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Have you considered Waxhaw? The downtown is walkable and super cute with several stores and restaurants/pubs and they always have some kind of town event going on. The area is very family friendly, within 10 min to Indian Land with all of the big box stores, or the same to Blakeney and Ballantyne with the same stores and restaurants, super close to Waverly for shopping and restaurants and Waxhaw itself has a WM, grocery stores, and pretty much everything else you would need. The schools in the area are highly ranked and there is also Cane Creek park which has a large lake that allows fishing, camping and swimming. Definitely something to consider if you haven't already.
I'd recommend York, SC. It has nicely a preserved downtown and probably has a better chance than most others mentioned at remaining something of a well-kept secret in the region since it's not along an interstate. Big box and similar amenities can be found 15-20 min to the west in Newport and Rock Hill, and Lake Wylie is also a short drive away.