Bassett Furniture to close in W. Ashley

The owners of two Bassett Furniture stores in the Charleston area plan to close their West Ashley location at the end of October.

The store opened last year at 3484 Shelby Ray Court, off Glenn McConnell Parkway.

After the successful launch of a Mount Pleasant location in 2004, the business partners decided to open a store in West Ashley, where thousands of new homes were planned, said co-owner Ray Waldrup.

But the business struggled after the housing market soured and many of those new subdivisions stalled.

"Everything is at a standstill," Waldrup said. "We need new houses in order to sell furniture."

The East Cooper Bassett store at 1004 Hungryneck Blvd. will remain open.

Waldrup said he would consider opening another location in the future, once the residential market improves.

The home furnishings industry as a whole has taken a hit from the housing slump.

Speaking at an American Home Furnishings Alliance event this month, analyst Jerry Epperson said 2007 is shaping up as the most challenging year for furniture retailing since 1982, according to trade magazine Furniture Today.

Epperson forecast declining furniture sales for 2007 and a flat 2008, with the industry hurt by weaker home sales, the magazine reported. He predicted the housing market would bounce back in 2009.

Bean counters

A new Beaner's Gourmet Coffee Shop is set to open today in a fast-growing area of Mount Pleasant.

The store will be in the Station 41 shopping center at the corner of U.S. Highway 17 and S.C. Highway 41.

Beaner's is a Lansing, Mich.-based coffee house franchise that specializes in gourmet coffee and fine teas. The chain also offers pastries, fruit and sandwiches. The new store at 1055 Highway 41 will offer free Wi-Fi Internet access as well as a drive-through window.

The local franchise owner/operators are Johns Island natives Steven Hudgins and Shawn Hinson.

Beaner's currently operates 77 stores in nine Midwestern and Southeastern states, and 63 more stores are in the works. Other local Beaner's locations are at 1150 Queensborough Blvd. in the Publix Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant and at 717 Trolley Road in Summerville. The Web site is www.beaners.com.

Wingin' it

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar opened its second Charleston-area restaurant Sunday in North Charleston's Centre Pointe complex off International Boulevard.

The sports-themed family restaurant chain specializes in New York-style chicken wings coated in one of 14 sauces.

Located near the Tanger Outlet Center, the Centre Pointe restaurant seats more than 225 inside and on an outdoor patio, and features more than 30 high-definition television sets, including eight big-screen TVs, said franchise owner Casey Fish.

Fish's company, ACI Holdings LLC, operates four Buffalo Wild Wings locations in Virginia as well as one in Summerville. With plans to add stores in Mount Pleasant, Columbia and other South Carolina markets, ACI is moving its corporate offices from Roanoke, Va., to Mount Pleasant. Real estate firm CB Richard Ellis/Carmody is helping with the relocation.

Based in Minneapolis, Buffalo Wild Wings has more than 445 locations in 37 states.

Home comforts

Nancy Koltes at Home, a retailer of luxury linens, is set to open Tuesday at 438 King St. Products include adult and children's bed linens, down and feather bedding, towels, lounge wear, and home accessories.

The store is one of about 25 businesses planning to take part in the Upper King Design Walk on Thursday evening.

The event kicks off at 5:15 p.m. with a free concert by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra at the William Aiken House at 446 King St. The design walk will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Reach Caroline Fossi at 937-5524 or cfossi@postandcourier.com.