02 Aug Upstate Headlines: Eclipse Tourism, New Cocktail Bar, Plaza & More
A collection of the top Upstate headlines for the week of July 31, 2017
Greenville booked for total solar eclipse
Businesses in the Upstate and many portions of South Carolina are positioned to court new and potentially repeat customers this month as hotels, restaurants and visitor centers prepare for the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. The VisitGreenvilleSC visitors center office has “been getting all kinds of calls and interest” from out-of-towners interested in viewing the eclipse in Greenville, said Brenda Connell, who works on public relations for VisitGreenvilleSC for TK Public Relations. “Every downtown hotel is booked, as well as many on the outskirts,” she said.
Sidewall Pizza owners opening Rocket Surgery cocktail bar in TR
Rocket Surgery, at 164D S. Main St., is a new cocktail bar featuring snacks, full meals, and brunch – and the best part is, it will open in a few days. The space was initially supposed to house the barbecue joint Sidewall owners announced earlier this year, but that project has been moved down the street to the former Martha’s Hardware and is still slated to open within the year.
Work begins on new public plaza in Village of West Greenville
The Village of West Greenville will soon have a new public plaza scheduled for completion in October. Located between The Anchorage and Community Journals on Perry Avenue, the roughly 5,000-square-foot plaza will feature lights strung from rooftop to rooftop, one-of-a-kind cast-iron light poles donated by local businessman and community leader Richard Heusel, and public art as a nod to the area’s thriving arts scene. The plaza will also include a large artistic “Village of West Greenville” sign funded by a $3,000 Placemaking Micro-Grant from the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors.
LTO Burger bar bringing creative burgers, boozy slushies and even vegan-friendly fare, to former Dive ‘N’ Boar space
Here’s the thing, yes, LTO is a burger bar, but the owners have gone to great lengths to make it not just any burger bar. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means local art on the walls, 20 plus local and regional craft beers on tap and burgers that are not just creative, but are pretty much one of a kind. LTO, which is restaurant speak for “lettuce, tomato and onion,” will open at 11:30 a.m., Aug. 8 in the former Dive ‘N’ Boar space at 2541 N. Pleasantburg Dr.
Multi-use project headed for downtown Spartanburg’s eastern gateway
Greenville-based developer Centennial American Properties will construct a more than 19,000-square-foot multi-use building at the southeast corner of East Main and Pine Street anchored by the Spartanburg headquarters for United Community Bank. Construction is expected to begin later this year, developers said.
Mauldin is getting a Courtyard by Marriott
A developer says the Courtyard by Marriott hotel that he and partners plan in Mauldin will provide a level of lodging service not currently found in the Golden Strip. Todd Whittington, a hotel developer from Greenwood, said he and his partners, Dial Dubose and Wes Nalley of Easley, plan to break ground on the 108-room hotel late this year or early next year near the intersection of Butler Road and Interstate 385. The five-story hotel will be called Courtyard Greenville Golden Strip and should open for business in early 2019, Whittington said.
