Area Rug Cleaning in Mount Pleasant, SC

MOUNT PLEASANT — While one luxury car storage facility is celebrating its grand opening in Mount Pleasant, a town planning committee hit the brakes on a proposal for a second.

The luxury storage site, or "car condominiums," are individually owned garage-focused properties with their own TMS number on commercially zoned land.

They are built to be upwards of 1,500 square feet of climate-controlled space with nearly 20-foot ceilings, suitable for storing luxury vehicles, RVs, classic cars, boats and more.

The price tag? Around $400,000 per car "condo."

Mount Pleasant’s first car condominium, The Vault, located on Faison Road about halfway between Costco Wholesale and Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, will celebrate its grand opening May 30. The project broke ground in September 2024.

The Vault owner Lee Janik said the 29-unit property on two acres was fully leased well in advance of its opening, a testament to the needs of Mount Pleasant where people own multiple luxury vehicles, boats and RVs. The development company kept two units in hand but will list them for sale shortly after opening and expects to sell them both quickly.

“It’s for high-net-worth individuals with too many toys and nowhere to put them. Homeowners Association’s don’t allow anything in driveways,” Janik said. “I sold four units before I even owned the property. There are a number of (clients) who bought two units.”

Janik, who came up with his concept in 2021 as an offshoot of a luxury indoor boat storage business he owned in Ohio, is now in nine different markets working with real estate agents, car enthusiasts and more. He uses word-of-mouth to garner interest.

Owners get 24/7 access with water, bathrooms, kitchens and even loft-style living rooms for lounging with a secure access gate. The only restriction is that owners can’t live in the units or sleep inside them overnight.

He announced The Vault’s next expansion will be on Daniel Island, with property already under contract and the ability to build residential units on top of the mega-garages.

“We already have ten units sold on Daniel Island,” Janik said. “We sell units before we build, so we can customize the size (needed).”

Janik said he expects the Daniel Island location to be open in the next year-and-a-half.

Despite the demand for these types of developments, a second car condominium proposed for Mount Pleasant by another developer wasn't given the green light from two town planning bodies.

A proposed 55-unit car condominium over four acres in the Belle Hall Planned Unit Development, accessible from Seacoast Parkway and adjacent to Long Point Road, was recommended for denial by the Mount Pleasant Planning Committee and Planning Commission May 5. Florida-based developer WHWE, LLC proposed the project.

Chris Pilinko, with WHWE, LLC, said the luxury storage facility would be priced between $400,000 and $500,000, and would include a monthly regime fee.

“We've done three of these in other markets and have a local partner who has identified this site. They're very low intensity uses. They have no demand on public services,” Pilinko said at the planning meeting.

Committee members said there were better uses for the commercially zoned location than the use for individually owned garages to store luxury vehicles.

“I think the residents would much prefer a grocery store or a restaurant as an amenity to the community rather than $400,000 to $500,000-owned storage,” said Guang Ming Whitley, planning committee chairman and town council member.

The vote was three to deny the request and one abstention, with committee member Jake Rambo wanting more information about car condominiums before voting on the issue.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Specialty grocer The Fresh Market marked a major milestone on Saturday, May 3, with the grand opening of its newest store in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. This brings the total number of locations to 172 nationwide.

The highly anticipated launch drew large crowds as the Mount Pleasant community turned out in numbers to welcome the brand's Greater Charleston area debut. Shoppers gathered early to be among the first to experience The Fresh Market’s signature blend of gourmet offerings, fresh ingredients, and impeccable hospitality.

“We are extremely pleased with the response to our new store,” said Brian Johnson, CEO of The Fresh Market. “We have a great team that is excited to bring our brand of impeccable hospitality to the town of Mount Pleasant.”

Opening day festivities included The Fresh Market’s beloved traditions, such as a ceremonial bread breaking and the cracking of an 80-pound wheel of Parmesan cheese. Early guests were treated to exclusive giveaways: the first 120 received a complimentary 4-inch potted orchid, while the first 500 were gifted a reusable Mount Pleasant-themed grocery bag.

Reinforcing its commitment to community partnerships, The Fresh Market launched its collaboration with the Lowcountry Food Bank by presenting a $2,000 donation to support local hunger relief efforts.

The new 25,000-square-foot store features a thoughtfully curated selection of premium meats and seafood, fresh produce, local products, and an array of international items. Shoppers can also enjoy restaurant-quality prepared meals and convenient ready-to-cook or ready-to-heat options tailored to busy lifestyles.

The Mount Pleasant store is the latest in a trio of recent openings, following launches in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Jensen Beach, Florida, just one week prior. The Fresh Market has opened 11 retail locations and introduced its new Spirits & Wine concept in the last six months, marking a significant growth phase for the company.

For more information, visit TheFreshMarket.com .

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GREENSBORO, NC - On Saturday, May 3, The Fresh Market celebrated the grand opening of its new store in Mount Pleasant, S.C, bringing the total of stores for The Fresh Market to 172.

The doors to the new store opened early Wednesday morning to great fanfare from the local community. The Fresh Market’s Greater Charleston area debut proved popular for the specialty grocer, with huge crowds of guests throughout opening day.

“We are extremely pleased with the response to our new store,” said The Fresh Market CEO Brian Johnson in a recent press release. “We have a great team that is excited to bring our brand of impeccable hospitality to the town of Mount Pleasant.”

New guests partook in a myriad of The Fresh Market opening traditions including a bread breaking ceremony and the cracking of an 80lbs wheel of parmesan cheese. Additionally, the first 120 guests received a free, 4-inch potted orchid and the first 500 guests were given a The Fresh Market, Mount Pleasant reusable grocery bag.

The Fresh Market also continued its commitment of supporting a local food bank with every new store launch. On Saturday, the team kicked off their partnership with the Lowcountry Food Bank and presented a $2,000 donation to the organization.

The Mount Pleasant location is The Fresh Market’s latest in a trio of new store openings; Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Jensen Beach, Florida, opened exactly one week earlier. The three stores cap an exciting period of growth for the specialty grocer, which has opened 11 grocery retail locations and the new Spirits & Wine concept in the past six months.

The new 25,000 square foot store is stocked with a carefully curated selection of high-quality meats and seafood, along with fresh produce, local finds, and a unique collection of international products. For guests in search of a convenient, high-quality meal, The Fresh Market boasts a broad selection of restaurant-quality prepared meals and sides and ready-to-cook, ready-to-heat options.

MOUNT PLEASANT — It’s official: The Harris Teeter grocery store in Seaside Farms will close by May 28, on the heels of Memorial Day weekend.

Rumors had been swirling for nearly a year that the supermarket at the Target-anchored Shoppes at Seaside Farms was planning to shut its doors.

The grocery chain's confirmed closing means that residents in the mixed-use development at the Isle of Palms Connector and Rifle Range Road will have about a month to find an alternative.

“There’s been a lot of controversy about this since many people in the greater Seaside Farms community feel like they were ‘promised’ a grocery store in the beginning when (the community) was being developed,” said DeAnne Reed Vane, director of marketing at Franke At Seaside, a retirement and active lifestyle community within walking distance of the supermarket. “I think we would all hope to see another grocery go into that space.”

In a statement this week, Harris Teeter stated the decision to close followed a “careful consideration and strategic market review.”

While the nearby Target in the Shoppes at Seaside has a grocery section, Vane said the selection is much smaller than what Harris Teeters offers.

“Target does have a grocery section that takes up about a third of the store, but only very small refrigerated section and limited in some types of groceries," Vane said. "I imagine our 250 independent-living residents will be greatly inconvenienced by this closing, as will our staff of approximately 275 employees."

The next-nearest grocery option is a Trader Joe's store that opened last year in Sweetgrass Corner.

Speculation about the Harris Teeter closing started nearly a year ago after the supermarket chain's landlord announced in a marketing email that the 45,660-square-foot space would be available to lease.

Danna Robinson, spokeswoman for the grocery store, told The Post and Courier it began notifying employees on April 24.

“In the coming weeks, the company will work closely with its valued associates to assist them through the closing process. Harris Teeter will offer its associates the opportunity to transfer to other locations," Robinson said in a statement.

The Kroger Co.-owned chain moved into Seaside Farms in October 2013. Previously, the space with its 40-foot vaulted ceiling had been the "flagship" supermarket for the defunct Piggly Wiggly Carolina franchise, which built it in 1996.

With the closing, Harris Teeter will have 18 stores in the Charleston area.

The chain has announced supermarkets for two undeveloped parcels — in the Carnes Crossroads area of Goose Creek and at Maybank Highway and River Road on Johns Island. No formal plans have been announced for either site.

As we celebrate and admire the remarkable homes .in our community in this edition, let’s take a minute to reflect on the nature of Mount Pleasant and what makes this one of the most desirable communities in the nation.

I have had the privilege of observing Mount Pleasant in every phase of my life: childhood, young adulthood and middle to senior age. I have seen it grow beyond what anyone could imagine and yet the essence of what makes it unique still exists. True, it is not the small, quaint fishing village it was when my family first moved here and yet the tight-knit fishing community still exists with all its quaintness. The attendance of thousands of people at our annual Blessing of the Fleet celebration gives testimony to the importance of the local shrimping/fishing fleet among all our residents.

We now have exquisite homes, both old and new, all the way from the Old Village to the farthest reaches of the municipal limits. This shows that interest in living here and building remarkable residences has remained strong over several centuries.

As a member of your local government, I see it as our job to continue to protect the uniqueness of our town, its natural resources and its livability. The question is, how can that be accomplished?

These are some of the issues Mount Pleasant is identifying and addressing to keep our community livable and vibrant:

My wife Suzette and I have four grown children and have just moved my parents here into a senior living community. We wish our children could live here, but lack of affordability prevents it. We know that we are not alone in that. As your mayor, I continue to work with the council and affordable housing groups to find solutions. Our future as a healthy, complete community depends on it.

By Will Haynie Mayor of Mount Pleasant

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