For a city that’s famous for all that’s old and historic, Charleston offers shoppers today easier-than-ever access to things that are new and exciting. From fashions to home furnishings, from bestsellers to sporting goods, the Lowcountry has it all. The older shopping haunts have been updated and expanded, plus whole new shopping destinations have sprung up in high-growth areas where the expanding population has called for them.
No matter how you look at it, the shopping opportunities here in the Lowcountry are almost unlimited. Communities that were geographically isolated only a dozen years ago are now within an easy commute to a diverse and interesting commercial/shopping adventure. The future looks bright, and more shoppers are drawn to the area every day.
The variety ranges in size from specialty shop enclaves in downtown nooks and crannies to major shopping centers and the seemingly endless random strip malls. To provide a useful index for your shopping needs, we’ve categorized these shopping adventures by location and merchandise.
We’ll start with the major shopping areas of downtown Charleston. Some of these famous old streets have been shopping meccas for 200 years. Other streets have only recently become decidedly commercial. Much of downtown’s historic district houses a mix of shops and homes and every other aspect of daily life—with a certain deference made to keeping the historic fabric of the city intact.
Next, we’ll survey the brightest and best shopping opportunities in the surrounding areas, as we’ve done with our chapters on accommodations, restaurants, nightlife, and neighborhoods. Within each geographic designation, however, we’ve categorized stores by the type of merchandise that’s dominant there. Included are the most exclusive boutiques and the just-as-welcome discount stores catering to the dollar-conscious consumer. In each case, we’ve tried to identify businesses with items of particular interest for our visitors and those frequented by a local clientele.
Overview
In general, we’ve omitted descriptions of the major chain retailers with which you are already familiar. Some of the best of these are the high-end shops featured in The Shops at Charleston Place. Please note that bookstore browsers will find the familiar chain stores such as Barnes & Noble Booksellers at locations in West Ashley, Mount Pleasant (Towne Centre), and North Charleston. Books-A-Million also has a North Charleston and West Ashley location, and Waldenbooks can be found in Charleston Place. Some of the smaller independents are described in more detail under “Bookstores” in each designated shopping area.
Finally, we’ll offer newcomers a brief rundown of the major shopping malls here in the Lowcountry. We hope our guide is a tempting sample of the variety and quality of shopping options in this area. We do encourage you, however, to venture off the beaten path from time to time—new and hidden surprises are everywhere!
For the insider who wants to buy, sell, study, or just window shop for antiques, Charleston is a mother lode. Because it was first an English city, the Charlestonian sense of taste in antiques is decidedly British. Fittingly, Charleston’s many antiques shops and galleries, many of which are clustered along King Street, tend to reflect that English bias.
The affluent, British-educated, 18th-century Charlestonians proudly decorated their homes with the latest in English good taste as an obvious symbol of their cultural status and social position. If they couldn’t import their heart’s desire for finery and furniture, they imported tradesmen who could re-create it for them on this side of the Atlantic. Eventually, Charleston produced a new generation of silversmiths and cabinetmakers who earned their own reputations for fine craftsmanship. Indeed, early furniture from Charleston is among the best of the pre-1830 furniture crafted in this country. But it’s safe to say that long after Britain ceased being a political factor in the colonies, Americans still looked to Mother England for direction in taste. In fact, this artistic and cultural co-dependency has lingered in Charleston for more than 200 years.
Today, Charleston no longer relies on furnishings from local homes and the misfortunes of its old families to fill today’s antiques shops and galleries. Local dealers and buyers attend auctions and estate sales up and down the Eastern seaboard, and some make regular buying trips to Europe. Ships carrying 40-foot containers filled with early- to mid-19th century English antiques arrive regularly in Charleston Harbor. Much of the merchandise is sold in local shops, while some of it goes to discerning dealers all over America. Still, Charleston enjoys the lion’s share of the top-quality merchandise, largely because of the demand. Many of Charleston’s old homes were built to showcase such furnishings, and each new owner cherishes the opportunity to refurbish his or her home appropriately.
Overview
From St. Michael’s Alley and King Street to the shops in Mount Pleasant and along Savannah Highway, there are dozens of opportunities to shop for some of the best antiques sold in America.
One particular section along King Street, between Beaufain and Queen Streets, is sometimes referred to as the Antiques District, where you’ll find a high concentration of quality shops and fascinating merchandise. But shoppers who really want to “do” the antiques market in Charleston will have to expand their search well beyond King Street these days. Quality shops are found tucked away in nearly all the commercial areas, plus small areas of West Ashley, Mount Pleasant, and James Island. Seeing them all is getting to be something of a crusade. Lookers are almost always welcome, but if you’re a serious collector or a dealer, be sure to talk to the proprietor and make your wishes known. Often, there are back rooms or upstairs galleries available only to those interested enough to ask.
At the corner of King and Queen Streets is a good place to start. Walking north from there, you’ll find some of the best antiques stores the city has to offer. Most shops are open Mon through Sat, but hours of operation can be as eclectic as the selections at many of these shops, so if in doubt, call ahead. We’ve alphabetized the following store and merchandise descriptions for easy reference.
Some people would tell you the verdict on Charleston and the arts is still out—that after an early, spectacular (even historic) colonial era start, the city fell asleep artistically and has stayed that way since . . . well, the Civil War. Others would have you believe this city, today, is a virtual mecca for experimental and traditional artists of all kinds, if only during Spoleto Festival USA. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. While there have been dormant stretches, there have also been times, such as the 1920s and early ’30s, when Charleston experienced artistic stirrings that resulted in truly exciting art.
In literature, there was Charleston’s own DuBose Heyward (1885–1940), whose legendary 1925 novel, Porgy, inspired a renaissance of artistic effort in and about the city and its people. The story, for those who may not be familiar with it, is based on the life of a poor, crippled black street vendor and his tragic love for an abused, drug-addicted woman. The novelist’s playwright wife, Dorothy, co-wrote the successful stage play that opened on Broadway in 1927.
In 1926 none other than George Gershwin—already famous for “Rhapsody in Blue” and bound for immortality as the composer of dozens of American musical standards—was fascinated by the story. He felt Porgy was just the vehicle he was looking for to create a new art form: the American folk opera.
Although it took several years to finally put it on the boards, the world-famous work known as Porgy and Bess was at last produced by New York’s Theatre Guild in 1935. While it was never a staggering financial success (not many things were in 1935), the work was universally and artistically acclaimed. Since then, the opera has played all over the world, including in Milan’s prestigious La Scala. But no audience could love it more than an audience in Charleston.
Overview
But what about today? And what is all this Spoleto hoopla about? Following is an introduction to the big event, along with a couple of other popular festivals. After that, we offer listings and information under self-explanatory headings: Festivals, Organizations and Venues, Theater, Dance, Music, and Galleries. Unless otherwise noted, all addresses are in Charleston.