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Friday Five // January 29th, 2021

Happy Friday! It’s time for this week’s edition of the Friday Five, our weekly roundup of five fun things happening around the Charleston area over the weekend. Spend some time stargazing, see the latest and greatest in boats and watersports, and more. As always, no matter what you choose to do, the staff and agents at Johnson & Wilson Real Estate Company wish you a very happy and safe weekend!

The Charleston Boat Show, now in its 41st year, takes place this weekend at the Charleston Area Convention Center. It may look a bit different this year, but it’s still on! See sport cruisers, motor and express yachts, sportfishing boats, center console fishing boats, bass boats, bowriders, deck and aluminum boats, ski and pontoon boats, runabouts, bay boats, shallow water flat skiff, and more from the region’s premier boat dealers. This is the perfect opportunity to come find your dream boat along with all the products and services you’ll need to support your coastal lifestyle. Come prepared to support the small businesses participating in this year’s show. There will also be live music and food vendors. Note that tickets for this event are available online only.

Start your Saturday off giving back to your community by participating in the Walk For SC Homeless 2021. This walk will help to raise funds for the designing and building of the family sleeping quarters at The Village of South Carolina Homeless Shelter. The family sleeping quarters allow married couples and their children to share a sleeping room without having to be separated. Registration for the walk is free, but you must pre-register. To do so, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the word “Pre-Register” as the subject. The walk starts promptly at 10am and will finish at 11am. Start/finish line is behind East Bay Deli in Downtown Charleston. Please bring posters that read “We Walk For the Homeless.” If you cannot walk but would like to help, you can make donations to assist with the building of the family sleeping quarters on the fundraiser’s GoFundMe page. 

Illuminated is back at The Woodlands Nature Reserve this Saturday evening. Watch the forest at the Woodlands come alive during this drive-up event that showcases an appreciation of nature and the great outdoors. Take an optional stroll through the illuminated majestic oaks and longleaf pines. Then watch the magic of laser projection and dynamic lights over Observation Lake. Purchase hot chocolate, popcorn, and s’mores to enjoy around multiple campfires while you listen to live music from Will McCranie. If you skipped dinner and would like some yummy food to enjoy before indulging in the snacks, food truck RikiQuito will be on hand as well. Admission is $15 per vehicle in advance or $20 per vehicle at the gate. If you plan an overnight stay in one of the Zun tent cabins, Casita Annie, or your own tent, admission to Illuminated is included.

Join the College of Charleston’s Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics Program and ABC News 4 Chief Meteorologist Dave Williams at Fatty’s Beer Works this Saturday for the 2nd annual Atmospheric Science + Meteorology Day! If you have a child who’s curious about all things scientific—or even if you’re curious yourself!—this event is sure to inspire a lifelong love of science. Dave Williams will be on hand performing live weather experiments and demonstrating how the most accurate weather forecast in the Lowcountry is brought to you each day. CofC’’s Atmospheric Science Students will also conduct live interactive experiments that bring science to life right in front of your eyes. Fatty’s will be releasing new beers brewed with a high degree of science in honor of the event. Black Burger will also be there from 1pm until 6pm with delicious burgers and frito pie.

Fatty’s Beer Works is also hosting Space Night on Saturday night. Space Night is a fun followup event held in conjunction with the Atmospheric Science + Meteorology Day and features members of the Lowcountry Stargazers. There will be high intensity telescopes available for pristine night imaging and observing (while practicing physical distancing, of course). See the rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s many moons while listening to Fatty’s Fog Machine performing music. This is a free event.

Friday Five // January 22nd, 2021

Congratulations! You made it to the end of another work week. Looking for something fun to do to celebrate? Look no further than the Friday Five, our weekly roundup of five fun events happening in the Charleston area over the weekend. Attend a food truck festival, build a fairy house, watch some beloved Disney characters take to the ice, and more. And as always, no matter what you choose to do, the staff and agents at Johnson & Wilson Real Estate Company wish you a very safe and happy weekend! 

If you’re around the Goose Creek area this Saturday, be sure to stop by the Lowcountry Foodtruck Festival between 11am and 5:30pm. Featuring fifteen local food trucks, from savory to sweet and everything in between, this outdoor event is free to attend. Participating food trucks include bits-n-bytes, Miss Katie’s Sweets, Lola’s Lumpia, Kona Ice, The Misfit Chef, AndLobster, Dashi, and others. DJ Sly One will spin music throughout the afternoon. Covid-19 safety policies and procedures will also be implemented for everyone’s safety.

The Taste of Folly begins this weekend at Folly Beach and runs through February 7th. Purchase a  $5 Taste of Folly Virtual Passport for $5 at the link above, then spend 17 days eating your way through Folly’s best restaurants. You’ll get a stamp in your passport each time you visit one of the participating spots. At the end of the event, participants will be entered to win prizes like Folly hotel/inn stays, golf cart rentals, beach setups, and gift cards. Folly restaurants will also be competing for prizes, so be sure to vote for your favorites to help them out! Be sure to catch the Server Olympics and Oyster Shucking Contest on Saturday as part of the Taste of Folly too.

If you’re a lover of all things vintage, retro, and antique, check out the Pickers Hullabaloo Flea Market this Saturday. Located at The French Eclectic Warehouse in North Charleston (off Dorchester Rd. between I-26 and 526), the market will be open from 11am until 4pm. This flea market is sure to provide an afternoon of treasure hunting, good eats, libations, and live music. Shop from Charleston’s leading vintage and antique dealers, who offer an eclectic selection of furniture, housewares, nostalgic collectibles, rugs, jewelry, vintage clothing, and more. Grab some pizza from First Name Basis Pizza and a beverage from Chug-a-Lug Wagon, and make a day of it. Masks are required at this event.

Head to the North Charleston Coliseum this weekend for Disney on Ice: Dream Big! Join Moana, Aladdin, Miguel from Coco, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and some of your favorite Disney Princesses at one of seven offered showings of Dream Big from Friday through Sunday evening. Covid-19 safety regulations include “pod”-style seating with physical distancing between “pods,” extra sanitation, and the requirement of face coverings for anyone over the age of two (except while actively eating or drinking). Find more info and get your tickets at the link above! 

Palmetto Islands County Park in Mount Pleasant is hosting a Fairy House Festival on Saturday from 10am until 2:30pm. Children of all ages are invited to dress in their best fairy and gnome costumes and build their very own fairy houses using materials found in nature. Your $5 registration fee includes four guests in a 10’x10’ plot to allow for physical distancing. Park admission is not included in registration. Attendees will check in and get their building permit and guidance, then begin gathering materials and creating their fairy or gnome home. There will also be a nature walk and scavenger hunt, and Charleston County Public Library will also be onsite for some socially distanced storytelling. Food truck fare from Waffle Connection and the Holy City Cupcakes will be on hand with food available for purchase. Advance registration and masks are required. 

Friday Five // January 8th, 2021

It’s Friday once again, which means it’s time for the Friday Five, our weekly roundup of five fun events happening in the Charleston area over the weekend. Enjoy the Charleston culinary scene at a discount, learn to paint like a legend, get some home building and remodeling inspiration, and more. And as always, no matter what you choose to do, the staff and agents at Johnson & Wilson Real Estate Company wish you a very happy and safe weekend! 

Hooray, Restaurant Week is here! Foodies across the state eagerly look forward to this 11-day event, especially here in Charleston. Our culinary scene has become yet another main reason people travel to Charleston, and we’re lucky enough to live at the center of it. From casual dining to fine dining, hundreds of participating restaurants feature special menu items, promotions, and discounts. Taking place from January 7th through the 17th, 2021, Restaurant Week is the perfect opportunity to get out and try a few places you haven’t tried yet, or that might usually be cost-prohibitive for you.

Start 2021 off by bringing some creativity and peace to your life with a Paint Like Bob Ross workshop at Redux Contemporary Art Center. After all, couldn’t we all use more happy little trees in our lives? Toby Casey, Charleston’s only certified Bob Ross instructor, will host a two-hour workshop this Saturday afternoon to guide students through the entire process of creating their very own Bob Ross-style landscape. This workshop is conducted to the standards that were personally developed by Bob Ross himself and is designed to be accessible to every skill level. Absolutely ZERO painting experience is required. The price for the workshop includes all paints, brushes, and supplies, and you’ll leave with a couple of happy trees on a 9×12 canvas. Just bring a creative mind, a great attitude, and a mask!

In a partnership with the MOJA Arts Festival and the Charleston 350 Commemoration Commission, City Gallery is proud to present The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls. The exhibition presents large format reproductions of Jonathan Green’s illustrations for Louise Meriwether’s children’s book The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls. The book was originally published in 1971, and the new edition, reprinted in 2018, includes fifteen vivid illustrations by Green detailing Robert Smalls’ dramatic escape from slavery in 1862. These illustrations are presented at City Gallery alongside highlights from the book and historical information about the life and legacy of Robert Smalls. Reserve a free ticket to view this wonderful exhibit at the link above.

Head to Deep Water Vineyard this Saturday for the Weekend Wine-Down! Enjoy outdoor tastings and new draft meads featured at this weekend’s wine-down. There will be food from La’Son Anchor Grill and live music from Lenny Burridge. Kids and dogs love to run around and see the animals at the vineyard, so pack up the family and spend a few hours outdoors. Tastings occur every hour and the hour. You can also purchase wine by the glass and bottle as well as other drinks like mimosas, bloody marys, wine slushies, hot mulled wine, and draft meads. 

If you’re planning to build, remodel, or freshen your home or landscaping anytime soon—or if you just like getting ideas and seeing what’s new—the Charleston Build, Remodel, & Landscape Expo is the place to be this weekend. Head to the Exchange Park Fairgrounds in Ladson Friday through Sunday to see the latest innovations, offerings, and ideas in the home building and remodeling industries. See wall-to-wall displays and speak with experts and insiders. Learn about the latest trends in design, product offerings, maintenance tips, and more on everything to do with kitchen and bath remodeling, roofing, flooring, home security, water conditioning, insulation, windows, landscaping, exterior products, and much more. Please note that masks/face coverings are mandatory for all exhibitors and attendees at this event. 

Charleston-North Charleston Named Top 10 Market for Resilience During COVID-19

The National Association of REALTORS® recently listed the top ten real estate markets that have shown the most resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. We're happy to report that Charleston-North Charleston was named as one of those top ten resilient markets. The markets named are also expected to perform well in a post-pandemic environment.

The full list of the most resilient markets, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia
• Boise City, Idaho
• Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
• Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
• Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
• Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
• Provo-Orem, Utah
• Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington

The indicators NAR used to identify these markets include a low unemployment rate and mobility to leisure and recreation places. The unemployment rate in the Charleston metro area is 4.7%, which is well below the current national rate of 7.9%. The national rate of mobility to leisure and recreation places is 20% below pre-pandemic level. Charleston’s rate is again below the national average at 13%. 

“NAR has recognized the Charleston market for its incredible growth and performance during a year in which many markets faced significant challenges,” 2020 CTAR President Bobette Fisher explains. “Over the last 11 months, our demand has continued to grow across nearly all submarkets in our region, and with historic low rates that we expect to continue, that demand will only grow.

“We are only being hampered by low inventory and, for many buyers, affordability,” Fisher added. “We will continue to work with local municipalities to overcome the affordable housing issues in our market.”

Speaking of low inventory, there were 53% fewer homes for sale in the Charleston area over the last year, with just 2,853 homes listed for sale in the Charleston Regional MLS at the end of November. This number represents a record low of just one and a half months of available inventory. 

As of the end of November 2020, 19,737 have sold at a median price of $300,000. Both of those numbers are up from the same time in 2019, when 17,044 homes had sold at a median price of $278,000. The number of closed sales is up in 2020 by nearly 16%, and the median price is 8% higher.

All in all, there’s never been a better time to sell your home! If selling or buying a home is on your list of goals for 2021, don’t hesitate to give Johnson & Wilson Real Estate Company a call.