Sports Bar in Summerville, SC

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A new space for infants, toddlers, and three-year-olds in Summerville has been unveiled. The South Carolina Department of Social Services announced their new facility with ‘Quality Care by Design’ in partnership with WC Christian Academy, which hosted an open house on Saturday.

This facility is meant for children to play, learn and grow in a safe and appropriate learning environment set for their developmental needs.

The renovations include four rooms, each divided by age, including an infant one-year, two-year and three-year-old specific room.

“You have to provide material that is sensory appropriate so they can build those sensory skills like how things feel, sound, how things are looking,” WC Christian Academy Teacher and Assistant Director Elaine Bryant said.

Rooms are signed with neutral colors and simple designs to maintain a calm environment. Everything in the rooms is built low to the ground for children’s eye sight with lots of sensory engaging items. The materials of the items were also strategically chosen to make sure they are safe and best for the child’s development.

‘Quality Care by Design’ works towards improvements to the learning environment of young children with the goal of enhancing early childhood education across the state. This new renovated facility was made possible because of the social services ABC Quality program. Selected child care programs received funding to transform their programs to align with the ABC Quality environment standards.

The initiative aims to transform the learning environments in South Carolina’s child care programs. One organizer said Saturday’s open house was an exciting day to show the community all the resources the renovated facility has to offer.

“This is an opportunity for the program to highlight what they have been doing. Its been a long process for the redesign. They can come here and they can take a tour, they can take photos and they can start on the right path,” ABC Quality Project Manager Sherrie Dueno said.

Quality Care by Design also aims to increase child care access for families, and prepare children for their transition to preschool and kindergarten.

Program organizers, families, community leaders, child care professionals, and supporters of early childhood education were invited to the celebration that took place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The building is located at 1202 Central Ave in Summerville.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A longtime Mexican restaurant has closed the doors to its Mount Pleasant eatery after more than 20 years.

Señor Tequila shuttered its Moultrie Plaza location earlier this month after the landlord opted not to renew the lease, said Marcio Campos, manager and assistant to owner Poncho Flores.

The shopping center’s owner, Columbia-based Edens, confirmed that the lease had expired and that the business moved out. The company declined to comment on whether another tenant is lined up for the space or if it is currently available for lease.

The closure leaves another vacancy in the busy Coleman Boulevard retail center, where a corner space — previously occupied by Farm Haus and Carolina Butcher & Beer Garden since late 2023 — also has gone vacant.

No announcements have been made regarding future tenants for either space. Señor Tequila continues to operate two other locations, in West Ashley and Summerville.

Summerville stage is set

The Town of Summerville is moving forward with plans to enhance its historic downtown by transforming Short Central Street into a more vibrant pedestrian shopping corridor — complete with a new outdoor performance stage, expanded landscaping, improved lighting and more prominent crosswalks.

The project, led by local nonprofit Summerville DREAM, has been in the works for two years and involved the town council voting to accept ownership of W. 2nd South St. to make improvements.

Conceptual renderings for the initial phase, which comes with an estimated price tag of $500,000, show a large, modern, semi-circle stage facing Short Central at the corner of W. 2nd South St., a prominent new entrance sign and colorful landscaping filling out the triangular corner.

The diagonal street is currently lined with restaurants and shops.

The project will be funded through a grant acquired through the town’s parks and recreation department as well as grants and private donations channeled through Summerville DREAM, said Steve Doniger, executive director of the nonprofit.

“The performance area is one of the marquee things being brought in,” Doniger said.

The town recently closed the bidding process for the first phase layout and civil engineering services. The town did not immediately respond to an inquiry asking how many bids were submitted.

Doniger said construction of the stage on Short Central would be expected after the town’s busy fall event season, which includes the popular Sweet Tea Festival in September, holiday tree lighting and downtown shopping days along and near the corridor.

Once complete, the space will be managed by the town, with permits required for event use depending on the size and scope of the request, Doniger said. It’s the same process as the use of the stage at nearby Hutchinson Square.

The project is part of a broader Historic District Resiliency initiative by the town that also includes sidewalk and infrastructure improvements along West Richardson Avenue and on North Main Street from train tracks near Hutchinson Square to Hwy 78.

“A lot of new businesses have come over the past few years and this is the next natural evolution of downtown,” Doniger said.

From Down Under

A Charleston-born baby and toddler clothing brand has arrived on the shelves in South Carolina — even as its founder now calls Australia home.

Samantha Gold started Motette in March, just as she and her family made a sudden move to Sydney for her husband’s job. Despite the relocation, Gold continued to grow the Southern-inspired brand remotely, leveraging her local connections and entrepreneurial network.

Motette’s line of bamboo pajamas, as seen in Forbes, is now stocked at five children’s boutiques across South Carolina, including Pitt Street Kids in Mount Pleasant.

Cannonborough shopping spree

A collection of more than 10 locally owned shops in Charleston’s Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood are once again holding a mid-week shopping event, this time on July 10 with discounts, sips and a range of promotions.

Deals can be found at Taxidermy, The Paper Canopy and MOLA Body Piercing & Fine Jewelry. Bookstore Philosophers & Fools will have its biggest sale of the year with a selection of book and non-book items discounted between 20 and 50 percent off. Down the street, Charleston Candle Co. and Havens are offering 20 percent off.

In addition to discounts, The Tiny Tassel's after-party includes special pop-ups like tropical mocktails and a photo booth while Hermosa will host The Sparkle Bar Fairy Hair and complimentary drinks.

Some in-store deals continue through July 13 and July 14.

Coffee talk

Mount Pleasant residents have another coffee spot to fuel their day with the recent opening of Just Love Coffee at 1909 Highway 17 in the Sweetgrass Corner Shopping Center.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A new facility that just opened on Wednesday morning in Summerville is set to streamline services for online shoppers in the Lowcountry and create new employment opportunities.

A combination of an Amazon first-mile fulfillment center and last-mile delivery station is now open along Jedburg Road. The nearly $30 million center sits on over 150,000 square feet as a site of both sorting and delivering packages up to a 50-mile radius.

The aim behind the facility is to offer company customers same-day deliveries in the Lowcountry. Company leaders say some shipments may arrive at some residents’ doorsteps in five hours or less after an order is placed.

Company leaders say the facility holds a first-of-its-kind robotic technology that is in the Southeastern region of the nation. Amazon Senior Economic Development Manager for South Carolina, Sam Blatt, says the center combines technology such as robotics and Artificial Intelligence to help get the packages out to customer doorsteps.

“We’re combining the technology that we use for picking, packing and sorting items that people order off Amazon with our innovative logistics technology of sorting packages and having those taken out and delivered to people’s homes,” Blatt said.

Over 100 jobs are expected to be available on the site for the local community. Director of Economic Development John Truluck says the development is adding not only labor jobs but also higher-skilled opportunities to the area.

Truluck says the county targets companies of similar industries, such as automotive, aerospace, life sciences, advanced logistics and recreational marines to come to the area. The director says adding these industries to the area is a ‘big deal’ as they provide high capital investments, including contributing taxes to the community.

“It fits in that advanced manufacturing, so this is not just, you know, empty warehouse space with a lot of boxes with a lot of people moving them around,” Truluck says. “It’s got a lot of technology that goes along with it that is really on a different level than we’re accustomed to.”

Truluck says the facilities tax contributions benefit the county resources, such as the school department and emergency services.

The site is also launching a delivery method called Amazon Flex that works similarly to rideshare programs like Uber. Blatt says the program uses individual contractors as drivers to deliver packages with personal vehicles on personalized schedules.

Leaders say the company plans to expand same-day facilities across 120 metro areas across the country. Company leaders say current job openings are offering at least $18.50 per hour. Job applications can be found on their website.

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