📊 Charleston’s commercial real estate has momentum

Nowell Creek Village on Daniel Island is one of the newer apartment communities.

Multifamily real estate is Charleston’s strongest commercial real estate driver. Nowell Creek Village is one of Daniel Island’s newer apartment communities. | Photo by Nowell Creek Village

No. 74. That’s where Charleston ranked among US metros for commercial real estate demand, according to the National Association of Realtors’ recently released Commercial Real Estate Demand Index.

The strongest metropolitan market right now? St. George, Utah, with an index score of 128. Charleston’s, by comparison, is 106 — just above the average metro score of 100. Charleston’s score has fallen 11.6 points since Q2 2025, when it stood at 117.7, and is well below its recent peak of 123.4 in Q3 2023.

Still, the market is showing signs of a rebound, climbing from 101.2 in Q1 2026 to 106 in Q2. State-wise, South Carolina is the highest-rated in the index with an average metro score of 110, with North Carolina close behind at 106.

Updated each quarter, the index pulls from publicly available government data to measure growth in the office, retail, industrial, and multifamily sectors. Right now, Charleston’s strongest driver, aka the property type seeing the most traction, is multifamily.

Here are a few multifamily listings on the market right now:

321 Ashley Ave. | 12,825 sqft | $5.85 million
196 Rutledge Ave. | 6,025 sqft | $3.25 million
114 St. Philip St. + 25 Warren St. | 8,619 sqft | $6.75 million

Dive into the data

News Notes

Development

Construction pays. SC's infrastructure investments through 2028 are projected to generate $66.7 billion in economic activity and support nearly 140,000 new jobs. The return goes beyond smoother roads: Every $100 spent on infrastructure generates about $170 in total economic output. (SCBIZ)

Learn

The Charleston Metro Chamber’s new Business Creation initiative will offer one-on-one advising, entrepreneurial training, monthly workshops + mentorship on topics like financial planning, marketing and employment law, supported in part by a new $10,000 TD Charitable Foundation grant.

Number

Trident Technical College leads SC’s technical colleges with a $970.6 million economic impact, part of the system’s $6.4 billion annual impact statewide. More than 80% of technical college grads stay in SC after one year, helping fill growing needs in manufacturing, healthcare, and tech. (SCBIZ)

Retail

M. Dumas & Sons is expanding its King Street footprint, moving its Johnnie-O shop from The Charleston Place to a 2,500-sqft storefront at 295 King St. The mid-October move will more than double the shop’s size and give the retailer a presence at three consecutive King Street addresses. (The Post and Courier)

Award

Google awarded Berkeley Electric Cooperative $500,000 to expand home energy and safety upgrades across the Lowcountry. The funding doubles its $250,000 grant from 2025 and comes amid Google’s multibillion-dollar investment in its Berkeley County data center campus. (WCIV)

Job

SC Works Trident is hosting four free career fairs across Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in September, connecting job seekers with public- and private-sector employers. The first kicks off Thursday, Sept. 3, in Moncks Corner, followed by fairs in North Charleston and Summerville. (ABC News 4)

Coming Soon

Frankie’s Fun Park is getting a major glow-up. The original North Charleston location, open since 1990, will reopen this fall with five new outdoor rides, a bigger go-kart track, two-story laser tag, expanded event space, and a revamped game room and dining area. (WCBD)

Announced

Palmetto Railways named Tarek “T” Ravenel its next CEO, bringing the former staffer back after nearly a decade with the organization earlier in his career. Ravenel takes the helm Sept. 8 as Palmetto Railways prepares to complete its $209 million Camp Hall rail line this fall. (The Post and Courier)

Small Biz

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade — or lightning into ice cream. After Sprinkles Homemade Ice Cream owner Tiffany Buckley was struck by lightning outside her Moncks Corner food trailer, she created “Thunderstruck,” a limited-edition chocolate ice cream with marshmallow swirl and Oreos. (The Post and Courier)

Try This

Calling all small businesses and growing ecommerce brands. ShipStation may be able to help reduce your shipping costs and automate tedious workflows. Read: You’ll save time, cut down on errors, and deliver a better customer experience as your business grows. Get started with ShipStation.*

Finance

Stop guessing what the market will do next. Learn how to identify shifts in market pressure with this easy-to-read report by award-winning hedge fund manager Mark Helweg. Download your free copy now.*

Post of the Day

Post via @the.bill.olson

All that demolition near the James Island Connector is making way for a major addition to MUSC’s downtown campus.

See what MUSC has planned

Agenda

Editor's Pick

Cocktails/Mocktails & Conversation: Shape North Charleston's Future | Tuesday, Sept. 1 | 5:30 p.m. | Wits End Comedy Lounge, North Charleston | Free | North Charleston is rewriting the rules for how it grows. Local business owners can get the scoop + weigh in on what comes next.

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Wednesday, Sept. 2

Plan Ahead

See our full events calendar

Feature your event here, or make a bigger splash

Editor's Pick

Who’s on our LinkedIn feed?

Charleston business voices Jessica Munday, Diane Szoke, and Ryan Corey on LinkedIn.

From left: Charleston business voices Jessica Munday, Diane Szoke, and Ryan Corey. | Collage by the CHStoday team

You spend enough time on LinkedIn, so you might as well follow interesting people. Here are three Charleston founders on our feed.

Jessica Munday | The Mount Pleasant entrepreneur, marketer, mentor, and community advocate brings a broader business perspective to the feed. Follow her for entrepreneurship, marketing, leadership, and what's happening in Charleston's business community.

Diane Szoke | Working at the intersection of founders, investors, and capital, Szoke offers a window into what early-stage investors are actually looking for. Her posts touch on pitching, fundraising, AI, and the mistakes founders make when trying to get investors' attention.

Ryan Corey | The longtime tech executive, startup CEO, and investor has built and scaled SaaS companies from seed stage through later rounds. Follow him for deeper dives into AI, software, leadership, and what gives companies a competitive edge — including interviews and longer-form takes that go beyond the typical LinkedIn post.

Whose posts are keeping you informed, inspired, and/or entertained?

Share your recs with us

Listed

Retail, for lease

708 S. Shelmore Blvd. | 700-1,400 sqft | $48/sqft/yr | Fully built-out restaurant or cafe space in Mount Pleasant, with the option to combine adjacent space for businesses needing up to 1,400 sqft.

345 King St. | 1,677-3,354 sqft | $115/sqft/yr | Two-story standalone storefront in Charleston’s Middle King retail district with space available on one or both floors, plus a rooftop area and neighboring restaurants, boutiques, and national retailers.

INDIGO, 5301 Indigo Fields Blvd. | 1,986-11,986 sqft | $18.50/sqft/yr | Recently built retail space along Dorchester Road with flexible suite sizes, 143 parking spaces, a shared loading dock, and visibility to 52,100 vehicles per day.

Office, for lease

295 Seven Farms Dr. | 1,564-3,224 sqft | $25/sqft/yr | Two office suites available separately or combined in Daniel Island’s commercial district, surrounded by established restaurants, retailers, and professional businesses.

List your space

Ready to get your property in front of more eyes?

Click the button to promote your listing.

The Wrap

Remember our VentureSouth question from last week? The group launched just before the 2008 financial crisis — talk about timing. Since then, it has surpassed $100 million invested in early-stage companies across the Southeast and is kicking off its fall Angel Academy, an eight-session curriculum for new angel investors. Catch up with our Q+A with Co-Founder and Managing Director Matt Dunbar, too.

Send us a scoop, question, or feedback

ADVERTISE | EVENTS | SHOP | SUPPORT

† Disclaimers and Legal | * Advertising Policy

The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602