Happy Friday morning, Charleston! Today is National Cranberry Relish Day, which is simply a reminder of a particularly heinous Thanksgiving dish. Does anyone eat that stuff, anyway?!

Congrats to my wife, Kim, who was the ONLY one to make a guess for our “Where Are We” segment last week! She guessed correctly our photo was on the grounds of Navy Yard Charleston. Specifically, the building is Quarters H&I, which was was built in 1905 to house the offices of the Commandant and his staff, as well as the Captain of the Yard.

In today’s newsletter:

• Soho House announced plans to come to Charleston earlier this year. Umm…not so fast, it seems. 🏢

• Retail follows rooftops. And grocers seem to be leading the pack. 🛒

• ICYMI. Fly fishing, really cold martinis, and a food-serving robot. 🤖

Friday 58° / 40° ☀️ 💧2%

Saturday 62° / 44° ☀️ 💧2%

Sunday 68° / 49° ☀️ 💧6%

Friday, November 22

• Aquarium Aglow at the South Carolina Aquarium | 5:30 - 9 PM | South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston | Aquarium Aglow is back and brighter than ever! Visit the South Carolina Aquarium this November and December for a dazzling light spectacular, complete with larger-than-life installations, festive photo ops and the most unique Santa encounter in Charleston! Grab your friends, the family, a date or treat yourself to an unforgettable holiday celebration this year.

• Earth, Wind, & Fire Tribute I 8 PM | Charleston Music Hall, 37 JOHN ST. CHARLESTON, SC 29403, Charleston | Doors at 7:00 pm | Show at 8:00 pm. ACCESSIBILITY - Accessible seating is available online through Ticketmaster by filtering on the ADA Icon and selecting Accessible Seats or in person or over the phone via The Charleston Music Hall box office during business hours. The Charleston Music Hall does NOT have an elevator.

• Charleston Classic 2024 | TD Arena, 301 Meeting Street, Charleston | Event Details ESPN Events has announced the eight-team field for the 2024 Shriners Children's Hospital Charleston Classic! Drake, Florida Atlantic, Miami, Nevada, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, Vanderbilt, and VCU will take to the court on November 21, 22 and 24 at TD Arena for the annual men's college basketball tournament.

Saturday, November 23

• Garden & Gun Winter Market | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM I Garden & Gun Headquarters, 701 East Bay Street Suite 115, Charleston | Event Details Meet the winners of G&G's 15th Annual Made in the South awards and shop the market featuring past winners and runners-up in the food, drink, style & design, home, crafts, and outdoors categories. Enjoy festive food and drinks alongside engaging "Meet the Maker" demonstrations and conversations, all celebrating the spirit of Southern craftsmanship. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP at https://gardenandgun.com/wintermarket.

• Holiday Gift Drive with East Cooper Community Outreach | 9 AM - 5 PM | Mt. Pleasant Towne Centre, 1218 Belk Dr, Mount Pleasant | Spread Joy This Season with Our Holiday Gift Drive! This holiday season, let’s come together to bring smiles to families and children in need. Join our Holiday Gift Drive for East Cooper Community Outreach and help make the season brighter for those who need it most. How You Can Help: Donate a Gift: Pick a card, purchase the items listed on the card, then return the card and the items, unwrapped, to the Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Management Office. All items purchased need to be brought in no later than December 10.

• Paws in the Park | 12 - 4 PM | Brittlebank Park, Downtown | Description Paws in the Park is the largest community fundraising event of the year for Charleston Animal Society! Plan to sit, stay and play all day while enjoying craft beer, oysters, partake in our Chili Cook-Off, listen to live music, and so much more to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Charleston Animal Society's lifesaving care!

• Bend & Steal Master Craftsman Market | 1 - 5 PM | Firefly Distillery, 4201 Spruill Avenue, North Charleston | Get ready for killer cocktails, live music by Sufferin' Moses, Fiddlers' Fire, and local craftsmanship at its finest. Stay turned for a list of invited vendors! Did we mention… you can also cast a vote for the best Bend & Steal cocktail created by some favorite local bartenders? Henry's on the Market will be back to defend their championship , along with three other contenders!

Sunday, November 24

• Charleston Community Sailing Lowcountry Oyster Roast | 3 - 6 PM | Charleston Yacht Club, 27 Lockwood Dr., Charleston | Sunday, November 24th 3-6pm we'll be hosting our 17th Annual Fundraiser to celebrate 25 years of Charleston Community Sailing. The event will be held at Charleston Yacht Club Yacht Club, providing an opportunity for family and friends to gather together for a Lowcountry Oyster Roast & BBQ.

• Christmas Tree Festival Boone Hall Farms | Boone Hall Farms, 1235 Long Point Rd, Mount Pleasant | Event Details Christmas is a magical time of year and this event kicks off the holiday season at Boone Hall the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving with a variety of Christmas fun and activities for the whole family. During this event, attendees can ride the Holiday Ferris Wheel, create Christmas crafts and decorations, roast marshmallows, decorate Christmas cookies, take fun pics in the Photo Booth, savor sweet holiday treats, visit with live Winter Queen characters, and more. Additional details coming soon.

• Tree Lighting Ceremony at The Charleston Place Hotel | 5:00 PM I Charleston Place Hotel, 205 Meeting St, Charleston | With snow falling, the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra performing, and cocoa and cookies, the holiday magic of The Charleston Place will come to life with a spectacular tree lighting ceremony in Market Street Circle. This event is complimentary and open to the public. Reservations are required as space is limited.

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

RETAIL

Soho House Not Ready For Charleston, But RH Is

News broke this week that Soho House, a members-only social club plus a whole lot more, would not be coming to Charleston after all. About a year ago, they announced plans to transform The Wagener Building in the French Quarter downtown.

I was skeptical when I read that announcement. I knew of Soho House since they started scouting for sites in DC around 2019 or so. I dug into what they were all about then.

When Soho House announced their Portland opening last year, a Rose City insider expressed her bafflement.

Through its lounge spaces, spas, pools, screening rooms, hotels, and restaurants, Soho House has long catered to the young, city-dwelling creative class, providing them with beautiful spaces in which to be young and creative together — for a hefty fee.

Charleston, however, is known for its relaxed, easygoing vibe, why we’re colloquially known as the “Slowcountry”. If you’re a young, city-dwelling type, CHS would not typically be on your radar.

This article does a terrific job of explaining what Soho House is all about.

It seems to revel in its exclusivity. How would that play in Charleston?

It’s not as if we don’t already have excellent membership clubs here. The Harbour Club is the O.G., generally catering to an older, corporate demographic.

And a relatively recent entrant, The Wonderer, has developed a following among Charleston’s younger, growing tech and digital cohort.

Huge Metro Areas Are Soho House’s Playgrounds

If there wasn’t already a disconnect with product-market fit, there was another reason I wasn’t all-in. Soho Houses generally locate in major markets with dense populations.

Cities like London, New York, L.A., Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, Berlin, Mumbai, Mexico City, Bangkok and Amsterdam.

With the help of ChatGPT, I determined the average population of a Soho House city is 6.4 million. Tops is Mumbai at 21.6 million.

Charleston’s metro area population? 850,000 of us.

The Wagener Building is owned by a Nashville-based company whose holdings include hospitality, residential, and entertainment properties. One of which, in Chicago, has Soho House as an operator.

They thought they’d persuade Soho House Charleston is hipper than it is. 😁

Enter RH

On its own, the non-showing up of Soho House would have been disappointing. A pretty unique old building would have sat vacant and unimproved for who knows how much longer.

That won’t be the case. RH, formerly Restoration Hardware, signed a long-term lease for the multi-story building at East Bay and Queen Streets.

RH has had a roller-coaster like existence since it was founded as an upscale hardware store in Eureka, California in 1979. It gained notoriety as it grew its stores in the late-90’s, went public, and started being chased by developers of upscale retail properties.

By the early-2000s, Restoration Hardware had lost its way and was teetering on bankruptcy. It was literally a retailer that didn’t know what it wanted to be when it grew up.

Was it a home furnishings retailer? A housewares store? For me, it was a source for last-minute Christmas shopping, where I’d find stocking stuffers including nostalgic items like a garden gnome named “Aqua-Troll” that sprinkled water when connected to a hose.

There’s a lot of history for the brand since then and now, and I know you’d rather know what it’ll be when it opens in late-2025.

RH positions itself as a bridge between upscale home furnishings stores like West Elm and Crate & Barrel and uber-premium interior design galleries.

It’s described very well in this New York Times article focused on its super-ambitious CEO titled “The Napoleon Of Your Living Room”.

One thing’s for certain. RH will invest a ton of money into The Wagener Building. They spare no expense when opening new stores.

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

Harris Teeter Charleston Stores Ranked

We’re pretty stacked with grocery options in the Charleston area. Two Trader Joe’s in Mount Pleasant?!

OK, I know that’s a sore subject for folks west of the Ashley and going out towards Summerville.

But they do keep coming.

Aldi's opened a store on James Island in early October. A Publix is opening directly across the street from a new Harris Teeter at Nexton early next year.

Grocers are competitors. Like restaurants, in a challenging environment. Did you know Publix and Harris Teeter make only 1 to 3 cents off every dollar of what you buy?

Didn’t seem that way when everything from bananas to beef to milk were stuck in a never-ending price-hike for the past few years.

Harris Teeter’s been operating here in Charleston for years, with 19 stores throughout the region.

Now, thanks to a cool tool from a company called Placer.ai and the professionals at the commercial real estate firm, Lee & Associates, we know exactly how every HT store does.

Well, kinda.

The tool measures visits to any property through cell-phone tracking.

How does your local Harris Teeter rank? Wonder no more.

ICYMI

🐟 New store for the fly fishing aficionado in your life. West Ashley is where it’s located.

🥘 Delicious dim sum now being served in West Ashley. By a robot named Bella.

🍸 How do you like your martini? Whether shaken, stirred, dirty or dry, here’s the 11 best bars in CHS to get a very cold one.

🥣 Gumbo, spicy chicken wings and beignets. A trifecta of deliciousness served up by Nigel’s Good Foods owner in North Charleston.

🛍️ New shop selling locally made and vintage goods coming to Park Circle. Neighborly to feature J. Stark bags and other locally made goods.

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FEEDBACK

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