Upper King Charleston: Buy Local

2013 Charleston Farmers Market Opens Saturday

This Saturday, April 13th kicks off the 2013 Season for the Charleston Farmers Market! Since 1989, the Charleston Farmers Market has supported and featured Lowcountry farmers and growers, artisans, food vendors, live music, and more!

Stop by Marion Square at the corner of King & Calhoun Streets and load up on Lowcountry seasonal produce & more. Admission is free. The Farmers Market is open Saturdays from 8:00am - 2:00pm and runs April 13-December 21, 2013.

*Open on select Sundays from 9:00am - 3:00pm during Piccolo Spoleto Festival (May 26, June 2 & 9) and Holiday Magic (December 1, 8 & 15).

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Pastries, Bread, Desserts, & Treats at P.I.E. Bake Shoppe

From breakfast pastries, desserts and petit fours to artisan breads and pies, Paige’s Incredible Edibles (P.I.E.) will make you very, very happy. Owner and Executive Pastry Chef Paige Young is a graduate of the College of Charleston and the Notter School of European Pastry & Arts. You may have tried the delicious mini-tarts she cooked up for the Cooper River Bridge Run's Taste of the Race.

Just steps west of King & John Streets, stop by in the mornings for coffee and a croissant or in the afternoon for a mid-day treat. P.I.E. caters as well! Watch for P.I.E.treats at restaurants, weddings and catered affairs around town.

P.I.E. Bake Shoppe is located at 5 Warren Street in the Upper King Design District of downtown Charleston. They're open Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am-2:00 pm. 843-720-SHOP (7467).

Keegan-Filion Farms Barn Raising Fundraiser, Jan. 22nd

If you’ve eaten in a Charleston restaurant, chances are that you have tried something from Keegan-Filion Farms. Purveyors and friends to numerous restaurants and hospitality professionals in our city, Annie and Marc Keegan were met with tragedy on Sunday, December 4, when a fire consumed one of their barns. The barn, built in the 1930’s by Annie’s grandfather, was only one of the losses. Also lost in the fire were over 100 birds, turkey and hog feed, and numerous farm tools.

As word of this tragedy spread through Charleston, Patrick Properties Hospitality Group immediately decided to jump into action and put together a fundraising event. They have enlisted the help of some of Charleston's finest chefs to meet their fundraising goal of $20,000.

The event will be held on Sunday, January 22nd from 1-4PM at Lowndes Grove Plantation in downtown Charleston. Many of the area's best chefs will be on hand to cook and they will also have an oyster roast on the banks of the Ashley. Tickets are $50 and that includes admission and food. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase.

Participating chefs will be: Nico Romo from Fish Restaurant, Sean Brock from McCrady’s and Husk, Ken Vedrinski from Trattoria Lucca, Marc Collins from Circa 1886, Fred Neuville from Fat Hen, Craig Deihl from Cypress, Sarah O’Kelley from Glass Onion, Matt Russell from EVO, Nathan Thurston from The Ocean Room at Kiawah, Jacques Larson from Wild Olive, Mike Lotz from Triangle Char and Bar, Frank Lee from SNOB, Mike Lata from FIG, Jeremiah Bacon from Macintosh.

To purchase tickets, click here. For more information, please contact: Angel Powell, Director of Public Relations at 843-737-9253, or at angel@pphgcharleston.com.

Closed for Business to Celebrate 2nd Anniversary with Local Breweries Unite Event Dec. 16th

On Friday, December 16th, COAST Brewing Company, Palmetto Brewing Company, Westbrook Brewery & Holy City Brewing will be teaming up for the first time in Charleston history to celebrate the local craft beer scene and the 2 year anniversary for Closed for Business- Charleston’s premiere craft beer bar and neighborhood restaurant. CFB’s knowledgeable staff and brewers from all 4 breweries will pouring more than 20 local brews including two cask conditioned ales. Admission is free for this event.

Stop by Closed for Business at 453 King Street to celebrate the up and coming beer scene in Charleston & the 2nd year anniversary of this wonderful craft beer restaurant.

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!

Swamp Fox Fresh Farmers Market Menu November Edition

Throughout the month of November, the Francis Marion Hotel's Swamp Fox Restaurant will be offering a special Farmers Market Menu. Chef Steve Klatt’s Farmers Market Menu is designed to utilize much of the fresh seasonal products available locally and showcased in the Marion Square Farmers Market. Chef’s goal is to create a guest experience celebrating the bounties of the Lowcountry with dishes prepared with respect to the traditional ways of the South.

The menu is as follows:

1st Course: Roasted Pumpkin Soup- Rich and Creamy Soup with Fall Spices and Herbs, Garnished with a Cranberry Relish

2nd Course: Crispy Pork Belly and Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Roasted Butternut Squash Puree, Topped with a Tomato Corn Salad and Sweet-Sour Apples

Dessert: Cinnamon and Maple Cake Roll- Cinnamon Cake with a Maple Cream Cheese Filling, Crusted in Candied Pecans

This Farmers Market Dinner costs $29 per person and is available daily during the month of November. Space is limited so please call (843) 724-8888 to reserve your table.

Swamp Fox Restaurant |387 King St. | 843.724.8888

Sally Bette's Resort Boutique Sale Soiree

Join Sally Bettes Resort Boutique, and others, and shop the night away when Charleston’s fashion community comes together to cut prices on apparel and showcases cutting edge trends every posh woman and man needs to own! Enjoy complimentary champagne cocktails and live music by Groove Junkies and Thunder Kings while mingling with Charleston’s most fashion forward individuals during the Sale Soiree.

While shopping, support People Against Rape by making donations that offer a chance to win cash prizes, partaking in mini-spa service from Stella Nova, Tarot card readings and much more. All proceeds go to support PAR in their efforts to raise much needed funds that support the community’s stance against violent crimes against women and men. 100% of all donations collected during the Sale Soiree go directly to People Against Rape.

Come fashionably fabulous- whether its cocktail attire or jeans and stilettos it doesn’t matter, dress to impress. If you’d wear it to NY Fashion Week you’d wear it to the Sale Soiree. Prizes from Blue Mercury are awarded to the most fashionable fillies.

For three days following the sale, vendors who participated in the event will be offering exclusive perks and additional discounts to anyone who attended the soiree.

Sally Bettes Resort Boutique | 493 King Street | 843.937.6211

La Fourchette Participating in Palate and Palette Stroll

The exclusive food and art event, Palate and Palette Stroll, showcases high-quality art works from nationally renowned artists paired with excellent local fair prepared by celebrated Charleston chefs. This year's event will feature fresh seasonal products, literally, from La Fourchette and on canvas.

The event is benefiting CFADA's visual arts scholarship fund. Money from the scholarship fund has been awarded to organizations such as Redux Contemporary Art Center, the Gibbes Museum of Art and the CofC School of the Arts.

Cost is $45 per person and tickets are limited. Reservations are required. Tickets can be purchased by calling 843-819-8006 or on-line at www.cfada.com

La Fourchette | 432 King Street | 843.722.6261

Milestone Rentals For The Next Milestone In Your Life

The milestones of our lives are marked in celebration. Celebrations are measured in success. Milestone Rentals, owned and operated by the Watson family, is the measure for industry success. Milestone Rentals is prepared to personalize and outfit any event from a casual oyster roast to an extravagant wedding. Milestone Rentals offers everything to make your event one for the ages, including: glassware, silverware, plates, chairs, tables, tents, and jump castles for the kids.

With Milestone Rentals skill is just as important as the product. Every event is accompanied by a team of highly-trained individuals specialized in the assembly, installation, maintenance and safety of the equipment. Your rentals are guaranteed to arrive on time with personalized assistance and impeccable execution to make the process seamless. In a market where others fall short, Milestone rises to the occasion.

Milestone Rentals | 843.670.6699 | josh@milestonerental.com

Best Dressed Window Contest Continues on King Street

Vote for your favorite yuletide display! Below are photos of four participating businesses, but we encourage you to visit them in person to get a more detailed look. Because they are really beautiful.

The festively dressed windows are full of seasonal color and creative details, so take a peek for yourself as you stroll along King Street in historic downtown Charleston. Then Cast Your Vote at Charleston Home Magazine.

Take a peek at these beauties... From top left to right Felice Designs, Lesesne, SIG Supply and Maddison Row.

Click here to cast your vote. Vote early and vote often. Chicago voting rules apply.