Fahey: 2015 highlights from Beaufort County's retail, restaurant scene
Somehow, we've closed the door on another year.
Looking back, the Beaufort County retail scene has seen significant change, including new restaurants opening, several businesses relocating, big-box retailers heading to Bluffton and Beaufort getting its first Starbucks.
But before I highlight businesses that came and went over the past year, there are two renovations on longtime businesses in Beaufort that are worth mentioning.
The historic Victorian mansion at the corner of Bay and Newcastle streets in Beaufort was significantly restored this year, and reopened as an inn, Anchorage 1770 -- the name paying homage to its colorful history and previous owners, the Elliott family (its original owners) and Admiral Lester Beardslee, who brought the mansion to its current grandeur in the early 20th century.
Only a couple of miles away, Bitty's Flower Shop, which opened in its original location in 1957 on Bay Street, reopened after a restoration by its new owner, Tierney Stone. The store has been on Boundary Street since 1988 and the original owner, Jenny Green, sold the family business for the first time to Stone this past summer.
Here are some other highlights from Beaufort County's business scene in 2015:
Old Town Bluffton
There was significant shakeup in the Old Town Bluffton business scene in 2015, especially with local restaurants.
The Promenade had a lot of activity in particular, with the opening of Jimmy Soules' Agave Side Bar in June; The Roasting Room, above the Corner Perk, in December; and The Roost, a home decor boutique that opened in the fall. Chicas Bridal Boutique moved out of 6 Promenade St., (to 1 Sherington Drive) and boutique Cocoon moved in (from 17 Sherington Drive) this November. The Infield Bar and Grill and Mulberry Street Pizzeria closed.
More businesses will move into the Promenade in its final stages of development in 2016, including FARM, a restaurant featuring locally sourced foods; Reminisce, a relocated store operated by the owner of Legends Sports Gallery on Hilton Head Island; Soules' Thee Oyster Bar, moving into the former Mulberry Street Pizzeria location; the Promenade Bike Barn and Adventure Store, owned by Jim Buser of Sports Addiction; and a golf-cart retailer by the same owners of Three D Golf Car in Bluffton.
Across the street from the Promenade is the recently opened Fat Patties and Salt Marsh Brewing in a two-story building on Bluffton Road.
This year on Calhoun Street, Eggs 'n' Tricities, The Filling Station Art Gallery and Vineyard 55 moved out. Eggs 'n' Tricities and The Filling Station moved to nearby Lawton Street while Vineyard 55 owner Jon Rinaldi has not yet announced plans for his restaurant relocation. Mameem & Maudie, a combined retail store and cafe, also opened on Lawton Street in 2015.
The Pearl Kitchen and Bar, owned by Alex and Earl Nightingale of ELA'S Blu Water Grille on Hilton Head Island, is slated to open at 55 Calhoun St. in January. Across the street, a raw bar and fine-dining restaurant called The Depot is expected to open in 2016 as an expansion to Old Town Dispensary.
For seven weeks this summer, restaurants Pepper's Old Town and The Sippin' Cow merged to become The Sippin' Cow at Pepper's Old Town at 1255 May River Road. In September, The Sippin' Cow's owner, Christy Pinski, said on her business' Facebook page that the partnership had ended. She has yet to announce plans for the cafe's relocation. Pepper's Old Town has been closed since, with no word yet on a reopening.
National chains
It's likely that 2015 discussions and decisions will make 2016 the year of Walmart in Beaufort County.
A Bluffton development with a Walmart Neighborhood Market anchor received final approval from the town's Planning Commission in December. The shopping center will be built at the intersection of S.C. 170 and Bluffton Parkway, and will include a Walmart gas station and retail outparcels in addition to the Walmart grocer, the first of its kind in Beaufort County.
More Walmart retail is proposed throughout the county: A Walmart Supercenter is planned for Lady's Island, at the intersection of Sea Island Parkway and Airport Circle, and a Sam's Club and Walmart Supercenter will anchor Bluffton Gateway, a center by Atlanta-based Jaz Development to be built at the intersection of U.S. 278 and S.C. 46. The combo site has a tentative opening for early 2017.
Another project soon to be underway by Jaz Development is an unnamed shopping center at the former Grayco Building Center site in Bluffton. Tenants have yet to be announced, but a smaller grocery store and medium-sized retailers are under consideration for the development.
Also in Bluffton, a mixed-use development anchored by Kroger Marketplace was announced in 2015. The site, at Buckwalter Place, is being developed by Southeastern Development Associates, formerly known as Blanchard & Calhoun, which also developed Shelter Cove Towne Centre on Hilton Head.
In northern Beaufort County, Harris Teeter is proposed on Lady's Island in the former Publix building at the intersection of Sams Point Road and Sea Island Parkway.
In a poll of 500 Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette readers this summer, the most sought-after retailer not in Beaufort County was Costco. They'll soon get that wish.
The developers of the much-discussed Okatie Crossing in Hardeeville, at the intersection of U.S. 278 and S.C. 170, revealed a site plan this fall that included Costco, Lowe's, Target, Kohl's, Marshalls, Dick's Sporting Goods, Field and Stream and a Regal Cinemas movie theater. The center, by Knoxville, Tenn.-based Horne Properties, is expected to be developed in late 2016 or early 2017.
In Bluffton's Tanger Outlets, fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant Zoes Kitchen opened at Tanger 1 in March. Retail-wise, Build-a-Bear Workshop Outlet and Yves Delorme were added to Tanger 2. Additionally, Tanger Outlets Savannah opened in April in nearby Pooler, Ga.
After many years of discussion, Beaufort got its first Starbucks in August on Boundary Street. The Wendy's on Boundary Street in Beaufort reopened this summer and around the corner, on Robert Smalls Parkway, Taco Bell moved to a new location this fall.
Hilton Head received Popeyes, Dairy Queen, Wayback Burgers (which is also heading to Beaufort in 2016) and Which Wich.
Local restaurants
Beaufort County was ready to dine out in 2015, with a plethora of new options entering the restaurant market.
And, inevitably, it was also time to say goodbye to some local favorites.
1635 on the Avenue opened in Port Royal this past spring. Also in northern Beaufort County, 10 Market, a "chef's kitchen," opened this summer in Habersham Marketplace. Brody's Bar and Grill opened on Lady's Island in the former Barbara Jean's Restaurant at 94 Ferry Drive. A third Joe Loves Lobster Rolls restaurant is planned for the former Burlap Cafe in Beaufort at 2001 Boundary St. Also on Boundary, Red Rooster Cafe is moving into the former Olive Garden/Red Lobster building.
In Tanger 2, celebrity chef Robert Irvine's restaurant Nosh closed in January. The space has remained vacant for most of the year, but a Salty Dog restaurant is expected to move in sometime during the first quarter of the new year.
All-American Bar and Grill shuttered in Bluffton's Belfair Towne Village, with Price Beall's Chow Daddy's opening its second location in the space shortly afterward.
In the Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island, both Porter & Pig and Cowboy Brazilian Steakhouse opened their doors in 2015.
Le Bistro Mediterranean closed its doors permanently after 27 years of operation in Pineland Station, which is being torn down and rebuilt as Sea Turtle Marketplace in the new year. Another Pineland Station restaurant, Il Carpaccio, moved to Museum Street this summer, and The French Bakery moved to Shelter Cove Towne Centre. Relish Cafe relocated to Park Plaza on the south end.
Also on Hilton Head, the owner of Baby Cakes launched her dessert bar The Purple Cow this summer in Port Royal Plaza. Local Pie launched in the fall at New Orleans Plaza, where The Chocolate Canopy relocated to earlier in the year. Maywood Davis coffeehouse opened in late 2015 in a 1970s-era general store and former gas station on Hilton Head.
David Young's popular eatery Roastfish & Cornbread on Hilton Head closed in late 2014, but his new restaurant, Burnin' Down South, opened this year near Sun City. Recently, breakfast-and-lunch restaurant The Phoenix Bistro opened at the former Roastfish & Cornbread site.
Bluffton got its first microbrewery in May when Southern Barrel Brewing Company opened in Buckwalter Place. A sequel to the original Cheap Seats Tavern on Hilton Head moved into the former Monster Pizza on Burnt Church Road in Bluffton. AHC Juice Bar opened in Sheridan Park in Bluffton this fall.
Fro-yo shops Lovin' Spoons and Josie's Frozen Yogurt, as well as the Pino Gelato Bluffton location, closed this year. The Dough Punchers bakery also opened ... and then closed within a few months. Long-operated and much-beloved coffee shop Java Joe's shuttered in Coligny Plaza this September.
What's next?
It's fair to say that the Beaufort County retail landscape will undergo even bigger changes in 2016.
By this time next year, we'll start to see new -- and revitalized, especially on Hilton Head -- shopping centers. More retail options will add competition to the area, and increase the presence of national retailers and chains (and, yes, grocery stores) in our local business-centric area. The year of Walmart is also imminent.
But the onset of big-box chains and national retailers shouldn't be seen as a looming threat to our local businesses and restaurants. A variety of retail serves different needs and customers, and with Bluffton's population booming, new and diverse retail is key. A strong Shop Local movement and loyal customers will continue to sustain the small businesses and neighborhood eateries that Lowcountry residents and tourists frequent. In fact, some new developments will give local entrepreneurs an opportunity to open new stores or restaurants.
The biggest changes in 2016 will be seen in Bluffton, including Old Town. The Promenade is expected to fill to capacity with final restaurants and stores moving in, so new areas in the Old Town area will be considered for further mixed-use development (as long as the hot-button issue of parking is addressed). The live-work concept has been an enormous success in Old Town. Calhoun Street will also likely see development in the new year, in addition to receiving two upscale dining options.
On Hilton Head, revitalization will be seen in 2016 as outdated plazas and buildings get torn down or receive facelifts. Shelter Cove Towne Centre led the way with its recent revamp, and Pineland Station's redevelopment is underway now. Other retail centers on the island are likely to see similar upgrades in 2016 and beyond.
In Beaufort, Boundary Street redevelopment is anticipated to begin in early 2016. The $33.6 million project has been touted as an important step to revitalize the northern Beaufort County corridor, and attract businesses and new development to the area.
Lady's Island is another area to watch in 2016. The area has seen an uptick in homebuying since the recession, and that growth will eventually lead to more development -- in fact, the Walmart Supercenter planned for Lady's Island is expected to increase retailers' interest in the area (grocer Harris Teeter, for example, which is proposing to move into the former Publix site).
And -- perhaps most importantly for many Beaufort County shoppers -- the idea of a Costco coming to town (well, right across the border from Beaufort County) has many locals excited. Okatie Crossing has been discussed for years now, but the developer, Knoxville, Tenn.-based Horne Properties, seems determined to develop the center by late 2016 or early 2017.
Many are skeptical, though, considering the lack of activity on the center since it was originally proposed about a decade ago. But the timing may finally be right as the economy has recovered and the growth in Beaufort and Jasper counties makes a center such as Okatie Crossing more critical (especially considering the development's prime location).
The year has been an exciting one for Beaufort County retail and restaurants -- for local business owners and residents looking for more variety and also for those seeking the familiarity of national chains. It was also exciting to tell the stories behind new ventures by local entrepreneurs.
I'd like to extend the opportunity, as always, for readers to contact me at afahey@islandpacket.com or 843-706-8137 if there are questions about a piece of land being developed or if you know of a business getting ready to open.
Follow reporter Ashley Fahey at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.
Related content:
- Fahey: Johnson's Urban Farm now operating on Hilton Head Island, December 17, 2015
- Fahey: Salty Dog restaurant to open new location at Tanger Outlets Center 2, December 10, 2015
- Fahey: Maywood Davis coffee shop now open in 1970s-era general store on Hilton Head Island, December 3, 2015
This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Fahey: 2015 highlights from Beaufort County's retail, restaurant scene."