Local Updates Listen up: Two opportunities remain to attend a City of Charleston's State of the City engagement event. Learn more and attend one near you or view recorded meetings. Speak up: This month brings another Ask a Planner over Coffee (Nov 10) and Ask a Planner After Hours (Nov 19)... Continue Reading
Economic Development Administration investment will expand access to capital and financial education for small businesses across the Lowcountry Lowcountry Local First has been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) to... Continue Reading
Early voting in the Nov 3 general election is now open! Let your voice be heard. Resources: SC Voter Guide SC Election Commission - SCVotes.org Together SC's Candidate Spreadsheet Steps Your Business Can Take: Make it easy: Provide staff with paid time to vote if needed for their schedules -... Continue Reading
Lowcountry Local First launched its 15th annual Buy Local Season campaign on October 1st as a grassroots movement to build awareness for the positive community benefits of supporting local, independent businesses, particularly during the holiday season. The organization urges the community to... Continue Reading
Local-Level Opportunities & Noteworthy Updates Listen up: Four opportunities remain to attend a City of Charleston's State of the City engagement event. Learn more and attend one near you. Heads up: The City of Charleston's permitting and land management system is getting an upgrade! Those... Continue Reading
Something that has brought me hope this year has come from participating on a BCD COG Advisory Committee for the Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT) Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Phase 3 planning process. Now that's a mouthful of alphabet soup — but ultimately it is being in a room of... Continue Reading
How shopping local strengthens the local economy and supports the businesses that create a unique sense of place. Continue Reading
Earlier this year, Lowcountry Local First (LLF) launched the first Kiva Hub in the state of South Carolina. By operating the Lowcountry Kiva Hub, LLF is helping small businesses and entrepreneurs who have trouble accessing more conventional forms of capital from banks and CDFIs. In addition to... Continue Reading
Why West Ashley's Boom Is Squeezing Out Its Small Businesses West Ashley is not struggling. By every headline metric, it's thriving. The area is one of the fastest-growing parts of the Charleston region. Home prices are climbing and the redevelopment of Ashley Landing alone represents what city... Continue Reading
Note: The deadline for public comments on the proposal has been extended 60 days to Nov 20, 2026. Scroll to the bottom for instructions. A billion-dollar private equity firm. A casino making $744 million a year. The federal government wants to call these... small businesses. If you own a shop, a... Continue Reading
Local-Level Opportunities & Noteworthy Updates Join us in September! Lend your voice at two important upcoming Small Business Advocacy Sessions: The City of North Charleston is busy in planning mode as they rewrite their zoning code in the creation of its new UDO (unified development... Continue Reading
What is Independents Month? Independents Month, celebrated throughout July, is part of AMIBA’s national Choose Indie Local program. It’s a dedicated time to honor and uplift the locally owned, independent businesses that build economic opportunity, local character and a sense of... Continue Reading
