Upper King Charleston: Business

The Cocktail Club Nominated in Two Categories for the 2012 Nightclub & Bar Awards

The Cocktail Club, an Indigo Road Restaurant Group concept, has been named a finalist in two categories for the 2012 National Nightclub and Bar Awards: Jasmine Beck for Bartender of the Year and The Cocktail Club as Cocktail Lounge of the Year.

The annual Nightclub & Bar Awards celebrate the nightlife industry’s top venues and talents across the country. Past winners have included Eastern Standard in Boston, Mass.; Webster Hall in New York City and Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, Cal.

“We are incredibly gratified to see such a huge professional following for the 2012 Nightclub & Bar Awards,” says Megan Hernandez, Digital Content Director for Nightclub & Bar Media Group. “The finalists and winners highlight exactly the characteristics this competition applauds: quality, creativity, financial success and, of course, patron value.”

The finalists and winners will be featured on Nightclub.com; the winners will be chosen at the end of January and will have the chance to attend the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas, March 12-14.

New Restaurant, The Grocery, Opens Downtown

Executive chef and owner Kevin Johnson has recently opened The Grocery in downtown Charleston. A veteran of such restaurants as Slightly North of Broad, Anson Restaurant, and the Inn at Little Washington, Johnson is serving up seasonal, ingredient-inspired cuisine with Mediterranean and Southern American influences.

Johnson has created a gathering place of warmth and familiarity, with a menu based on what is available from the local and regional farmers and fishermen he knows and has worked with for many years.Diner's are encouraged to share several small or large plates from the continually evolving menu, evoking a sense of community.

Current highlights include: Fried Oysters with Deviled Egg Sauce and Bread-and-Butter Pickles; Bouillabaisse of Fish, Clams, Shrimp and Squid with Grilled Bread and Aioli; and Pork Osso Buco served with a Ragout of Sea Island Red Peas and Cornbread.

The Grocery is located at 4 Cannon Street and is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.thegrocerycharleston.com or call 843.302.8825.

Halls Chophouse Among the Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S.

Halls Chophouse was recently named one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. as part of OpenTable's 2011 Diner's Choice Awards. The list of winners is derived from more than 10 million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The honorees span 34 states and Washington, D.C., “The restaurants on this list are wonderfully varied, but they have one overwhelming quality in common – each establishment is taking every opportunity to deliver a superb dining experience,” says Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer. “Quality and consistency in the food, service and setting are the hallmarks of the very best restaurants, and all three elements can be found in abundance by diners visiting any of these honorees.”

Visit Halls Chophouse at 434 King Street today for an unforgettable dining experience. Click here to make online reservations through OpenTable .

A Gift from the City of Charleston: Free Parking for the 2011 Holiday Season!

From Black Friday through New Year's, park in City Garages downtown for two hours free! Click here to download 2011 Holiday Magic in Downtown Charleston Parking Voucher, print as many as you like and bring them with you each time you come downtown for shopping, dining and holiday fun. There's more! Many merchants offer parking stamps with your purchase or service:

Butterfly Women's Consignment Boutique and Cos Bar have onsite free parking for their customers.

Here's another parking tip: if you're visiting the Upper King Design District for evening shopping and dining, the Visitors Center Garage is just $2 for the whole evening after 5:00 PM. You'll also find valet parking at John and King, Radcliffe and King, Broad Street and East Bay and Cumberland Street just east of East Bay.

You can ride the Carta DASH Trolleys all around downtown for free. It's just too easy to enjoy beautiful downtown Charleston this holiday season. Join us for the best shopping, the best dining, the best salons and spas, and Charleston WreathFest!

People Matter Comes to Upper King Street

People Matter, a human resource management software company currently located in North Charleston, Atlanta and San Francisco, will establish their new International Headquarters on Charleston's Upper King Street, bringing with them 265 high-tech jobs over the next two years as the project is completed.The newly developed property, leased and developed by PrimeSouth Group, will be located at 466 and 468 King Street.

Produced for restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, hospitality and retail, People Matter software assists in hiring, training, scheduling and motivating service employees."We transform the workplace with talent management solutions that catalyze the innate human drive to make a difference – because happy, engaged employees and managers lead to exemplary customer service." Nate DaPore, President and CEO.

The project was unveiled yesterday in a Press Conference on a closed portion of Upper King Street. DaPore and other People Matter executives, Mayor Joe Riley, Chris Price, Ernest Endrade and Charleston County officials expressed thanks as they described the broad expanse of the project. A reception was held afterward at The Macintosh and upstairs at The Cocktail Club.

Explore Charleston's Haunted History with the Francis Marion Hotel's Wicked Good Fun Package

October is a beautiful time of year to visit Charleston, and being so close to Halloween, it's a great time to check out Charleston's haunted past as well. Book the Wicked Good Fun Package at the Francis Marion Hotel to go deep into the night on your choice of one of four different ghost walking tours by Bulldog Tours.

Explore Charleston’s Pre-Revolutionary Dungeon on the Charleston Ghost & Dungeon Tour, get an uncensored look at Charleston’s past on The Dark Side Tour,take a nighttime tour of one of the oldest graveyards in the country on the Charleston Ghost & Graveyard Tour, or get an inside look at Charleston’s haunted Old City Jail on the Haunted Jail Tour. Then, after your frightfully good time, relax in your guest room with luxurious European bedding and peruse your copy of the Francis Marion’s own ghost story with the hotel's signature Spooky cookies. Wicked good fun for all!

Your package includes: Overnight accommodations, (2) tour tickets per night (your choice of four different tours), Francis Marion’s Ghost Story, and Turndown with Spooky Cookies.

Book this package starting from just $199 a night! Book your stay at the historic Francis Marion Hotel today.

Relocating Your Business? Newly Renovated Office Space Available In The Upper King Design District

This is a unique opportunity to locate in downtown Charleston’s hottest area – Upper King Street District. This developing area has been described as the “SOHO of the South” as well as the design & dining district of Charleston. Upper King Street offers an eclectic collection of popular restaurants, design firms and home decor boutiques.

The area is experiencing a surge of new construction and rehabilitation projects that add to the diversity that Upper King is known for. There are several planned restaurant concepts and stylish boutiques opening soon in the district. You may contact the agent for more detailed information on various approved projects on scheduled for the Upper King Street Design District.

Butterfly Hosts Art Institute of Charleston Students for Behind-the-Scenes Tour!

Butterfly Consignments had such a delightful time last week hosting the Art Institute of Charleston fashion students for a behind-the-scenes tour of their King Street store! As part of their fashion studies, students came in for some thorough research on the store's layout, organization and merchandise presentation. It was fun to see the minds of our future fashion leaders at work, so it was a study for Butterfly as well!

While Butterfly believes that the beauty of their store comes from the placement of their merchandise and how it is displayed to customers, the inner workings of the store are what make business a success. What's more, sharing these lessons with their industry’s future businessmen and women is essential to the fashion community’s continued growth. Visit again soon! (On a similar note...don't forget that Butterfly's Student ID Sale is also still going on! 20% off EVERYTHING in the store with a valid student ID!)

Butterfly Women's Consignment Boutique is at 482 King Street in the Upper King Design District.

PURE Theatre Moves into CBT's Black Box Theatre

PURE Theatre has finally found a permanent home after years of jumping between temporary venues. Starting September 1st, they will be based out of 477 King St., the space that housed the Charleston Ballet Theatre for the last several years.

The Charleston Ballet Theatre will be moving their dance rehearsal studios over the bridge to Mt. Pleasant near Twin River Lanes. Their administrative offices will remain downtown. Read the full article by the Charleston City Paper HERE.

Nathalie Dupree Cooking Up Amazing Biscuits for Second Sunday on King

Layered, fluffy, feathery, silky, soft, and velvety biscuits all come together in Southern Biscuits, a book of recipes and baking secrets for every biscuit imaginable. Southern Biscuits features easy biscuits that are hassle-free and undemanding to make, as well as embellished biscuits laced with silky goat butter, crunchy pecans, or tangy pimento cheese, and everything in between.

The biscuits in this book encompass a number of types, from the beaten biscuits of the Old South and England, to biscuits reminiscent of Sunday Supper, to modern trends and ingredient combinations. Try Angel Biscuits—a yeast biscuit sturdy enough to split and fill but light enough to melt in the mouth; Carolina Biscuits—flaky little bites made with cream cheese; or Chocolate Soldiers—mixed with cocoa powder and sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.You will find biscuits for every occasion, from hearty breakfasts to delicate party hors d’oeuvres. Filled with beautiful photography, including dozens of how-to photos showing how to mix, stir, fold, roll, and knead, Southern Biscuits is the definitive biscuit baking book.

Nathalie Dupree has written or coauthored many cookbooks, including the James Beard Award–winners Southern Memories and Comfortable Entertaining. Her latest book is Shrimp and Grits. She has hosted more than 300 television shows and specials. Ms. Dupree will be showcasing her wares and cuisine on Second Sunday August 14th and they will be amazing!

Preservation Society of Charleston | 147 King Street | 843.722.4630