Hello Friday! It’s been a hot Spring, hasn’t it? But we only hit 86 degrees yesterday.
We could live in Boston. It was 95 degrees there. 😓
In today’s newsletter:
A different kind of chicken sandwich: Park Circle gets a fresh take on America’s favorite bird. 🍗
There can never be too much coffee. We have a new cup-of-joe option in Belle Hall. ☕
Vacant cineplex turns into…an office building? When is the question. 🏢
Friday 86° / 75° 🌧️ 💧53%
Saturday 87° / 75° ⛅ 💧43%
Sunday 87° / 76° ⛅ 💧59%
Friday, June 21
Reggae Nights Concert I 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM I James Island County Park (map) I Outdoor concert, bring your blanket or chairs!
Music On The Green I 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM I Freshfields Village, Kiawah (map) I Free, family-friendly concert on the village green featuring R&B music from Loose Chain.
Candle Making I 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM I Charleston Candle Company (map) I Learn how to mix and create your own custom fragrance and pour your own soy wax candle.
Saturday, June 22
Charleston RiverDogs vs. Lynchburg Hillcats I 6:05 PM I Joseph P. Riley Park (map) I Giveaways, live performances, ridiculous promotions.
7th Annual Pride Bar Crawl I 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM I Start at Ritual Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge (map) I Dress in vibrant attire and express your true self. 6 bars visited, after-party starts at 10:00 PM.
Carolina Billfish Classic I Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina (map) I Events go all day long, fishing starts at 8:00 AM. Beach Club pool with live music from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
Sunday, June 23
National Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition I North Charleston Riverfront Park (map) I All day long I Sculpture artists from across the US show their work in this 18th annual exhibition.
Pet Sounds Live: A Beach Boys Tribute I Charleston Music Hall (map) I Tribute to the Beach Boys and their timeless music in one of Charleston’s premier performing arts centers.
Motown Throwdown at Sunday Brunch Farmers Market I The Pour House (map) I Enjoy great music while you shop local at this fabulous James Island tradition.
REAL ESTATE (RE)DEVELOPMENT
Megaplex To Couch = Theaters No More
Old Regal Cinebarre in Mount Pleasant, a great place for running group warm-ups
We did it. We’re all complicit. We played our part in the rise and fall of huge “megaplexes”, the late-90’s/early-2000s evolution of movie theaters from single ballroom-sized venues to 10-screens-in-one-building monsters.
Recall the anticipation of seeing a blockbuster movie at the megaplex? Circling the parking lot to find a space. Waiting in line for a massive tub of popcorn and Raisinets. Inevitably settling for a seat behind a guy rivaling LeBron James in the height department.
Yeah…not so much.
COVID wreaked havoc, but ticket sales were trending down for a while
There were innovations over the years in the theater industry-think bougie cinemas like Alamo Drafthouse or Cinepolis, where waiters brought cocktails and “elevated” food right to your seat. It wasn't enough, especially when streaming entered the chat.
Streaming offered limitless choices, and the food was a lot better. The extinction of the megaplex was on the horizon.
Mount Pleasant’s Very Own Megaplex
Regal Cinemas bought 7 acres on Houston Northcutt Boulevard in 2005 and developed a 1st-generation movie complex. It didn’t last long. Regal knew they needed to evolve, and Mount Pleasant was going to be the “guinea pig” for a new brand called Cinebarre.
They closed for redevelopment on April 6, 2008. It would make way for what the Regal owner called “an experience that can’t be matched with high-tech home entertainment or Netflix”.
We’re Not Immune
I gotta fast-forward this story ‘cause I’m at risk of getting ponderous.
Cinebarre opens on Houston Northcutt…Netflix’s move from DVDs in the mail to streaming picks up steam…Others follow suit…Theater ticket sales continue their decline…COVID hits…Cinebarre Mount P closes in December of 2021, after…
A Charlotte developer pays the unheard-of sum of $14.25 million for the 7 acres.
The Latest
When Collett Capital bought the property, they started conceptualizing plans to develop several office buildings on the site. That’s not the latest, though.
This story is a 2-parter. Come back next week for an update on a conversation I had with a representative of the developer. And my opinion, ‘cause I got one. 😁
STAT OF THE DAY
🍿 1.575 billion: The number of movie theater tickets sold at the peak in 2002. Since then, the decline has been accelerating. COVID-era low was 443.9 million in 2021. Sales recovered somewhat in 2022 and 2023, but you see where this is going
GRAB BAG
In case you missed it
Summit Coffee opened their 1st of 3 CHS locations on June 15
☕️ Summit Coffee opens in Mount Pleasant. Davidson, NC-based Summit Coffee opened its 1st of 3 announced Charleston locations on Belle Hall Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. They’d previously announced plans to open 2 in Mount P and a 3rd in Summerville.
🐔 Barnyard Chicken opening in former Food on Spruill space. A new York chef with tons of restaurant experience will be opening soon in Park Circle. Offering his twist on the traditional chicken sandwich, Eric Hara will bring a cool, casual vibe to Park Circle with fast food that’s technically-driven.
Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.
FEEDBACK
Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by replying to this email or voting in the poll below (you’ll be done MUCH faster than commercial real estate gets developed in Charleston). 👇
