community

Need A Place To Launch Your Startup? Check Out These Local Co-working Hotspots

Featured Image Credit: WeWork Facebook

One of the hottest trends sweeping every city in America is what’s called “co-working.” If you aren’t familiar with co-working, it’s essentially an office space that takes “sharing is caring” to a whole new level.

Rather than a single company hiding away in a lonely space, co-working spaces house multiple companies in a common area. This fosters a greater sense of community and idea-sharing among innovators and dreamers.

Here in Charleston, we have no shortage of dreamers looking to create the next big thing, as the number of tech startups in the Holy City has been booming in recent years. And as we get into 2019, it’s clear we aren’t slowing down: the Tech Tribune recently listed the best local startups of the year so far, highlighting innovations in accounting, marketing, and cybersecurity to name a few.

As startups continue popping up in Charleston, many may struggle to find affordable office space while they get on their feet. That’s why co-working spaces are such an attractive option.

For many people, “co-working” is synonymous with WeWork, which happens to be the most prominent co-working company in the world. Charleston currently doesn’t have a WeWork, but at the rate the company’s been expanding, it’s not hard to imagine they could one day launch here.

But WeWork’s had some controversies lately that suggest it might not fit in with our local culture. There’s criticism that the company’s CEO Adam Neumann has been personally profiting off WeWork’s rent, which could be a conflict of interest.

Also, the company recently expanded into education and housing, and in the process rebranded as “the we company.” The only problem? The WE organization– a Canadian charity – already has the “we” brand and has been in the education space for decades.

Whether or not the big co-working office spaces, such as WeWork, fit the mold of Charleston’s tech scene – many startup entrepreneurs may still be wondering where they can go. A basement? A coffee shop? The back of a car when they’re stuck in traffic on I-26?

Luckily, there’s an answer: we have local co-working spaces already.

According to CHS Today, there are a variety of amazing co-working spaces scattered around the area. There’s The Harbor Entrepreneur Center on King Street, The Eves Collective in West Ashley, Holy City Collective on Daniel Island, and many more!

So, if you’re thinking of starting a business, and you’re worried about finding an affordable place to work – don’t fret! There are plenty of local-grown co-working spaces already here.

News

Short-Term Rentals Threaten Close Knit Charleston Communities

Featured Image Credit: Meet Charleston

At a recent City Council meeting, the topic was a familiar one: short-term rentals in Charleston. Both sides of the debate were represented, with some people wanting to cash in on the Airbnb trend and others worrying about the effects of tourists invading their neighborhoods.

HomeAway, a global giant in vacation rentals, has been pushing for legislation in favor of short-term rentals crying that limiting them would infringe on people’s property rights. But HomeAway doesn’t have Charleston’s best interests at heart.

When short-term rentals (which are currently illegal in most of the city) are allowed to flourish, neighborhoods are taken over by tourists who aren’t a part of that community. People living in those neighborhoods want to know their neighbors and form a family of sorts, not be greeted by a revolving door of strangers.

There are currently an estimated 1,500 illegal rentals, though HomeAway currently lists about 3,200 rentals in Charleston County. This isn’t the “little guy” trying to make ends meet by renting out a room, this is a multi-national corporation coming in and changing the landscape of Charleston’s communities and hiking up housing costs for those who call the city a permanent home.

Charleston, with its mix of historic charm and modern amenities, is a great place to live. Let’s not ruin it by letting money-hungry corporations take over the place we call home.

Featured

Charleston Community Saddened By Loss Of Shane Whiddon

Featured Image Credit: Dustin Waters via Charleston City Paper

It wasn’t that long ago when we were celebrating earning our title for being the #1 city in the U.S by Travel and Leisure. So it seems unreal that just yesterday our eyes and ears were glued to the news and social media after word broke out of hostage situation and a shooting taking place at a popular restaurant on King Street – Virginia’s on King. In the end, chef Shane Whiddon was killed and the shooter currently remains in critical condition.

Before joining Virginia’s on King in 2016, Whiddon worked at Union Provisions, Georgia resort The Sea Island Company, and Charleston Grill.

The owners of Virginia’s on King, Bennett Hospitality, released a statement on yesterday’s shooting and hostage situation:

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by what transpired yesterday at our restaurant Virginia’s on King. We are devastated by the passing of Shane Whiddon, our beloved and well-respected chef and friend. Our thoughts and prayers from Holy City Hospitality and Bennett Hospitality are with Shane’s family, our work family, and the customers and employees who are affected by this awful tragedy. We’re extremely grateful for the incredible teamwork of the many law enforcement agencies and the Mayor of Charleston in handling yesterday’s events. We would also like to thank the Pastor and staff at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church for all the support they provided law enforcement and our staff. The outpouring of support from the community has been remarkable and for that we are very grateful.” —Managing Director of Holy City Hospitality Marty Wall

Because we are such a close-knit community, it always hits home when we lose one of our family members. The shooting at AME church shook the nation, the state of South Carolina, and especially our city that we consider a little slice of heaven.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim. In this time of sadness, it’s a comforting feeling to know that we do have each other.

A GoFundMe has been created to support the Whiddon family during this time.