Mortgage Broker in Wade Hampton, SC

Thrift shops can bring big deals that really help families on a tight budget. But, usually, you don’t find everything on your list at a single thrift shop, which is one of the things that makes the Greer to Taylors, SC corridor of Wade Hampton Boulevard such a great spot for thrifting. You can visit 6 unique thrift shops across this little 8-mile stretch of Wade Hampton Boulevard.

And that’s just what my daughter and I set out to do one Saturday morning. We spent several hours and totally checked every box on her clothing AND shoe wish list. Plus I found several cute items for myself, 3 dress shirts for my husband in a usually hard-to-find size, some shorts and t-shirts for my sons, and bonus: the cutest spring teapot ever.

Thrift Store vs. Consignment

Usually, all of the items in a thrift store are donated to the store, and the profit the stores make benefits a specific cause. This is different than a consignment shop where you’ll still find great deals, but it’s the store and the consigner earning the profits. There’s nothing wrong with a great consignment shop, but in this story we’re focusing on the thrift stores, who they benefit, and what they offer.

At the shops in this article, in addition to good deals that help your family budget, you’ll also be helping fund job programs, fight homelessness, helping children with cancer, animals, and victims of domestic violence.

Thrifting Tips

Before we get to the shops, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Miracle Hill Thrift Shop

14179 E Wade Hampton Blvd, GreerOpen: 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday

Beginning in Greer near Lyman, is the Miracle Hill Thrift Shop. This is a larger thrift shop with clothing for men, women, and children, plus furniture, housewares, books, and sometimes even big-ticket items like kayaks!

Prices here are marked on the rack so all pants are one price, etc, unless otherwise marked. Don’t forget to check their clearance section where all items are $1.

Clothes and items are well organized by size, but you’ll have to do some digging if you’re looking for housewares, books, etc.

This thrift shop does offer dressing rooms to try on your items before you buy!

Miracle Hill Thrift Shops benefit Miracle Hill Ministries helping homelessness.

Miracle Hill MinistriesMiracle Hill Thrift Shop Facebook

Carolina Thrift

109 Middleton Way, GreerOpen 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm Saturday

Benefitting animals in need, the Carolina Thrift shop offers a cozy and well-organized shop with a homey feel. They have great prices on clothing ($2 per piece), jewelry, and accessories. They have a free coffee bar for shoppers, a media room with many books, DVDs, and vinyl records for sale.

This shop is where I found my cute spring teapot among the pretty spring displays at the front of the shop. This is a great place to shop AND browse.

Think you’ll be a frequent shopper? Don’t forget to pick up a rewards punch card at the register.

Carolina Thrift Facebook

Goodwill

1333 W Wade Hampton Blvd, Greer, SCOpen: 9 am to 9 pm Monday-Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm on Sundays

The Goodwill Thrift Shop in Greer is another larger thrift shop. It benefits Goodwill programs which provide career services and help for job seekers.

You’ll find clothing, media, housewares, and more at Goodwill. Clothing is organized by small, medium, large, etc. So you’ll spend time here looking for numbered sizes in each section. Don’t forget to take note of the color tags that are on sale. We scored a nice dress shirt for my husband for 50 cents with the sale tags.

Goodwill Industries of the Upstate

Salvation Army Family Store

5152 Wade Hampton Blvd, Taylors, SCOpen: 9 am to 5:30 pm weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays

The Salvation Army Family Store in Taylors is a little more compact than other similar thrift shops, but it has a wide variety of clothing, shoes, and household items at great prices.

This is another shop where you’ll need to spend a little time looking at the sizes on each item within sections to find what works for you. But, it’s worth it! My daughter’s new favorite pair of boots came from this Salvation Army Family Store, and we paid just $5 for them.

Salvation Army Family Store

Carol’s Hope

3245 Wade Hampton Blvd, TaylorsOpen: 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday

Carol’s Hope Thrift stores benefit families dealing with childhood cancer. They help with these families’ financial and emotional needs.

They have 4 shops total, another in Spartanburg, Easley, and Boiling Springs. Follow the Carol’s Hope Facebook page for discount days, and stories about the local children they are helping.

At the Taylors store you’ll find lots of clothing, priced via tag color. Check the signs on the end of the racks to help you figure out how much each item is. You might pay just $1 for a cute top, or closer to $8 or $9 depending on the item. I found a couple of very cute spring dresses for myself here and paid $13 total.

There’s also a large space with furniture and housewares that we enjoyed browsing.

Safe Harbor Resale Shop

2830 Wade Hampton Boulevard, GreenvilleOpen: 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday

I think this is my new favorite thrift shop. It’s huge and extremely well organized. The displays of housewares and shoes and color-coordinated and look like an interior designer put them together. Someone puts a lot of time into the organization of this place and it makes it feel like you’re shopping in a high-end boutique, with thrift store prices, of course. It’s a fun place just to go browse.

This shop has one of the larger children’s sections with lots of clothing at great prices. We got several pairs of pants and tops for my baby nephew at about $2 per piece and everything was in great condition.

There’s also a large selection of clothing for men and women, and my daughter found several items that will work for her here. Being in that in-between tween size, finding so much for her was quite an accomplishment and we really appreciated the large selection and organized layout. You’ll find fitting rooms at the front of the store.

Don’t miss the beautiful jewelry up by the register. You’ll find unique and gorgeous earrings for just a couple of dollars a pair.

Of course, the Safe Harbor Resale Shop benefits Safe Harbor, serving victims of domestic violence in Greenville.

A site of five acres at 237 Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greenville is once again being considered for a storage facility. And again — still — neighbors don't like it.

The new proposal for a storage facility at the site is the second one since 2016. It includes a three-story mixed-use facility with a ground-level restaurant or retail space, office space, and indoor, conditioned self-storage units that would not face Wade Hampton Boulevard, according to plans before the Greenville Board of Zoning Appeals.

Some nearby residents say the development goes against efforts to transition the area surrounding part of U.S. 29, a major artery for the city from the Eastside and Spartanburg, from an industrial corridor to residential boulevard.

They say it wouldn't serve the neighborhoods around it and should be denied by officials.

"It’s a part of setting the tone for Wade Hampton. We’re trying to change the tone," said Donna Rhyne, a Dellwood neighborhood resident. "Putting it in there doesn’t attract the kind of stuff we want."

City councilmember John DeWorken doesn't support the project, either. Before DeWorken represented the district on City Council, he opposed previous plans for storage on this site as a resident back in 2018.

“I’m disappointed that we have in front of us yet another proposal for a storage facility when there are already two located within a block or two, and that is such an important gateway into our beautiful downtown," DeWorken said.

Developer Krish Patel is purchasing site in Greenville from Ron Rallis, according to plans

The city's Board of Zoning Appeals is considering the proposal and would need to approve the plans before the development could be built. The application is anticipated to go before the board at its next meeting at 4 p.m. Nov. 10, residents said.

The property hugs Richland Creek next to The Community Tap and across from Henry's Smokehouse near Mohawk Drive. Only a little more than one acre is eligible for development because much of the land is in a floodplain.

The land is owned by Greenville developer Ron Rallis, who recently claimed the spotlight when he painted the former Bible Way Full Gospel Missionary Baptist Church in the Woodside community bright pink and wrote the word "Trap" above it.

Rallis bought the property on Wade Hampton Boulevard in 2016 for $850,000, according to county property records, intending to build a storage facility there.

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The Board of Zoning Appeals approved his plans that year, granting Rallis a special exception for construction, but in 2018, Rallis said he never received the documentation for the permit because it was mailed to someone else, which allowed it to expire.

Residents then protested the plans, saying another storage facility had already been constructed nearby since 2016. Development for the land never materialized.

The new developer, Krish Patel, sits on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Patel is purchasing the property from Rallis for $1.6 million, along with another property on Markley Street, according to plans submitted to the board.

The land on Wade Hampton Boulevard would hold a 83,150-square-foot building along with a garden area, restaurant patio and 85 parking spaces.

In Patel's application, he said that the storage facility was appropriate due to the amount of homes and rental units in proximity and the "limited available storage options in this section of the city."

"This area continues to have a strong demand for storage use," Patel wrote.

Patel did not return calls seeking comment.

Wade Hampton Boulevard residents want development that serves local neighborhoods

People in nearby neighborhoods disagree with Patel.

Residents around Wade Hampton Boulevard on the northeastern side of the city have worked with officials to transform the busy street into a more pedestrian-friendly gateway to downtown Greenville.

Those efforts materialized in the Wade Hampton Boulevard Strategic Plan, adopted in 2018. That plan states that self-storage facilities shall not be located within a quarter-mile of one another in efforts to promote development that better caters to surrounding neighborhoods.

There are two other storage facilities within half a mile of 237 Wade Hampton Boulevard.

"We want something that brings more people to the city and adds aesthetic value to the Wade Hampton gateway," said Steve Mills, who lives in the North Main neighborhood.

Patel has met with residents twice to present his plans, Mills said.

While he appreciates Patel's efforts to make the facility palatable and present it as a mixed-use project, "at the end of the day, it’s still a storage facility," Mills said.

"It’s kind of like putting lipstick on a pig," he said.

Greenville City Council member objects to proposal

Rhyne moved to Dellwood in 1978, and she's seen the evolution of Wade Hampton Boulevard because of that longevity.

"It was headed nowhere but downhill," she said.

Thanks to neighborhood efforts, that's changing. But this facility doesn't fit into plans for the area's future, she said.

"A strategic plan was put in place. Why do we have it if we’re not going to stick to it?” Rhyne said.

“The neighborhood and the city have spent countless hours to create a plan for Wade Hampton Boulevard, to transform it from an industrial corridor to a neighborhood boulevard, and nowhere in that plan includes a storage facility," said DeWorken, the City Council member.

"The developer (Patel) does really good work around Greenville," he said. "It’s not about the developer. It’s about the storage facility.”

'Trap' church:'Trap' church property for sale in Greenville for $2.5 million. Neighbors feel betrayed

Macon Atkinson is the city watchdog reporter for The Greenville News. She's powered by long runs and strong coffee. Follow her on Twitter @maconatkinson.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) plans to renovate a three-mile stretch of Wade Hampton Boulevard to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians.

According to SCDOT, 1,490 crashes occurred on the road between Karen Drive to East Lee Road between 2014 and 2018. 10 of those crashes were fatal.

To reduce crashes, SCDOT plans to add concrete medians in some areas to stop drivers from crossing several lanes of traffic to make left turns.

“A lot of times, we find that the most serious and fatal crashes are going to be left turn crashes,” Shawn Salley, SCDOT’s program manager explained. “The way to alleviate that is to try to reduce left turn movement onto major highways, and you want to encourage people to make movements at signals.”

“I think they (SCDOT) have some legitimate recommendations here because there are too many crashes,” Joe Farmer, who lives near Wade Hampton Boulevard, said. “We do have a lot of curb cuts. Even though this is going to be frustrating to some of us that frequent these businesses, it does make practical sense to make some of these adjustments.”

SCDOT also plans to make crosswalks more visible and add more sidewalks.

“We also noticed that there were a lot of areas of foot traffic in this corridor where they didn’t have sidewalks,” Salley said. “Part of this project is that we’re going to have connectivity of sidewalks from the beginning of this project to the end.”

Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2024. It will take about a year to complete.

SCDOT is accepting feedback about its project until September 15. To submit your comments, click here.

CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Human remains were found Tuesday afternoon in Cherokee County.

According to the Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler, a homeowner on Holly Ridge Road reported seeing something which looked like human remains near a wooded area of his property just before noon.

On the scene, Fowler confirmed what the homeowner found was a badly decomposed body of a man. Fowler said the body appeared to have been in the wooded area for more than a month.

He working to identify the remains through an autopsy and determine a cause of death.

Editor’s note: ‘Now Open’ is a weekly series highlighting recently opened restaurants in the Greenville area and around the Upstate. Look for a new restaurant every Friday at postandcourier.com/greenville/food. Have a suggestion? Email Eric Connor.

GREENVILLE— It was once a popular food truck on the west side of Greenville, but these days the lines that build for Birrieria 101 stretch inside a brick-and-mortar establishment.

The Mexican restaurant that specializes in the particular Birria style is now open in a small shopping center at 2301 Wade Hampton Boulevard.

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The style originates in the Mexican state of Jalisco and is traditionally defined as a slow-cooked stew served with braising liquid. The style has its roots dating back to the arrival of the conquistadors, who having brought livestock from overseas faced an overpopulation of goats, leading to their use as a food source.

In modern times as the style has spread from Mexico, the meat has branched into beef, pork and chicken.

Birrieria 101 features healthy portions of birria tacos with shrimp and talapia as added meats, California-style tacos, burritos, street corn and the birria-style smash burger.

The restaurant began as a food truck that operated in the Berea area of White Horse Road. The stationary location opened on Aug. 20 with hundreds standing in line over the first two days.

The transition from food truck to restaurant is a work in progress. It’s a good idea to check the restaurant’s Facebook page for daily updates on operating hours and what ingredients are available on a particular day.

Stated hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

GREENVILLE — In 57 years, it is hard to quantify how much baklava the women of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral have made for the annual Greek pastry sale, but guests this year can expect thousands upon thousands of each variety of treat.

The women who bake are motivated, as they always have been, by a sense of giving back to their community. The money raised from the sale goes to Philoptochos, a philanthropic sisterhood that provides funds to causes national and local, and sometimes even to those in need within the church community.

The needs remain, and so the women bake.

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“What’s beautiful is we are sharing our culture,” said Frances Pappas, Philoptochos president. “Through the years, people look forward to this because of the taste of the food, but most importantly when they come to the church and they come and support Philoptochos, they are allowing people who need help (to) receive this help.”

In the past, funds raised have supported causes from the Ronald McDonald House, victims of the natural disasters, the Shriners Children’s hospital and Miracle Hill Ministry.

This year, the bake sale will be held Nov. 16 at St. George Cathedral. The sale will be both inside the newly renovated Hellenic Center and also via drive-thru.

While luncheon won’t be included as in years past, guests can expect it to return in the new center next year.

Treats will be available in individual varieties, as variety packs and in larger quantities. In addition, trays of moussaka, meatballs, dolmades, tiropita, spanakopita and pastichcio will also be available for sale. Casseroles will be sold frozen with reheating instructions.

The annual bake sale began in 1967, decades before the now-popular Greek Festival, as a way for the women of the church to connect with the people of Greenville, Pappas said.

On Thursday, a little girl who grew up in a divided Hampton County saw a dream com true that was a lifetime in the making, and she understandably got a little emotional.

As a child, Hannah Priester sat in school desks at all-Black North District Training School. As a teacher, she helped welcome the first integrated classes at North District Middle School. Last week, as Chairman of the newly consolidated Hampton County School District Board of Trustees, Priester witnessed a final step toward county unity and officially bringing our proverbial "both sides of the swamp" together.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman visited Priester's hometown of Varnville to announce $52 million in infrastructure funding for the Hampton County School District to begin construction on its first fully consolidated school: Hampton County High School.

"This is a great day for South Carolina, and it's a beautiful day for Hampton County," said Priester, as she thanked the state officials and legislators who helped make this funding possible. "We want to thank you Mrs. Spearman - you delivered."

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts," added the emotional Priester. "The board has spoken, the county has spoken, and the legislature has spoken, and we are going to build a new school!"

During a public ceremony at the Wade Hampton High School football field, Spearman announced the allocation of $52 million in state funding to assist HCSD in constructing a comprehensive countywide high school to consolidate the existing WHHS and Estill High School. The funding is part of the $140 million under Proviso 1.92 of the General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.

“The South Carolina Department of Education is thrilled to announce $52 million in state funding for the replacement of Wade Hampton High School,” said Spearman. “It is crucial that the state provides financial support for counties like Hampton that cannot afford to build new facilities on its own. Thank you to the South Carolina General Assembly for their generous support in making this funding possible.”

In April of 2022, the SCDE commissioned independent facility studies of schools in the state’s poorest counties to aid in decision-making for capital funding appropriated by the General Assembly for disadvantaged schools. Hampton County is composed of ten separate schools and a career and technology center. The current enrollment of the county-wide district is approximately 2,455 students.

The funding being provided by the SCDE will be used to address the district’s most critical need as identified by the facility assessment team - the replacement of WHHS - and aid in the state-mandated consolidation process.

Spearman commented on how the state sometimes fails to offer the same opportunities to poor, rural schools as it does larger, urban areas. She added that it was "almost impossible" for rural districts to build new schools using only local taxes.

"That's wrong... and I wanted to help change that," said Spearman. "You all have an opportunity to make a tremendous impact in the world, and you can do that through education."

In 1970, when county schools were still working toward full integration, the HC Tricentennial Commission published a local history entitled Both Sides of the Swamp. "Both sides of the swamp" has remained a metaphor for Hampton County for years since, as the county has remained divided into a north school district and a south district, split by the Salkehatchie River basin - until now and the recent consolidation of districts in hopes of finally providing equal opportunities to all local students.

"We are getting ready to announce something that will change the face of Hampton County for the next 50 years," commented Spearman. "This is a big deal. I'm guessing no money like this has ever been delivered to Hampton County. This is truly a historic moment."

The funding announcement was attended by state and local officials, with the WHHS staff and student body looking on from the football stadium bleachers during this historic moment.

"Today, history is being made in Hampton county, and all of you are a part of it," said HCSD Superintendent Dr. Ronald Wilcox.

"This is a beautiful day for Hampton County," said SC Representative Shedron Williams. "We love you Hampton County, and we love you educators."

Williams added that his office is also requesting state funding for other local needs, such as increased teacher and bus driver pay and more affordable housing.

“This is a great day for the citizens of Hampton County,” added Williams, who serves District 122 in the General Assembly and chairman of the Hampton Legislative Delegation. “I would like to thank my fellow members in the South Carolina General Assembly for their investment in our community. We look forward to seeing the impact this will have on the lives of our educators and families for years to come.”

“This focus on education shows the commitment to our students and families and will result in stronger economic development for the entire region,” said Sen. Brad Hutto, who represents District 40 in the General Assembly, in a statement.

“Never has Hampton County received such a boost to our K-12 education system,” said Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, who serves District 45 in the General Assembly, in the statement. “I am honored to have had a part along with my legislative colleagues to show our support for the impact education can make in the lives of our students and community.”

“A resounding thank you to Superintendent Spearman and our legislators at the South Carolina State House and Senate for their support and making this funding available,” added Dr. Wilcox. “Our students and educators deserve safe, state-of-the-art facilities to learn and grow in each day. Next year, the district will combine Estill High School and Wade Hampton High School into the consolidated Hampton County High School. We cannot wait for the building process to begin as we anticipate with excitement opening the doors of the new high school for all of our students in Hampton County.”

WHHS and EHS will consolidate on the current WHHS campus beginning with the 2023-24 academic year while the new school is built. A site for the new campus has been purchased, and a new name and mascot approved, but the HCSD has not set construction dates yet.

In addition to the funding for Hampton County, the state education agency has also made the following funding announcements: