Spartanburg City News

Downtown Spartanburg's second craft brewery is set to open later this month as renovation work nears completion on Hub City Tap House's space on St John Street. Most recently the home of Spartan Photo, the building beside Papa's Breakfast Nook has undergone a transformation to become what's sure to be one of the coolest places in town to grab a tasty brew.  Hub City Tap House plans to feature 30 taps, with 15 of their own cider and beer sharing wall space with other craft beers from around the region. The brewing pair, Michael Willcox and Kolby Garrison plan to feature some craft beer classics as well as some one-of-a-kind creations like a Russian imperial stout cider when their brewery opens later this month. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Wilcox and Garrison to get the skinny on what you can expect when Hub City Tap House opens its doors.

It's been quite a season for  so far during their first full season at Harvest Park. With continued growth and innovative new programs such as a new permaculture teaching farm highlighting an already exciting year, what's next for one of Spartanburg's most dynamic local nonprofit organizations? How about debuting a new local food truck at the market on Saturday, August 8?  Today on the podcast we're talking with HCFM Executive Director Brendan Buttimer about that, and much more, including , an eight-session workshop entrepreneurs looking to increase access to healthy foods in underserved areas that caps off with participants pitching their ideas to judges for a chance to receive $6,000 in startup funding. Listen below to learn more!

For the 21st consecutive year, the Carolina Panthers are set to bring their . Starting July 31 with the Lowe's Kickoff Party getting things started at 4:30 p.m. Events include the Mayor's Ball Run, on-field performances by the TopCats, Sir Purr, PurrCussion and Black & Blue Crew, face painting, food, and interactive games. As always, admission to the kickoff party and all 14 Panther practices is free. Follow .  Today on the podcast, we're talking with Riley Fields, Director of Community Relations for the team to learn more about this year's camp.

Last week we launched our latest web tool, , a new way to literally map the progress that continues in downtown Spartanburg. On the site, users are presented with a map showing downtown and a timeline. As users move through the timeline, pins appear in the map, highlighting parcels that have received significant investment each year. Click on one of those pins and information the property appears including capital investment, a short description, and whether the project was a renovation or new construction. Along with serving as a primer for those who may not be familiar with developments in our recent past (and as a reminder for longtime residents who might've forgotten how far we've come) SeeSpartanburgRise.com is a way to visually compile investments made in our downtown, providing an idea about where downtown is headed that's based on the reality of where it is today. Today on the podcast, we're talking about some of the thinking behind this latest tool we've added to the box. Why is it important? What ca

"When will we hear more details about the new hotel?" That's been one of the most frequently asked questions around town since  in Downtown Spartanburg. Yesterday, Spartanburg-based OTO Development , and wowed a standing-room-only crowd at Indigo Hall in the process. Details about the planned AC Hotel by Marriott show a project that is as impressive as it is ambitious. Investing more than $20 million in the project, OTO revealed that the hotel will tower 10 stories over downtown's western end, and will feature 110-120 guest rooms, a rooftop bar with an outdoor terrace, a signature restaurant, around 2000 sq.ft. of meeting space and an outdoor pool. The hotel will also feature an elegant "grand hotel" design that emulates the existing character of downtown. Today on the podcast, we're talking about the new hotel project, taking a look at the larger implications for the area around its future location and what the estimated 30,000 annual visitors it attacts will mean for downtown as a whole.

 Another business is set to open its doors in downtown Spartanburg as H & K Gallery is putting the finishing touches on its space at  in Downtown Spartanburg for a grand opening on Thursday, May 21. The beautifully renovated space will feature one of the largest selections of Southern fine art pieces you're likely to find anywhere, and figures to be a prominent stop on Downtown Spartanburg's monthly art walk. Today on the podcast, we're talking with H & K Gallery owner, Susan Kunkler about her business, and what she hopes it will add to the growing vibrancy of Downtown Spartanburg.   

May is , celebrated in cities around the country including right here in Spartanburg. Events like "" on Friday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m., with valet parking and giveaways for cyclists who ride to the event, and a "," a family friendly ride promoting bicycle safety on Wednesday, May 20 at 6 p.m. Today on the podcast we're talking with Ned Barrett of Partners for Active Living about some of these great events. Along the way, we get an update on PAL's work to both establish new trails in Spartanburg as well as connect those trails to existing ones in our community.

Some big changes are in the works for E Main St. in Downtown Spartanburg, as a  is set to get underway early next month. The project is part of a , and includes straightening the chicanes on E Main Street between Church and Liberty streets. The plan also will eliminate the existing alternating diagonal parking spaces, adding new larger tree islands between sections of parallel parking to improve pedestrian movement. Several new parking spaces are to be added with the new streetscaping. Coming on the heels of the streetscaping plan's first enhancement project on Wall St. the E Main St. plan is designed to improve the area's pedestrian experience, helping to drive more foot traffic to existing businesses as well as beautifying the area to encourage further development. Today on the podcast, we take a deeper look at the E Main project, and discuss future improvements in the works, including a plan to improve Magnolia St. and the long-awaited extension of the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail to St John St.

With new murals adorning the walls of downtown businesses, sold-out performances at venues throughout the city, and seemingly more artists, musicians, and writers than ever before, it's pretty easy to see that Spartanburg's creative energy is on the rise lately. In fact, there's so much happening these days that it can be tough to keep track of it all. Thanks to some of those supremely talented locals, now there's a way to keep up with the latest goings-on around town...provided you can keep from falling out of your chair laughing. "The Latest Thing in Spartanburg with Tim Giles" is a live late-night talk show meant to celebrate (and poke a little fun at) all things local. After a sold-out first show last month that had the audience reeling with laughter, the team behind the show is gearing up for the next episode to be held at Hub-Bub's Showroom, May 9 at 9 p.m. Today on the podcast, we're talking with host Tim Giles and the show's co-creator Eric Kocher. Get your tickets for the show by . Trust us, you don'

It's been 20 years since three Spartanburg writers came together in a Downtown Spartanburg coffeeshop to dream up what would eventually become Hub City Writers Project. What started as something HCWP Executive Director Betsy Teter calls a "one season lark" has since grown into a nationally acclaimed independent publisher about to release its 70th title, and to celebrate their 20 years of outstanding place-based literary leadership in Spartanburg, the group has planned a  On today's podcast, we're spending some time talking with Teter to get the details on the weekend's festivities and also taking a deeper look at HCWP, from its history and current place in Downtown Spartanburg's cultural landscape, to the organization's future as a growing regional publishing icon.

The smell of delicious barbecue will be wafting through the air of Downtown Spartanburg again this weekend as  returns for its third year. Featuring live music on Friday and Saturday, culminating with a performance from Grammy nominated bluegrass greats,  headlining the show on Saturday night, the Hog Fest will also have food trucks on hand Friday, starting at 12 p.m. RJ Rockers will be there to ensure that plenty of local craft beer is available, and with food vendors, a chicken wing contest, and a homebrew contest to go along with the "main event" ribs and pulled pork contests, you can bet there will be no shortage of great opportunities to satiate your appetite and your thirst.  The event will culminate a fantastic week of local events with bluegrass duo  performing a free show on Morgan Square on Wednesday, followed by Music on Main on Thursday and Jazz on the Square on Friday. This is one weekend in Downtown Spartanburg that you definitely don't want to miss!

Late last year, one of the most anticipated developments in recent memory . , the first project completed as part of the Northside Initiative, today provides Northside residents with access to fresh, locally grown foods through both  and through the  Monarch Café, something crucial in an area of the city classified as a food desert, with a convenience store formerly serving as the only place in the neighborhood for food. Now entering their first full season at Harvest Park, Hub City Farmers' Market has some plans to take their new home, and their organization to the next level, starting with their first opening day in the new space on March 28. Today on the podcast, we're talking with their executive director, Brendan Buttimer to get the lowdown on what we can expect this year from Spartanburg's favorite source for locally produced food.

If you've been wrapped up in the winter weather madness gripping Spartanburg this week, you might've missed one of the most important downtown development stories to come along in recent memory as City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve an incentive agreement for a new upscale hotel development at the .  Local businessman George Dean Johnson Jr. and his Spartanburg-based hotel development company, OTO Development, plan to build a hotel that will include at least 100 rooms and represent at least an $20 million investment on the western edge of downtown. The announcment comes at a time when demand for lodging downtown is increasingly exceeding suppply, owing to Spartanburg’s seven downtown corporate headquarters, its seven institutions of higher learning, and the successful efforts of the Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau to increasingly recruit conventions, conferences and sports tournaments.  All that action means visitors to Spartanburg have increasingly been forced to find rooms elsew

If you’re a regular follower of downtown Spartanburg news (and you should because there's     ) you probably  about the possibility of a second downtown hotel. While we can’t talk about the specifics of any potential development, the article led with a very interesting question: “Is downtown Spartanburg ready for a second hotel?”   Around here, we're pretty bullish on downtown Spartanburg so you can probably guess what our answer would be. But that's not just the knee-jerk reaction of a few optimistic bureaucrats around City Hall. When it comes to hotel demand in Spartanburg, the numbers don’t lie. Countywide, hotel occupancy is up 5 percent, and the average daily rate for a hotel room is up 7 percent. Overall revenue per room is up 12 percent. While those numbers are great, they also pose further questions. What’s driving the increased demand for hotel rooms in Spartanburg? How would a new downtown hotel take advantage of that demand?   Today on the podcast, we’ve brought on a guest who’s probably better qua

It's been one of Spartanburg's most successful arts programs, and this year  welcomes the eighth group to its six month residency. This year's artists include two visual artists,  and , as well as a playwright, , and a filmmaker, . If the lasting positive impact on Spartanburg left by past A.i.Rs is any indication, we'd do well to expect great things from the group of four who'll be hanging their hats in the Grain District for the next six months.   First though, it's time to get to know Downtown's Spartanburg's newest batch of transient creatives, so recently we sat down with the new A.i.Rs and Hub-Bub's Artists-in-Residence Program Director Eric Kocher to do just that. Listen below and enjoy.

It's one of Spartanburg's most beautiful neighborhoods, a place where Victorian two-story homes mingle with Arts and Crafts bungalows under a canopy of mature trees. Head south for a couple of blocks from Morgan Square for a walk down the wide sidewalks of Spartanburg's first local historic district and it becomes immediately apparent why the people who live in are so passionate about their neighborhood. This weekend, the rest of us get a chance to share a little of that passion as Hampton Heights hosts its "Spirit of Christmas Past" home tour on Saturday, December 6, 5—9 p.m. and Sunday, December 7, 2—5 p.m. Five Hampton Heights homes will be open for tours and the neighborhood will also have horse and buggy rides and beautiful Christmas music to set the mood. Tickets for the tour are $15 before December 6 and can be purchased at , , and . Tickets on the day of the event are $20 and can be purchased at .

If you’re a veteran listener of the City Podcast, by now you’ve become familiar with our preferred format: about 15 minutes focused on one topic. So we’re breaking the mold a bit. From an ongoing $2.5 million citywide parks improvement effort to a major capital project at the Downtown Memorial Airport, there is a lot happening in Spartanburg right now. Indeed, now perhaps more than ever, the City of Spartanburg is Always Doing. Yesterday, on , we talked about the City's parks improvement plan and a major downtown streetscaping project that will soon get underway Today, we're picking up where that conversation left off, talking about an extension of the runway at the Downtown Memorial Airport, the daylighting of the new Butterfly Branch as part of the Northside Initiative, and one key downtown corner that soon will look a lot different than it does today.

If you’re a veteran listener of the City Podcast, by now you’ve become familiar with our preferred format: about 15 minutes focused on one topic. So we’re breaking the mold a bit. From an ongoing $2.5 million citywide parks improvement effort to a major capital project at the Downtown Memorial Airport, there is a lot happening in Spartanburg right now. Indeed, now perhaps more than ever, the City of Spartanburg is Always Doing.Given that, we thought you’d like to hear directly from City Manager Ed Memmott about those topics. Memmott has been with the City of Spartanburg for nearly 20 years, including the past five as the City’s top administrator. In this, the first of a two-part conversation with Memmott, we focus on city parks and a major downtown streetscaping project that will soon get underway.

After a great season last year that took them to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years, expectations for this year's Wofford men's basketball team are understandably high. With 11 players returning, including all five starters, Wofford is to win the SoCon title and earn another trip to the Big Dance. But before they get that far, there's a game on Tuesday, November 18 (against MAAC preseason conference favorite, Iona) that promises some intrigue of a different sort. First, it's going to be nationally televised on ESPN2 as part of their , and tickets are just $5. Second, the game is scheduled for 7 a.m. An early morning, mid-week, nationally televised game between two teams with sky-high expectations? Sounds like the perfect excuse to call in late to work (not that we condone that sort of thing), put on some gold and black, and head over to Benjamin Johnson Arena to cheer on Spartanburg's own Wofford Terriers.

It's been one of the most anticipated new local developments in recent memory, and this week Harvest Park, home of Hub City Farmers' Market and the Butterfly Foundation's Monarch Cafe, opens at 458 Howard St. on the Northside.  The opening celebration gets started on November 6 at 10 a.m. with a ribbon cutting and tours of the new facility. Then on Nov. 8 at 8 a.m. it's time for a grand opening celebration as Hub City Farmers' Market hosts their first market in the new location. Festivities include cooking demonstrations at the Monarch Cafe and Fresh Food Store, artisan crafts, music, kids activities, and much more. As the first completed project of the the Northside Initiative, Harvest Park will provide Northside residents with access to fresh, locally grown foods, something crucial in an area of the city classified as a food desert, with a convenience store currently serving as the only place in the neighborhood for food. Harvest Park isn't just for grabbing some veggies to take back home to the kitchen tho