The Cigar Factory's new pay-to-park rules (in Charlestown, South Carolina) ruffles some feathers

[JohnS]

The Cigar Factory's new pay-to-park rules ruffles some feathers

By Jenny Peterson

New parking rules rolled out this week for The Cigar Factory charge customers nearly $7 per hour after a complimentary first hour. Jenny Peterson/Staff 

CHARLESTON — What was once a reliable refuge for free, easy parking at one of the peninsula’s busiest coffee hubs has suddenly become a pay-to-stay situation.

New parking regulations rolled out this week at the The Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay St. include a charge of nearly $7 per hour paid through an app operated by Palmetto Parking, after a free first hour for paying customers.

Hourly parking at city of Charleston street parking spaces are $3 an hour.

David Horine, who frequents the Mercantile & Mash cafe at the National Historic Landmark building several times a week, said the change will alter his coffee routine at that location.

“I’m here at least twice a week and will definitely not be here as often,” Horine said. “It was one of the places that you would literally say let’s meet at Merc and Mash because they have free parking. Today, my meeting was held there literally because there’s free parking and it’s easy to get in.”

The large brick building at East Bay and Columbus streets features a sizable parking area serving multiple tenants, including Taylor Grant Pilates studio, Rappahannock Oyster Bar and Stella Nova hair salon. Customers visiting any of the businesses can park for free for the first hour.

“My meeting would have been an hour, but I would have gotten here a half hour early to make sure there was a table and stay afterward and got more work done,” Horine said. “On the weekends, I get my hair cut at Barrelli Barber and then come in here afterwards, but I probably can’t do that if I don’t want to pay for parking.”

While the changes have frustrated some regulars, at least one business within the building said the new policy was overdue and that some patrons have been pleasantly surprised.

“Our customers have had no problem finding parking over the past three days,” said Laran D’eustachio, managing director of Stella Nova and part owner of Barrelli Barber, both operating at The Cigar Factory. “I’m looking outside at the parking lot at 3 p.m. and there are so many spaces — you don’t normally see that this time of day. It’s been an eye-opener.”

She added that the Cigar Factory owners, which includes Charleston Mayor William Cogswell family's WECCO Development, were accommodating and allowed Stella Nova to offer customers 90 minutes of free parking, as salon appointments often take hours.

D’eustachio also said at least one of her regulars expressed frustration at the hourly cost.

Representatives from The Cigar Factory did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Over at Rappahannock Oyster Bar, which occupies a corner space, general manager Samuel LaCour agreed that parking regulations were overdue.

“People were staying six, seven, sometimes eight hours at Mercantile and Mash and some others were just leaving their cars and exploring the rest of Charleston,” said LaCour, adding that it was still too recent a development to notice any shifts in customer behavior.

The Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay St. is enforcing new parking rules with one hour of complimentary parking for customers and nearly $7 per hour for additional time. Jenny Peterson/Staff 

The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which operates Mercantile & Mash and The Cedar Room event space, said in a written a statement that eventgoers will still park free for events booked for the space.

“We are doing what we can to help our guests have a clear understanding of the process so they can make the most of their visit,” a company spokesperson said.

The Cigar Factory started as a cotton mill built in 1881. It survived the devastating earthquake of 1886. In 1903, the American Cigar Co. leased the building. Johnson & Wales University in 1980 started offering culinary arts classes in part of the building. The school moved out of Charleston in 2006. In 2014, Cigar Factory Development LLC paid about $24.18 million for the property, which required extensive renovations.

Source: https://www.postandcourier.com/business/retail/the-cigar-factory-parking-hourly-fees/article_61400286-43a9-4350-a068-d7cb41b26811.html

[Glass Half Full]

A little added info here for perspective:  the Cigar Factory property here in downtown Charleston is simply named for its historic past.  It is now a commercial real estate property with office, retail and restaurant tenants.   

Parts of the present building remain from the original Cigar Factory, though (after looking it up  ) I learned the facility was first built as a cotton mill in the 1880s. It was converted for the production of cigars in the early 1900s by the American Cigar Company, and remained a cigar factory until the early 1970's.  

In the '40's it famously (at least around here) became the center of an early women's and civil rights movement -- supposedly the first use of the song, "We Shall Overcome" as a protest anthem can be traced to the strikes that occurred there. Perhaps it is that history combined with the architecture that were compelling enough that the Cigar Factory building is now recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark.  

...But beyond the historic parts of the building, there is no existing connection there now to its cigar past.  (Alas, you cannot even smoke one there these days.)

[JohnS]

Thank you for that extra background information, @Glass Half Full!