Happy Friday morning, Charleston! We’re dangerously close to Christmas. If CHS Happenings has ANY mantra, it’s Shop Local, Dine Local. So do your part to support great local retailers and restaurant owners.

Bezos has enough.

Congrats to my running buddy, Jordan F. of Mount Pleasant, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! Our photo was Folly Beach’s Center Street Landshark.

In today’s newsletter:

• Retail space is tighter than a drum in CHS. What does that mean to you, dear subscriber? 🏬

• Experimental restaurant closes after 13 months. 2024 hasn’t been kind to restauranteurs in Charleston, much less one described as “experimental”. 🍲

• ICYMI. Will reality TV success translate to the brutally competitive restaurant world, and a great new place to get tacos . 🌮

Friday 64° / 39° ⛅ 💧19%

Saturday 55° / 33° ☀️ 💧1%

Sunday 50° / 32° ☀️ 💧1%

Friday, December 20

• Holy City Holiday Market | 5 - 9 PM | Old Park Circle Neighborhood, Spruill Avenue, North Charleston | The 10th Anniversary Holy City Holiday Market will be popping up for a three-day shopping weekend in Old Park Circle, North Charleston from Friday, December 20 through Sunday, December 22, 2024. Shop up to two hundred and fifty vendors and food trucks at the main event on Saturday across The Station, Holy City Brewing, The Porter Room and Firefly Distillery. Enjoy live music, family-friendly fun and more at each venue.

• The Charleston Christmas Special I 7 PM Charleston | All new for 2024! Brad and Jennifer Moranz have delighted audiences of all ages with their holiday musical show featuring some of the country’s most talented singers, dancers and musicians – now in it’s 30th spectacular year!

• Ain’t Too Proud I 7:30 PM | North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr, North Charleston | Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations is the electrifying smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations' extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, set to the beat of the group's treasured hits, including "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Get Ready," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," and so many more!

Saturday, December 21

• The Marshgrass Mamas I 1:00 PM | Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston | Join us for a special kids' show on Saturday afternoon featuring the Marshgrass Minis and Ward's drum circle!

• Ugly Christmas Sweater Party I 6:30 PM | Bay Street Biergarten, 549 E Bay St., Charleston | It’s the most tacky time of the year! Dust off your ugliest Christmas sweater and join us at 6:30 PM on December 21, 2024, for a night of holiday fun sponsered by Southern Glazers at Bay Street Biergarten. The UGLIEST Christmas sweater will receive a swag bag and $25 gift card. Brace yourself for a night filled with yummy specialty cocktails, live music from 7:00 PM-10:00 PM by Gator Food, and an extravagant Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest. Start planning those cringe-worthy outfits now!

• Yuletide on the Yorktown | Patriots Point, 85 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant | Yuletide on the Yorktown Festival will bring together locals and visitors to experience holiday magic onboard the USS Yorktown. Guests can browse local vendors and shop while immersing themselves in the history of the renowned WWII aircraft carrier. There is no better way to celebrate the holiday season!

Sunday, December 22

• Tis The Season To Sweat & Sparkle at lululemon Mount Pleasant! | 8:30 - 10 AM | lululemon, 1232 Belk Drive, Mount Pleasant | Sign up to enjoy a 45-minute in store yoga class with Mandi Mills followed by a private shop + a local pop up with Kristen Ash Designs!

• Trivia + Food Trucks | 2 - 4 PM | Snafu Brewing Company, 3280 Industry Dr, North Charleston | Come join Nick with Publik Education Trivia every Sunday afternoon for pub-style trivia! Food trucks will be on site to satisfy your hunger and Charleston’s finest sour beers will be on tap to spoil those tastebuds. Check social media the day of for more information on what food truck is on site each day!

• Spiegeltent: Rockabillaque Swingin' Holiday Spectacular I 7:30 PM | Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St, Charleston | The Rockabillaque Swingin’ Holiday Spectacular is back, bringing its high-energy vintage charm to the Spiegeltent. This festive evening of retro rhythms will feature headliner Tammi Savoy, an award-winning international vocalist celebrated for her electrifying performances and authentic mid-century style. Hailing from Chicago, Tammi has taken the world stage with her powerful voice and impeccable tributes to the golden era of music.

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

RETAIL

Back in early-2021, I recall walking the length of King Street, from Broad Street north to Line. I wanted to see what COVID had wrought on our “high street”.

While some retailers had opened back up, there were more that hadn’t. Many more.

The street was super-quiet, and I walked past block after block of vacant storefronts.

In fact, as I walked this previously bustling street, I felt like I was in Tombstone, Arizona, not Charleston.

I get it. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Businesses that require customers to come to them—retailers and restauranteurs—were required to shut down for months.

It wasn’t surprising the recovery might be painful and protracted.

But as I walked King Street, my normally rosy outlook—honed by working as a commercial real estate agent for years—was tested.

I thought it would take a very long time for King Street to recover.

Good Thing I Didn’t Wager $$

Yes it is. Since the vacancy rate for retail space in the Charleston rate is only a bit over 1%

Colliers, an international commercial real estate firm with an office in Charleston, recently released their 2024 Q3 Retail Charleston Report.

The retail vacancy rate —the percentage of retail space that’s empty divided by the total—stands at 1.91%.

That’s stunning. Anything below 10% is considered really strong.

What It Means For You

In early-2022, the number of homes listed in Charleston dropped near 1,000. Buyers outnumbered sellers by a HUGE amount.

A “healthy” number is considered 6,000 (which Charleston hasn’t seen in years, BTW).

The retail space market now resembles the housing market then.

If you’re a business owner hoping to expand—or a would-be entrepreneur looking to open a boutique or yoga studio—you literally have no choices because of the absurdly low amount of space on the market.

And for us consumers? Your choices are considerably more limited than if the retail space market were more balanced.

It’s not just us, either. Cities around the country are experiencing record low amounts of retail space available.

This may seem counter-intuitive, what with all the restaurant closings in CHS lately.

We may find a report released even as recently as October is just too dated given how the market is changing.

The Charleston housing market is much more balanced now. The latest number of homes on the market is a little over 4,100.

For the sake of those scrappy entrepreneurs who’d like to find a great retail space, I hope the market starts to turn in their favor.

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!

RESTAURANTS

Restaurant Described As Experimental Closes

Is it possible we’re just not that willing to go out on a limb when we dine out?

Maybe we like our food less “experimental”?

OK, I doubt the restauranteur described his restaurant that way. I think the Post & Courier took some editorial license in describing West Ashley’s Bearcat that way.

But in a year that’s been brutal for Charleston restaurant owners, Bearcat closed after only 13 months in business.

Kovach is a super-experienced chef, whose career spans multiple Michelin-starred restaurants.

I don’t think his food was too “experimental”.

I do think fatigue has set in with “special occasion” pricing, though.

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

🇲🇽 If you thought his Italian food was great, wait ‘til you try this. Michael Toscano’s latest restaurant serves stellar tacos.

📷 Cue the Insta photos. By The Way, the restaurant/bar from Southern Charm stars, opens in Cannonborough.

✈️ Bad news, Boeing lost $8 billion in the first 8 months of this year. Good news, they announced a $1 billion Dreamliner expansion for North Charleston.

🍽️ Kultura’s received rave reviews since it opened. One of their dishes made the list of top meals a New York Times writer ate in 2024.

🛍️ A walk along King Street during the holidays is a special experience. These retailers really commit to storefront decorations.

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FEEDBACK

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