Happy Friday, Charleston! Another gorgeous weekend is in store, and there’s plenty to do. Check out the CHS Happenings event calendar and plan your weekend now!

Congrats to Ester P. of James Island who jumped on our “Where Are We” segment last week! She guessed correctly our photo was of Stella Maris Catholic Church on Sullivans Island. In case you’re wondering, Stella Maris means “Star Of The Sea”.

In today’s newsletter:

• Citadel Mall in West Ashley was once the place to shop in CHS. Now a new future is being designed. 🛍️

• There’s no shortage of really good bookstores in Charleston. And indies are the ONLY place to shop. 📚

• ICYMI. Mexican cuisine, a new coffee cafe with a cool vision, and more. 🇲🇽

Friday 79° / 60° ☀️ 💧6%

Saturday 82° / 62° ☀️ 💧7%

Sunday 73° / 57° ⛅ 💧24%

Friday, October 25

• Carolina Park Trunk or Treat I 4 PM | Carolina Park Soccer Complex, Carolina Park Soccer Fields, Mount Pleasant | Join the fun with the Town of Mount Pleasant at this Halloween celebration. Trick or treating, photo booth, & petting zoo. Costumes encouraged. Hot dog cart onsite for dinner and concessions for sale.

• Friends Of The Hunley 19th Annual Oyster Roast | 7 - 10 PM | Charleston Visitor Center, 375 Meeting Street, Charleston | All-you-can-eat BBQ, Oysters, and traditional sides.

• Candlelight: Best Horror Movie Soundtracks | 8:45 - 10 PM | The Unitarian Church, 4 Archdale St, Charleston | Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Charleston. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Best Horror Movie Soundtracks at The Unitarian Church under the gentle glow of candlelight.

Saturday, October 26

• James Island Connector Run 8K/5K | 8 - 11 AM | Folly Road & James Island Expressway, 770 Daniel Ellis Dr., Charleston | The James Island Connector Run (JICR) provides one of the most scenic race routes in the Southeast and one of the most challenging courses in the Lowcountry!

  Overlooking the beautiful Ashley River and the historic downtown peninsula of Charleston, this 8K Run, 5K Run, and 5K Walk goes across the James Island Connector from the James Island side of the river, staying on the connector with no exit ramps. The post-race festival includes a finishers medal and food at the finish line.

• Charleston Beerfest | 1 - 7 PM | Riverfront Park, 1061 Everglades Ave, North Charleston | Charleston Beer Fest is back and expanding even further with more breweries, more music, bigger acts, more food and more games and activities! Join us at Riverfront Park in North Charleston for the best beer festival in the Lowcountry - all for a great cause, helping those living with HIV/AIDS here in our community.

• 4th Annual Boogieman Halloween Festival | 2 - 7 PM | The Royal American, 970 Morrison Dr, Charleston | Live from our parking lot: 15 Bands on 2 Stages.

• Phantasmagorical Extravaganza, Family-Friendly Halloween Concert | 7 - 8 PM | The Unitarian Church, 4 Archdale St, Charleston | A spooktacular, family-friendly concert celebrating the surreal spirit of Halloween! Shows at 4pm and 7pm, featuring chilling music, poetry, dance, and a costume contest, all performed in a beautiful, historic Gothic Revival church.

Sunday, October 27

• Munchkin Masquerade I Noon - 2 PM | The Citadel, 171 Moultrie St, Charleston | Join us for a FREE, family-friendly Halloween for our youngest munchkins! Dress in your masquerade best and join us for a spooktacular good time. Enjoy a facepainter, balloon twisting, live music and a photo booth!

• Revelry Brewing 10 Year Block Party Benefiting The Green Heart Project | 12 - 6 PM | Revelry Brewing, 10 Conroy St, Charleston | 100% of ticket sale proceeds benefit The Green Heart Project and its school garden programs in the Charleston community.

• SC Stingrays vs. Florida Everblades I 6:05 PM | North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr, North Charleston

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

REDEVELOPMENT

New Future Envisioned For Citadel Mall

In the early ‘90’s, I was in a movie with Kevin Bacon. Yes, I just flexed big-time.

But it’s true. I have a Bacon Number of 1 because I acted in a cinematic masterpiece called “He Said, She Said” with him.

In case you’re not familiar, Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon is a theory that virtually any actor in Hollywood can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps since he’s such a prolific presence and has been acting for so long.

Here, have some fun and plug in ANY random actor at this fabulous site, The Oracle Of Bacon.

I thought my scene was gonna be big in this rom-com. Kevin’s character is sitting at a cafe, staring out the window at a church across the street. Where a bride and groom (ME!) were being pelted by rice as they descended down the steps following their wedding.

Umm…I ended up on the cutting room floor.

Which is why, I suppose, The Oracle of Bacon doesn’t give me my due.

Can we get to Citadel Mall, please?

After a 3-decade acting hiatus, I answered a casting call in early 2023 for the hilarious show filmed here in town, The Righteous Gemstones.

HBO leased the former Sears at Citadel Mall a while back and built an impressive soundstage.

I showed up and was selected to be the lead FBI agent in a scene in Eli’s office, awaiting a call from a group that took his kid hostage. Just me, John Goodman (who plays the patriarch, Eli), Danny McBride and a few other extras.

Surely I’d get some sweet airtime with a role that meaty?!

Umm…cutting-room floor once again.

Citadel Mall Pivots And Pivots Again

The point of my story is Citadel Mall, while once a thriving retail destination in Charleston, hasn’t been for a while. And owners have had to get creative to bring new uses to the site.

Like HBO leasing the 132,000 square foot former Sears store to accommodate my acting swan song.

Or Target replacing JC Penney when it closed in the early-2000s.

And MUSC Health replacing the 2nd iteration of JC Penney when it opened in late 2019.

What’s Next For Citadel Mall?

The city of Charleston’s Design Review Board approved guidelines last week for a proposed overhaul of Citadel Mall into a mixed-use "Epic Center" concept with greenspace, entertainment, retail and housing.

If you love getting into the details, here’s the package that was presented at the meeting on October 21.

This hashing out of general design guidelines is an early step in the process of redeveloping Citadel Mall.

It will be a while before specific uses—think hotel, residential, etc.—and users are determined.

I love that housing will be one of them, and I hope it’ll be a significant part.

As for that Epic Center name…😳

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!

RETAIL

Charleston’s Robust Indie Bookstore Scene Is Growing

I really don’t mean to pick on Starbucks. Or Barnes & Noble.

But whenever a friend comments they got an overly complicated drink order from Starbucks or bought a book at B&N, I want to shake them!

Charleston is blessed with so many excellent locally-owned coffee shops and booksellers, that offer a far better experience than the Green Siren and a sprawling, not-based-here bookstore.

Not so long ago, I did a video profile on one of my favorite bookstores, The Village Bookseller in Mount Pleasant.

thefarrellgroupchs

View more on Instagram

I also love Blue Bicycle Books on King Street. Its owner, Jonathan Sanchez, is also the founder of YALLFest, being held this year on November 15 and 16.

There’s Buxton Books on lower King Street, which often hosts book release events and author signings.

Philosophers & Fools is another great shop in the Cannonborough/Eliotborough neighborhood downtown, but with a twist. You can enjoy a coffee, wine, beer and snacks while you peruse the bookshelves.

Out in Park Circle, there’s Itinerant Literate Books.

And the newest entrant is Sweeter Than Fiction, opening this Saturday at 204 King Street.

ICYMI

🍽️ If you want to eat at Chubby Fish, you have to line up on the sidewalk at 4:00 PM. This excellent video from Bon Appetit shows why.

🇲🇽 The El Molino supermarkets in West Ashley and North Charleston have developed quite the following . These talented owners recently opened 2 new restaurant/cafes to keep us well-fed with excellent Mexican cuisine .

🇲🇽 I’ve raved for years to anyone who will listen about Le Farfalle. Now Michael Toscano is pulling from his Mom’s Mexican heritage to open Blanca Estrada later this month.

☕ A new coffee cafe is coming to Mount Pleasant. Just Love Coffee Cafe is a community-centric cafe with a terrific mission.

🛒 Charleston’s 2nd Trader Joe’s was eagerly anticipated. It opened last week to much fanfare and others who were “just here for the snacks”.

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FEEDBACK

Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by replying to this email or voting in the poll below (you’ll be done MUCH faster than traffic moves over the Don Holt Bridge at 4:00 PM on a Friday). 👇