Defense Contractor Attorney Near James Island, SC

Two James Island food-and-beverage establishments have quietly closed their doors.

O’Brion’s Pub & Grille shuttered its 10-plus-year location at the Publix-anchored Merchant’s Village Shopping Center adjacent to Harborview Road. It did not respond to a request for comment.

O'Brion's also has a Mount Pleasant location, but had not been affiliated with the James Island location for several years, according to the current owner.

Separately, My Father’s Mustache, an English-style pub that expanded three years ago from East Cooper to James Island Center on Maybank Highway, posted a sign on its door stating it closed June 21 to “step aside and allow another local business to blossom.” It had occupied a space that had previously housed J. Paul'z and Cure.

The original My Father’s Mustache on Ben Sawyer Boulevard in Mount Pleasant remains open.

Will Sherrod of NAI Charleston, broker for the James Island Center, said the space is undergoing a rebranding and not currently available for lease. Whatnow.com reported the new name will be Charlotte's on Maybank.

Aloha on King

Hawaiian-inspired footwear brand OluKai is bringing its laid-back island style to downtown Charleston.

The lifestyle label has opened its newest — and largest — retail location at 338 King St. in the former Francesca’s boutique space near George Street.

The the 1,803-square-foot store is OluKai’s 11th and the 24th retail location for its parent company, Archipelago Companies. The footwear shop carries a full line of men’s and women’s sandals, sneakers, slippers, golf shoes and hats.

In a nod to local and island cultures, the store features sweetgrass baskets by fifth-generation Gullah Geechee artisan Corey Alston, displayed alongside Hawaiian weaving techniques, pineapple accents and haint blue ceilings.

Refuel C-Suite

A South Carolina-founded convenience store chain that has grown to more than 240 locations has promoted its co-presidents to co-CEOs.

Refuel executives Travis Smith and Jon Rier will assume their new roles July 1. Mark Jordan, founder and current CEO, will become board chairman.

According to the company, Smith is credited with co-founding FR Refuel with First Reserve, a Texas-based private equity firm that invested in the chain in 2019. He's also led the company's acquisition-based growth strategy, expanding Refuel from Charleston to cities across the Southeast since 2016.

Rier joined Refuel in 2019 as chief financial officer.

Both were appointed as co-presidents in January 2024.

“Their elevation to co-CEOs reflects the confidence we all have in their abilities and their commitment to continuing to build an extraordinary company,” Jordan said in a statement.

Refuel was founded in 2008. Eight stores came online last year and 10 more are expected to follow in 2025. In May, it was the first retailer to open at Santee Cooper's Camp Hall industrial park in Berkeley County.

Taking root

A new destination has bloomed along the Clements Ferry Road corridor.

The Market at Peninsula Cove blends a specialty plant shop, retail clothing store and outdoor event space into one concept. It's located at the entrance to the Peninsula Cove neighborhood,

The business offers specialty plants, fresh vegetables, herbs and cut flowers alongside a selection of women’s clothing, handbags and jewelry. The property, formerly known for hosting vendor booths in a farmers market-style setup, was recently reimagined by owner Melissa Brown as a plant-forward retail experience.

The expansive grassy lawn, outfitted with picnic tables and oversized lawn games, hosts community gatherings, pet-and-owner meetups and sip-and-paint nights.

Breakfast on Broad

A new café is bringing all-day breakfast to downtown Charleston.

Broad Street Café officially opened June 20 at 19 Broad St., taking over the former Bagels by Kiss space. It's open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The menu features breakfast sandwiches, biscuits, bagels, pastries, muffins, coffee along with a variety of lunch offering.

The café is run by Samantha Weston and Anne and Tom Caufmann.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A decades-old plan for a Johns Island neighborhood and golf course gets the green light from Charleston County leaders.

A plan called the Orange Hill Planned Development project is the works to add a 120-home neighborhood and a golf course is set for about 933 acres of land along Rivers and Bohicket Roads on Johns Island. Project developers, Kiawah Resort Associates LP, are working to use just over 720 acres of that land for the development called ‘Real Property’, according to plans. The over 200 acres remaining will be under a conservancy tract.

Kiawah Resort Associates LP partner and project applicant, Jordan Phillips, says the project benefits the area as a solution to golf course demands.

“The project will really help alleviate compaction on golf courses and provide additional residential housing units,” Phillips says.

Current proposed plans are a change from an 180-home idea that developers presented to the Charleston County Council in 2005. District 8 Councilmember Joe Boykin says development with original plans would impact Charleston County’s Urban Growth Boundary.

“I think in the end, it was far better than the by-right development plan they already had,” Boykin says. “If this had been done a long time ago, this area would have been out of the Urban Growth Boundary and probably not have been supported, but it predates that.”

Charleston County Council approved to move forward on the development in a first reading on Tuesday. Boykin calls the plan a “win-win” for the area as developers included support efforts towards affordable housing in the area.

The Charleston County Community Development and Revitalization Department, which focuses on housing and communities, will get $1 million in property funds. Those funds will come from the project over the course of five years. Developers say another $500,000 will go towards the Sea Island Habitat for Humanity.

Boykin says the housing contributions are a chance to keep money on the island.

“We have a real problem with workers going to Kiawah to support that, well, one of Charleston County’s largest employers,” Boykin says. “They can’t afford to live on Johns Island, so they come from far off, which causes more congestion on our roadways. So this is a win-win all the way around.”

A second reading of the plan by council leaders will take place on July 22. A public hearing will also take place.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JAMES ISLAND — A local IHOP has closed its doors following a heaping stack of health code violations.

The location at 771 Daniel Ellis Drive off Folly Road received 11 consecutive “C” ratings after visits to the restaurant since March, according to S.C. Department of Agriculture records.

IHOP had been in the James Island location since 2014, replacing the Ruby Tuesday restaurant.

The roughly 5,500-square-foot building is now for lease for $38 a square foot.

Mandy Coleman with National Restaurant Properties LLC, who represents the out-of-state owner, said on Friday that IHOP had already removed a number of kitchen equipment items and dismantled several booths before she came to change the locks.

Coleman said the space could be leased to another restaurant or a different user.

The chain's corporate office did not respond to a request for comment on the James Island restaurant’s closure or the health code violation reports.

Violations documented at the James Island IHOP during the most recent inspection on May 12 found expired packaged bell peppers, which were encased in a “bloated” bag and several items not being held to a safe temperature including grits, liquid eggs, butter packets, creamers, and cut citrus, according to the report.

Inspectors also found containers of ham, steak and pancake batter expired by more than seven days as well as unclean silverware, pans on dirty shelves and pans with baked-on food particles.

There were also a number of fruit flies observed in the dishes area.

Records show the restaurant had gotten several “A” ratings over the years. Its only “B” rating in 2025 was received on Feb. 25.

Regular food service inspections by the Department of Agriculture focus on “practices identified as most likely to cause a foodborne illness if they are not done properly.”

For any retail food establishment earning less than 78 points, or a "C" rating, food safety practices "need significant improvement,” the department states.

The state agency did not indicate it was forcing IHOP to close. It scheduled another follow-up visit set for May 22.

Four other IHOP locations remain open in the area, in Mount Pleasant, North Charleston and Summerville. The chain has 27 locations statewide, according to the company.

IHOP had updated its online locations by June 13 to remove the James Island restaurant.

The chain, once known as the International House of Pancakes, has expanded its menu beyond breakfast foods. It's owned by Dine Brands Global Inc., which operates mot IHOP locations under franchise agreements. The Pasadena, Calif.,-based holding company also owns Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A James Island pharmacy is one of 14 organizations in South Carolina to receive a portion of over $6 million in state funds designed to promote treating opioid abuse disorder and prevent the overprescribing of opioids.

Dottie’s Pharmacy is receiving slightly more than $480,000 in state funds to help make treatment more accessible in the state. The pharmacy is working to do that by communicating with patients, distributing Narcan boxes and increasing patient access to treatments that lower opioid addiction.

The funds, over $6 million in all, come from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board. Treatments include long-lasting injectable medications such as Vivitrol, Brixadi and Sublocade. Clinical Pharmacy Manager Joe Longo calls the drugs “wonderful” because they work by lowering cravings for opioids in patients.

“You’re not waiting for the weekend and saying, ‘Oh, do I have enough medication? Is my pharmacy in stock?’” Longo says. “The one medication lasts for the whole month.”

Longo says there are accessibility barriers for doctors and patients to get the medication. He says the barriers stem from the drug’s $2,000-price tag. Longo says the price makes insurance coverage hard to obtain by doctors offices and patients.

The pharmacy is using the funds to help doctors get insurance company approval for the drugs, which allows pharmacists to fill prescriptions that patients receive.

Some patients may not be able to afford the injectables. Longo says the grant funds are helping with patient co-payments to eliminate the patient’s bill completely.

Leaders of the Lowcountry nonprofit Wake Up Carolina say their resource center sees opioid overdoses on a regular basis. Program Director Tim Maguire says access to resources without insurance policies poses an issue for people in recovery.

“Not even just having an insurance policy or having the financial means to do it but, ‘What are those resources?’ ‘What do those resources look like?” Maguire says.

Longo says the injectables help lower opioid abuse disorder stigma, such as associations to pill capsule medications like suboxone.

Maguire says it’s important to lower stigma barriers as overdoses or fentanyl poisoning is an issue that can happen anywhere.

“It’s [opioid abuse disorder] everywhere,” Maguire says. “So understanding that if you have Narcan on you, that doesn’t mean that you have someone that uses opioids that lives with you or that you use opioids yourself. You just never know where you may come across someone that is overdosing.”

The pharmacy applied for their second year of grant funds to continue their efforts. They could receive those funds as early as October if that grant is approved.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A new county park is coming to Johns Island.

Lowcountry Land Trust and Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission are working to restore waterway access to the public after acquiring 66 acres of land. Just over $2.6 million was part of the land purchase, as well as some being donated to the Lowcountry Land Trust.

“It’s no secret that Johns Island is facing a tremendous amount of growth, and so any conservation projects like this that protect natural resources on the island and provide access to the public to enjoy these properties is a big success,” Charleston County Greenbelt Program Deputy Director Chris Dubuque said.

Right now, the area about three miles north of the Angel Oak is mostly woods, but once it’s converted to a county park, it will allow waterway access as well as opportunities to walk, hike and participate in paddle sports.

The project, involving the land around Simmons Creek, aims to restore the community’s historic access to the water while preserving the area’s natural beauty and ecological health. The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission will manage the property once turned into a county park. The project will also protect the surrounding forests and fields and preserve water quality.

The goal is to keep the area as natural as possible while allowing everyone in the community to enjoy it.

“With the exception of any minimal improvements to make it accessible to the public, what type of improvements would that be? Well, it would probably be parking improvements one day, maybe a restroom, maybe an improved dock to provide access to the waterway. Accessibility is the main concern for our agency, so making sure the trails are accessible for people of all abilities,” Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission Senior Planner Matt Moldenhauer said.

Several organizations were crucial in making it all come together. The Lowcountry Land Trust and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission worked together to develop the project, and the Charleston County Greenbelt Department and State Conservation Bank, along with generous donors, worked to fund it.

With this project, the Angel Oak Preserve, and the recent acquisitions of Main Road Park and Grayson Oaks, the goal is to build a vibrant network of conserved lands honoring the island’s unique character and enhancing the community’s connection to nature.

“Sometimes that means trying to do land protection projects that are side by side, but there is also the ability to do things that are in the vicinity of each other where animals for instance might be able to use multiple of these properties to meet their lifecycle needs,” Lowcountry Land Trust Chief Conservation Officer David Ray said.

Dubuque said it’s a long process, and the application indicated more than five years before it would be open to the public. The county will be taking public input as it goes about designing the park in the future.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.