Junk Removal in Beaufort, SC

Get ready to smash, slam, destroy, scream and cry because the guys at Moss & Hatchet Axe Throwing in Beaufort Town Center are in the process of opening a Rage Room at their facility this coming March.

For those not familiar, a rage room, also known as a smash room or anger room, is a room where people can let loose and vent their frustrations by destroying objects.

Rage rooms may include living room and kitchen replicas with furnishings and items such as televisions and desks. In some instances, customers may be allowed to bring their own possessions to destroy, like that photo of the ex, or something similar.

Now, before you think that a bunch of crazy angry men are going to be putting on the provided protective suits, acting all macho, pounding their chests and breaking things, think again.

You’ll be surprised to find out that statistics show that most rage room customers happen to be women.

First opening its doors in February of 2020, Moss & Hatchet was the first to introduce axe throwing to Beaufort, and now they’ll also be the first to introduce a rage room as well.

“We already offer axe throwing here at Moss & Hatchet,” said Nicholas Price, part owner of the establishment along with Henry Dreier and Corey Andersen, “so it’s more of a natural next step for our business.”

“There’s a lack of entertainment here in the Beaufort area with not much for adults to do inside, so we’re going to help with that,” Price said.

That’s true. With our bowling alley closing, and our movie theater being long gone in favor of a grocery store, there isn’t much for adults to do indoors in the area.

“We’re working on the room now, painting it to look like the inside of an old brick building, and we expect to open the room to customers sometime in the middle of March,” Price added. “And our goal is to eventually allow our customers to bring in their own items to destroy at some point.”

Rage rooms are “all the rage” (see what we did there?), and we’re looking forward to this one opening at Beaufort Town Center this spring.

Moss & Hatchet is located at 2139 Boundary Street, Suite 118, at Beaufort Town Center. You can see more about them here.

Arthur Singleton scored 18 points and Samari Bonds came up with a big steal to help the Beaufort boys past Lake City, 58-55, on Friday in the Class 3A basketball playoffs.

Beaufort will host Orangeburg-Wilkinson in the third round on Monday. The winner of that game advances to the Lower State championship Feb. 25 at the Florence Center.

Michael Dennison added 11 points for the Eagles and Bonds added nine and had two big plays down the stretch. Bonds had a steal and slam to put Beaufort up 56-55 with two minutes left.

Lake City had it with a chance to win it but Bonds came up with another steal and layup to seal it.

Sully Gray also had nine points for Beaufort and went over 1,000 points in his career.

Amare Adams led Lake City with 15 points.

John Paul II 39, Carolina Academy 19

Emily O’Sullivan and Brady Mahoney each scored 13 points to help the Warriors over the Bobcats in the SCISA 3A playoffs.

JP II will play Pee Dee Academy in the second round on Monday.

Lily Termini had seven points, four rebounds and four steals.

SCHSL

Thursday

Class 2A Boys

Central 67, Ridgeland-Hardeeville 48

Class A Boys

Whale Branch 76, Latta 41

Class 4A Girls

Hartsville 63, Hilton Head Island 51

Bluffton 60, Greenwood 37

Class 3A Girls

Orangeburg-Wilkinson 50, Beaufort 20

Friday

Class 3A Boys

Beaufort 55, Lake City 52

Saturday

Class A Boys

Whale Branch at Scott’s Branch

Class 4A Girls

AC Flora at Bluffton at May River HS

SCISA

Class 3A Boys

Monday

Spartanburg Christian/Pee Dee Academy vs. Hilton Head Christian at TBD

Greenwood Christian/Florence Christian vs. Hilton Head Prep at TBD

Class 2A Boys

Saturday

Holy Trinity vs. St. John’s Christian at Cathedral

Class 3A Girls

Friday

John Paul II 39, Carolina Academy 19

Monday

Florence Christian vs. Hilton Head Christian at TBD

John Paul II vs. Pee Dee Academy at TBD

Class 2A Girls

Monday

Clarendon Hall vs. Beaufort Academy at TBD

This story was originally published February 18, 2023, 9:53 AM.

Four new retail tenants have been signed — and negotiations are continuing with four major restaurants — at the $60 million Beaufort Station, the shopping center that will be the region’s largest when it opens next year at a busy Beaufort crossroads.

Situated at the prime intersection of Robert Smalls Parkway and Parris Island Gateway, the 200,000-square-foot center will offer retail, dining and grocery options in northern Beaufort County.

Zach Means, a senior vice president of Divaris Real Estate Inc., said Beaufort Station will be one of the largest shopping centers between Savannah and Charleston, and maybe the largest.

The shopping center is located at one of the busiest intersections in one of the state’s fastest growing counties and near two major military bases, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

“The growth story of the Lowcounty, Beaufort included, is a reason a lot of these retailers want to be here,” said Trey Morgan, president of The Morgan Companies, which is developing the project.

Between The Morgan Companies and the tenants, close to $60 million will be invested in the project, Morgan said.

The featured tenants are Aldi Grocery Stores, PetSmart, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes, Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty and Old Navy. They were previously announced.

Means, of Divaris Real Estate, confirmed with The Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet on Wednesday that Mattress Firm, America’s Best Contacts and Eye Glasses, Le Nails and Parker’s Kitchen, the convenience store and gas station, are among the smaller shops that have agreed to locate at Beaufort Station.

But negotiations are still underway with four restaurants — two national and two franchises. The names, Means added, will not be announced until final deals are reached.

A national restaurant is corporate-owned while a franchise is typically owned by an individual or small company.

“We’re very excited about bringing these retailers and restaurants to Beaufort and feel they will be a wonderful compliment to the marketplace,” Means said.

For several months, construction preparation has been occurring at the property on the southwest corner of Parris Island Gateway and Robert Smalls Parkway, across from Walmart and Cross Creek Plaza.

The 31-acre site, Morgan said, was one of the largest parcels of land available in Beaufort.

“These retailers need a lot of land to operate,” Morgan said.

The City of Beaufort has issued building permits for the shell buildings. Morgan expects buildings to be “coming out of the ground” between April and June.

The shopping center, he said, should be finished in 14 or 15 months, in the second quarter of 2024. Originally, the targeted completion date was fall 2023.

“We’re not immune to many of the supply chain issues,” Morgan said. “It’s definitely gone a little bit slower than we all would have liked.”

Magnus Development Partners is planning to start construction of a $7.2 million warehouse at Beaufort Commerce Park this spring with the help of more than $200,000 in cash incentives from the public.

The end goal of constructing the building, which is backed by the city of Beaufort and the Beaufort County Economic Development Corp., is attracting new industry, spurring jobs and tax revenue.

The 196-acre commerce park, which is owned by the city, is located off of U.S. Highway 21 and S.C. Highway 116 about 4 miles west of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

The city, which announced the construction of the building this week, is selling eight acres to Columbia-based Magnus Development for $200,000. Magnus will pay the city $1 in earnest money and $5,000 when the building is done and at least $5,000 annually until the $200,000 is repaid.

For its part, the BCEDC is providing $215,000 in cash incentives to Magnus to help cover its development costs.

Magnus’ commitment calls for building a $7.2 million, 72,000 square-foot building Class A spec building at 123 Schork Road.

The commitment by the city and the BCEDC to improve the park and spur light industrial and warehouse development are part of an effort to diversify the economy beyond the military and hospitality industry, Mayor Stephen Murray said last year after it was announced that two businesses had agreed to occupy the first “Class A spec” building that Magnus constructed.

A “spec” building is built on the speculation that it will be leased or sold after it is constructed. Class A means it is high quality.

The first 64,000-square-foot facility that Magnus constructed, located at 74 Schein Loop, cost $6.1 million. It was leased to Norman USA, a La Palma, California-based company that manufactures and distributes window blinds and other windows treatments, and Critical Role, a multi-platform video gaming company headquartered in Los Angeles.

Between them, the companies, which are using the building for distribution, are expected to employ more than 80 employees between them.

“Buildings in Charleston don’t lease as quickly as our first spec building did,” John O’Toole, BCEDC’s executive director, told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet.

Both companies are in operation, or in the midst of standing up their operation, said O’Toole. “They have employees there and they are starting to function out of those spaces.”

Even in today’s struggling economic, O’Toole expects that the second building will be quickly leased as well.

The second building will be designed for light manufacturing or distribution as well. It can be subdivided into spaces as small as 16,000 square feet.

Commercial real estate company Avison Young, which is marketing the building for Magnus, is now advertising the space. It can be subdivided into spaces as small as 16,000 square feet.

Construction is expected to begin by the end of April, the city said.

The city bought the Commerce Park out of foreclosure for $1.8 million in 2012 from S.C. Bank and Trust. It had been owned by the Lowcountry Economic Network before it went bankrupt.

Tourism is the main driver of South Carolina’s economy, accounting for about 10 percent of jobs in the state and an estimated annual impact of $29 billion.

The University of South Carolina helps keep this economic engine humming by preparing graduates of the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management to take on key roles in a variety of businesses and by helping those businesses adapt and grow.

“It’s about getting our students jobs, but it’s also about getting into these businesses and organizations for research then using that research to provide help to the industries,” says Robin DiPietro, director for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “We need industry and, in reality, industry needs us to provide great employees and to provide cutting-edge research.”

That dual mission starts with hiring faculty who have the right educational background and the industry experience to provide students with the perfect balance of coursework and out-of-the classroom experiences to learn the business.

“Most of our faculty come from the hospitality and tourism industry. That's where we started,” DiPietro says. “Not only do faculty need the academic credentials, but they need to have some experience in our field, because that's the primary way it will benefit our students.”

USC’s work on both fronts is essential to the industry’s success. But there also is a learning curve, especially for parents who are looking for a return on their investment in their child’s education.

“I think that’s one of our challenges, trying to overcome this ‘burger-flipper’ image that we sometimes have with parents,” says Duane Parrish, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism.

Meeting workforce needs

Parrish, a 1981 USC business graduate, has more than 40 years’ experience working in hotels, including when he was a student at USC.

“I graduated in one of the worst times economically,” Parrish recalls of his USC days. “It was ugly in terms of finding a job.

“But I had been working at a Holiday Inn and I really loved it. My general manager took me under his wing and taught me the hotel business,” he says.

Parrish has been an instructor in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and serves on the college’s industry advisory board. His agency hosts HRSM interns every year and several of those interns have started their careers with the state department.

He says part of what the advisory board works on is helping students with that “kitchen table” conversation with their parents — convincing them that hospitality careers are more than waiting tables.

“If your child comes home and says, ‘I want to work in hospitality or in a hotel,’ that's a tougher sell for the child,” he says.

Parrish says hospitality wages are up more than 20 percent since the pandemic.

“I don't believe many at all in our industry are making minimum wage anymore,” he says. “We've come a long way in terms of pay, but we still have that reputation nationally as a ‘burger flipper,’ I'll call it. But we've come a long way from that.”

Different roads lead to hospitality

For 2002 biology graduate Laurie Savidge, it was her parents who suggested a return to school to earn an advanced degree in hospitality.

“My introduction to working in the hospitality industry was at Charleston Place Hotel. And how could you not fall in love with hospitality there?” Savidge says. “My parents gave me the great advice of, ‘You might want to consider continuing your education and learn more about the business of hospitality.’”

So Savidge returned to USC to earn her master’s in 2005 in international hospitality and tourism management.

“That's where I really learned the fundamentals of the business of hospitality,” says Savidge, who is director of operations for Marriott’s Grande Ocean resort in Hilton Head Island.

But it was two visiting professors from Australia that Savidge says laid the groundwork for her interest in corporations’ environmental and social responsibility to the communities they operate in.

To that end, Savidge partners with local purveyors — farmers and fishermen — who provide produce, seafood and other products from areas like the Port Royal Sound for the resort’s guests.

“Marriott International and Marriott Vacation Club have a firm foundation in corporate citizenship and giving back to the community our resorts exist in,” she says. “I've been fortunate to support our organizational sustainability initiatives since the early stages of my career.”

Savidge has also taught hospitality classes at USC Beaufort and some of her students have gone on to be employees with Marriott Vacation Club.

“We provide tours to hospitality students who want to learn more about the business and see a resort, see the front of the house, see the back of the house, and we do a Q&A,” she says.

“When I was teaching introduction to hotel management, I had a student who went on a tour, then he became an hourly associate and now he's one of my managers.

“I love being able to see their careers grow and see how their degrees have helped them be successful leaders.”

Education and experience

Darron Kirkley began his hospitality career at the age of 18, working as an event planner for his hometown Pageland, S.C., Chamber of Commerce. He worked there while he was earning his first degree from USC in math education (2007).

“I just fell in love with the industry,” he says. “I think that's one thing a lot of people don't think about, the necessity of the education and the training behind festivals and events. So that’s sort of where my life changed.”

But getting deeper into the industry without a hospitality degree was not so easy.

“I literally applied for a job straight out of college and my undergrad wasn't in hospitality and tourism, and I was told point blank that I didn't get the job because I didn't have the degree,” Kirkley says. “The industry experience mattered, but there are definitely those employers out there that value education.”

Kirkley returned to USC to get his master’s in international hospitality and tourism management and later a second master’s in sport and entertainment management.

Now Kirkley serves as Chesterfield County’s tourism coordinator, where he is responsible for sales, marketing, advertising, social media and all other aspects of getting people to come to a destination.

He says working while he was in class helped him make the connection between what he was learning and how it applied in the real world.

“I then could instantly go and apply those strategies, theories, those future trends, future topics that we were taught in class and see that actually happening in real life, which was definitely unique,” he says. “But it goes back the other way, too. In class as we had those discussions, I could bring in those real-life experiences of what the industry was facing.”

Kirkley also gets to put his undergraduate degree to use as a teacher — by day at Central High School, where he teaches a hospitality class, and by night, as an instructor in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.

“I serve on multiple committees and boards that are tourism-related, so when our students come out, they are very well versed in what the current trends are, what's going on, what the state is experiencing,” he says. “I think that has made a huge difference for our students having those connections.”

Those industry connections don’t just help the students, but they help professors and researchers in the college learn even more about the industry.

One such USC research project is funded by the Economic Development Association to create an online training tool for the post-COVID hospitality industry.

“It's through our industry connections that we are able to collect surveys or collect data that helps enhance our research,” DiPietro says.

“We really need those industry connections for student success, which is No. 1, to get them jobs, then secondarily, getting relevant research data and being able to provide it back to industry partners.”