Last night, we headed down King Street for the late shopping hours they’ve been having each Thursday.
We started at the top of the street and hit B’Zar, where a DJ was spinning and cham-bulls (Red Bull and champagne) were being served as part of their vinyl toy trading party. Then we made our way down King, visiting shops here and there and stopping to eat.
After a quiet dinner at the new Virginia’s on King, we walked further south. Few people were out and about, most of the shops were closed, and a giant rat was scurrying along the gutter looking for some crumbs. Blech.
Several shopkeeps were interested in finding out how many other stores were open. They weren’t surprised to learn that at least half of the stores were closed — including big chains like the Gap.
This lame Thursday night on King Street is bad for a number of reasons:
1) It shows an appalling lack of organization and participation among the businesses. The city tried to organize the extended Thursday night shopping hours and even helped promote it via posters. One closed shop had the poster displayed on their window! If shoppers know that half the stores won’t be open, they’ll head to the mall or Towne Centre where stores are required to keep certain hours.
2) It shows a real lack of concern and support for King Street among locals. The city provides free parking passes, extended late night hours, and still, we can’t drag ourselves away from the chains to patronize the local businesses?
3) It portends a crappy retail season. The Bush administration’s numbers may be touting a surge in consumer spending, but do we really still trust the data that these guys control? If you look at one report, that dramatic surge is actually a flat line. Not a good sign.
4) And ultimately it confirms what one shopowner quietly confessed to me: business is bad. Tourists aren’t here shopping. Locals are looking for bargains. And King Street has been pretty quiet overall.
For me, I couldn’t believe that I was in downtown’s primary shopping district, mere days before Christmas, and had the place practically to myself.
5 Comments
Great points. This next one is hard to quantify in any meaningful way, but just anecdotally: Can anyone else remember a less festive holiday season?
It’s a little hard to get festive for a holiday in which the marketing overkill starts in late September. By the time it arrives the marketing blitz has turned to fatigue and your pretty much over it.
King Street is suffering due to business owners such as the Jewler in the middle of king street and a mens clother at the corner of king and broad complaining about a REAL TREE being planted temporarily in the street for years complaining it hurt busniess. Then add to that the City closing bars and a way out of hand smoking ordinance. Moving the bars out of the core against the recommendations of Longo who told the city in the 90s that they will need to have a even mix. The mom and pops are gone and the darlings of the city the tourist aren’t shopping as much as before due to the reason for coming to Charleston is fleeting. As the University from the north part of the state continues to spwe its urban planning on the city you will see more of Charleston disappear and anywhere USA return. I tis a bleak future for King street no tiny tim to revive it due to the scrooges and grinches both in the city gov’t and self serving businesses wishing the”tiny tims are dead”
I remember the days of the 90s as a “santa elf” the joy that was there inspite of the scrooges. The real tree and lane were better than a stick with lights on it in a park.
The shopping district of lower King Street could definitely benefit from some night life or more destinations or something. It feels so dead down there. So many shops with character have moved away or closed — Granny’s, 52.5, Rosita Jones. Some new boutiques have moved in, but they all cater to a very high-end client. We’re talking $200 jeans and blouses. Not to mention the crazy shoe fetish the street now has.
overall, most of the nightlife has moved to upper king street and there are fewer nighttime destinations on lower king. the shops are in a bind because they are mostly locally owned and in order for them to keep extended hours they would have to work those hours themselves, which most don’t want to do. unfortunately, a small business mentality, as opposed to an entrepreneurial mentality, prevails. Many of these owners don’t know how to scale or don’t want to scale. they are happy to be going home to have dinner with the family.
it’s not just the holiday season, many of the businesses close at six or seven throughout the year, while most of us don’t get off of work until that time. King Street, lower King Street, could be healthy and vibrant on most weekend nights if we provided a mix of entertainment, shopping, and dining. forget about bars though, that shift has happened.