King Street is about to get a very modern addition — inside a very old building.
Skims, the shapewear and loungewear brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, is preparing to open a Charleston location at 243 King St., a three-story Italianate building that has quietly watched nearly two centuries of city history roll by.
The move places Skims directly across from The Charleston Place, itself in the middle of a $150 million renovation — a signal that King Street’s next chapter is leaning even harder into high-profile retail.
The building was most recently home to Pauline Books & Media, a religious bookstore that closed in 2023 after 37 years. Now, the space is being refitted for a global fashion brand valued at $5 billion.
A growing King Street lineup
Skims isn’t arriving alone.
The official @KingStChs Instagram account lists several businesses “coming soon,” including Alo Yoga at 245 King, Tommy Bahama at 307 King, and Palmetto Row Collective at 401 King — language first reported by the Post & Courier.
Together, the additions reinforce King Street’s evolution into a national-brand corridor, blending Charleston’s historic architecture with modern retail muscle.
Founded in 2019 by Kardashian and Jens Grede, Skims built its reputation online with inclusive sizing, multiple skin tones, and viral marketing moments. The brand is expected to top $1 billion in sales this year, the Post & Courier reported.
In November, Skims announced a $225 million fundraising round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, aimed at accelerating physical retail growth. Goldman Sachs said the company will become “a predominantly physical retail brand in the coming years,” according to the Post & Courier.
Currently, Skims operates 18 company-owned U.S. stores, two franchise locations in Mexico, and a flagship in West Hollywood.
What the storefront will look like
City documents reviewed by the Post & Courier show renderings of a sleek Skims storefront: bubble-style logos, mannequins dressed in shapewear, and branding applied to the awnings and glass.
The Board of Architectural Review approved the plans, noting that the work will not alter the building’s footprint. Exterior updates include masonry repairs, restoration of cast-iron elements, and new finish tile — with one firm condition: no window tint.
A building with deep roots
The structure at 243 King dates back to around 1838 and was rebuilt after a fire by German immigrant John Siegling. His Siegling Music House on the site was once billed as “America’s oldest music house,” according to the Post & Courier.
Later 19th- and early 20th-century renovations gave the building its Italianate character — tall, narrow windows, decorative hoods, and a bracketed cornice — details that will now frame one of fashion’s most recognizable modern brands.
What it signals
A Skims store on King Street isn’t just another retail opening. It’s a marker of where Charleston sits on the national stage — attractive enough for celebrity-backed brands, and confident enough to blend global fashion with local history.
A Skims representative did not comment on the Charleston plans, the Post & Courier reported. But the direction is clear: King Street’s future is arriving fast — and wearing shapewear.
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