Family Photographer in Goose Creek, SC

GOOSE CREEK — Dustin Clark knows that Red Bank Road is considered to be on “the wrong side of the tracks.”

Goose Creek officials and local business owners want to change that perception and transform the former rutted, two-lane blacktop into an economic powerhouse.

A life-long resident, Clark, 39, and his family have owned and operated a restaurant or bar along the Red Bank strip for more than four decades. Their Montana Saloon and Grill has been in operation since 1999.

“Back in the day, no one really wanted to come down this way,” Clark said. “It was just a bunch of woods and a couple of fast-food joints and not a whole lot else. If you asked people in the city, they’d tell you it was kind of on the wrong side of the tracks.”

The tracks that Clark is referring to are the parallel CSX freight rails that run along U.S. Highway 52 and split Berkeley County’s largest city, of more than 48,000, in half. For years, residents on the east side of the dividing line have felt like a forgotten community.

Red Bank Road can trace its history back to revolutionary times when the dirt path served as a conduit between the plantations in the area and the markets in Charleston and Columbia. The road was eventually paved in the 1920s, according to local historian Michael Heitzler, a former Goose Creek mayor.

The city wants to reimagine the mile-long stretch along Red Bank between Highway 52 and Snake Road into a quasi-downtown area with retail shops and restaurants.

“What we want to do is make the Red Bank corridor more distinctive,” Mayor Greg Habib said. “We feel like that area lends itself to redevelopment and revitalization. It can be a gathering place that is walkable and has a downtown vibe. We want more opportunities for entrepreneurialism, more gathering opportunities, more retail shops and more restaurants.”

The city is putting the finishing touches on a redevelopment plan for Red Bank Road and over the next several weeks will be collecting public input on the project.

That’s welcome news to Clark and other business owners and real estate investors.

“For the longest time, the city didn’t really notice us or what was going on down here,” Clark said. “I’m glad they are finally waking up to the fact that this area has a ton of potential.”

Next Park Circle?

Every entrepreneur and real estate investor is on the lookout for the next hot spot – like North Charleston’s Park Circle, which has become a mecca for retail shops, breweries and restaurants.

There are many in Goose Creek who believe the Red Bank corridor can duplicate the success of its North Charleston neighbor. Like Park Circle, several established residential neighborhoods are within walking distance of the corridor.

“It is an established area that is well-traveled with a residential component,” said Matt Brady, Goose Creek’s economic development director. “We have to reimagine what that corridor can look like. We think we can repurpose some of the older structures and combine that with some new construction and mix-use commercial areas. There’s a lot of potential there with the right vision.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Cityvolve, the North Charleston real estate investment group that developed several properties in Park Circle.

“The potential is there as long as the right people are leading the charge,” said Jeff Baxter, a partner at Cityvolve. “You need a vision and the right kind of public-private partnership to make things work. Right now, there are a lot of older structures that need a lot of work.”

The Cityvolve group has plenty of experience developing areas into financial dynamos. It developed Park Circle businesses such as Basil Thai, Stems & Skins, Commonhouse Brewery and the mixed-use, multi-tenant Marquis Station.

Cityvolve also knows its way around Goose Creek. The group helped turn the old firehouse on Button Hall Road into Wide Awake Brewing Co., the city’s first brewery, which opened in December.

“We haven’t really dug into the city’s plan along Red Bank, but there are some similarities with the development around Park Circle,” Baxter said. “There needs to be some public investment, streetscaping and amenities that make the area more attractive.”

The city has already implemented a matching façade grant program of up to $5,000 and is working on a sign grant program for businesses along the road.

The city finished painting a mural along the wall of Montana’s last month.

“Public art is a component of what we are trying to do,” said Brady of the economic development office. “We see public art as a way to create the right type of environment and is a part of the economic development along that corridor.”

Clark has already seen an uptick in traffic because of the mural.

“I’ve had the biggest sign along the road for years and I’ve had people come in during the last few weeks that said they didn’t know we were here until that mural was finished,” Clark said.

‘Believe in Goose Creek’

For five years, Valdemar Silva, Jr., would drive along Red Bank Road and see a dilapidated, white cinder-block structure and think of the possibilities.

Silva dreamed about opening his own restaurant, bringing a taste of his native homeland of Brazil to the Lowcountry.

“The building had been vacant for a while, but I could see the potential for what it could be,” said Silva, who moved to Goose Creek seven years ago.

Silva saved his money, raised some operating capital from his family and opened Chao Goiano, a steakhouse and bakery, three months ago.

Silva invested more than $1.3 million in the venture and is betting that the Red Bank corridor will become a catalyst for economic development in the area.

“I believe in Goose Creek,” Silva said. “I trust this community. There is a very big Brazilian community here in Goose Creek. This road is going to be huge. Five, 10 years from now, people are going to wish they’d gotten in when I did. It’s going to explode.”

Chao Goiano is the kind of sleek, modern revitalization project that the city is looking to nurture along the corridor.

“It’s the kind of space that will attract other investors because they see can the possibilities,” Brady said.

Gleysi Rauel, owner of Destiny Properties Group, a real estate investment company, said Chao Goiano is only the beginning. Destiny Properties plans to open a shared office space with a coffee shop across the street from the steakhouse.

“The city is moving in the right direction,” Rauel said. “They are pushing a transformative agenda. Investors will go where the money makes sense. We’re trying to create a trendy space where the freelancer, the attorney or accountant can come and concentrate on his work.”

The city is not only offering financial incentives to prospective businesses, it also has some skin in the game with more than an acre of property along the corridor.

What that parcel near the intersections of Highway 176 and Highway 52 will become and look like has yet to be determined.

“We need to find the right partner and right investor,” Brady said. “We need them to share the same long-term vision we have. Whatever it becomes, we want it to add value and sustainability to the area.”

The transformation of the Red Bank area won’t happen overnight, Brady said.

“Think about what Park Circle looked like 20 years ago,” Brady said. “Not many people would have believed it would become what it is today. This is a marathon, not a sprint, but it’s something the city is determined to do.”

The city is expected to release its redevelopment proposal for the corridor sometime in April.

A Mount Pleasant retail center where a new outdoor gear store plans to open will soon see a new restaurant. Two other new dining spots are in the works across the Charleston region as well.

Pasture & Grain plans to open in July at 1701 Shoremeade Road in the Indigo Square Shopping Center on U.S. Highway 17 where national sporting goods retailer REI announced this week plans to open in the fall in the former GreenWise Market grocery store space.

The restaurant is taking over the space vacated in May by Blaze Pizza, which closed after three years. A sign on the door says Blaze is relocating, but the new site is not mentioned, and a company representative did not respond for comment.

Pasture & Grain owner and chef Ira Hill said the 2,800-square-foot venue will serve American fare priced from $8 to $18. Meats, vegetables, grains, hot and cold sandwiches, salads and toast with spreads are on the menu. Sous chef will be Brandon Brown.

The shopping center also saw the recent departure of gastro pub Bull & Finch, which closed in May after nine months.

What’s cooking?

Two other restaurants also are on the way to the Charleston area.

In Cainhoy, a new venue by Florie’s Dining Group is planned for 1937 Clements Ferry Road, Unit B, beside Dog & Duck restaurant and bar.

“My concept has changed since I purchased the place in January,” said Brannon Florie. “Honestly, I’m still between two concepts. The space is small, so I am trying to make the best use of the space and still capitalize on what we are missing out here. I’ve lived on Clements Ferry for about eight years now.”

He’s leaning toward calling it Po Boy — Southern Refuge and Bar.

Florie doesn’t have an opening date, but he is eyeing the end of summer for a launch.

Florie’s Dining Group includes Pier 41 and The Basement in northern Mount Pleasant and Florie’s at Commonhouse Aleworks in North Charleston.

Florie said he’s considering a couple of other concepts for the northern side of the Charleston area but has nothing to announce.

Also on the way is a new restaurant in a former Pizza Hut in Goose Creek.

Pho Bowl LLC recently applied for a beer and wine license at 142 St. James Ave., Suite D, beside Food Lion supermarket. An opening date has not been announced.

Driving costs

South Carolina drivers can count on doling out even more more for the already-exorbitant cost of gasoline, starting in July.

The state’s gas tax will rise by 2 cents a gallon next month, the last of six annual increases passed by the General Assembly in 2017 to help pay for road, bridge and infrastructure construction.

The 2-cent tack-on will boost the tax to 28 cents per gallon.

Drivers in the Palmetto State are paying an average of $4.54 a gallon as of June 8, according to online fuel information provider GasBuddy. That’s up $1.76 from last year at this time. The national average is $4.97 per gallon, up $1.90 from one year ago.

The higher price of fuel is partially the result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prices were already rising before the war.

Now serving

Toast! All Day is now open with a second location in downtown Charleston.

Charleston Hospitality Group recently opened the sixth Toast location in the Lowcountry at 453 King St. in the former Monza pizzeria, which closed in February after a 13-year run.

Along with Southern comfort food offerings, the restaurant has incorporated the original wood-fired ovens to offer pizza as well. The menu also features seafood baskets, salads and sandwiches, as well as drink specials and artisan coffee selections.

The other downtown Toast is at 155 Meeting St. Two others are in Mount Pleasant, with one each in Summerville and West Ashley.

The restaurant group also includes Eli’s Table, Queology, John King Bar & Grill, all in Charleston, and Honky Tonk Saloon in Ladson.

Relocated

Skatell’s Manufacturing Jewelers of West Ashley has moved to a new location.

The jewelry store is now at 821 Orleans Road after moving from 1798 Ashley River Road, according to owners Nan Butler and husband Jason, who also own the store in Mount Pleasant.

The scoop

Ye Ole Fashioned Cafe & Ice Cream Parlor will host the grand opening of its new location in West Ashley on June 10 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an ice cream special all day.

Officials will snip the ribbon at 11 a.m., and small cups of ice cream in 32 flavors will be offered all day for 99 cents at the new restaurant at 1319 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in Ashley Landing Shopping Center.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Bobby Seymour continued his torrid month of June by driving in four runs in the Charleston RiverDogs 11-7 takedown of the Salem Red Sox on Friday night.

The team is now 10-0 on Friday nights after earning the victory in front of 4,280 boisterous fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr Park.

The RiverDogs remain tied with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for first place in the Carolina League South Division with 11 games remaining in the first half.

For a second straight night, it was Salem (28-27) that jumped in front early. The game began with singles by Edinnson Paulino and Brainer Bonaci.

Marcelo Mayer and Nathan Hickey followed with groundouts to the right side, forcing the first run in. Before the frame ended, Niko Kavadas added an RBI single and Karson Simas drove in a run with a ground-rule double over the left field wall.

RiverDogs starter JJ Goss settled in after that and allowed three runs on five hits in 4.0 innings of work.The RiverDogs (39-17) managed to tie the game within two innings of play. Seymour put them on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the first.

In the second, Oneill Manzueta walked and came around to score on a single by Nathan Perry that was followed by a fielding error on right fielder Darel Belen.

Perry was thrown out at the plate on a single by Jelfry Marte for the first out of the frame, but Mason Auer hit a chopper back to the mound that was mishandled by Juan Daniel Encarnacion to tie the score. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Seymour cleared the bases with his 12th double of the campaign to push the RiverDogs in front 6-3.

The Red Sox trimmed the deficit by scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but missed out on an opportunity for further damage by leaving a combined five men on base in the two frames. The game tipped heavily in the home team’s favor beginning with a three-run sixth. Auer followed a leadoff walk by Marte with an RBI triple to make it 7-5.

He scored moments later by breaking to the plate on a pitch in the dirt from Graham Hoffman.

Later in the frame, Seymour walked and went to second on an errant pick-off throw.

Nick Schnell brought him in with a single that advanced the lead to 9-5. Another RBI single from Schnell and a run-scoring double from Nathan Perry led to an 11-5 advantage heading to the ninth. Salem scored a pair of runs in the final frame off of reliever Neraldo Catalina.

Over Galue improved to 5-0 on the season with 3.0 innings on the mound in which he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. Catalina finished the game by tossing 2.0 innings. the right-hander surrendered the two runs on three hits and three walks.

Seymour finished the night 2-3 with a double, two walks and four runs batted in.

Auer’s triple was his ninth of the season, a total that leads Minor League Baseball. He also drove in two runs, collected three stolen bases and scored three runs.

Schnell and Perry added two hits each as part of the team’s eight-hit attack. The Red Sox were paced by Paulino’s 3-6 night at the plate with two RBI.

Ballpark Fun

Prior to the first pitch of the contest, fans in attendance witnessed the reenlistment ceremonies for both D’Ebony Wilson and Cody Thompson of the United States Navy.

Each of them followed the ceremony by throwing a ceremonial first pitch.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Goose Creek native, also threw out a first pitch before the contest.

The RiverDogs will aim to extend their winning streak to six games on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m.

LHP Antonio Jimenez (2-3, 4.31) will get the start for the RiverDogs with RHP Hunter Dobbins (0-0, 6.00) countering for the Red Sox.

The game will mark the beginning of Larry Doby Weekend presented by MUSC Health.

Gates will open for a charity softball game at 4:00 p.m. that features prominent black business owners from around the Lowcountry.

In addition, the RiverDogs and Red Sox will wear Negro League jerseys for the game. Single-game tickets are available for all RiverDogs home games at riverdogs.com. RiverDogs season tickets, flexible ticket plans, and group tickets, including options to the Segra Club at Riley Park, are available at //riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS).

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Goose Creek will be breaking ground on a new 13-acre park next month, and officials say it will have something for everyone.

The new park is called Central Creek Park, and it will cost $9 million to build. The city will soon be breaking ground on a piece of land off Old Moncks Corner Road, near St. James Avenue, to build Central Creek Park.

Recreation Director Crystal Reed said the park will cater to everyone.

“The focus of this park is it’s going to be inclusive,” Reed said. “We’re on a wellness mission, and inclusivity is our top priority.”

The park will be funded by just over $4 million in coronavirus relief money, $1.5 million from the city’s general fund and just under $3.5 million from hospitality taxes.

Reed said with that money, the park will be loaded with features.

“We’ll have a sand volleyball court, basketball court,” she said. “It will have a greenspace with a stage with a food truck area, so that people can have social gatherings.”

Other features in the park include pickleball courts, a pavilion that will host events and an all-inclusive playground for kids of all ages and abilities.

Sean June lives in Goose Creek and came out to play basketball with his friends next to where Central Creek Park will be. He said he can’t wait for it to be built.

“I was actually kind of shocked because I was talking to my friends,” he said. “I thought they were going to put apartments over there, but it will be a nice addition to the community.”

June also said he plans on using the basketball courts and the food truck area once the park eventually opens.

“Every weekend, there’s always a bunch of people behind playing basketball,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it’s a big staple in our community to have parks.”

Reed said the city’s focus on building parks, such as the recently opened John McCants Veterans Park, is to make sure people can get together outdoors.

“It’s really just a focus on creating community,” Reed said. “That’s why we’re doing it. We want people to have activities and places to go in their city where they don’t have to leave the city limits of Goose Creek.”

Officials said the groundbreaking is scheduled for March 31. That’s when they will reveal how this park will take shape.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Goose Creek High School’s football team has captured three straight region championships and reeled in as many player of the year honors from the offensive side of the ball in the process.

It’s easy to overlook the guys in the trenches who help make those accomplishments possible. Gators senior lineman Jayden Johnson was hard to miss, though. Johnson moved defenders around quite easily at times, opening holes aplenty to run through and giving quarterbacks time to throw.

“Jayden is a good guy,” Gators coach Jason Winstead said. “He’s not a problem. He doesn’t get into trouble and causes no issues. He’s had a great career, and he’s a captain.”

For his efforts in the classroom and on the field of play, Johnson earned a scholarship opportunity to play football at South Carolina State in Orangeburg.

Johnson (6-4, 305) started four seasons up front for the Gators, garnered three all-region nods and two all-state selections. He was chosen to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team and ultimately ended up playing in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl in Myrtle Beach on Dec. 11. The Shrine Bowl was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns for the second year in a row.

Johnson’s South squad won the all-star game for the third time in a row.

“In four years, Jayden blocked for over 15,000 yards of offense,” Winstead said. “That’s a lot. You don’t find many guys who start all four years in 5A football.”

Equally as impressive was a standout performance in the classroom.

“That 3.4 grade-point average is what got him this opportunity,” Winstead said. “If he didn’t have the grades, none of this would be happening. First question all these college coaches want to ask is how are his grades. If they can’t get into the school, they’re not going to stay a long time. It’s going to be a short conversation.”

With Johnson anchoring the front, future S.C. State teammate Demetri Simmons earned back-to-back region player of the year honors.

Simmons, a running back who also signed with the Bulldogs on Dec. 15, touched it 566 times in three seasons on the varsity level and totaled 4,138 yards and 44 touchdowns. He was named all-state as a senior and also a team captain.

“He really needs no introduction,” Winstead said of Simmons. “He’s an outstanding young man.”

Simmons was selected to the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl but missed the game with an injury.