 Dorchester Road in North Charleston in several leases.

Among the tenants are Latin fusion restaurant El Callao, Silver Crowne Liquors, sports bar Whiskey Run Grill, Sticky Fingers Rib House, Kanji Sushi & Hibachi restaurant, 540 Vape, Platia Greek Goodness dining spot and The Montague Room, an upscale steak and martini lounge.

He also represented Ruby’s New York Style Bagels, which opened in August in the shopping center. Ruby’s will offer new locations in Carolina Park in northern Mount Pleasant and The Market at Carnes Crossroads in Goose Creek in 2024.

Ruby’s opened its first location on Coleman Boulevard in East Cooper in 2022. Another one recently opened on Ashley River Road in Crossroads Centre in West Ashley.

Going dark

A women’s clothing store in downtown Charleston soon will turn out the lights.

Souchi at 141 Broad St. will close Oct. 27. The owner has decided to move to the Seattle area and open a shop there. The store is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Spa treatment

A new holistic health business is ready to welcome customers on the Charleston peninsula.

Solt Wellness at 137-A President St. will host its official opening 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 26. Owned by Fiona Scott, the site will offer a range of natural therapies, including a Himalayan salt room, infrared saunas, float pod, red light therapy, meditation pod, skin care and body work.

Scott said benefits include detoxification, relief of muscle and joint pain, reduced stress and anxiety, increased energy, strengthened immunity, improved skin and better sleep.

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Born in Hong Kong to Scottish parents, Scott has a diverse background in sports development, health and fitness management and a decadelong experience in luxury resort development across the globe.

She decided to look into the business after being diagnosed with a chronic lung condition in 2007 and undergoing therapy in a salt room.

The opening event will offer guided tours, therapy demonstrations, complimentary consultations and exclusive opening discounts. It’s open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

On display

An upscale women’s clothing store in downtown Charleston will host a fashion event and cocktail party 5-8 p.m. Oct. 26 as the kickoff to the arrival of a special clothing collection from a French design firm. RTW at 186 King St. will have a collection of offerings from Balmain Paris that can be previewed through Nov. 16.

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Historic Charleston Foundation, with its recent reversal of the controversial decision to sell one of its homes after an outpouring of opposition, is making another pivotal move.

The preservation group plans to close its nearly four-decade-old gift shop at 108 Meeting St. on the lower peninsula by the end of February as part of its multiyear strategic plan to focus on its two museum properties and advocacy issues in the Lowcountry, according to CEO Winslow Hastie.

Hastie also pointed to the changing consumer landscape as a reason to shutter the 4,500-square-foot store that was once a gas station.

“Retail is a very volatile world, and it’s changed dramatically since (the shop) first started in the late 1980s,” he said.

The foundation opened a second retail space in 2011 in the City Market, a few blocks north of the Meeting Street gift shop, to capitalize on tourist-heavy foot traffic. The proximity of the two retail outlets is no longer ideal, Hastie said.

“The need for that amount of space is not really necessary,” he said of the soon-to-be-darkened site.

Retail

The foundation ideally hopes to lease the commercially zoned property, which is between Chalmers and Queen streets, as offices for a government agency or a professional services firm. Hastie doesn’t see the building as a good fit for restaurant or retail uses. He added the foundation would adamantly oppose any effort toward transforming the T-shaped structure into an inn.

“We will have restrictive covenants on the property,” he said. “It also doesn’t have parking. Any user will have to get creative on parking.”

The foundation acquired the property in 1986 from Exxon Corp. after paying $207,000, according to Charleston County land records. It made a few changes to the site, including the construction of a connection between the former storefront and the rear garage bays, but the building’s exterior, with its Colonial revival architectural features, remains intact.

The existing design came about to help the 1930s-built gas station blend into the surrounding historic neighborhood. When Exxon-predecessor Standard Oil decided to build the service station on the property, it demolished three historic homes built between 1782 and 1805 in 1929, stirring Charleston’s preservation movement to life.

Founded in 1947, Historic Charleston Foundation now wants to focus its attention on broader advocacy issues such as land use, development, tourism management, sea-level rise and settlement communities. It also hopes to expand its affordable housing-focused Common Cause Loan Fund that helps make home repairs for longtime city residents.

The decision to darken the retail shop is part of the recommendations in the group’s multiyear strategic plan, which included the decision late last year to sell the Nathaniel Russell House it owns down the street at 51 Meeting.

The group reversed its decision earlier this month after a public outcry, including a petition with thousands of signatures opposing the sale to a private entity.

“It’s been a rough couple of months,” Hastie said. “We are in a better place now.”

The foundation plans to keep its gift shop in the City Market as well as retail outposts in the Nathaniel Russell House and the group’s historic Aiken-Rhett House on Elizabeth Street in the Wraggborough neighborhood. The group also will focus on online sales more to generate revenue for its Lowcountry-centric products such as china, jewelry and home decor items.

MOUNT PLEASANT — Downtown Charleston’s Revealed Gallery has teamed up with Mount Pleasant’s White Gallery for an upcoming rock ‘n’ roll exhibit.

Scott Parsons, owner of Revealed Gallery, is one of the two artists being featured in the show, which will include portraits of famed classic rockers across a variety of media. The second participant is one of Parsons’ featured artists and friend Mauricio Sánchez Rengifo, who goes by Masáre.

Both will showcase their large-scale works at White Gallery, 709 Coleman Blvd., for the “TripLineDrop” art show from 7-10 p.m. Aug. 25. There will be food and drink vendors, as well as music by Paul Harris, Graham Whorley and DJ Moldybrain, on-site during the show.

Parsons grew up with a brother eight years older than him who loved comic books. He experienced art from an early age and started to attempt drawing his favorite characters at age 7. In middle school, he gravitated toward graffiti and was hired for his first mural in Washington, D.C., in 1997. He moved to Charleston in 2000 and started doing murals again after a hiatus. In 2010, he transferred from spray can to brush and canvas. He also experiments with acrylic pouring.

“My subject matter isn’t easily defined,” said Parsons. “I paint images that strike me when doing figurative work. ... The pouring paintings I do are experimenting with color and are very organic. I direct the paint to a certain extent, but then it’s kind of out of my control, which is very fun for me and I hope for the viewer as well.”

Parsons said he will be bringing a “whole lot of color” to this show, as well as new pour experimentations. This is the first time he has shown at White Gallery.

Masáre studied and graduated as an architect in Colombia in 2005. He spent six months locked in his studio painting some of the works that will be on display at this exhibit, including portraits of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.

His portraits are created from layered textures on rigid surfaces; he uses glass, fabric, wood, beads, plastic, metal, glitter, paper, petals and more. The materials used often coalesce with the story of his subject matter.

A new restaurant is in the works near a major intersection in Mount Pleasant, and the Charleston area’s eighth Planet Fitness gym is coming to Moncks Corner.

Damon Navarro is asking the town to annex a 1.51-acre tract on Ira Road between Abide A While Garden Center and Life Storage off U.S. Highway 17 at Interstate 526, where the new dining venture is planned.

The property, across from the Walmart-anchored Wando Crossing Shopping Center, once housed Lamb’s Auto Service Center.

Navarro bought the property last September for $2.1 million through 1434 Ira Rd LLC, according to Charleston County land records.

The planned restaurant is coming through a Charleston investors group called High Tide Provisions LLC and will be called Frank and Jack’s on Ira, according to Stephanie Samuels, project manager and investor. It’s named after two now-passed colleagues of the developers.

Plans presented to the town show a 4,600-square-foot restaurant with a potential wrap-around porch. Plans also include a 625-square-foot covered area behind the restaurant and similar-sized flexible dining space with an outdoor fireplace next to it.

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The site also would include a 1,000-square-foot courtyard in the rear, a 400-square-foot children’s outdoor play area and 1,875 square feet of outdoor space dedicated for adult games such as shuffleboard and bocce ball next to a bar.

The linear development would include 73 parking spaces and an overflow area in the rear for employees and guests to park.

If annexation is approved, the site’s zoning would fall under the areawide business classification. Samuels hopes construction could begin by August with an opening by next spring, but the timeline is dependent on how quickly plans move through the town’s approval process.

Getting fit

The Charleston region’s eighth Planet Fitness site is in the works.

The workout business plans to open a 21,704-square-foot location at 110 Bi-Lo Drive in Moncks Corner in a shopping center anchored by KJ’s IGA supermarket.

The gym is going in next to Pointe North Church in a building that once housed Walmart before the big-box retailer moved to the northern side of town several years ago. It’s expected to open in September.

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A company representative did not immediately respond for further comment.

A food assistance program called Feed Berkeley once operated in the site where the fitness facility is going. Feed Berkeley has moved to 207 Newell St. in Moncks Corner Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Planet Fitness has other Charleston-area locations in Goose Creek, James Island, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Summerville and West Ashley.

On the way

Two new shops are coming to a developing neighborhood in the Cainhoy area of Charleston.

Viva Tacos & Tequila plans to open in a 4,000-square-foot site next to a 2,000-square-foot Modern Movement Yoga studio at 836 Foundation St. in the Point Hope development, according to Bryan Fogle of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic, who handled leasing for the tenants.

The building is under construction next to a similar 6,000-square-foot structure to be built where Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream and Sandwich Shoppe plans to open in about half of the building. The two venues will share a patio between the structures next to Clements Ferry Road. A fall opening is expected for the businesses.

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Sweet treats

A new gourmet cinnamon roll bakery will make its South Carolina debut with a shop opening in downtown Charleston on April 7.

Cinnaholic at 415 King St. will host its grand opening 10 a.m.-2 p.m., offering a $2 cinnamon roll special, DJ, giveaways and samples.

The shop has more than 20 frosting flavors and 20 topping choices.

Also part of the Charleston rollout, the downtown location will have three limited-time offerings: lemon icebox pie roll, coconut cream pie roll and lemonberry coffee cake.

Franchisee Kishan Patel also has a location in Statesboro, Ga.

On the way

A new shop is on the way to a shopping center in Goose Creek.

Crafty Beer Sales LLC has applied for a state license to sell beer and wine for both on-site and off-site use at 214 St. James Ave., Suite 160.

The vacant space was once a dry-cleaning shop and is in the Planet Fitness-anchored Shannon Park Shopping Center.

On the way

A new commercial retail building is in the works for North Charleston.

Ironclad Construction recently submitted plans to environmental regulators to build on a 4.6-acre parcel at 8680 Dorchester Road, just west of a retail center that includes Great Harvest Bakery and Cafe and other tenants near Club Course Drive.

Tenants have not been announced. The site has 1.88 acres of wetlands with planned disturbance to about 1.76 acres, according to site plans.

Gassing up

A Charlotte-based convenience store chain recently purchased a 6-acre parcel where a nursery once operated in Moncks Corner.

Circle K Stores Inc. paid $1.05 million for the property on U.S. Highway 52 at Ben Barron Lane last month, according to Berkeley County land records. The previous owner was ZZ Real Estate LLC, an affiliate of The InterTech Group of North Charleston.

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The purchased site is on the northern end of the former 686-acre Carolina Nurseries wholesale plant farm that closed in 2010. Berkeley Electric Cooperative’s headquarters and other businesses are now located on part of the sprawling tract. A new housing development is being laid out behind the Circle K parcel.

Cleaning up

A Michigan-based car wash company recently broke ground on its first of four planned locations in the Charleston area.

Tommy’s Express is bringing its first Lowcountry site to 3680 Ashley Phosphate Road, next to Republic Services, in North Charleston. Two others are slated for Summerville and another on Tanger Outlet Boulevard in North Charleston.

The wash tunnels are designed with a rounded transparent roof and full-size windows running along the length of the tunnel. Floor mat washers, vacuum stations and membership programs also will be available.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- A handful of businesses in The Bend at Carolina Park are open with locals responding well to one in particular.

“It was incredibility busy our first week. We’ve seen wonderful numbers. Literally our first week we had lines out the door,” said Webb Cheshire, the owner of The Front Porch Coffeehouse and Creamery.

Neighbors are thankful for the new shopping center which features several local businesses.

“It’s been wonderful to have things close by. We had Costco first. We’ve had the hospital here. We did get different amenities like the CVS Pharmacy down there. But we’ve not had individual small businesses,” said Tina Kaiser, who has lived in Carolina Park since 2017.

“I think it’s much needed. My wife and I came down here a year ago to see where we wanted to live. We love Mount Pleasant,” said Chad Anderson, who moved his family to Carolina Park in 2021.

The development comes as more homes are built along Faison Road in Carolina Park. Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie says that the town’s job is to zone and promote the area.

“The free market will decide which things go where, what is needed and what the demand is for that area,” said Haynie.

Haynie says that a business that is good for the town provides jobs, a needed good or service and better livability for neighbors. Another consideration for the town is how to balance growth and environmental impact.

“Town Council doesn’t sit there and decide winners and losers. If somebody has the zoning to build something they go ahead and build it,” said Haynie. “As you saw with the vote about where hotels should go that’s how we make sure that the feel and the livability of Mount Pleasant stays where it is.”

The positive of new businesses that has neighbors talking is not having to drive down Highway 17 to find local options to shop and dine.

“I think we’re able to find more things closer to Carolina Park,” said Kaiser.

“I think all these stores like The Front Porch in this plaza is much needed in this area,” said Anderson. “I definitely appreciate the small business.”