Beaufort building to be demolished to make way for small businesses

The Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce is ready to swing sledgehammers and clear space for entrepreneurs in the Northwest Quadrant.

The chamber is launching a $1.2 million project to demolish a derelict building at 711 Bladen St. in Beaufort and construct office space for small and startup businesses.

The space has been vacant for years, despite a number of plans to reuse the property. Originally a gas station, it was most recently a liquor store.

Demolition begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and chamber president Larry Holman said the chamber plans to seek construction bids from contractors next week.

The 14,000-square-foot, three-story building will have space for a business incubator and small businesses on the top floor.

The second floor will include a commercial kitchen, as well as a multimedia training and instruction area. That floor will also have room for the chamber's offices, which will be relocated from across the street at 801 Bladen St.

A museum and gallery and room for a business such as a retailer would be on the first floor, Holman said. Three businesses -- ranging from a tailor to a shoe retailer -- are interested in leasing space, he said.

The incubator will be open to the community, but the focus will be on small and minority-owned businesses.

The chamber received a 2-percent-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project.

Mayor Billy Keyserling said the incubator plan shows the city's Bladen Street revitalization project is paying off.

Downtown Beaufort needs spaces where a business can "hatch and grow," especially where small operations can share items such as Internet access, phones and conference rooms, he said. Additional boosts could come from computer training and technology assistance.

"I think it's exciting to see Bladen Street working," he said, "and I'm glad to see that after years and years of working on this, it's moving along."

Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin.

Related content:

• Black Chamber seeks to build larger center, business incubator, Oct. 6, 2011
• Black chamber seeks input on building proposal, Sept. 25, 2011
• Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce

This story was originally published September 2, 2014 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Beaufort building to be demolished to make way for small businesses ."