Bringing the Sweet Shop Back to the Westside

Tweeter Katelyn Farrow noticed some demolition at the old Lenny's Place at 237 Fishburne St. this week and asked what was going on. A little snooping led Eater to track down local developer Jeffrey Roberts with Ecovest Development. Roberts told us that he is working with architect Julia Martin to "reactivate the corner" with a historically accurate renovation and transform it into a "Charleston sweet shop."

For those not familiar, "sweet shops" are the very tiny, downtown buildings, like Taco Spot or Sugar Bakeshop, that were built between 1860 and 1960. According to the Post and Courier, the term "applies to one-story, rectangular buildings with a narrow facade (usually 15 feet or less) along the street and with no more than 450 square feet inside."

And though, technically, the Fishburne address would be more of a corner store, due to its size, Roberts and his team want the place to have the same feel as the small establishments of yore. The restaurant will serve house-made ice cream, coffee, sandwiches and other family-friendly fare.

This is right on the heels of the Horizon Redevelopment Project coming to the area, so they have thoughts of naming the place Horizon Sweet Shop. The revitalization of the building is expected to be finished in April.
· Katelyn Farrow [Twitter]
· Taco Spot [Official]
· Sugar Bakeshop [Official]
· The Scoop on Charleston's Sweet Shops [P&C]
· Horizon Redevelopment Project [Official]