Mortgage Broker in Red Bank, SC

RED BANK, S.C. — Changes are coming to one busy intersection in Red Bank.

Back in February, Street Squad Lexington covered the intersection because people were concerned about their safety.

RELATED: There are only 3 turn lights at a Lexington County intersection — here's why

The intersection at Platt Springs Road and South Lake Drive is right in the heart of Red Bank. This is where the Walmart, Publix, Walgreen, Popeyes, and many other stores are located.

Where the roads meet, there’s only three left turn lights. The one that doesn’t have a light is on Platt Springs Road when you’re heading west towards White Knoll High School.

Folks say it’s a nightmare trying to turn left without a light, especially during the middle of the school year.

Street Squad took your concerns to those in charge to find out if the South Carolina Department of Transportation will be looking into this intersection.

Mary Galloway Riggs, who messaged our Street Squad Lexington Facebook page, feels it’s dangerous trying to turn at this intersection because of traffic leaving the high school and other businesses.

Tonya, who spoke with Street Squad Tuesday morning, says too many crashes happen at the intersection and worries about her safety.

According to officials, the most recent study on this intersection was back in 2015. Lori Campbell with SCDOT said back in February they would be doing a left turn study.

Campbell says with the study, they would also pull crash data to see if it's impacting the intersection.

The previous study indicated that drivers were clearing, meaning they were able to turn at the intersection without having to wait through multiple turn cycles.

Lori Campbell with SCDOT says they wrapped up the study in April and concluded some changes need to be implemented.

The SCDOT says after reviewing turn and crash data, the intersection does not warrant another light.

However, to help make it safer, the SCDOT plans on reducing speed going into the intersection to 40 miles per hour.

The department says you will be seeing the changes soon.

If you have a story you would like for Street Squad Lexington to cover, message our Facebook page.

Lexington, SC 10/13/2022 (Paul Kirby) – A new boutique drive-thru coffee experience is coming to Red Bank and a short time later to the Lexington area of the county. Biggby Coffee is an all drive-thru experience that serves high-quality coffees, smoothies, and other specialty drinks, as well as some food items. These will include foods that will pair with a good cup of coffee. Things like bagels, cookies, breakfast sandwiches, and muffins are just a few of the foods that will be on the menu.

Well known Lexington businessman Jeremy Addy is the driving force that’s bringing this small and immensely community and family friendly business to the Midlands. He’s the grandson of the late Kermit Addy and son of John and Teresa Addy. His family-owned and operated Addy Dodge on Columbia Avenue in Lexington for decades. All the Addy’s are known as fervent believers in giving back to Lexington County and its citizens. Jeremy has followed in those family footsteps as he’s led his core business Craig Reagin Clothiers on Main Street to great success.

In a recent interview with The Ledger, Jeremy said that he is always looking for ways to bring other good, high-quality businesses to Lexington County. In the case of Biggby Coffee, after he did some research on the family-owned business based out of Michigan, he found what he feels is a perfect fit to fill some gaps in the boutique coffee business in particular areas of the county. Partnering with a small, family-owned corporation like Biggby that shares his own high standard of morals and a likeminded approach toward how a business should interact with the community and its customers were important to Jeremy. In fact, these attributes were as important to him as the taste of Biggby’s delicious coffees and treats.

Jeremy was not a coffee drinker himself until several years ago. He’s engaged to be married now and his fiancé is a longtime lover of coffee. On a trip to Charleston, they both shared the experience of a Biggby Coffee together. In Charleston, there are four locations there. Even Jeremy, now a coffee convert, loved its deep, complex flavors of its roast, and the fast, friendly service of the Biggbys. “Its flavor is delicious,” Jeremy said. “There is no bitterness at all,” he continued. “It’s just a wonderful experience.”

It didn’t take Jeremy long to realize that a few Biggby locations in Lexington County and the later, elsewhere in the Midlands, would be perfect for a market market that’s not already oversaturated with the all drive-thru experience that Biggby Coffee provides.

While looking for property that would house Jeremy’s first Biggby location in Lexington, he met Joe and Cari Schlager of Red Bank through the Charleston Biggby franchisee. The Schlagers had moved to Lexington County from Las Vegas several years ago and found it to be a perfect fit for their family. Joe enjoyed the city lights and life of Vegas and Cari, who grew up on a farm in upstate New York, was looking for something less complicated and of a slower pace. Cari said during an interview that, “This is a perfect community that fits all our family’s needs. It’s a much slower pace and everyone is so friendly. It’s just been great getting to know the people of this wonderful new community. For Joe, there’s enough to see and do here to keep him busy and entertained when he’s not working. For me, the slower pace, and the more rural feel I grew up with made me fall in love instantly.”

The Schlagers had some money put aside to invest in a business they could call their own. Sadly, the remainder of what they needed was wrapped up in a finance deal in Nevada that fell threw at the last minute. Once Jeremy got to know the Schlagers for who they really are, he stepped up and offered to buy some property and put a Biggby Coffee in the Red Bank commmunity. Then he would lease that location to Joe and Cari for them to run.

That will be the first Biggby you’ll be able to see and enjoy in Lexington County. The property is across the street from Lexington County’s Annex on South Lake Drive at Two Notch Road. It will sit between existing Wendy’s and the CVS. Although there’s an large self service ice machine there right now, by the end of this year or certainly by mid-January of 2023, a neat little Biggby Coffee will be there for you to enjoy!

How in the world you might ask, can they build a building and business that quickly. The answer is simple, Biggby Coffees are small, offer only drive-thru service, and they are built by a company based in Michigan. Then, they’re trucked in, offloaded with a crane, and set on a concrete pad that already has the plumbing and any electrical infrastructure in place. It only takes a few short days to anchor the building, connect the plumbing and electrical, and start making coffee.

The Schlagers store will be the first Biggbys to open. Lexington County is in the final stages of the plan review process right now. Once that’s completed, the sitework can begin and the building pad can be poured. Jeremy said that all he needs is the final approval to get started.

Once the Red Bank store receives its certificate of occupancy, Cari will run that location herself every day. “It will be so nice to have a business we can call our own,” Cari said. “I’m ready to get to know our neighbors by their first names, what their favorites drinks and foods are, and get involved in all different ways.” Cari said they plan to be supportive of the community and give back by sponsoring youth sports, area school yearbooks, and civic groups and churches. “Joe and I think that God had a great deal to do with us meeting Jeremy and we plan to openly acknowledge that. Without that first introduction, our dreams of building a legacy that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren simply wouldn’t have happened,” she stated.

Cari had much the same to say about the Biggby Corporation that Jeremy did. “When we met people who had dealt with the corporation for years, they all had the same feeling about Biggby that Joe, Jeremy, and I did. To them, a business is more about community and people than just the bottom line. Customer service, friendly attitudes, and owner involvement are all key to running a Biggby. They want us to put people first and feel that if we are doing that, the customer base will be strong and loyal. I am so excited for the opportunity to get up every day and go to work for me,” she we went on to say. “Joe will keep his full-time job during the workweek, but the fun thing is, on the weekend he’ll be working for me!” she joked.

Once the Red Bank store is open, Jeremy is looking at two parcels of land closer into Lexington for a store that he’ll run with a small group of employees. One parcel is on North Lake Drive across from the movie theater. The other is just west of Lexington on Highway 378 near Charter Oak Road and the Publix shopping center. Once he sees which of the two spots are available and priced competitively, he says he’ll be able to use much of the site plans and legwork done for the Red Bank store to expedite the next location. He believes that the second store should be open sometime in the spring of 2023.

“I want to get a feel for running this new business before I go any further than that,” Jeremy said during our interview. “After that, I can expand further in Lexington County or maybe somewhere else in the Midlands. Once people get to know how friendly the customer service is at Biggby Coffee and how great their offerings are, I see foresee a large, loyal customer base that will drive past other coffee businesses to stop at Biggby,” he stated.

According to Jeremy, Biggby Coffee franchisees doesn’t have corporate pressures to take any political stand on the issues of the day like some other larger chain stores. “They also don’t pressure us with mandates that might work in Michigan but wouldn’t fly here. They just want franchisees to sell a great product and be involved in the community that supports the businesses. I have a great deal of business experience already and I vetted this company as well as I am sure they vetted me. Every franchisee, every corporate partner, everyone I met and spoke with had the same things about the corporation to say. Every franchise I spoke with said that Biggby was a great company to do business with,” Jeremy concluded.

According to Joe and Cari, the hours for the Red Bank store will be Monday through Saturday from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. You can get updates about the progress of the Red Bank store including the date of the building’s arrival and placement by crane on Facebook at Biggby on South Lake, Lexington or by simply pressing this LINK.

Here is a short video of a Biggby loaded on a truck for shipping. VIDEO

PHOTO CAPTIONS: All pictures are of Biggby Coffee locayions in other areas of the United States.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — The National Weather Service has confirmed at least two tornadoes touched down in the Midlands during Wednesday's severe storms.

The agency said Wednesday night said the two confirmed twisters were both in Lexington County: one in South Congaree and Red Bank, with the other striking near Gilbert. Both were weak, rating an EF-0, the lowest level on the Enhanced Fujita scale that measures tornado intensity.

The first tornado spun up at 10:44 a.m. around three miles southeast of Red Bank and had winds of 75 miles an hour. The weather service says the tornado likely began in a wooded area between Cathy Lane and Old Orangeburg Road. The tornado then continued east-southeast crossing Beckman Road then into an inaccessible field. Then farther southeast the tornado crossed Norman Drive and Highway 302 near Gator Drive, before dissipating near Greenwood Drive.

The tornado traveled a total of 2.9 miles and caused minor damage, snapping and uprooting trees.

The other was near Gilbert and produced damage along Calks Ferry Road and Nazareth Road, mainly downing trees and power lines, the weather service said. Additional information on the wind speed and path of the storm is expected Thursday or Friday.

The weather service will also be surveying other sites in the Midlands that may have seen tornadoes, including in Calhoun, Lexington, and Orangeburg Counties. They'll also be out in Barnwell and Aiken Counties.

Roy Ferrell lives just off of South Lake Drive in Lexington County. He says he was just a few hundred yards from his home when the sky turned dark and rain began to kick up.

"[I] was in the middle of some turbulent wind, turbulent rain coming down horizontally, and a lot of the warnings coming over the radio as I turned in. It was very challenging to say the least, I didn't know what was going to happen next."

He says he was able to get into his house and no damage was done to him or his home.

The same can't be said for an area just a short drive down Old Orangeburg Road Cecil Creech and his family were hoping to wait out the storm in their den.

"the storm came up and got worse and worse, the wind really starting howling and whaling and all of the sudden we heard a sound just like a train whistle the hail started hitting the side of the house, my daughter and my wife were in the den with me, they got up and ran to the hallway."

He says once the storm passed he went outside to a yard full of damage.

"Blew my flag pole down, blew one of the supports that hold up my car port down." He says, the surge, "Went back to where my pole building is and my man cave, ripped the roof off of it, and took everything that was under it and through it all over the yard."

Members of his family and church and other families came by to check on him and lend some help. He thanks God that no one was hurt.

"That's the main thing, no one was hurt and all this other stuff can be replaced or repaired."

Red Bank, SC (Paul Kirby) – After intense market research using their food truck, and multiple false rumors of their intention to build in the Red Bank area over a 5-year period, Chick-fil-A has officially started construction in that community. Site work has just begun for the company’s newest Lexington County restaurant off Platt Springs Road. It's being built on an outparcel of the Publix supermarket near South Lake Drive.

To test the market, Chick-fil-A began bringing their food truck into the vibrant, fast-growing community over a year ago. They set up several times on the property of Radius Church White Knoll. Each time, cars filled with customers snaked around the property as hungry Chick-fil-A lovers waited patiently for their chicken fix. It was a clear indicator that the people of the community wanted them to build a permanent, brick and mortar store in their area.

After past announcements of new fast-food establishments coming to that area were released, many people seemed frustrated and disappointed that the new restaurant would in fact be fast-food and not something more upscale. People in that community have never tried to hide the fact that they desire a fast casual eatery that would serve steaks, seafood, and other choices like ribs and upscale burgers, and salads. Since this announcement involves a Chick-fil-A, the level of complaints isn’t expected to reach the same volume as before.

Chick-fil-A has an almost cult following. They have based ad maintained their business model on their founders’ strong Christian beliefs. That founder, Truett Cathy, believed that Sunday was a day of rest designated by God and to this day, Chik-fil-As are not open on Sunday.

People simply adore their food. Many other chains have entered into the “Chicken Sandwich Wars”, but none have been able to topple Chick-fil-A from its constant prominent spot at the top of the chicken sandwich heap.

Chick-fil-A has also had their food truck in the Batesburg-Leesville area of Lexington County over the past year. The town’s Mayor Lancer Shull recently said they set up on a vacant lot near Columbia Avenue and Main Street in Leesville and once they opened the truck for business, “They were absolutely packed.” According to Shull, “They were so packed that we had to ask them to relocate to a different spot because the traffic caused by the waiting cars backed up into Hwy. 1 and began to cause a traffic problem.” Shull said that he hasn’t heard any more from the chain about building a permanent location in Batesburg-Leesville but if the response to their food truck was any indication of the support the community would give them, they very well could be headed to that western Lexington County town next.

Nestled between Pelion and Red Bank is the community of Edmund, and resident Clyde Smith thought he might bring a different flavor to the area that is light on dining options.

“There’s not much around and I felt like that would be a good idea to bring something to the area,” said Smith. “They have other restaurants around like country cooking but no seafood place within 10 miles. I know everybody loves seafood.”

His Seafood Shack opened March 22 at 6029 Edmund Hwy. in the former home of a Maurice's Piggie Park outpost.

Smith said he appreciates the support he’s seen from the community and from those who understand there are new business operations to work out. This is the first restaurant Smith has owned, and he said he worked on the place for about six months before opening.

There was maintenance and design work to be done to get the restaurant up to par and ready to serve.

Smith said he welcomed a constant stream of customers during a good, but overwhelming first day and added that he is going to “keep striving to make it better.”

“The good outweighed the bad,” said Smith, who is currently looking to hire employees who have experience working in restaurants.

As far as the food goes, Smith acknowledged that seafood isn’t inexpensive food but said he’s going to try his best to keep the prices consistent. His seafood comes from a company in North Carolina who gets it from North France.

“I don’t want to overcharge,” Smith said.

Seafood is the emphasis, with bream, catfish, flounder, mullet, perch, tilapia, whiting, shrimp, oysters, scallops and lobster tail marking a menu of dinners and sandwiches, but the Shack also offers chicken wings, burgers, chicken fingers and an array of homemade desserts.

Smith doesn’t have a website or social media page, but he intends to add them. One group on Facebook, Columbia Foodies, has offered some supportive reviews.

Sharon King-Harris said she dropped by the seafood place when it opened and will definitely go back.

In her review she wrote, “There were a couple of small hiccups but nothing bad enough to keep me from going back. The people were friendly and my food was delish (tilapia, mac and cheese and fries).”

She told the Chronicle, “I just wish people took into consideration that the business has been open less than a week. Also the staff was very upfront about the problems and very friendly.”

The Seafood Shack is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. It is located beside Brian’s Heating and Cooling.

Keywords

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