Women's Clothing Boutique Near Me Simpsonville, SC

A few miles west of Simpsonville's city limits, the new houses, which have all been approved by the county's planning commission, will join subdivisions already standing at the once-rural crossroads in one of the fastest-growing areas in the state.

In all, the three residential projects will encompass just over 400 acres of previously undeveloped land along Fork Shoals Road.

Here's a look at the new subdivisions coming to the intersection:

Valley Cove Farms

By far the largest of the three coming developments is Valley Cove Farms.

The 280-acre, 371-house subdivision will sit directly at the intersection of West Georgia and Fork Shoals.

The property, which abuts the Cubesmart storage facility, was previously owned by the Hawthorne family for more than 200 years.

In 2021, the planning commission blocked developer TCC Venture's efforts to build on the land when it denied three rezoning requests that would have made way for a 417-house subdivision and 12 acres of commercial space along Fork Shoals.

The new layout for the site proposed by Contender Development, which the planning commission approved in November, did not require a zoning change and will be less dense than TCC Venture's previous layout. It will not include a commercial component.

Ford Elliott, CEO of Contender Development, said the project will include ample green space and natural amenities, as well as large lots.

"I think it will make for a really unique community," he said. "It's a beautiful setting, and there will be a lot of saved natural, open green space because of the amount of density we're putting on that many acres. It should lead to a beautiful place to live."

Cedar Shoals and Cades Mill

On the property just north of the Valley Cove Farms tract, TCC Ventures is getting ready to build the Cedar Shoals development.

Developer Eric Hedrick said work on paving and curbs is underway, and when that is complete, home construction will begin.

There will be 206 homes on the 76-acre property.

Cedar Shoals isn't the only project TCC is developing near that intersection.

A stone's throw to the north, the Cades Mill subdivision is moving forward on a 47-acre tract. The development got the green light from the planning commission on Jan. 24.

The application passed unanimously, though commissioner James Wood voiced some concern over the traffic that Fork Shoals already sees.

Hedrick said the developments in that area will be connected to existing sewer.

But that infrastructure would have to be expanded to accommodate any additional residential construction after the projects already in the pipeline are completed, as the county recently passed steep restrictions on the use of septic tanks.

"It's a future high-growth area, in my opinion," Hedrick said.

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. (BP) – Multisite Upstate Church in Simpsonville, S.C., baptized 141 new believers Dec. 3 after a one-month evangelistic teaching series on church ordinances. For Senior Pastor Wayne Bray, it was clear the Holy Spirit was at work.

“We have never seen anything like this in our church,” Bray told Baptist Press Dec. 4. “To think that 141 people followed the Lord in baptism is truly unimaginable for me. I feel so blessed to be the pastor of Upstate Church.”

Such emphases at First Baptist Church of Simpsonville – the congregation’s official title – would typically draw a combined 30 to 40 baptisms, Bray said.

“Our hope was to have someone scheduled for baptism in every service on every campus. By Friday, Dec. 1, we already had 86 baptisms scheduled across all our campuses,” he said. “This was overwhelming, but it gave us even more confidence to preach the Gospel on Sunday, expecting the Holy Spirit to move.

“We had 55 additional decisions (Sunday) across all locations.”

Bray and a leadership team including more than a dozen pastors handled the demand by preaching their sermons before praise and worship.

“This allowed time for all spontaneous decisions to be confirmed by counselors prior to being baptized,” Bray said. “We were very careful to make sure every decision was confirmed, turning away multiple people who needed more time to talk through their decision.”

Ministers met with all those who professed salvation to assess their readiness for baptism.

Membership at the six-site church has grown by more than 57 percent in the past decade, according to the Annual Church Profile, growing from 4,503 members in 2014 to 7,091 in 2023. In addition to three sites in Simpsonville, campuses are in Anderson, Greenville and Mauldin. Plans are underway to open an additional site in Laurens through a merger with Hillcrest Baptist Church, where four of the 141 baptisms were conducted.

Bray describes Upstate Church as having long been evangelistic.

“But God has certainly been doing something special these past few years,” he said. “We’ve baptized 400 new believers since the beginning of 2022.”

Upstate normally holds baptisms every month, but delayed November baptisms until December in preparation for the day.

“We were planning to preach a series on the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper,” he said. “While planning, we discussed the possibility of making an extra effort to follow up on all past decisions and schedule everyone we could for the Dec. 3 baptism.”

The church’s structure made planning for the event “a significant challenge,” Bray said. Every campus has a primary teaching pastor, but a teaching team of 10 pastors also rotates among the campuses.

“Every pastor presented a simple and clear Gospel message,” Bray said, “and called for a response at two different points in the sermon.”

The first invitation pointed to those who had never made a profession of faith, while the second invitation was extended to those already attending the church who had never taken the step of believer’s baptism.

All newly baptized members will be offered discipleship, Bray said, through the work of a Spiritual Formation Team developed over the past year including four teaching pastors. The team overseas all areas of evangelism, connections and discipleship.

“We’ve been saying this often. We don’t just want to be a church that makes disciples. We want to be a church full of disciple makers,” he said. “That is our heart, and we believe that is what God is doing at Upstate Church. God’s timing is always perfect, but sometimes it’s more obvious to us. This is one of those times when it’s easy to see His hand at work.

“Our church has never been more prepared to disciple these new believers.”

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. —

Calling all creators of arts, crafts, food, and other products--here's an opportunity to make some money and support a Greenville, South Carolina, nonprofit organization at the same time.

Every year, local high school juniors and seniors who are student ambassadors for Let There Be Mom come up with a plan for a fundraiser.

This year, the students have planned a spring market for Saturday, April 27, at Methodist Church of Simpsonville.

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To become a vendor, organizers ask that you make a $50 donation to Let There Be Mom and donate one item to be used in a raffle. Organizers say they are hoping to host more than 70 vendors at the event.

"I think it's just a good opportunity for them and for us because they're supporting us with the donation, but also it's for people to see their small businesses and shop from them and buy from them while also finding out what Let There Be Mom is at the same time," said student ambassador Savannah Robinson.

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Maggie Dunlap, also a student ambassador, said: "We just decided as a group that it would be really cool, and it could become a big event, and really anyone can come to it and have a great time."

Founder and executive director of Let There Be Mom Kipra Anderson said the goal is to help parents diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses set up a legacy for their children. That includes leaving children gifts for life's milestones, like high school graduation, their wedding, and the birth of their first child, so the parents can still be there, even if they are no longer physically there. Anderson said the services Let There Be Mom provides to local families are free, and fundraisers support the nonprofit's mission.

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Organizers of the Spring Market ask vendors to sign up by March 8.

More information can be found here.

"We just want to raise as much money for Let There Be Mom as possible," student ambassador Grayson Cuttino said. "I know we all have our own special connection to it, which is why we're student ambassadors, so just being able to raise money for a cause that really means a lot to all of us is just super important."

As Simpsonville gears up for voters to head to polls on Nov. 7 to choose City Council representatives, unpacking who is running for which seat may be difficult.

Councilmembers Matthew Gooch (Ward 1), Jenn Hulehan (Ward 3) and Ken Cummings (Ward 5) are not seeking reelection. Mayor Paul Shewmaker is the only incumbent on the ballot. In addition, Shannon Williams (Ward 3) is the only candidate running unopposed.

Mayor

Incumbent: Paul Shewmaker

Position: Retired director of human resources and does HR consulting work

Years as mayor: 3.5

What do you plan to work on if reelected? Complete the major projects council has begun, including the new municipal complex and renovation of Simpsonville Park, improved walkability and traffic flow downtown, making South Main a better festival venue, and extending the Swamp Rabbit Trail to Heritage Park. Continue developing a plan to help the people most affected by stormwater runoff during heavy rains. My highest priority is to continue the leadership, integrity and civility I have brought to the mayor’s office and council meetings during my first term.

Challenger: Warner Bouzek

Position: Owner of King Tut Grill in Simpsonville

What is the one thing you plan to change if elected? The one thing that needs the most focus is getting families to and from work or school more easily. I plan to work heavily with the county and state to improve the infrastructure and prepare for the next 20 years. Families should be spending more time at home and less time on the road stuck in traffic.

Challenger: Janice Curtis

Position: Owner of Merle Norman Cosmetics and Spa in Simpsonville

What is the one thing you plan to change if elected? I have established relationships with our county, state and federal representatives. I have personally met with the representatives to discuss flooding in our community and remedies. I look forward to working with county representatives to curtail problems Simpsonville encounters when new developments are approved in the county. The traffic must be addressed in our community. I know the city currently has a traffic plan in place, but this will take substantial time to complete. We must have safety precautions in place for neighborhoods that will be used as cut through during roadwork. I have a proven record of rolling up my sleeves and doing the hard work and keeping promises.

Ward 1

Candidate: Erin Medlin

Position: Realtor and English instructor at USC Upstate and Spartanburg Community College.

What is the one thing you plan to change if elected? Simpsonville has grown exponentially, which requires sustainable growth and infrastructure to be our top priority. I want to see that growth carried out in a transparent and viable fashion, with input from our citizens. Growth without plans for implementation leads to a poor quality of life for everyone and Simpsonville deserves a livable community today and for the future. I have started the conversation with our county and state representatives on how we can work together to solve some of these issues.

Candidate: Chad O’Rear

Position: Care navigator with Providence Care

What is the one thing you plan to change if elected? One of my first orders of business is to work towards a repeal of ordinance No. 2018-07 which requires a “super majority” vote to make decisions about the employment of the city administrator and department heads. Secondly, re-open Hunter Street. Thirdly, be more available, receptive and transparent with the citizens of Simpsonville.

Candidate: Skip Strong

Position: CNC/EDM machinist

What is the one thing you plan to change if elected? I am a strong supporter of our law enforcement and first responders and believe that more staffing, equipping and training is necessary to keep up with the growth that Simpsonville is experiencing. I’d say the general consensus is that people feel safe parking downtown and walking to restaurants, shopping, music venues, etc. Let’s maintain that level of comfort and safety as we grow.

Ward 3

Candidate: Shannon Williams

Position: Homemaker

What is one thing you plan to change if elected? I think there has already been some wonderful work done by the city council. I am looking forward to contributing to the positive changes the city has made and will continue to make. I would like to focus on the community and making sure Simpsonville is a great place for all of its citizens. I am open and here to listen to the people of Simpsonville.

Ward 5

Candidate: Tim Pinkerton

Position: Retired from the construction and engineering industry

What is one thing you plan to change if elected? I would change the counterclockwise proposed traffic switch and develop safe passage through the heart of Simpsonville without creating more traffic through and affecting neighborhoods. My construction-business background suits the need of a representative with a common-sense approach to growth with a focus on maintaining our infrastructure before city enhancements.

Candidate: Jermaine Smith

Position: Trainer at Michelin

What is the one thing you plan to change if elected? I am looking at bringing change through economic opportunities for existing and new residents of Simpsonville, so that everyone can have a hand in the growth of the community.

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. —

Fans of a country singer slated to appear in South Carolina this week are in for some disappointment after the artist canceled some shows.

(Above video is the Tuesday morning headlines for 10/3/23.)

Michael Wilson Hardy, or just HARDY as he's known to fans, announced Tuesday he was pulling the plug on two mockingbird & THE CROW tour dates, including the one set for Thursday, Oct. 5, at the CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park in Simpsonville.

The venue posted on its website that ticketholders will be receiving an email from Ticketmaster.

HARDY posted about the decision on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying:

"I've been dealing with some serious anxiety since the bus accident last year and over the last two weeks, it has taken control of my life. It caused me to suffer many panic attacks which have landed me in the hospital. I need a moment to focus on me and to make myself better for my wife, family and you, the fans."

More news (story continues after links.)

Along with the Heritage Park appearance, HARDY also canceled his show on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Athens Fairgrounds, in Winterville, Georgia.

"Refunds for these two shows will be available from the point of purchase," HARDY wrote.

HARDY suffered significant injuries on Oct. 2, 2022, in an early-morning crash when his tour bus overturned on a stretch of Interstate 40 West in Nashville.

Also injured in the crash was the bus driver, HARDY's manager and a photographer/videographer, Tanner Gallagher, who posted on Instagram about the crash more than a week after it happened.

HARDY has written songs for Florida Georgia Line, Chris Lane, Blake Shelton, Dallas Smith, Thomas Rhett, and Morgan Wallen.

"My plan is to be back and focused on Oct. 12th," HARDY ended his post. "Thank you for understanding, see you soon."