Do you have a talent for interviewing creative spirits and sharing their stories?
Do you want to build your writing portfolio?
If you answered yes to these questions, this may be the right gig for you.
Here are the details:
Our musical footprint in the Lowcountry has always been present, but it is expanding as more great talents are performing in the area. We need assistance with a music journalist or aspiring music journalist to do freelance interviews and/or attend shows and document their experiences.
Each piece pays $25.00 with full writing and photo credit to you
We will the contacts and assist in scheduling
You will have an opportunity to speak with great musicians and attend some of the hottest shows in the area.
Times are changing in the Lowcountry and opinions are strong along the spectrum. While many are embracing the new face of Charleston, others yearn for a time of yesteryear where simple family values and traditional Southern living was the way of life.
No matter what camp you support, we are evolving and the train is moving whether you are on or remain behind.
As a result of the rapid change, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the new realities or norms of everyday life here in the coastal haven we call home.
Here we go:
The Lowcountry is a hot destination for retirees. We are seeing that with communities such as Del Webb and the new senior living community on the Crosstown. This trend will also be prevalent in drivers. Older drivers are more cautious and on average slower. This is a factor all of us must accept as we take to the roads. Be safe and careful and adjust to some of the more cautiously slower drivers on our roadways.
Food and alcohol taxation in restaurants may have an adverse effect on locals. For a tourist who is in and out in 3-4 days, 10.5% food tax and 16% alcohol tax is just part of the vacation game, but for locals who live year-round, there may be a trend toward reduced dining out. Will this impact restaurants in the area? Time will tell.
More opportunities for small businesses and partnerships. We have all seen or entered an Instagram giveaway where several local businesses and/or artisans give away a big prize. The idea of collaboration to maximize exposure and sales is a growing theme and we see this continuing into the future. When you see “Shop Local” you could find yourself tripping on several local brands at once. Embrace the unstructured business approach of the Lowcountry from our brick and mortar to our farmer’s markets.
Construction! Construction! Construction! Who hasn’t done a crane count over the beautiful downtown skyway? Now the cranes are stretching, west, south, and north. Construction, whether commercial or residential is here to stay.
Neighborhoods are seeking their own identity. Charleston is no longer the dominant neighborhood. As we expand and develop communities and neighborhoods, the desire for a unique identity is becoming more prominent. What was once the Tri-country is now individual neighborhoods and towns such as Cane Bay, Del Webb, Nexton, WestEdge, East Side, Summerville, Hanahan, Ladson, North Charleston, Mixson, Ion, Charleston, James Island, Johns Island, Kiawah, Dunes West, IOP, and so on who all want to be recognized.
Real Estate is THE dinner party conversation. Try going to a dinner party, friends’ happy hour, festival, or brunch and not have real estate come up in conversation. Whether you are looking to move, take advantage of the hot market, flipping homes, or trying to get your piece of the American Dream, real estate is as popular as food in Charleston.
Music is finding a home in the Lowcountry. With the birth or revitalization of Riverfront Park, Firefly, The Bend, and established ambassadors of music including the Music Farm, CreditOne Stadium, Charleston Pour House, and Charleston Music Hall, Charleston is becoming a new mecca for established and emerging artists.
Charleston is a coastal port city. No matter what highway you are on and what time of day, you will be surrounded by CDL vehicles transporting to and from our area ports.
There you have it, eight of the new norms of the Charleston Lowcountry area. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Charleston area boasts 3 of the most prominent Southern colleges/universities, the College of Charleston, The Citadel, and Charleston Southern University. For those that attended last weekend’s emotional send-off, you witnessed our future take a giant leap forward.
For those that could not attend, here are recordings in the entirety of all four commencement ceremonies from this past weekend (2 for CofC).
Charleston Southern University Commencement 2022
The Citadel Commencement 2022
College of Charleston Class of 2022 Commencement: Humanities and Social Sciences, Languages, Cultures and World Affairs
College of Charleston Class of 2022 Commencement: School of the Arts, Graduate School, School of Science and Mathematics
Some of you may remember 211 King Street as the former “Forever 21” while others go back further to the days of “Saks”.
Now the beautiful corner commercial lot is home to Target.
Tonight the Target tram held a soft opening with goodies and refreshments. The initial enthusiasm from shoppers and guests is an indication that this will be a refreshing addition to downtown Charleston.
If you have never been to an urban Target, you may be surprised to find the square footage and item offerings smaller than the larger mall or stand alone locations. Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed. For locals, vacationers, and students, you will find almost anything you need with the high level of quality and customer service you have come to expect from Target stores.
Cat cafes first appeared in Taiwan, and their popularity quickly spread around the world. There are a growing number of cat cafes in the United States, but none in Summerville—until now. That’s where we come in!
We are excited to bring the magic of a cat cafe to Summerville, SC, with your help! Summerville is growing so fast and we think it’s time we have our very own cat cafe!
Our main goal is to help more cats find their furr-ever families. We will be fostering cats available for adoption, and providing space for them to socialize with our guests in a cozy, laid-back environment. We also plan to host events in the cafe like cats & crafts night, cat yoga, drag bingo, pop-up tarot readings, wine tastings, and more!
A portion of our proceeds will go to our partner shelter, Dorchester Paws.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Real estate company The Cassina Group has been ranked in the top 1000 brokerages in the United States. The company received the honor from T3 Sixty as part of its annual Mega 1000 list, which analyzes and ranks the residential real estate industry’s largest brokerages. This is the second year The Cassina Group has been named to the list.
“We are so honored to have been named to the Mega 1000 list again this year,” said Owen Tyler, partner and managing broker of The Cassina Group. “Our team of Realtors and staff work tirelessly day in and day out to deliver the best possible experience for our clients, and we are so elated to be recognized for our efforts and successes.”
The award was announced by T3 Sixty, the largest management consultancy in the residential real estate brokerage industry. The report ranks the nation’s top 1,000 brokerages by annual sales volume, transaction sides and agent count.
“The companies that make the Mega 1000 are the best in the industry,” said T3 Sixty Founder and Executive Chairman Stefan Swanepoel. “They are the leaders. Congrats to them.”
The Mega 1000 recognizes The Cassina Group’s record-breaking year in 2021, in which the company had its best year since its 2006 inception with over $586 million in closed sales. The boutique firm has just over 40 Realtors and consistently ranks as the No. 1 boutique firm in Charleston. The company, known for its cutting-edge marketing techniques and high-touch service, works with buyer and seller clients throughout Charleston.
About The Cassina Group The Cassina Group is a boutique real estate brokerage with offices in Mount Pleasant, S.C., and Charleston, S.C. The firm is managed by Owen Tyler, partner and managing broker, and founding partners Jimmy Dye and Robertson Allen. Recent awards include top honors from Charleston Magazine, Inc. 5000, T3 Sixty and SC Biz News. For more information, visit www.CassinaGroup.com or call 843-628-0008.
Photo: The Cassina Group leadership team, from left, Robertson Allen, Jimmy Dye and Owen Tyler.
Join the Five Fish Foundation at the RiverDogs Friday Fireworks game on Friday, May 27 to help support the great work Five Fish does in the community for individuals and families with intellectual disabilities. Your ticket purchase goes directly to support Five Fish’s mission and programs! On this incredible night, you will join other Five Fish friends in the Segra Club at Riley Park, the RiverDogs’ indoor/outdoor hospitality space. Your ticket includes access to a full, high-end food spread, beer/wine/soft drinks, access to the climate-controlled Club, and a seat on the balcony.
Tickets are $125+tax, with all proceeds going to Five Fish Foundation
The two restaurants we will be featuring today are not typically on any foodie blog, not found on billboards at the international airport, nor on many Instagram reels, but stand out for high quality and intimate customer service resulting in high loyalty retention.
These two restaurants are Maya del Sol Kitchen (1813 Suite B, Reynolds Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405) and The Lowdown Oven and Bar (967 Folly Rd, Charleston, SC 29412). If you have not yet experienced either, add them to your culinary adventure wish list.
Maya del Sol
Local Chef Raul Sanchez (recently featured during opening night at the Charleston Wine & Food Festival), along with his colleague Tim brings an intimate global dining experience to their guests in a small family atmosphere that keeps you coming back week after week. The exceptional menu, which changes weekly, is small giving Raul an opportunity to put love into each and every dish that is prepared. Don’t worry, Raul and the team listen and respect the wishes of his guests, so if you have a favorite, they will find a way to ensure it remains.
This is where things get really special. Maya del Sol Kitchen offers a themed communal multi-course dining experience created by Chef Raul Sanchez and guest chefs, highlighting a different nationality from Puerto Rican to Italian typically twice a month. These special reservation-only events pair exceptionally fresh food from traditional and unique recipes with drink pairings that make for a special night. Not only will you enjoy this one-of-a-kind dining experience, but may walk away with new friendships.
Once you start coming back, you will see familiar faces and smiles and truly start to understand the importance of customer loyalty built around high-quality food and caring relationships.
The Lowdown Oven and Bar
I have been going to The Lowdown on and off for 7+ years and one thing remains, high-quality customer service, consistency, and quality. In fact, I left the area for almost 14 months to travel overseas and hike and when I returned, they asked where I had been for the last year. That is customer loyalty.
I want to talk a little about consistency and dedication to the customer. As prices began to rise in the Charleston community and sales dipped due to COVID, most restaurants had to raise their prices and/or drop their specials. Lowdown didn’t!
Since they opened you can still get the following:
$1.75 Budweiser – All day every day
Half-price cheesesteak sandwiches on Tuesday (Dine-in or Take-out) and $4.00 local drafts
Half-price pizza and wine (glass or bottle) on Wednesday ((Dine-in or Take-out)
Half-price burgers on Thursdays (Dine-in or Take-out)
They are always dog-friendly
Overall, prices have remained relatively unchanged with only a small increase to meet the rising cost of ingredients.
With outdoor seating, outdoor seating with an overhang, indoor booths and tables, a bar area, and community tables, Lowdown is a place where people come to meet, eat, drink, laugh, and spent time with community neighbors.
Over the years, we see groups of friends, clubs, dates, families, and neighbors fill the seats because they know they are welcome with open arms in a place where they know your name, the food is comforting, drinks are refreshing and the company is familiar and safe.
We are so thrilled to share these two restaurants that exemplify the Charleston way when it comes to Southern hospitality and customer care.
Did you know that it’s possible to harvest crops using saltwater? Charleston is home to the first-ever indoor saltwater hydroponics farm that utilizes ocean water – aka the world’s most abundant resource – to grow food.
Heron Farms, located at 1783 Harmon St., was established by Sam Norton in 2018. Sam grew up on a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina where his family home flooded more frequently + severely every year due to the sea level rise. The same issue was seen during his trip to Bangladesh, where he witnessed saltwater intrusion into coastal rice paddies upending the lives of many farmers in Asia.
This led to the idea of treating sea level rise as a free resource that could be used for agricultureinstead of just an environmental problem.
The first step in understanding the process is studying up on general hydroponic farming. Simply put, this method of indoor farming eliminates soil use by utilizing an alternative root anchor for plants + growing them directly in water(think: “hydro” = water). The inside setting eliminates the barriers of land use constraints +seasonality of crops. Plants receive controlled amounts of water, oxygen, nutrients + light that promotes the growth cycle. The difference with Heron Farms is that in all other cases, fresh water is used.
Why saltwater?
Along with the reasons mentioned above, the micronutrients of seawater that are transferred into the plants are a great source of minerals in our daily diets. Additionally, seawater irrigation allows the company to use less freshwater than any farm in the U.S.
What crops are grown?
Heron Farms sea beans | Photo provided by Heron Farms
Heron Farms’ first crop is sea beans – salicornia europaea– an edible plant that grows in the salt marsh. These types of saltwater-tolerant plants are known as halophytes, which have evolved to tolerate salt across its whole life cycle. Learn about cooking + eating sea beans here.
What makes this local company even cooler? For every pound of sea beans sold at Heron Farms, the company replants a sq. ft. of salt marsh along coastal South Carolina + Bangladesh using a custom seed-dropping drone. So far, 30,000 sq. ft. have been planted.
Heron Farms has been invited by Seawater Solutions to present at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where the Charleston-based company will build a second saltwater hydroponics farm.
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