Changing face of Upper King Street has some store owners protesting while others are going with the flowBy David Slade (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mic Smith Magar Hat Works is among the businesses that have left upper King Street. Owner Leigh Magar, who relocated to Cannon Street, posted a plea to support locally-owned businesses after her store lost its lease. Photo GalleryUpper King Street 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 also are pricey new home design stores and a bakery for dogs. Efforts to revitalize Upper King Street have created a diverse, urban shopping district where you can get a spa treatment or a $59 suit, but there are mixed feelings about the changes. Leigh Magar made protest signs after her Magar Hat Works store lost its lease; she had to move this month. "King Street — not a strip mall," said one sign she posted in the window of her then-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, including 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 police officer 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." Peterson said that when he took over the business 30 years ago, the shops on Upper King Street were mostly patronized by Charleston's black residents, like him. Back then, anything north of Calhoun Street was simply "uptown." Now, hotel and condo developments are in the works all along Upper King Street, which received a more than $13 million face-lift completed in 2007 that included new sidewalks, underground utilities and street trees. "One goal of streetscape was revitalization, and that seems to be occurring," Sharon Brennan, director of Charleston's Economic Development Department, said after the work was completed last year. Brennan said most of the businesses that opened on King Street in 2006, when the streetscape project was under way, opened on Upper King Street. The work began in 2005, and was financed with special multi-year assessments on businesses with property along Upper King Street. At the same time, residential neighborhoods around Upper King Street were gentrifying, property values were rising, and the Charleston School of Law became established in the area. An outbreak of stores selling upscale home furnishings prompted an effort to call a section of Upper King Street "the design district" and some developers have taken to calling the area "midtown," which also is the name of a massive hotel and condo project proposed at King and Spring streets. Magar, while objecting to national chain stores, was actually part of the vanguard of new stores moving to Upper King Street. Her now-closed shop, which opened seven years ago, sold high-end hats that she custom designed. Her fear is that Upper King Street will become too much like the downtown version, dotted with big-name stores that can be found at most shopping malls. Magar plans to move to Cannon Street, where she's purchased a building so that she won't have to worry about losing another lease. Fifty-Two-Five, which sells new and used compact discs and records and rents hard-to-find videos, moved to Upper King Street in 2006 after losing its lease downtown at 75 Wentworth St. The college students that make up the store's customer base also have been moving uptown. "There are more students up this way," owner Clay Scales said. "I hope we can keep some of the local flavor." Peterson, one of the long- established Upper King Street merchants, said he still has customers for the pickled pigs' feet that bob in a huge glass jar on his back counter, but his television repair work has changed with the times. These days, Peterson's television technicians do 90 percent of the repairs in people's home, working on sets that are too big and heavy to tote to a repair shop. And Peterson's record business now caters to collectors, and people who scoop up vintage albums at his store and resell them on internet auction sites. "I learned in my business class that if you can't survive in a changing environment, then you need to go and work for somebody," he said. "Change is good, and King Street has been very good to me." Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 26 comment(s)
Posted by skeeter on May 12, 2008 at 6:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't care what you say but Charleston has been sold out! Stores used to be run by Charlstonians for Charlestonians but the almighty dollar has stripped the very fabric of once was my hometown. The charm of what was once what I considered "heaven on earth" has been replaced by generic Big Business. Screw Charleston and the Mayor who sold it out. What do you expect from a real estate developer! 8 terms my butt! I'm glad I moved away. It makes me sick to see what is happening to the people who call Charleston home.
John Glover
Augusta, Ga
Posted by suec on May 12, 2008 at 7:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I've been to Augusta. If that is your idea of a great place to live....well...good for you.
Posted by jameschucktown on May 12, 2008 at 7:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Skeeter, To quote the old song "Augusta, GA just ain't a palce to be". I agree with suec but you have right to live where you want. That is why I live here.
Posted by icbmman on May 12, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That's right, skeeter, and Augusta just has AAAALL the local charm that Chas now lacks, right? <sarcasm>
Well, I hope you like it in Augusta where the only scenery is miles of pine trees and where their idea of high-class shopping is Belk's. Chas, because it "sold out" has been able to provide big-city shopping without a lot of the big city. Good grief, you have Saks 5th Avenue and Gucci, stores you'd only find in Atlanta. Hope you like it in Augusta...while I'm stuck here in Cola, I always think about coming back to my hometown, getting back to the ocean, beaches, and palmetto trees.
Posted by Early on May 12, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr Peterson is a fine individual, I have known of him for years. He is intelligent enough to flow with the times.
As far as the rest of the article, this has been the plan of Riley for years is to push the poverty and run down areas out of town and into North Charleston. This is inevitable and after being here in Charleston most of my life, the pace has picked up dramatically in the last three years. It’s a good thing but it is sad to see a way of life being changed by mostly younger more aggressive people!
Posted by grainofsalt on May 12, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Come on, guys. Skeeter expresses an opinion and instead of addressing the issue, you attack his current town? Jeez... why not just talking about his mom, too? :-)
Look, I agree with the folks in the article that you can't stop progress. And there are reasons I'm glad for that. I was born downtown and have lived in Charleston all my life. Time was, I wouldn't have walked north of Calhoun past dark on a bet. Hell, time was, I wouldn't have walked past dark around the market area and the part of King Street where Charleston Place now stands. Used to be nothing but old warehouses, ugly bars, drug deals and drunk lowlifes. Much nicer now, as is upper King. So there's something to be said for progress.
That doesn't change the fact, however, that this progress comes at a cost. Charleston is losing it's character in these areas. Other than large developments like Charleston Place, the original "progress" and redevelopment came as a result of locally owned businesses retaking the decaying areas of downtown. These businesses were often unique. (Fortunately, many of the restaurants still are.) But many of the local retailers couldn't hold out against the deep pockets of the larger chains, which have taken over so many stores downtown.
So now, we've got more tourists than I ever remember in my life, all wandering the downtown area, visiting Starbucks, Banana Republic, Saks and other large chain stores. Then they take a carriage ride past some historic houses and they get the illusion that they're enjoying a truly unique and historic city.
I miss the early part of the redevelopment - in the mid-80s' - when tourist dollars were flowing in, but you could still get downtown and park and find some really unique retailers.
I guess the point being... don't pick too much at other towns. Augusta may not be the "coolest" town out there. But there's something to be said for not having every chain store and restaurant in existence running off the local retailers and not having a downtown area so choked with tourists that locals can no longer enjoy it.
Posted by ColdBeer on May 12, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The City of Charleston and Mayor Riley will most definitely screw up the changes on upper King St., there's no doubt about that..... BUT...
There is NOTHING that can be done to upper King St. that would make it worse than it is today. In this case, ANY change has got to be GOOD change.
Posted by ln1959 on May 12, 2008 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
TP,
Keep all of those chain store of off James Island. Its getting to crowded. Uses to be able to get of off James Island in 10 minutes, now its about 25. We don't need big stores. Thats what weekend get away to down town was for when I was growing up on James Island. And by the way, I enjoyed coming to down town on King Street to buy my $59 dollars suites...ha ha ha
SO STAY OFF OUR ISLAND!!!!!!! MR. Rilley
Posted by orpheus on May 12, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Charleston has developed into a into a whore and Mayor Reilly and his crew are the pimps selling out to the carpetbaggers once again
Posted by a_set_love on May 12, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All the work they did and are doing on King Street - just like putting lipstick on a pig.
Its still a pig!
Posted by jca on May 12, 2008 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
its better than a all of the Mexican restaurants and stores where they have signs up that says no english spoken here.
many of the stores down there are way to overpriced and sell junk
Posted by blah_blah_blah on May 12, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just don't shop there. I know I won't. We the people have more power than the mayor and elected officials. If we give our business to only the local shops, the chain stores will be forced to leave.
Hometowns, not Home Depots!
Posted by icbmman on May 12, 2008 at 3:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The anti-Rileyites manage to hijack another thread.
I wasn't attacking skeeter, but the tone of his post and his attitude warranted a sharp retort. It amazes me that somebody would harbor that much bitterness towards progress, and what's even more perplexing is how Chas was somehow "paradise on earth" while I remembered it being pretty rundown, falling apart, and populated by drunk beggars and the homeless.
I want local businesses to thrive. I think they are very necessary in the city's economy. However, those dreaded chains are also owned and managed by LOCALS who invest in other LOCAL businesses to run and operate their establishment. That being said, I believe that if local businesses want to remain a relevant to downtown's retail economy, they need to modernize their stores, renovate their storefronts, and invest in their business. Most people like to go to a nice, well-kept place and not some dilapidated s**thole, with the exception of TP who prefers to have cockroaches and rats**t on his dinner plate. Local businesses have to compete with chains...it's called capitalism.
Hey blah, so are you willing to pay $50 for a hammer when you can buy it at Lowe's for $10? You have remarkable budgeting skills.
Posted by blah_blah_blah on May 12, 2008 at 3:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
icbmman,
at least give me a chance to answer your hammer question before you chastise me.
no, i wouldn't buy a hammer for $50.
First off, a local hardward store doesn't mark up prices that dramatically.
secondly, would you buy a cheaper hammer made in China, or a little more expensive hammer made in South Carolina? Where is your money going?
TP, i hear you, i remember growing up, my mom used to get so excited if she saw a Wal-Mart where we vacationed.
Posted by ColdBeer on May 12, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Leave Home Depot out of this. My wife works there and she still needs to pay off my boat :)
Posted by icbmman on May 12, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My money is going to higher gas, utility, and food prices. Granted, my example was over the top, but it proves my point. You may be financially secure to spend the extra money for a hammer, but many other people, myself included, feel financially squeezed with the constant inflation of goods and services. As a result, many consumers will go after the cheapest item available in the market.
I actually strive to buy most of my tools from Craftsman, because I do value quality. However, it is easier for others to go to WalMart and find those tools. Lowe's and Home Depot do have American made tools, BTW, but I agree, it is a shame they don't bring in more American made products.
Posted by blah_blah_blah on May 12, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
icbmman, i agree whole-heartedly.
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 12, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Charleston has been sold out to commercialism and money. The city area is so fake anymore.
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 12, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Whats that big promotion they do every year when tourism drops off and the profits as well?
"Be A Tourist In Your Own Town."
Charleston is not Charleston anymore.
Posted by Newt on May 12, 2008 at 4:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember when downtown was a scary place! Strip bars, hobos, burned out lot where the Omni (Charleston Place) is and the shops on King Street that were any good started at Beaufain. I know that it seems much different, but different is not always a bad thing!
Posted by ColdBeer on May 12, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just in case my wife reads this, I find strips bars scary too :)
Posted by vofr on May 12, 2008 at 4:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What does Riley have to do with any of this? Addressing the article...anytime you can get rid of poor people and replace them with something good is fine by me. You can push the dredges of society up to North Chuck for all I care.
Posted by IOP4ME on May 12, 2008 at 5:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It wasn't too long ago that half of the stores on Upper King were empty, so I don't understand what the problem is. It also wasn't too long ago that you could have bought one of those buildings for next to nothing, so if you were running a successful business in the area and did not do so to support the area then, lesson learned.
Posted by skeeter on May 13, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry about my first post folks but I guess I just really miss Charleston. My ancestors arrived in 1684 according to the documents and I guess it's just in my blood to question change. You have no idea how much I miss the Holy City and sure hope I can move back someday. As far as Augusta goes, It can't hold a candle to Charleston which is the greatest city in the country as far as I'm concerned!
Posted by poor_paul on May 14, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Skeeter, you never played guitar in the local bars, did you? maybe somebody by the same name...
If it makes you feel any better, a lot of these buildings are being bought by locals, not by big developers (or carpetbaggers). I just want to know who said the national chains were supplanting the hat lady - that was news to me. I thought it was so they could renovate the buildings.
We all need to relax and have a beer with coldbeer - I like the way he thinks...
Posted by draftdot on May 15, 2008 at 9:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
dear poor paul,
Who is going to move into a 2 million dollar(before renovation) building? I don't think a lot of local businesses can afford the rent. If we lose local businesses then we will lose the sense of community and character of charleston. Downtown charleston will be the same as every other city. We need to pay more attention to our own citizens rather than kowtow to tourists!