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Happy Thursday, Charleston. On this day in 1791, Charleston's City Gazette devoted its front pages to a single subject: George Washington had just left town. The sitting president had spent a week in Charleston on his Southern Tour, leaving at six in the morning on May 9 after a parade of dinners, receptions, and ceremonial visits up and down what's now the historic district.
Charleston gave Washington one of the most lavish welcomes of the entire tour — the kind of fuss the city still rolls out for visiting dignitaries, with the only difference being the dinner is now $300 and includes a cocktail pairing.
Pet parents, fess up — what's the real headache?
Last week we dropped the Charleston Insider's Guide. The inbox lit up.
"As a Charleston newbie looking to buy, that guide is EVERYTHING." — Grace T.
Grace gets it. 24+ neighborhoods, the real lay of the land, none of the tourist-brochure nonsense.
Congrats to Steph P. of North Charleston who guessed correctly in last week’s “Where Are We?” I was at LoLa’s in Park Circle.
WEATHER
Thursday 83° / 54° ☀️ 💧7%
Friday 77° / 61° ☀️ 💧1%
Saturday 82° / 68° ⛅ 💧5%
Sunday 84° / 68° ⛅ 💧10%
RESTAURANTS
Rodney Scott’s BBQ locations closed suddenly last week
I met Rodney Scott once during that strange COVID summer, when he put word out he'd be rolling a portable smoker through the Old Village. I wasn't about to miss it.
He was turning ribs when I walked up, and I shot the breeze with him for maybe five minutes — gracious, easy, completely unbothered by the line forming behind me. The kind of guy who makes you understand why his food tastes the way it does. Because he means it.
So last week’s news hit hard. King Street, Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville — all dark.
I spent a long career in commercial real estate watching operators with great product take investor money and grow too fast, chasing the next location before the last one was solid. I don't know what happened inside Pihakis Restaurant Group, and the full story isn't out yet. But I've seen this movie enough times to wonder if it's playing again.
What I do know: Rodney Scott is one of the best pitmasters alive, and Charleston is better with his smoke in the air.
His operating partner said this isn't the last chapter, and I want to believe him. Some places aren't really restaurants — they're a person, a fire, and a way of doing things that doesn't come around twice.
Light the pit back up, Rodney. I'll be in line.
WHERE ARE WE?
Just reply to this email, or if you’re reading on our website, email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!
Bonus points if you get the location AND the names of each of these famous people
TOGETHER WITH OPT ALTERNATIVES
Every month you wait on a cleanup is another month of decisions made on bad data.
Hiring. Spending. Donor asks. Grant applications. All of it depends on financials you can actually trust.
Opt Alternatives offers Cleanup & Catch-Up bookkeeping for Charleston nonprofits and small businesses — we come in, reconstruct what's been missed, reconcile your accounts, and hand you books you can actually use.
One project. Clean slate. No judgment.
If you know your books are behind and you're ready to fix it, let's talk.
👉 See what Opt Alternatives can do for your organization
HAPPENINGS
Thursday
North Charleston Farmers Market | 3 - 7 PM | Park Circle Pavilion, North Charleston | Fresh produce, craft vendors, and live music after 5. Park Circle perfection.
That BIG Book Sale 2026! | 4 - 7 PM | Omar Shrine Auditorium, Mount Pleasant | 50,000 books, $1 and up. Members night. Bring the bigger tote. ALL WEEKEND LONG!
16th Annual Harvest Dinner | 5 PM | Urban Farm at Enston Home, Charleston | Garden-to-plate dinner on a working urban farm. $20 well spent.
Friday
Fossil Friday with Curator of Natural History Matthew Gibson | 3:30 - 4:30 PM | The Charleston Museum, Charleston | Bring your weird rock. The curator will tell you what it is.
Tiny Lawn Music Series | 6 - 8 PM | Darby Building Front Lawn, Mount Pleasant | Inaugural night of Mount Pleasant's free Old Village concert series.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Charleston RiverDogs | 7:05 PM | The Joe, Charleston | Friday night baseball at The Joe. The summer ritual is back.
Saturday
Cast Off Fishing Tournament 2026 | 6 AM - 2 PM | Folly Beach Fishing Pier, Folly Beach | Twelve bucks, one pier, all-day fishing. Biggest catch wins.
Charleston Farmers Market 2026 | 8 AM - 2 PM | Marion Square, Charleston | The Saturday morning ritual. Coffee, kettle corn, half of Charleston shows up.
Dogs, Donuts, and Donations 2026 | 10 AM - 12 PM | Broken Leash Dog Park & Bar, North Charleston | Free Dunkin, your dog off-leash, and a beer. Pet Helpers benefits.
Firefly Vendor Village & Book Fair | 12 - 4 PM | Firefly Distillery, North Charleston | Local vendors, food trucks, live music. Bourbon optional but encouraged.
SOUL FLY CHS | 2 PM | The Refinery, Charleston | Fly fishing meets a barbecue showdown meets bluegrass. Yes, all day.
South Carolina Aquarium Gala | 6 - 11 PM | South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston | Cocktail attire, conservation cause, and Nat Geo's Joel Sartore as guest.
Sunday
Sunday Bazaar at American Gardens | 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM | American Gardens, Charleston | A weekly flower market in a garden. Sundays don't get prettier.
Introducing the On Air SkyClub Sunday Market! | 2 PM | On Air, Charleston | Rooftop vendors, DJ sets, King Street views. Sundays, but make it elevated.
Accordion Bookbinding Workshop | 4 - 5:30 PM | The Paper Canopy, Charleston | Make your own tiny accordion book. Two craft hours, well spent.
Terms Are Quietly Winning
For the first time in five years, price isn’t the only number that matters at a Charleston closing table. Buyers are asking for rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, repair allowances, and sometimes a short post-close occupancy. Sellers are saying yes. The trades that used to happen on price alone are now happening across three or four variables. Sellers who treat the conversation as a flat list-price negotiation are leaving leverage on the table. The smart ones are reading the whole offer, not just the top line.
Jimmy Farrell
Broker, The Farrell Group
ICYMI
One of the peninsula's busiest new restaurants isn't waving an Italian flag — it's a creative Indian spot at the corner of Rutledge and Cannon.
Charleston Waterkeeper has been sampling local creeks every week for 14 years — and one North Charleston spot is reliably 200x grosser than the rest.
Ye Ole Fashioned just dropped its 8th location — and the BOGO ice cream line started before the soft opening could even finish.
City Paper's spring Dish Top 50 dropped — Leon's, Bintü Atelier, and Kultura made the cut, but the other 47 are where it gets interesting.
After 15 years of fried Geechie Wings, okra soup, and pork chops, Nigel Drayton just closed his last Charleston-area Nigel's Good Food.
LIVE MUSIC
FRI — Sam Barber at Firefly Distillery — Americana hitmaker, biggest outdoor room of the night. Or Curren$y at Music Farm — cult rap legend, tickets going fast.
SAT — Charleston Jazz Orchestra: Miles & Coltrane at 100 at Charleston Music Hall — a centennial worth dressing up for. Or The Stews + Mountain Grass Unit at The Refinery — modern bluegrass, stacked Soul Fly bill.
SUN — Pitbull (w/ Lil Jon) at Credit One Stadium — yes, Mr. 305 is in town. Or JUICE at Charleston Pour House — funky R&B alternative for the non-Pitbull crowd.
FEEDBACK
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