kitchen countertopsIn Moncks Corner, SC

Customers can now fill up on gas and support the mission of ending childhood cancer.

Sommers Oil Co. and Shell have chosen to partner with CURE Childhood Cancer for the “Giving Pump” charity event. CURE provides financial and emotional support to local children and families while raising funds to further research for pediatric oncology.

The Giving Pump, a three-month promotion through Oct. 31, is part of Shell Oil Co.’s nationwide Force for Good campaign that raises awareness and funds for nonprofit organizations by allocating a portion of sales to its cause. Sommers Oil Co. was the driving force to bring this promotion to the Lowcountry and South Georgia area and chose CURE Childhood Cancer as the beneficiary.

“It is so important to support our friends and neighbors who are going through a crisis,” said Cory Sommers, vice president of sales and marketing of Sommers Oil Co. “A cancer diagnosis for a little one seems like one of the biggest crises a family could face, and CURE is the organization that is there to help them — with rent, food and even gas. I’m proud we chose CURE Childhood Cancer as the organization to benefit from the Giving Pump and I trust that our customers will want to support their mission too.”

Last year, with only seven pumps participating, the promotion raised nearly $4,000 in the Savannah area. This year, the program has expanded to more than 40 sites in Georiga and South Carolina.

“We appreciate all the participating Shell stations and everyone who fills up for CURE,” said Mandy Garola, vice president of CURE in South Georgia. “The funds raised will support pediatric oncology patients and their families right here in our community, as well as research that is critical for fighting childhood cancer. We believe a cure can be found in our lifetime, and the awareness and funds raised by the Giving Pump are invaluable to this effort.”

CURE Childhood Cancer is working for a cure by funding research exclusively for childhood cancer and supporting families affected by the disease.

Shell launched the Giving Pump campaign at stations across the U.S. as part of its Force for Good initiative to drive positive change in local communities by giving back. Since launching Force for Good, Shell has highlighted the impact its wholesalers have in the communities in which they operate, going beyond fuel quality and loyalty, to help raise millions of dollars nationwide.

Georgia Giving Pumps can be found at Shell stations in Brunswick, Eatonton, Midway, Metter, Pooler, Riceboro, Rincon, Richmond Hill and Savannah. Participating South Carolina Giving Pump Shell stations can be found in Aiken, Beaufort, Bluffton, Columbia, Elgin, Hardeeville, Hilton Head, Johnston, Lexington, Moncks Corner, Ridgeland, Summerville, Swansea and Walterboro.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Several new tenants have signed on to open at the upcoming Moncks Corner Marketplace in Moncks Corner, Atlanta-based real estate investment and development firm Branch Properties recently announced.

The 75,267-square-foot Publix Super Markets-anchored shopping center broke ground last August and is expected to open to the public later this summer. The property is co-listed with Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic and Branch.

Moncks Corner Marketplace is located on the corner of U.S. Highway 52 and Cypress Gardens Road, less than 30 miles from downtown Charleston. A 48,387-square-foot Publix will anchor the center, marking the first location for the grocery chain in the suburb. The store will be a new prototype by Publix, offering a covered outdoor café area on the second floor. Moncks Corner Marketplace sits on 9.13 acres of land and offers 26,880 square feet of additional space for a range of occupant sizes and types.

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“Moncks Corner is a fast-growing town that is in need of accessible, quality dining and essential shopping options to accommodate the area’s population surge,” said Branch Vice President of Leasing Robert Krumholz. “We are proud to bring an incredible variety of regional businesses to the center where we know they will thrive as integral parts of the community. As we have built out the tenant roster, we have sought out a diverse mix of offerings that cater directly to the neighborhood’s needs.”

Joining the lineup of tenants at the shopping center include locally owned pub Dog & Duck; pet retailer and groomer Woof Gang Bakery; family-owned taco kitchen Viva Tacos & Tequila; Japanese restaurant Kyoto Sushi & Hibachi; Chinese takeout restaurant Super Pan; locally owned beverage store EJ’s Wine & Spirits; nail salon Magic Nail; forestry insurance firm Swamp Fox Agency; dental support organization Pacific Dental Services; and hair removal studio Brazilian Wax & Spa by Claudia.

“We are thrilled to have another center completely pre-leased prior to completion and opening of the project,” said Coldwell co-listing agents Hannah Kamba and Tim Rowley. “This center highlights the rapid residential growth that Moncks Corner and the surrounding area is experiencing.”

Moncks Corner is a part of Berkeley County, the second fastest-growing county in the state of South Carolina. In the past decade, the city of Moncks Corner has nearly doubled in population and is now the fourth fastest-growing town in the state. This rise in population is expected to continue in the coming years, as the suburb offers a lower cost of living than nearby Charleston and has attracted a large number of residents migrating from northern cities.

In addition to Moncks Corner Marketplace, Branch is also overseeing the development of six other Publix-anchored shopping centers across the Southeast, including Perimeter Marketplace in Dunwoody, Ga.; Hugh Howell Marketplace in Tucker, Ga.; Merganser Commons at Dogwood Estates in Milton, Fla.; Wynnehaven Plaza in Navarre, Fla.; The Market at Hays Farm in Huntsville, Ala.; and Summerhill Station in Atlanta.

In what she describes as a comeback outing of sorts, jazz vocalist Alterea Baxter is set to take the stage with Terrance Bryant and Sherlyn “Dee Dee” Johnson on Sept. 10 as part of a music spectacular hosted by the Berkeley County Library System (BCLS) at the Berkeley County Administration Building.

Baxter, 62, plans on emerging from her COVID-fueled hiatus by kicking off the 4 p.m. show with a segment of classic jazz standards and later adding a dash of R&B and sprinkle of soul to the late-summer affair.

The global pandemic combined with two recent corneal transplants temporarily forced the current Goose Creek resident to put her live performances on the shelf, but now the veteran entertainer is declaring herself primed and ready to dazzle audiences with her unmistakable crooning ability.

As an unabashed aficionado of the golden era of jazz, Baxter recommends that the uninitiated to the genre take in a sampling of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and other masters to capture the true essence of the music form that originated in African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Get into those songs because that’s where you’re going to find all your jazz notes. That’s where you’re going to be introduced to that flow that other genres do not carry,” observed the native of Downtown Charleston, who has been singing on a professional level over a period of four decades.

“The golden era ... that’s my favorite because that’s where the meat of jazz is. That’s where the notes are that will give you the feel of loving jazz,” she adds.

Since her reemergence, many of her go-to performance venues have gone out of business, including a number of restaurants, due to COVID. However, the loving mother and grandmother has designs on continuing her stage work at banquet halls and senior homes in the St. Stephens, Moncks Corner areas and beyond. In the past, she’s toured the southeast in markets, such as Panama City, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia.

When Baxter isn’t putting on a show for her adoring fans, she serves as a vocal coach for those hoping to hone their skills.

“I’m always vocalizing at home. My studio is right here in my living room. I periodically, on Mondays, teach lessons.”

A point of emphasis in her lessons is what she calls “lip trills,” which are prescribed by the voice expert to put the body in proper positioning to ensure both healthy singing and speaking.

“It sounds crazy, but it works,” Baxter assures. “It’s the best thing you can do as far as putting your voice where it needs to be.”

As for tips she dispenses for aspiring acts on the come, Alterea advises folks to hire a reliable booking agent and assembling a quality bio and references. But beyond that, she encourages people who are serious about their craft to simply sing as frequently as possible on stage, in the car or in the shower.

Baxter’s Sept. 10 show promises to be a joyous experience, as she plans to belt out a collection of feel-good tunes, including hits from Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Caldwell and other well-known music icons.

For more information on Baxter’s upcoming schedule or her training availability, email her at pamperme_23@yahoo.com.

In an effort to quell homeowners along the southern terminus of Vanihayn Drive in Moncks Corner, Charleston-based developer Wofford Stribling recently agreed to close off access from a portion of his Kitfield development project to ward off increased congestion for the concerned residents in question.

Those intentions were communicated during an Aug. 23 Moncks Corner Planning and Zoning meeting at the local Town Hall venue at 118 W. Carolina Ave.

The story begins with the applicant (Stribling) receiving approval from Town Council in December 2020 to attain rezoning for the addition of 160 new homes at what’s known as the Kitfield Road subdivision.

Subsequently, the builder informed the planning and zoning commission of his plans to annex an additional 16.02-acre tract along Vanihayn Drive, yielding a maximum of 33 units.

Upon hearing of this, one family owning property on each side of Vanihayn Drive opposed the prospect of allowing new residents of Stribling’s development to drive in and out of the proposed residential complex using their private road.

Those sentiments were communicated to Stribling and the commission during a July 26 public session.

During the following meeting on Aug. 23, the speculator confirmed claims that Vanihayn Drive was indeed a private roadway and thus assured affected stakeholders that he would place emergency access gates that could only be unlocked by first-responders during crisis situations. These structures would be installed on Vanihayn Drive and Prospect Drive.

Community Development Director Douglas Polen explained: “No one from this development or this new annexed part will be able to get onto Vanihayn Drive past [a certain point] or onto Prospect.”

Moncks Corner Planning & Zoning Commissioner Connor Salisbury affirmed that outside access to Vanihayn Drive via an existing “through-put” would be terminated by the new gates.

Kitfield community president and resident Riley G. McKelvey asked for further clarification.

“We want to make sure that in our community we’re taken care of ... we want to keep light traffic right now. But we want to make sure we don’t impede anyone else’s property as well because we pay taxes. The last thing I want happening is that someone comes in and says, ‘You know what? We’re going to take this, we’re not going through that — it ain’t happening,’” he stated.

Other community members in attendance asked the planning and zoning commission to properly inform them of new additions/renovations that could affect homeowners in the future. Some of them felt that a sign reporting the July meeting was poorly placed in an area where it wasn’t readily visible to locals.

Area resident Carole Williams, however, expressed her apprehension about all of the traffic from the new development spilling over to the west end of Kitfield Road, as drivers would only be afforded one-way in and one way out on that stretch. Cars traversing that path, she added, would end turning on Broughton Road or California Avenue, while headed toward West Main Street.

Stribling reported that a DOT traffic study had been completed to focus on traffic mitigation for vehicles emanating from the Kitfield development. As a result of conferring with the government agency, the land developer stated that he would install a right-hand turn lane from Kitfield Road onto Broughton Road. In order to facilitate the insertion of that lane, he continued, Broughton Road would be widened. Furthermore, residents also learned that the entire intersection would also be restriped.

Williams countered that she is more distressed about making a left turn from Broughton Road to West Main Street rather than going right.

Salisbury told Williams that issue would be addressed when his group composes their next comprehensive plan.

In the meantime, Stribling communicated his willingness to contribute to the Community Redevelopment Program, whereby all residents of the surrounding Kitfield community would receive between $500-$1,000 per lot for infrastructure improvements.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – At its meeting on Monday, Berkeley County Council approved a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment grant to help fund a large-scale revitalization initiative to greatly improve quality of life opportunities in the St. Stephen/Russellville area. [Watch the full Council meeting HERE.]

“County Council is committed to improving access to resources and employment opportunities for people throughout Berkeley County. This grant will not only help fund these initiatives, but also ensure the St. Stephen community is involved in the process. Berkeley County’s success is directly related to the success of its citizens; inviting the public to the table on critical decision-making efforts like this one are what makes us #OneBerkeley,” said Johnny Cribb, Berkeley County Supervisor.

This grant, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Community Wide Assessment Grant Program, will help fund environmental assessments on properties located within a certain designated Census Tract in the St. Stephen area. With the help of community and residential input, the Town of St. Stephen—together with the EPA and Berkeley County Economic Development—will conduct up to 15 site inventories of brownfield sites, in the St. Stephen area, that could be redeveloped to provide more job opportunities and other quality of life resources for the community.

The grant has already identified two such sites: the former St. Stephen High School, which closed in 1996, and the area’s former Lumber Mill, which operated as a steam-powered lumber mill from the 1930s to mid-1960s and closed around 1970. Another goal of this large-scale initiative will be to develop a complete revitalization plan unique to St. Stephen.

“The town of St. Stephen is grateful that the EPA selected us to receive one of the 2022 Brownfields Program Grants for $500,000. We were the only municipality in Berkeley County to receive this. In countless other communities around the United States, the EPA’s Brownfield Program has had a proven track record of leveraging private sector investment, creating jobs, and protecting the environment,” St. Stephen Mayor John Rivera said.

“St. Stephen will use this Brownfields Grant to spur our town with redevelopment and cleanup projects and bring sustained economic growth. We are thankful for the support of the Berkeley County Economic Development Office and their ability to work with myself, Town Council, and the Town’s administration to write the grant proposal. We are ready to collaborate with the various committees that will be comprised of St. Stephen residents and business owners to help us continue to grow and revitalize our town. It has been well worth the wait. This is the first of many blessings in store for our great town.”

Public meetings and community engagement will be critical throughout this process. More information on public meetings will be forthcoming.

A new shopping center in Moncks Corner hasn’t opened yet, but it’s already fully leased.

Atlanta-based real estate investment and development firm Branch Properties announced Aug. 23 the new Moncks Corner Marketplace on U.S. Highway 52 at Cypress Gardens Road will have 12 tenants.

The 75,267-square-foot retail center will be anchored by a 48,387-square-foot Publix supermarket, which is expected to open soon. The new prototype store will include a covered outdoor café area on the second floor.

Newly announced tenants include pet retailer and groomer Woof Gang Bakery, family-owned taco kitchen Viva Tacos & Tequila, Japanese restaurant Kyoto Sushi & Hibachi, Chinese takeout restaurant Super Pan and alcoholic beverage store EJ’s Wine & Spirits.

Also signed up are nail salon Magic Nail, forestry insurance firm Swamp Fox Agency, dental support organization Pacific Dental Services, and hair-removal studio Brazilian Wax & Spa by Claudia.

Previously announced tenants include Charleston-based pub and restaurant Dog & Duck and Marco’s Pizza.

“Moncks Corner is a fast-growing town that is in need of accessible, quality dining and essential shopping options to accommodate the area’s population surge,” said Robert Krumholz, vice president of leasing for Branch.

“As we have built out the tenant roster, we have sought out a diverse mix of offerings that cater directly to the neighborhood’s needs,” he said.

Branch co-lists the property with Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic.

New baby

A store catering to the youngest and newest residents of the Charleston region is now welcoming customers in North Charleston.

Buy Buy Baby opened Aug. 24 in a 28,200-square-foot space in the Target-anchored North Rivers Towne Center at 7250 Rivers Ave.

The store offers all things baby-related, including registry, gear, toys, clothing, nursery furniture and everyday essentials.

The new store is open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Buy Buy Baby has one other Palmetto State store in Greenville.

In North Charleston, the chain is backfilling a space where parent company Bed Bath & Beyond closed a namesake store last July. It’s between a Ross Dress for Less and a 31,433-square-foot vacancy that, according to North Rivers’ website, is to be divided between Popshelf and Advance Auto Parts. Los Angeles-based LBX Investments owns the retail center.

Popshelf is a new concept from Dollar General that offers home furnishings, party items, toys and beauty products. It’s geared toward the suburban shopper with a household income between $50,000 and $125,000, higher than Dollar General’s lower-income targeted customers.

Opening dates have not been announced for Popshelf and Advance Auto Parts.

On the way

Luxury fashion retailer Gucci is making a move in downtown Charleston, but it’s not going far.

The upscale merchant is upfitting a space in The Charleston Place on King Street for a move within the hotel’s lobby area from Market Street just around the corner.

A company representative did not immediately respond for further comment, but the new store plans to open a couple of doors down from luxury handbag store Louis Vuitton in the fall.

Lighting up

A new cigar shop is now open in Mount Pleasant.

Dan and Beth Greenwald opened Cigars on 17 on Aug. 22 at 920 Houston Northcutt Blvd. in Village Pointe Shopping Center.

The 1,200-square-foot location features a large walk-in humidor and offers a selection of premium hand-rolled cigars, quality pipes and accessories as well as a lounge.

The new shop is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Hours could be adjusted going forward.

It’s a sister store to Cigars on Maybank on Johns Island, which opened in April 2021.

Morning addition

A restaurant and bar in a downtown Charleston hotel is now serving breakfast.

Little Palm, located on The Ryder Hotel’s second-floor courtyard at 237 Meeting St. will serve the morning meal from 8 to 10:30 a.m. It’s open to the public.

The menu, by executive chef Tim Morton, includes an omelet sandwich, coconut French toast, a parfait with granola and fresh berries, warm grains with almond butter and blueberries, avocado toast and a smoked salmon bagel. Cocktails will be available after 10 a.m.

The restaurant also serves fresh seafood, shareable plates and seasonal dishes from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

In what promises to be a family-friendly day of history, reenactments and games, Old Santee Canal Park, the Berkeley County Museum and Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust are welcoming visitors of all ages to their Colonial Day and Fort Fair Lawn grand opening, which kicks off at 10 a.m. on Sept. 24 at 900 Stony Landing Road in Moncks Corner.

The occasion marks the grand opening of Fort Fair Lawn, situated a mile away from Old Santee Canal Park.

Fort Fair Lawn is one of only two earthen military strongholds left in the United States, recounts Berkeley County Museum Director Chelsy Proper, with the other being Star Fort at the Ninety Six Historic Site, about 60 miles south of Greenville.

The Sept. 24 event will allow spectators to see Fort Fair Lawn in its current state, along with taking in reenactments provided by performers dressed in colonial attire. Some of the on-site actors will be armed with muskets and they may even fire off a canon or two.

As for the historical significance of the site, Proper explains that Fort Fair Lawn was actually built in the late 1770s by the British as a holding area to store their military armaments.

“They had it here because it’s close to the Cooper River and they were able to get their supplies up here. Moncks Corner was strategic during the revolution because it was kind of the gateway to Charleston,

“They really wanted to capture Charleston — which they did. The fort was held by the British until (late) 1781, when the patriots came in and attacked [it] and took it over.”

From that point, American troops never utilized Fort Fair Lawn, as the structure was left to be surrounded in overgrown vegetation while it progressively sank deeper into the ground.

And though it was practically abandoned by American forces, centuries later, historian Douglas Bostick of the South Carolina Preservation Battleground Trust describes the site in glowing terms by stating: “Fort Fair Lawn is probably the most pristine, intact original American Revolutionary War fortification in South Carolina, if not the country.”

Over the next 240 years after its abandonment, many locals would go drink beers at the fort or even ride their go carts around the old fortress.

So, while much of the action and reenactment activities are taking place at the fort site on Sept. 24, those who seek a deeper understanding of what transpired in Moncks Corner and the surrounding Charleston area during the American Revolutionary War period can drop in on a lecture at Old Santee Canal Park. The historical learning sessions are scheduled to run from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m.

The subjects covered during these discussions will include a snapshot of residents who remained loyal to the British regime, as well as South Carolina’s connection to Barbados, as many Charlestonians of the time originally came from the island country in the West Indies. In fact, many plantations in South Carolina very closely resemble similar estates that were prevalent in Barbados.

In addition, the first annual Colonial Day will feature games for children in the form of scavenger hunts. Other event activities include indigo dyeing, candle making, native birds/plant talk, the fabrication of sweetgrass baskets and an information session on colonial medicine.

And those who wish to tour the Berkeley Historic Museum can enjoy an up-close and personal view of artifacts found inside Fort Fair Lawn in the form of buttons, soldier belt and shoe buckles and more.

Proper considers Colonial Day and the grand opening of Fort Fair Lawn as an exciting learning opportunity for many newcomers to the Lowcountry.

“There are so many people moving to the area that a lot of them don’t know this history. So, there has been a renewed interest just in the [American] Revolutionary War in general. I’m not sure where that renewed interest comes from, I’m just glad it’s here,” says the researcher/interpreter who hails from the Bluegrass State of Kentucky.

Additional information on the Sept. 24 affair can be found on Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center Facebook page.

As an artist/illustrator with an architectural background, Dale Watson has tackled a varied assortment of portraits and renderings throughout his career. His latest grand undertaking involves producing up to 30 paintings depicting scenes from the American Revolution in a venture titled the “Liberty Trail Project,” with nine of these canvas representations currently on display at the Berkeley County Museum in Moncks Corner.

The 63-year-old Mount Pleasant resident is being commissioned by the American Battlefield Trust, which is partnering with the South Carolina Battlefield Preservation Trust to make these historical portrayals a reality. One year into the process, Watson is continually consulting with historians, such as Douglas Bostick, in his quest to achieve 100 percent accuracy in his drawings of the bygone era of our founding fathers.

Watson, whose previous historical work can be seen at the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon in Charleston, doesn’t take short cuts in his pursuit of perfection. In his Liberty Trail endeavor, the veteran artist began by sending thumbnail sketches of his preliminary drawings to the American Battlefield Trust before they collectively signed off on what a battlefield scene or landscape should look like.

“Once we get all the details down, like what uniform and what soldiers would have been there, there’s a lot of back and forth with Doug and the team in Washington [D.C.],” described Watson. “Once we get all of that, I’ll refine my line sketches. When we get the point where everybody likes those, then I go into my color phase.”

Vivid coloring, in fact, is a hallmark of most of Watson’s historical framed images, such as his Fort Fair Lawn painting, which will be on display during the old stronghold’s grand opening. on the weekend of Sept. 24.

In another of his works, titled “Battle of Kettle Creek,” the artist’s meticulous rigor is highlighted to the extent that a viewer can capture the essence and urgency of the depicted soldiers in action.

His original commissioned oil painting of the “Battle of Kettle Creek,” Watson recounts, was presented to former University of Georgia football head coach Vince Dooley. If one looks closely at the portrait, they might be able to identify the likeness of former Bulldog running back Herschel Walker dressed as one of the soldiers. It is believed that the one African-American male in the actual standoff might have actually been related to the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner.

As for his other paintings and how they relate to the role Mocks Corner and Berkeley County played in the fight versus British Redcoats, Watson mentioned the heroics of “Swamp Fox” Francis Marion in thwarting the enemy. The military officer’s ability to stonewall the British from navigating the backwoods after they conquered Charleston, noted the sketch-and-color virtuoso, was pivotal in the success of the United States.

“Having been here for a long time, I think I was uniquely suited for this,” reflected Watson. “I’ve been in a bunch of swamps. I’ve trekked around in a lot of them. I have a huge appreciation for Francis Marion sneaking through those swamps in the middle of August to attack the British camp with the snakes and alligators out there. Something always stings you or bites you or pulls you.

“I often said the idea of being some 20-year-old British guy from Yorkshire [County], England and landing over here would be the equivalent of some poor kid from Washington state or Wisconsin landing in Vietnam in the 1960s. I mean, landing in such a hostile, alien, hot and humid environment, and then having an enemy who knows the land and sneaks up ...”

As the son of a minister in South Carolina’s Upstate region and a former Army paratrooper, Watson is constantly on the lookout for new adventures and opportunities to learn about history. Recently, he shared reading “1776” from David McCullough to gain further insight into the birth of our nation.

What many folks may not be aware of, said Watson, is just how many American residents remained loyal to the British regime at the outbreak of the revolution. In fact, he estimated that a fairly equal number of loyalists and patriots lived in South Carolina in the late 1700s.

Painting battleground portraits, however, isn’t all Watson does since he still keeps busy composing architectural renderings as an independent contractor.

When asked to dole out a few tips for illustrators, such as himself, who want to take a walk on the wild side of painting and artistry, Watson recommends simply drawing every day.

“Just start doing it. Don’t think about it as much as much getting up and doing it every day,” he continued since it’s the only way any individual can become aware of their flaws.

“You have to mess up a lot of paintings ... just that struggle you have with that whole piece of it . I honestly haven’t done a painting yet that I’m completely happy with,” stated the self-avowed hard marker.

Watson’s portfolio can be viewed by visiting www.dalewatsonart.com.