Pool Repair in Downtown Charleston, SC

The Nickel, a 50-room French-inspired property built on the site of the former Dixie Furniture store at 529 King St., opened its doors to guests on June 2.

Nightly room rates start at $460.

The Upper King hotel plans to unveil its rooftop Rosemary Rose bar and lounge later this month

It's the second downtown hospitality development for Method Co., which opened The Pinch a few blocks to the south at King and George streets in 2022.

The latest project was developed in partnership with Capital Square. They paid $11 million for the shuttered furniture store in 2019.

The project was unveiled a few years ago as an $61 million extended-stay-style accommodations to be called the Roost Apartment Hotel. The Philadelphia-based developer later shifted gears and went with a more conventional suite-style hotel concept.

The Nickel takes its name from the French expression, “C’est Nickel” which translates to “It’s Perfect,” according to the hotel.

Raze and replace

The buyer of a North Charleston engine testing site that Cummins Inc. mothballed last year is looking to reboot the Leeds Park property.

Green Start Charleston LLC has filed a proposal with the S.C. Department of Environmental Services to raze the existing 40,000-square-foot industrial structure and replace it with a pre-engineered metal building of an equal size with warehouse and office space. It was described in engineering plans as a speculative project, suggesting it will likely seek a tenant or buyer once completed.

Diesel giant Cummins established its Technical Center-Charleston decades ago within the industrial park it once owned and occupied at 4500 Leeds Ave. It closed the 72-worker engine research-and-development site last summer under a restructuring.

Green Start bought the former 6.4-acre property from Cummins earlier this year for $3.3 million, according to public property records.

The new owner is an affiliate of Enfield, Conn.-based Capital Recovery Group LLC, a private equity investor that buys and sells industrial real estate, from paper mills to commercial bakeries, as well as equipment. Next month, for example, it’ll be seeking bids for the assets of a Las Vegas circus in an online auction, according to its website.

Capital Recovery Group also helped Cummins offload the heavy machinery at the North Charleston R&D site.

On board

A Greenville-based lender has added a Lowcountry representative to its newly expanded boardroom.

Coastal Community Foundation CEO Darrin Goss Sr. is of three new directors at the publicly traded parent of Southern First Bank. He'll also serve on the audit committee.

The board appointments took effect Sunday.

Goss is a James Island native who joined the North Charleston-based Coastal Community Foundation as president and chief executive officer in 2016.

The Army veteran — a graduate of Wofford College with a master's degree from North Greenville University — "is a respected and strategic leader, a passionate advocate, and a dynamic speaker on issues impacting his community, which enhances his ability to serve as a director," Southern First Bancshares Inc. said in a June 2 filing with Securities and Exchange Commission.

The holding company and bank paid its 12 outside directors a monthly retainer of $2,500 and $1,200 for each board and committee meeting they attended. Total cash compensation last year ranged from $45,600 to $58,200.

Founded in 1999, Southern First is the second-largest bank headquartered in the Palmetto State, with more than $4 billion in loans and other income-producing assets on its books. It opened its first Charleston branch in 2012 on East Bay Street.

The Upstate-based bank now operates a dozen retail offices in the Carolinas and Atlanta.

Old college try

The College of Charleston is fanning out to fund raise.

The downtown school announced last week that it has hired four "regional" gift officers to reach out to alumni up and down much of the eastern seaboard.

The new hires will serve as boots on the ground in key markets in an effort to increase individual, corporate and foundation gifts from former students.

The so-called Coastal Southeast territory is closest to campus. It stretches from Myrtle Beach to Savannah and inland to Columbia.

The other fundraisers cover three other large geographic clusters: Florida, Georgia and North Carolina; Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.; and Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

“We believe in the importance of becoming community members across our most alumni-populated regions,” said Dan Frezza, CofC's chief advancement officer.

The college said it raised $27 million in gifts and commitments last year. The 9,548 donors included 5,020 alumni, bringing their participation rate to 7.52 percent.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the average alumni giving rate among national universities and liberal arts colleges during the 2022-2023 academic year was 7.7 percent.

With tree-lined walkable streets, gorgeous public parks, piers for dolphin watching, ancient alleys to explore, an internationally significant restaurant scene, art galleries to peruse, boutique shops to hit up, and oysters to slurp down, there's an abundance of good reasons to visit Charleston. And while there are many great hotels to choose from, staying in an Airbnb can offer a bit more privacy and freedom.

The Holy City has a long history of welcoming lodgers into private homes. A scan of the old newspapers from the 1790s alone shows Mrs. Knight advertising her boarding house on Tradd Street promising “satisfaction to those who may please to come,” Mrs. Bricken on Elliott Street “determined to use every exertion to merit approbation,” and Mr. John Hinckley on Union Street (now State Street) “flatters himself no Person will dislike the situation, either by the Week or Day, on the most reasonable terms.” Fast forward to the 21st Century, Charlestonians are a lot less formal now, but still just as gracious.

Most short-term rentals are concentrated in Cannonborough/Elliotborough, a neighborhood whose tree-lined residential streets are packed with eateries and cute shops, all just blocks away from the main thoroughfare of King Street with its oyster bars and snazzy cocktails. The city remains stubbornly parsimonious in granting rental licenses outside of that zone, but it’s for good reason: it helps to support their great hotels and keep the streets as authentic and livable as possible. As a result, visitors get to experience that genuine sense of place.

We’ve come a long way from the boarding houses of yesteryear. Now you can gather all your friends into a spacious Victorian house and clink Champagne glasses on its double piazzas, or retreat for a round of billiards in your handsome loft above Hank’s Seafood Restaurant. From an exclusive 19th-century brick carriage house with a private ornamental garden to an epic urban loft with access to a private chef, these are some of the best Airbnbs in Charleston, South Carolina.

We've selected these listings based on Superhost status, ratings, amenities, location, decor, editor stays, and previous guest reviews.

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CHARLESTON — While developments pop up left and right around the Charleston area, the historic Red Top settlement community recently scored a big win in preserving a park and land revered by many.

The Red Top Improvement Association, with the help of nonprofit Lowcountry Land Trust, has permanently protected Red Top Park, a six-acre property just off U.S. Highway 17 in the far reaches of West Ashley along Old Charleston Road.

The park was once the site of Red Top Rosenwald school, constructed in 1927. Rosenwald schools were built in the 1900s across the South and were dedicated to educating African American children. Over 5,000 were built, with roughly 500 in South Carolina.

Melody Dover, president of the Red Top Improvement Association, said the park is a staple for the community. The property has hosted "basically everything," including a medical clinic, community sports leagues, free lunch programs and even parades, she said.

Now, the community holds meetings in a small brick building there where they plan events like holiday celebrations and oyster roasts.

Despite all the activity, Red Top didn't own the park. The Charleston County School District owned the property, while the community has held a contract to lease it since 2007. That agreement was set to expire in August 2027.

Under the school district's ownership, the property was zoned commercial-light industrial. Because the park is adjacent to marsh and wetlands, any development would have a detrimental impact on the surrounding environment, said Sam Seawell, the community lands director of the Lowcountry Land Trust.

The nonprofit worked with the Red Top community and requested $805,000 in greenbelt funds from Charleston County last year to purchase the property. Council unanimously approved the funding in November.

How did it strike you on arrival?This hotel feels brand new even though it was redesigned and relaunched in 2017. Please note the name change: for those of you who knew it as The Renaissance Charleston, it is now The Lindy Renaissance, which frankly is much more fun. If you’ve never danced The Lindy Hop, it’s an energetic, enthusiastic, even acrobatic swing dance, a spinoff of the classic 1920s dance rage The Charleston, and it’s that kind of energy this hotel aims to channel.

Nice. What’s the crowd like?Anyone and everyone, Marriott loyalists, business travelers, extended families (in connecting, ADA accessible suites), giggly little girls playing chase in the lobby.

The good stuff: Tell us about your room.Room numbers are engraved with images of Charleston door knockers, and entrance hallway ceilings sport the telltale superstitious “haint blue” believed to ward off evil spirits. Wood vinyl flooring feels both rustic and clean. Curated artwork in my Executive King drew my attention, especially the framed image of a folded starched shirt with bowtie and cufflinks as seen through an X-ray scanner. Whimsical black-and-white rabbits line the bathroom wall—a deliberate allusion (per the bellhop who brought up my suitcase) to Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole. I like this place.

How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that find its way into your suitcase? In keeping with the playful spirit here, I absolutely loved the framed art piece made entirely of Dum Dums lollipop wrappers folded into tiny origami boats. Genius. The in-room coffee and tea maker carries Charleston Tea Plantation varieties (a working tea farm you can tour on nearby Wadmalaw Island). Large flatscreen TVs can link your Netflix and Hulu accounts for streaming, and Wi-Fi is included in your “destination fee.”

Drinking and dining—what are we looking at?Chef Vivian Howard has got you covered. She’s the brains (and the beauty) behind the PBS television series A Chef’s Life. Her Handy & Hot pit-stop branches off the hotel lobby, “open every dang day.” The bake shop serves fist-sized biscuits with sweet & savory fillings, and piping hot hand pies stuffed with delicious and surprising flavor combos like fresh ginger with sweet corn and onion. From heavier fare (pimento cheese grits and sausage) to lighter fare (chilled shrimp succotash) everything is portable if you wish. You can even order up a BBQ beach basket to-go for a small group. Hit up the Life Raft Treats cart for a locally made banana pudding ice cream popsicle dipped in dark chocolate. A sit-down dinner or weekend brunch is a MUST at Howard’s onsite restaurant Lenoir where southern flavors marry with upscale culinary technique.

Anything stand out about other services and features? Whether it’s childcare, gyms, spas, even parking—whatever stuck with you.There’s a small gym full of cardio equipment and free weights, if you want to work off some of those biscuits and hand pies. Plus an outdoor, heated saltwater pool on a rooftop, surrounded by cushioned sofas and chaises longues.

Bottom line: worth it, and why?This is a top notch, Marriott branded, completely refurbished hotel with all the technological perks you would expect. Better yet, it is situated on a lesser trafficked cross street downtown, so it feels hidden despite being in the center of everything.

Leasing is now open for The Charles, a luxury residential development nearing completion in downtown Charleston's Harleston Village.

Developed and managed by The Beach Co., the 15 three-story townhomes and eight flats are at Broad and Barre streets, next to The Jasper and overlooking the Ashley River.

Floorplans are a mix of two- and three-bedrooms with private street-level entrances. Rates weren't immediately available.

The development harkens to the historic aspects of the neighborhood with handcrafted wrought iron gates, brick verandas, mahogany doors and copper lanterns. Dan Doyle, president of The Beach Co., said the first residents are expected to move in "later this year.”

Tenants will have access to the deluxe amenities next door at The Jasper, including a rooftop pool, fitness areas, locker rooms with showers and saunas, private wine storage and a demonstration kitchen with catering space for private events.

One in 58 million

A New York real estate investor has purchased a 288-unit multifamily community in Summerville, for $58.5 million, or $203,125 on a per-key basis.

URS Capital Partners, under the name 1005 Sonoran LLC, closed on its acquisition of The Palms At Edgewater, on April 21, according to Dorchester County land records filed earlier this month.

The 24-acre rental complex is at 1005 Sonoran Circle, near Highway 17A and Dorchester Road. It was constructed in 2023 and includes typical apartment amenities, such as a pool, fitness center and pickleball court.

Floorplans include one- to three-bedroom units ranging from 778 to 1,200 square feet. Monthly rental rates start at $1,371.

The builder and seller was a North Carolina-based joint venture operating as SV Developers LLC.

Safety first

Berkeley County has opened its new Goose Creek Magistrate and Public Safety Substation.

The 12,102-square-foot building is at 652 Red Bank Road. It will house county magistrate services as well as outposts for emergency medical services and the sheriff's office.

The new substation also has three courtrooms, each with jury boxes. Three judges, six clerks, three constables, two bailiffs and a security officer will be assigned to the site.

To mark the opening, the city unveiled an official goose statue through its Adopt-A-Goose arts program rather than cut a ribbon.

Fill 'er up

A national real estate financing firm has snapped up the final vacay in a small downtown Charleston office building.

Colliers said it rencpresented the landlord, 2783 Atlantic Owners, in leasing 2,625 square feet of space to Berkadia Commercial Mortgage at 121 Calhoun St., just east of Meeting Street.

With the transaction, the 7,450-square-foot property next to the Courtyard Charleston Historic District hotel has reached full occupancy.

New York-based Berkadia will occupy the second floor. The firm provides lending, investment and property research services.

The building's first floor is home to bridal boutique White Magnolia, while the third is occupied by content creation group Creators Corner.