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Condado Tacos is bringing its own entry in the taco game to Mount Pleasant.

The restaurant group, based in Columbus, Ohio, specializes in what it calls unique tacos, margaritas and tequilas in a “colorful and energetic atmosphere,” will open its second South Carolina location in Mount Pleasant Towne Center. The first opened in Greenville earlier this year.

The Mount Pleasant location with have a grand opening celebration on Nov. 4.

The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will feature 225 seats, including 110 seats in the dining room, 15 at a stand-alone bar, and another 100 seats on a large outdoor patio.

Condado considers their queso to be one of their signature items, along with best-selling specialty tacos that include Lucy’s Fire and Blue Dream, both with “secret shells,” the news release said. In addition to their menu of signature tacos, Condado offers build-your-own taco options, with a variety of taco shells and a choice of proteins including steak, pork, chicken, ground beef, brisket and plant-based options with a number of different toppings and sauces. Condado Tacos also features a full bar with an assortment of 100% blue agave tequilas and specialty margaritas such as the Gran Clasico and Handsome Devil.

“We are thrilled to bring our innovative, craveable, preservative-free tacos and margs to Towne Centre and continue our growth and expansion throughout South Carolina," Chris Artinian, Condado Tacos president and CEO, said in the release. “At Condado Tacos, we offer a full-service dining experience that matches your speed, for either a sit-down dining experience or to-go and delivery. For this level of freshness and quality, Condado provides an amazing value for under $20 per person, which includes an average of two tacos, a dip and a margarita. We are proud of our "come-as-you-are" culture with this unparalleled experience."

Condado Tacos in Towne Centre will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.

During Condado’s grand opening celebration in Towne Centre, the first 100 guests in line on Nov. 4 will be awarded with a “Year of Yum” — one free taco every week for a year. Additionally, Condado Tacos will serve their signature margaritas for $5 all day long, and all guests in attendance will receive a free taco with any purchase. Doors will open at 11 a.m. for the grand opening event following a confetti cannon celebration.

“We are thrilled to welcome Condado Tacos to Mount Pleasant Towne Centre and further our fantastic dining offerings for our customers,” Kathi Herrmann, marketing director of Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, said in a news release. “With its delicious tacos and upbeat ambiance, we know it will be the perfect fit for our community here at Towne Centre.”

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - A historic Mount Pleasant park was possibly going to be a dog park before nearby community members banded together against the development.

Now, the development has been put on hold and nearby residents are celebrating the victory.

At Edwards Park in historic Mount Pleasant, the park has been here since 1837, that’s why the proposed development brought together the community to maintain its historical significance.

“I heard about the dog park that the town was proposing an idea to divide and fence half of the park, and the community spoke out and said we don’t want this, and the town council responded,” Sarah Mitchell who lives near Edwards Park says. “And as I know, it is off the table for now. So, which is wonderful, but in the future, we’d like to do a historical designation of the park.”

Turning Edwards Park into a dog park was an idea shared with the community a few weeks ago, but the town decided to stop pursuing the project after over 700 Mount Pleasant residents signed a petition against it.

Eric LaFontanie with Mount Pleasant said after hearing feedback and considerations from the community, the town will not be pursuing this Edwards Park concept at the moment.

The park currently sits in the middle of a neighborhood with homes surrounding it on all sides with homeowners concerned about the potential impact on traffic and noise it would have on residents.

“It’s important just for traffic, noise, and other reasons, that we don’t ever make it an official dog park. Like I said, folks can use it now as it is: you could still come with your dog, but we also want it open for everyone,” Mitchell says.

Edwards Park is used by many members of the public to picnic, host group gatherings, go for walks, and more, which is why the community wanted it to be open to all.

“When you turn something into a dog park, it really limits it to just one use,” Park Preservation Advocate Daniel Brownstein says. “I mean, nobody’s going to go have a picnic at a dog park, so it just made sense, I think, to keep the status quo and make sure that it’s open to people and dogs and not exclusive to one or the other.”

Turing Edwards Park into a dog park was part of Mount Pleasant’s plan to improve Alhambra Hall, grounds and playground, the other improvements are all still set to begin next summer.

“I think if anything, the park could use a little TLC with its landscaping,” Brownstein adds. “It would also be an ideal spot to build a gazebo, and to really just sort of enhance it into the community gathering spot that it could be.”

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MOUNT PLEASANT — A North Carolina-based supermarket chain plans to enter the Charleston market, stepping in after another grocery store’s plans fell through.

The Fresh Market has taken over the lease from discount grocer Lidl for a space in Bowman Place Shopping Center, according to a document filed Sept. 27 in the Charleston County land records office.

A spokeswoman for the Greensboro-based specialty grocer said the company “did not have anything to share at this time” on its open schedule.

Peter Stone of Mount Pleasant’s planning department said Fresh Market has not presented construction plans to the town, which usually considers building and facade alterations as well as signage through the Commercial Design Review Board.

German company Lidl, with its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va., had planned to move into a 26,000-square-foot space in the Dick’s Sporting Goods-anchored retail center near Bowman Road and Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.

Work came to a halt more than a year ago.

A Lidl representative did not respond for comment.

The Fresh Market now has the remainder of the 15-year tenant agreement Lidl signed three years ago next month. The lease also included an option for 15 more years.

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The site originally held a 20,000-square-foot kitchen store, but it closed in early 2020. Lidl wanted a larger space, so it added 6,000 square feet and a loading dock in the rear of the building.

The Fresh Market has nine stores in South Carolina. Its closest location to Charleston is about 70 miles up the coast at Pawleys Island.

The chain offers an upscale assortment of fresh produce, meat and seafood along with a deli, bakery, prepared foods and fresh-cut flowers. The store also has beer, wine, coffee and bulk nuts along with various other items.

In 2017, Fresh Market first eyed the state’s fourth-largest municipality and its 95,000 residents who have a median household income of more than $106,000, according to U.S. Census figures.

Publix eventually brought one of its small-format specialty grocery stores called GreenWise Market to the 21,535-square-foot space in Indigo Square Shopping Center off U.S. Highway 17, where Fresh Market was looking.

GreenWise Market, near Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, closed in 2020 about 16 months after it opened. It’s now the site of outdoor gear retailer REI Co-op.

Another specialty grocer also made a run in Mount Pleasant. North Carolina-based Southern Season shuttered its store off Coleman Boulevard in 2016, less than three years after it opened. It’s now the home of Gold’s Gym.

Last year, South American retailer Cencosud acquired a 67 percent stake in The Fresh Market. Existing grocery store shareholders retained a minority equity interest in the company.

The Fresh Market, with 159 stores in 22 states, was founded in 1982. The size of its stores average about 21,000 square feet.

The Bowman Place location is near a 4-mile stretch of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard between the Ravenel Bridge and Interstate 526 that’s teeming with supermarkets. They include Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Publix, Traders Joe’s, Aldi and Walmart.

Lidl has a dozen stores in South Carolina, with two in the Charleston area in Goose Creek and North Charleston.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. —

A popular restaurant in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, has announced its closing.

The Mustard Seed has been in business for more than 28 years.

(Video above: Morning headlines from WYFF News 4)

The owner, Sal Parco, posted Sunday on Facebook that he will retire and the restaurant will close and be taken over by a new group.

Read his full message below:

"It’s with a heavy heart and mixed emotions, I am writing to formally announce my retirement and the closing of the Mustard Seed. Please visit me as this will be my final week and it is my hope to see as many of you as possible. I opened the original Mustard Seed over 28 yrs ago, and it’s been quite a journey. Along the way I’ve had the privilege to serve the greater Mt Pleasant community, even opening up additional restaurant concepts that were frequented by my cherished customers. It has been my great honor to be a part of the restaurant community and I’ll never be able to express my appreciation toward the many customers that I now consider to be my family. I am forever grateful to have been welcomed in with such open arms and my gratitude toward you is immense. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed coming to work everyday, meeting, greeting and serving the most wonderful group of loyal customers. You have been my family for almost 30 years and I will miss each and every one of you. But it is time to pass on the baton…

"To my Mustard Seed team, thank you for your commitment and your loyalty. You have made this feel more like a passion project as opposed to work. A special thanks to my dedicated leaders that always stepped up even through the many challenges we’ve faced throughout the years. I never questioned your integrity as you added to the successes we achieved. But after much thought and careful consideration, I realize that it’s time to slow down as I’m not a youngster anymore and all good things must come to an end. I want to thank everyone for the experiences and opportunities I have been able to enjoy. The fond memories of our times together will follow me into my retirement and any future endeavors.

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"Until then, I am fully committed to assisting in the transition of the new group taking over… I know this wonderful community will embrace them just as you did me 28+ years ago. You allowed me to live out my dreams and achieve opportunities that I couldn’t even imagine were possible. I love each and everyone of you! All the best,Sal Parco"

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A fondue restaurant chain plans to expand into the Lowcountry.

Bob Johnston, CEO of The Melting Pot, said the Tampa, Fla.-based company is looking to add two locations in Charleston and Mount Pleasant. He cited the Palmetto State’s strong tourism industry as a key reason for the expansion plan.

The chain already has a presence in Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach. It said it hopes to have 15 locations in South Carolina by 2025.

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Liberty Senior Living wants to add more units to its South Bay continuing care facility, but it needs an amendment to a planned development because of Mount Pleasant’s moratorium on new multifamily buildings.

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3: Number of new restaurants planning to open in the fall in an expanding Charleston-area shopping center.

65,000: Size of proposed new supermarket in a new retail development beside Freshfields Village between Kiawah and Seabrook islands.

2563: Address on Ashley River Road for a fast-food restaurant that recently turned out the lights.

Real Estate

+ More multifamily: A 110-unit townhome development is in the works for the Point Hope area of Charleston on the Cainhoy peninsula.

+ Doctor’s orders: A medical office building is being proposed in Point Hope.

Home sales across South Carolina dipped again in September, continuing a long slide that began in mid-2021 before interest rates began to escalate and are now approaching 8 percent for would-be buyers.

Residential purchases fell 14 percent while the price climbed 2.5 percent, according to new data from the S.C. Realtors Association.

In September, 7,353 homes changed hands at a median price of $329,885. The price is 1.5 percent higher than the same month a year ago, but down from the record set in June of $338,000.

Real Estate

The continuing spike in the cost of a South Carolina house puts the price 51 percent higher than in 2019, the year before the coronavirus-induced surge, and more than double the price from 10 years ago.

Rob Woodul, president of the Columbia-based group, said homes are still moving, with a generous percentage of them all-cash deals, but he noted sales generally decline in the fall as schools reopen and vacations end.

Woodul, who’s also an agent with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, pointed out that many prospective buyers are waiting to see when borrowing costs begin to decline.

“A lot of people are in a holding pattern to see what happens with interest rates,” he said. “If we see rates go down, we might see people who feel comfortable coming back into the market. But until interest rates come down, they are going to sit on the sidelines.”

Homes across the state stayed on the market 62 days in September, almost two weeks longer than a year ago.

Every major housing market in the state reported declining sales.

Charleston, traditionally the state’s largest region by volume, dropped 12 percent, while Greenville fell 10 percent.

Myrtle Beach, the state’s second-busiest housing market, slipped 6.5 percent while Columbia saw sales skid 24 percent.

Rock Hill plunged 25.2 percent while the three-county Anderson-based Upstate region notched a 14.4 percent decline and the Florence-based Pee Dee reported 13.8 percent lower sales in September.