Roofer in Charleston, SC

The Fresh Market's first grocery store in the Charleston area has set a date for its market debut.

The North Carolina-based chain this month posted signs about its future 25,000-square-foot Mount Pleasant location that announced it will open April 30 at 8 a.m.

This past weekend, the company has been signing up shoppers for its loyalty program outside the store, in addition to mailing flyers to nearby residents.

On April 21, The Fresh Market also released a statement saying a grand opening event will follow on May 3 at 7:45 a.m. and will include giveaways and food samples.

The specialty grocery store, known for its to-go meals and signature baked goods, is located at 1118 Bowman Road near U.S. Highway 17, between Dick’s Sporting Goods and shoe retailer DSW.

The Bowman Place store has been in the works for more than a year. The Fresh Market assumed a lease from discount grocer Lidl and has been working to complete build-out of the space that previously housed a kitchenware retailer that closed five years ago.

The store had been advertising for open positions online.

Throughout South Carolina, The Fresh Market has nine locations, including three along the coast in Hilton Head, Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach. The Mount Pleasant store will be the grocer's 172nd location.

The Fresh Market was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Greensboro, N.C. The company has been majority-owned by Chilean retail conglomerate Cencosud since mid-2022, with New York-based Apollo Global Management and other investors holding a 33 percent stake.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - The U.S. Attorney’s Office says three men face federal charges in a years-long investigation into one of the largest professional money laundering operations in the state’s history.

Nasir Ullah, 28, and Naim Ullah, 32, both of Sumter; and Puquan Huang, 49, of Buford, Georgia, are charged with conspiring to launder millions of dollars of proceeds derived from drug trafficking.

Acting U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews said the three men are accused of laundering more than $30 million in illegal drug proceeds.

“They offered their services to drug dealers across the southeast from whom they would purchase large amounts of cash,” Andrews said. “They would then use those drug proceeds to purchase and ship electronics to destinations in China and the Middle East and use those transactions to conceal the illegal source of their funds.”

The accused men collected drug money in Charleston, Richland, Sumter and York Counties, Andrews said.

“They transported cash from across the state and stored it at two business properties in Sumter while they worked to hide their trail through foreign transactions,” he said.

Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Tooley said the DEA began investigating the leadership elements of Mexico’s two dominant drug cartels and identified a large-scale and complex money laundering network operating throughout South Carolina and elsewhere to launder millions of dollars.

Tooley said one of the drug seizures listed in the indictment of $177,000 of drug money could have purchased 7 kilograms of powdered fentanyl. One kilogram has the potential to kill 500,000 people, he said.

“Seven kilograms of fentanyl has the potential to kill three-and-a-half million people, more than half of the population of South Carolina,” he said.

He said approximately five out of 10 illegal pills seized and analyzed by the DEA contain a lethal or fatal dose of fentanyl.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Chase is more than doubling down on the fast-growing Summerville market under its souped-up branch-expansion plan for the Carolinas.

The JPMorgan-owned retail-banking division has been approved by federal regulators over the past few weeks for three new full-service retail offices in the area, on top of the two it’s already opened.

The latest were greenlighted earlier this month by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. One is proposed for the northeast corner of Nexton Parkway and Brighton Boulevard, while the other would be at the northwest corner of North Main Street and 3rd Avenue near the Carnes Crossroads development.

The agency last month approved a prior request for an office at Central Avenue and Old Parsonage Road in Knightsville.

In addition, Chase has filed nine other applications this year for future branches in Bluffton, Boiling Springs, Columbia, Irmo, Lexington and Spartanburg.

The bank has set a goal of having 100 retail locations open by the end of 2025 in the Carolinas.

Chase has opened 25 brick-and-mortar outposts and about a dozen teller machines since announcing its expansion into the Palmetto State in 2018. The majority of the branches are in Charleston and Greenville markets.

Mr. 305 in the 843

Rapper and singer Pitbull is eyeing Credit One Stadium for a summer show on what's likely to be a hot night.

An application for a concert by the Miami-based artist will be considered by the city of Charleston’s Special Events Committee at its next meeting. The document notes the show date as Aug. 22, with about 10,000 attendees expected to descend on Daniel Island's commercial center.

The concert is not yet listed on Credit One’s website.

The events committee regularly reviews applications for large-scale gatherings within the city, including shows at the tennis and concert venue.

Pitbull, who recently completed a Las Vegas residency, won a Grammy in 2016 and has 12 million followers on Instagram. He's collaborated regularly with fellow Latin musicians Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez, as well with cross-genre performers including pop superstar Taylor Swift, county singer Blake Shelton and hard-rocker Jon Bon Jovi.

Pitbull's last stop in the area was in May 2023 at Riverfront Park in North Charleston.

Regional update

The panel that oversees the state's busiest airport and two others is updating its longtime name.

The Charleston County Aviation Authority's 11-member board voted April 17 to become the Charleston Regional Aviation Authority.

Elliott Summey, CEO of Charleston International, said the switch is a “housekeeping” and clarification move for the authority, which has gone by its existing county moniker since 1970.

“We're a state authority, much like the ports authority,” Summey said. “Over time, that designation has created some confusion. Since we are South Carolina's airport and the largest airport in South Carolina, our governmental name should reflect that.”

The change requires approval from the General Assembly. It won't affect the aviation authority's organizational structure.

In addition to Charleston International, the appointed public body is charged with overseeing operations at Charleston Executive on Johns Island and Mount Pleasant Regional.

Cementing its future

A global building supplier that recently acquired a Harleyville cement plant is beefing up its Lowcountry footprint with a $7.3 million investment in nearby Colleton County.

Heidelberg Materials North America announced last week it will open 71-acre terminal in Walterboro that will employ about eight workers. Scheduled to open later this year, the site at 1616 Red Bank Road will be a distribution point for aggregates the company sells. It includes access to a nearby Palmetto Railways line.

Heidelberg Materials provides cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and other building materials for customers across North America.

In addition to the new Colleton operations, the company operates more than 450 other locations throughout the continent, including 16 in South Carolina, and employs 9,000 workers.

Scott Dickson, president of Heidelberg's Southeast region, said the Walterboro depot will complement the German company's recent $600 million acquisition of Giant Cement Holdings, including the Harleyville plant in upper Dorchester County.

Lowe's link

Lowe's is taking its "never stop improving" motto to the next level with a $1.3 billion acquisition of a design distribution company.

The blue-branded home improvement chain entered into an agreement April 14 to acquire Artisan Design Group, a nationwide provider of design, distribution and installation services for interior surface finishes, including flooring, cabinets and countertops.

The newly acquired business supplies national, regional and local homebuilders and property managers, as well as retailers.

In South Carolina, Artisan Design products are sold in four Builders Wholesaler Flooring sites in Summerville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Greenville, as well as at an Atlanta West Carpets store in Piedmont.

The deal will give North Carolina-based Lowe's a foothold in a new distribution channel within a highly fragmented market valued at about $50 billion, CEO Marvin R. Ellison said.

Rival home-improvement chain Home Depot pulled off a similar acquisition this year when it bought Charleston-based MVP Granite Countertops, a supplier to local residential and commercial builders, remodelers and interior designers.

On the Cape

A private Kiawah Island dining amenity with a Latin-inspired al fresco bar is close to opening, with Charleston chef Mike Lata of FIG and The Ordinary serving as the culinary director.

The Cape Club has applied for its beer and wine sales permit. The bar and grill operation will be led by Kiawah Island Club chef Nico Quintero.

In addition to the dining room, The Cape features an oceanfront infinity pool with chaise lounges and cabanas, a fitness center and a sundeck on the west end of the resort island.

Your May concert countdown is here, looking ahead at some of the best shows coming to Charleston this month. We've got quite the mix, and now that the weather has warmed up the outdoor venues around town are in full swing as well.

And because outdoor venues are so tapped in this month, I'm including some clusters below for you to pick from all the stellar shows happening at particular venues, like The Windjammer and Credit One Stadium.

Don't forget to slather on that sunscreen when you head to an outdoor show (trust me, I've learned the hard way)!

Windjammer shows (including Mark Bryan)

What: May is a packed month at The Windjammer, with so many bands to highlight playing the NUTRL Beach Stage. I'll give a shout out to a few here: Yonder Mountain String Band, Brent Cobb, Everclear, Leftover Salmon, Vincent Mason, GoldFord, two nights of Corey Smith, two nights of Umphrey's McGee, two nights of Futurebirds and two nights of Stoplight Observations.

Among the stellar lineup is also Hootie & The Blowfish's own Mark Bryan, a Charleston local who has released three solo albums beyond his Hootie years. I'll include those details below, but check out the general website for all the details on the others.

When: Doors at 6 p.m. May 3

Where: The Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd., Isle of Palms

Price: $20 advance, $25 day of show

More Info: the-windjammer.com/event/mark-bryan

Credit One Stadium shows (including Sturgill Simpson)

What: It's a busy month at Credit One Stadium following a successful tennis tournament at the venue in April. This month, you can snag tickets to see the following artists there: Cody Johnson & Friends, Hank Williams Jr., two nights of Widespread Panic and Keith Urban.

Also on the list is Sturgill Simpson, known in the contemporary country music world for his traditional sound and introspective lyrics.