The Changing Face of Upper King Street

At shops on upper King Street you can still buy a Coke and a pickled pig's foot, or get your shoes repaired, but as redevelopment marches up the peninsula there are also pricey new home design stores and a bakery for dogs.

Efforts to revitalize upper King Street have created a diverse, urban shopping district with everything from spa treatments to $59 suits, but there are mixed feelings about the changes.

Leigh Magar made little protest signs, after her Magar Hat Works store lost its lease and she had to move this month.

"King Street - not a strip mall," said one sign she posted in the window of her former store. "Viva los Independientes."

Next door to Magar's former shop, Charleston Church Supply is having a moving sale. On the other side, the former Uptown Styles clothing store is boarded up.

Some older businesses, like Super Bad - King of Fashions, are still prominent landmarks. Others, like the What Cha Like gospel music store and Young's Beauty Supply, a seller of human hair wigs and braids, have closed or moved.

"It's definitely changing quickly up here," Magar said. "I'm all for progress, but I think we're losing a lot of the character of Charleston."

Others say the revitalization of upper King Street is bringing new customers to their door.

"I've seen more tourists here than I've ever seen before," said James Peterson, a former city cop who has operated a television repair shop and record store at 509 King St. for 30 years.

"I've seen a lot of change, and it's for the best," he said. "You can't stop progress. People have discovered Charleston."