|
CHS Happenings / The Reader Census, Round Two
Same Crowd. Fresh Confessions.
604 votes. Seven questions. Seven weeks of parking, couches, dinner and zoning gossip.
604 Votes cast |
7 Questions |
7 Weeks |
|
| |
Last time I finally opened the drawer and counted: ten polls, 746 votes, one very specific portrait of you.
Then you kept voting.
Seven more polls have come in since, 604 votes' worth. Same crowd, new questions, and a few answers that made me want to see whoever runs the parking situation downtown.
Here's what changed, and what didn't.
Half of you quit King Street over parking
A luxury denim label is opening on King, so I asked when you last bought clothes downtown. Fifty percent said "not since parking downtown got ridiculous." One in nine said King Street is their closet. Whoever is opening that denim shop is about to find out where the customers went.
But you'll cross town for dinner
Fifty-four percent said a new spot 25 minutes away is no obstacle. Restaurants also led the Gather MTP poll, edging out performing arts by four votes. Only six of you want to work from there all morning. Seven of you haven't left your zip code on purpose since 2019. No notes, only respect.
One news story moved a quarter of the room
After the imported beef recall, 25% said they're shopping local more now. Another 35% were already there with a butcher and a farm stand on speed dial. Add them up and 60% of you buy local meat. Another 24% hadn't given it a thought until I asked.
You'll cross town for dinner, skip King Street for parking, and still want the zoning gossip.
And you meant it about the zoning
Last round, 86% of you asked for the same or more local government coverage. So when Development Watch launched, I asked if it was a keeper. Fifty-eight percent said keep it, it's their favorite kind of gossip. Another 31% said fine in small doses. Three people said skip it. Eight said they never noticed it, which is on me.
Every chart is below.
Part One
The Confessions
Three questions about where you spend, and where you refuse to.
|
125 votes · Aug 20
A luxury denim label is opening on King. When's the last time you actually bought clothes downtown?
| Not since parking downtown got ridiculous | 50% | |
| Sometime this year, for something special | 24% | |
| I browse there, then buy it online | 14% | |
| In the last month, King Street is my closet | 11% | |
The takeaway — Half of you have quit shopping downtown over parking. One in nine treats King Street like a closet.
|
|
90 votes · Aug 27
L.L. Bean and Crate & Barrel are landing at Towne Centre. How close are you to furnishing something?
| Actively shopping, next 90 days (there's an empty room mocking me) | 28% | |
| My house is done, nobody touch anything | 26% | |
| Later this year, once I stop pretending the couch is fine | 23% | |
| Eyeing it, but it's a 2027 problem | 23% | |
The takeaway — No answer cleared 28%. Add the first and third and 51% of you are furnishing something this year, which is good news for Towne Centre.
|
|
78 votes · Sept 10
New spot opens 25 minutes away and everybody says it's great. You going?
| Twenty-five minutes is nothing | 54% | |
| Only if somebody I trust already went | 24% | |
| If it's a Saturday, sure | 13% | |
| I have not left my zip code on purpose since 2019 | 9% | |
The takeaway — More than half will make the drive without a second thought. A quarter want a reference first.
|
Part Two
The Tells
What you want from a place, and what you'd rather skip.
|
103 votes · Sept 3
Gather MTP is 5.5 acres of Mount Pleasant gathering space, opening as soon as next year. What would actually get you out there?
|
Photo finish
Dinner beats the symphony by four votes.
|
| Restaurants worth planning a night around | 40% | |
| A performing arts component | 36% | |
| Honestly nothing, I have enough places to go | 18% | |
| Coffee and wifi I can work from all morning | 6% | |
The takeaway — Restaurants and performing arts together took 76% of the room.
|
|
15 votes · Sept 17
Bad Bambino opens October 2, right as holiday party season kicks off. Are you the poor soul who has to book one this year?
| No parties, no planning, no thank you | 60% | |
| Not my job, but I'll absolutely be there | 20% | |
| It's on me, but I'm dodging it until November | 13% | |
| Yep, and I'm booking something in the next 30 days | 7% | |
The takeaway — Only 15 of you voted, so take this one lightly. Exactly one person is booking a party in the next 30 days. We hope they're okay.
|
Part Three
The News Test
Two questions where the news set the agenda.
|
95 votes · Sept 24
A nearly 30,000-pound imported beef recall has Charlestonians lining up at local farm stands. Where do you actually stand on knowing your farmer?
| Already there, I've got a butcher and a farm stand on speed dial | 35% | |
| Recall got my attention, shopping local more now | 25% | |
| Never crossed my mind, the grocery store has always been fine | 24% | |
| Good in theory, not worth the extra cost or hassle | 16% | |
The takeaway — Sixty percent of you now shop local for meat. A quarter of the room switched because of one news story.
|
|
98 votes · Oct 1
New section alert: Development Watch, the deep dive on Charleston's stalled projects and quiet zoning fights. Keeping this one or cutting it loose?
| Keep it, this is my favorite kind of gossip | 58% | |
The takeaway — Eighty-nine percent said keep it or fine in small doses. Three people said skip it. The zoning docket stays.
|
|
A note on the math
These are the readers who answered, not a scientific sample of all 11,000+ of you. Sample sizes ran from 15 to 125 per question, and the Sept 17 poll is the thin one.
New poll at the top of every issue. Keep voting and we'll do this again. Have a topic you want us to poll next? Hit reply.
|
CHS Happenings · The Reader Census, Round Two · August 20 – October 1, 2026
