Refrigerated Trailer for Rent in Johns Island, SC

Get your quarters ready. Aldi is opening its newest Lowcountry store Oct. 2.

The discount grocery chain, which requires a 25-cent deposit for shopping carts, will replace a former Bi-Lo supermarket at 865 Folly Road on James Island.

Customers can get a sneak peek of the store Oct. 2 and shop the complete store for their favorite items. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held the next morning at 9 a.m., 30 minutes before the store opens.

The first 100 customers on Oct. 3 will receive a Golden Ticket that could be worth up to $100 and a free bag of Aldi products. Throughout the day, Aldi employees will also be giving away tote bags.

Business

Founded by the Albrecht family in Germany in 1961, Aldi now operates 2,356 locations in the U.S. as of February, including stores in North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek and two in Summerville. The company, headquartered in Illinois, plans to add 800 more shops by 2028.

Krysta Cearley, divisional vice president, told The Post and Courier earlier this summer the goal was to open the Folly Road location by the end of the year.

“Bottom line, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support high traffic volume daily,” she said.

Aldi has leased 22,000 square feet — a little more than half of the 40,000 square feet the Bi-Lo previously occupied, according to Mark Hoffman, director of development for New Jersey-based Garden Communities, which has owned the 4.5-acre retail center since 1994.

Closing time

PizzaVola Express on James Island announced on Facebook it will close its doors Sept. 29. But the storefront at 1041 Folly Road won't stay empty for long.

Kevin Ray, the restaurant's general manager and head chef, will be opening Ray's Pizza in its place Oct. 1.

Two more area restaurants have also closed recently, including The Fillin' Station Diner, which shared on Facebook Sept. 17 "with a heavy heart" it would shutter its Hollywood eatery.

Colectivo at 2901 Maybank Highway also announced its closing on social media.

"Maintaining the quality of food and service that you deserve has become unsustainable for our staff and families," the post said. "We are incredibly grateful for the support you have shown us over the past year."

Back in business

The North Charleston Walmart Supercenter is the latest in the chain's Lowcountry locations to get a makeover.

The store at 4920 Centre Pointe Drive at Tanger Outlets, which received a fresh coat of paint inside and out, has updated floors throughout, an upgraded bakery and deli areas, a new dollar section, a "Grab & Go" at the front with lunch and deli items and expanded online, pickup and delivery services.

Walmart also added more manned registers, digital menu boards and expanded self-checkout options.

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“This remodel is not only an investment in the store but also in our customers and city,” Kyle Lovely, store manager, said.

At the ribbon cutting, Lovely presented $10,000 in grant money to local nonprofits, including $2,500 each to the City of North Charleston, My Sister's House, MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital and the South Carolina chapter of Honor and Remember.

Like the previously renovated Walmart Supercenters on James Island and in Moncks Corner, the Tanger store now has a mural reflecting the local community. Charleston artist Sang Oh painted the image.

News

Face it

A skincare clinic has entered the Charleston market and chosen to put down roots at The Morrison Yard building on the peninsula.

Skin Pharm Charleston is a modern beauty brand that offers aesthetic skin care clinics and medical-grade skin care lines. The Charleston clinic is its 10th location, with others in Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas and other Texas cities. It's open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm. weekdays only, and patients can book appointments online.

Business

Suit up

Global custom apparel company Indochino has added five new showrooms to its portfolio, including one in Charleston.

The Holy City outpost is open at 206 King St., joining other locations in Texas, New York, Utah and California.

Indochino offers custom suits, shirts and casual wear, with each showroom tailored to the style of the local community.

"Each location represents a unique opportunity to connect with the community they serve, offering local customers a perfect fit, and process to build a one-of-a-kind suit, shirt, and more — whether preparing for a special occasion or simply wanting to elevate their everyday wardrobe," CEO Drew Green, said in written statement.

Business

Far-flung lease

The owners of the Mexican restaurant Azul Cantina worked with a local real estate firm to help launch a new location — but not in the Lowcountry.

North Charleston-based Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic represented Azul Cantina Inc. in the lease of 4,680 square feet of retail space more than 1,000 miles away in Sterling, Ill., the self-proclaimed "Hardware Capital of the World."

Azul Cantina owns and operates more than 35 restaurants in the U.S., including local establishments: Azul Park Circle, Azul James Island and Azul Summerville.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – After the weekend, the Johns Island and Lowcountry community came together to help out St. John’s High School.

The local high school hasn’t had a traditional homecoming dance since 2020, but this year they are bringing it back. One student on the dance’s committee took to Facebook and sent out a post hoping to make this year’s homecoming special.

“She was worried our homecoming dance wasn’t going to happen,” Erin Longshore, a teacher at St. John’s High School, said. “I think her original intention was to see if she could get a couple of things here and there for us to have really great decorations and from there it just kind of exploded.”

The response from that post allowed the school to raise over $13,000. Longshore checked her email on Saturday and shared the news with her committee members Madison Evans and Morgan Denton, who are also teachers at the school.

“Completely utter shock,” Longshore said. “I started crying when I saw all the emails on Saturday and I normally don’t check emails on Saturday, but something told me to.”

School officials said students are excited for the dance and were also surprised by the amount they fundraised. Some of the donations included buying tickets for students and others to their Amazon wish list. With the dance coming up tomorrow, students and staff on the decorating committee are continuing to prepare for the night.

“We’ve been patiently waiting for the Amazon delivery truck to show up so we can get all our packages and undo those,” Longshore said. “They’ve been able to come out of their classes do so, and we’ve been slowly decorating during lunch. And in any free time we might have, which we don’t have much, but we’ve been getting it done.”

Officials said the remaining amount of money will go towards future dances and activities, which will leave the students and staff plenty of time and resources to plan ahead. Longshore said this year’s decorations will be recycled and reused.

The dance is on Oct. 17, while the homecoming football game and parade will be on Oct. 18.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- The 2024 general election is quickly approaching, but South Carolina voters will not have to wait until Election Day to cast a ballot.

Governor Henry McMaster signed a law in May 2022 that replaces in-person absentee voting with an early in-person voting period for the two weeks leading up to election days.

Any registered voter, including those who will be 18 years old by the Nov. 5 general election, can cast a ballot during the early voting period without an excuse.

“Early voting provides a convenient and secure way for you to cast your ballot,” said Howie Knapp, the executive director of the South Carolina Election Commission. “Find an early voting center in your county, vote just like you would at your polling place on Election Day, and have your voice heard.”

Early voting for the 2024 election begins on Monday, October 21, and ends on Saturday, Nov. 2.

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Here’s what voters need to know:

The ballot will include seven candidates for president, according to officials:

An eighth candidate — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was initially nominated by the South Carolina Alliance Party. However, party leaders withdrew him from the ballot in August after he suspended his presidential campaign.

Additionally, each of South Carolina’s seven U.S. House of Representatives seats is up for election.

All 170 seats in the South Carolina state legislature — 124 in the House and 46 in the Senate — are also up for grabs this year. Some are uncontested, however.

Some ballots will also include races for county sheriff, circuit solicitor, probate judge, coroner, school board, and other countywide and local races.

Voters can find out who is on the ballot where they live by obtaining a sample ballot from the South Carolina Election Commission.

South Carolina adopted new state legislative district maps in December 2021 following the 2020 U.S. Census. Some district lines were redrawn, new districts were created, and some districts were eliminated.

Voters can find out which district they live in on the South Carolina legislature’s website.

Each county in South Carolina is required to have at least one polling location open for early voting. Some larger counties may have multiple open locations while smaller counties may have just one early voting site.

Early voting centers are open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the early voting period. Early voting is not available on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Here are the early voting locations* in the Lowcountry, by county:

Beaufort County

Berkeley County

Charleston County

Colleton County

Dorchester County

Georgetown County

Orangeburg County

Williamsburg County

You can find the complete list of early voting locations in every South Carolina county here.

Editor’s Note: The list of early voting centers may be updated as additional information becomes available.

A valid photo ID is required to vote in South Carolina elections, including during the early voting period. Acceptable forms of identification include:

State law requires an individual to register to vote at least 30 days before an election.

The deadline to register for the 2024 election is Monday, Oct. 14.

There are several ways you can register to vote in South Carolina:

1 – South Carolinians can register online by visiting scvotes.gov before midnight on Oct. 14. You will need your South Carolina Driver’s License or DMV ID card.

2 – Download a voter registration form from scvotes.gov. Complete and return the form to your county voter registration office either by fax or email before midnight on Oct. 14, or by mail – but it must be postmarked by Oct. 14.

3 – Register in person at your county voter registration office. Remember: most offices close at 5 p.m. for in-office registration.

Voters can check their registration status by visiting scvotes.gov.

As Election Day nears, you can count on News 2 as your Local Election Headquarters to keep you up-to-date on the latest from the campaign trail.