Happy Friday morning, Charleston! You’d have to be a cloistered monk not to know it’s St. Paddy’s Day weekend. Irish folklore says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, which like to pinch anyone they can see.

Congrats to Cheryl A. of West Ashley, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! Close behind were Virginia F. and Sonya H., both of Johns Island. Our photo was the Old Charleston Jail. This historic building, which operated as a jail from 1802 to 1939, recently underwent a $15 million renovation and has been transformed into an events venue.

ATTENTION, are there any Kappa Delta alums in the Charleston area? The Charleston area chapter is being reorganized by one of our subscribers, and there’s a meet-up coming soon. Here’s the details:

• Tuesday, March 18

• Information and Meet & Greet

• Virtual meet-up @ 7:00 p.m.

• (re)organization of Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter in the Charleston area that will meet in-personmonthly for social and philanthropic engagement as well as to support local community, collegiates, and National Kappa Delta (https://kappadelta.org/)

• To receive link for March 18th: email --name, cell, zip, chapter, school, years initiated/graduated to kappadeltaalumnaecharlestonsc@gmail.com

Please follow us on Instagram. When we get to 1,000 followers, we’ll do a $50 giveaway to a local restaurant!

In today’s newsletter:

• Storefronts are scarce. What does it mean when CHS has so few retail spaces available? 🏬

• Another Charleston condo building gets a letter no one wants. Unit owners may have to write a big check. 🏢

• ICYMI. Funky beers, the Irish flu on Tuesday, and a new park is almost done. 🍻

Friday 72° / 58° ☀️ 💧8%

Saturday 73° / 64° ⛅ 💧19%

Sunday 71° / 51° ⛈️ 💧90%

Friday, March 14

• Michael Mitchell Hosts Design Talk & Book Signing with Emma Beryl Kemper | 4 - 6 PM | Michael Mitchell, 414 King St, Charleston | Join Michael Mitchell as he hosts Emma Beryl Kemper of Emma Beryl Interiors for a conversation about design, project planning, and her new book, “House Rules: 100 Ways to Feel at Home.” Enjoy drinks, engaging discussions, and a chance to get your copy signed by Emma herself. In House Rules, Emma defines 100 insightful rules to transform your space—from choosing the right paint to setting the perfect mood with lighting. This event is perfect for anyone looking to elevate their home design style. Please RSVP to erinn@adesignpartnership.com.

• Charleston Luck Of The Irish Bar Crawl | 5 - 11 PM | Élevé Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge, 55 Wentworth Street, Charleston | Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the Luck Of The Irish Bar Crawl on March 14th!

• Blake Shelton: Friends & Heroes 2025 I 7 PM | North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr, North Charleston | Blake Shelton: Friends & Heroes 2025 with very special guest Emily Ann Roberts and special appearances by Craig Morgan, Deana Carter, Trace Adkins.

Saturday, March 15

• Catch the Leprechaun 5K | 8:30 AM - 12 PM | Blue Sky Endurance, 3510 Park Avenue Blvd., Mount Pleasant | Join us for the Catch the Leprechaun 5K on March 15th at 8:30am at Blue Sky Endurance at Carolina Park! This festive USATF-certified race is perfect for runners, walkers, and stroller pushers. Don your best Irish gear for a chance to win prizes for top finishers and best costume!

• St. Patrick's Day Block Party & Parade | 12 - 5 PM , 1038 E Montague Ave, North Charleston | Join us for the 21st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Block Party & Parade, the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the Lowcountry, on Saturday, March 15, 2025! The celebration will feature live music, street vending and fare from Olde North Charleston restaurants, a Kid’s Zone, and more. The party, parade and parking are free to the public.

• St. Patrick's Day Dance Party | 6 - 10 PM | Striped Pig Distillery, 2225 Old School Drive, North Charleston | Get ready to dance the night away at our St. Patrick's Day Dance Party with The Carolina Show Band!

• Charleston Battery vs Rhode Island FC I 7:30 PM | Patriots Point, 85 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant I It’s matchday #2 in this early season, and the Battery need your support! One of the best tickets in town, with great food trucks and fun for the kids.

Sunday, March 16

• Motown Throwdown | 1:30 - 5 PM | Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston |  Patrons of the farmers market will have access to the deck bar and deck restrooms throughout the market. Those who want to hang on the deck and enjoy Motown Throwdown will be asked to pay the $5 door charge. This charge goes to the musicians & helps to cover production costs. Thank you for your support of our venue & these incredible artists!

• Duda & Porto at Gage Hall | 3 - 4 PM | Gage Hall, 4 Archdale St, Charleston | Duda Lucena, brilliant master of Brazilian music and pivotal force in Charleston's Latin jazz scene, joins Porto Seguro and Alva Anderson for an afternoon of originals and Brazilian standards. This second concert in Porto's 2025 series presents their collaboration in a variety of formats. The band joins Lucena for a set of his original tunes, Lucena and Anderson duet on Brazilian standards, Lucena plays his own favorites and Porto Seguro leads off with a set of their own.

• SC Stingrays vs. Jacksonville Icemen I 3:05 PM | North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr, North Charleston | Presented by C.T. Lowndes

For a COMPLETE list of events in the Charleston area, bookmark the site below!

RETAIL

Space Is Getting Harder To Find

If this sounds familiar, you can trust your instincts: available retail space in the Charleston area is at an all-time low. This is a continuation of a theme.

OK, I’m speculating and “all-time low” may be hyperbole. But it sure feels right when the vacancy rate is 1.93% as of 4th Quarter 2024.

According to the Charleston office of Colliers, an international commercial real estate services firm, that’s down from an already-low rate of 2.54% last year. Here’s a copy of their report.

A few other things jumped out:

• New retail space under construction continues to decrease

  • 4th quarter 2024: 44,800 SF

  • 3rd quarter 2024: 235,000 SF

  • 4th quarter 2023: 182,900 SF

• Rents continue to go up

  • 4th quarter 2024: $33.21/SF

  • 3rd quarter 2024: $32.87/SF

  • 4th quarter 2023: $32.33/SF

So what does this mean to you, local Charleston resident?

New restaurants and retailers are going to come from existing spaces turning over—unprofitable businesses closing or tenants leaving when their leases are up.

NOT from new construction ‘cause there’s very little in the pipeline.

My message? Find those 3 or 4 really good restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and booksellers you love and support the hell out of them.

And by the way, the new store manager for The Fresh Market in Mount Pleasant told me yesterday they’re opening on April 30 in the Bowman Place shopping center.

WHERE ARE WE?

Each week, watch this space for a random snap from somewhere in Charleston. Where are we? Only true locals will know. DM your guess on Instagram, or email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!

REAL ESTATE

Downtown Condo Building Gets One Scary Letter

The Ashley House condo building, located on Lockwood Drive near the marina downtown, was in the news this week.

Only 2 weeks after Dockside Condominium owners were required by the City to vacate their homes, news of a letter from Charleston’s chief building official to Ashley House’s association was reported.

It basically reads “Since bricks are falling off the facade of your building, you need to get Chip and Joanna Gaines on speed-dial post-haste”.

It’s not like the association wasn’t proactive. Following the horrific Surfside building collapse in South Florida over 3 years ago, they hired an engineer to investigate the structural integrity of Ashley House.

Their report concluded the facade needed repairing, and immediately, please.

To the tune of $20 million. Or around $200,000 per unit. In a building where the average condo value is around $300,000.

Imagine being a condo owner at Ashley House, facing an obligation to write a check (or take out a loan) for $200,000!

Here’s the rub, though. Had the Dockside Condominiums situation not been so high-profile, it’s likely the Ashley House saga would have remained known only within a tight circle.

My wife and I own The Farrell Group, and we often represent buyers. We always advise clients to dig deep into HOA records, and ask the right questions of HOA management reps.

We request annual meeting notes, past, present and future budgets, and any extraordinary or special assessments that might be planned. And we try and get a handle on whether the reserve fund, which is meant to address big capital repairs like the one facing the Ashley House owners, is adequately funded.

This info isn't provided in most real estate listings.

Don’t get me wrong, HOA representatives are usually up front about things like this. When asked. But you have to push. And make certain you get answers before your deposit goes at risk.

Meaning ya can’t get it back.

It’ll take a while for this to play out.

HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD!

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It’ll help me grow CHS Happenings and keep bringing you cool perks like our events calendar. 🙏🏼

ICYMI

☘️ Beloved neighborhood Irish bar is closing. Help Bumpa’s go out with a bang as they shutter on St. Paddy’s Day.

🥘 Looking for a restaurant to check out? Here’s some of the newest.

⛲ A “big dirt area” under a bridge is soon to be a beautiful new park. The Mount Pleasant Waterfront Park expansion is nearing completion.

🏫 Imagine being asked to immediately vacate your condo because of structural issues, with no return date in sight. Here’s the long, sordid saga of the Dockside project in downtown Charleston.

🍺 A new brewery in a house brewing funky beers. Wyrd Sisters opened recently in Park Circle.

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FEEDBACK

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