ANDREWS, S.C. (WMBF) - Right on the Georgetown County line lives someone who turns drab into fab. Alchemy RV Renovations owner Tessa Terry transforms RVs, campers and fifth wheels into charming, luxury digs.

“I wanted to create a space that was high-end, and when you walk through the door, I wanted it to feel like a home,” said Terry.

The 29-year-old mother of two dove head first and launched her business in 2021. She bought a camper and learned how to renovate the small space, everything from the design to plumbing, electrical and flooring.

“I always lived by the idea that mistakes are kind of the price of admission to a good job,” she said.

The one-woman show mixes research with her renovation experience by ripping a page from her home renovations after she and her husband bought their house in 2017.

“We gutted it from top to bottom and completely renovated it,” said Terry.

Just like her Victorian modern-inspired home, Terry carefully creates and decorates each RV with intention.

“I’ll find things months before I even get the RV, and I’ll love it, and then I’ll work it into the design later on,” she said.

She caught the designer bug as a little girl and then worked for her parents’ company making elegant Victorian lamps that you’ve probably seen before.

“In the Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie, all the lampshades that you see are the ones that I’ve made,” said Terry.

Terry gave us a tour of the RV and fifth wheel she’s remodeling and showed us the upscale and personal touches. She also demonstrated how she turns old countertops into faux marble ones to mimic swanky Charleston hotels. From gold ornate fixtures and upscale lighting to a walk-in closet, Terry said you’re not just getting a glamorous home on wheels.

“That’s the one thing I do different from most RV renovators, is absolutely everything comes with the sale. All the décor pieces, all the bedding,” said Terry.

The RV renovator said the best part about fixing up fixer-uppers is watching a customer step into one for the very first time.

“Oh, it’s awesome. I love seeing people’s reactions because it’s not what you’d expect in a space like that,” she said.

Terry hopes to impress even more people with her eye for design in the future.

“I feel like I’m just getting started, so I’m really excited to get next-level renovations happening,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve even considered it a career. I think I just thought that’s what I love. That’s what I want to do.”

Terry revamped five RVs since 2021, which she said each took about two to four months to renovate.

If you have good news to share, email goodnews@wmbfnews.com or message Loren on Facebook.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.

ANDREWS — A $6.4 million public-private partnership will preserve more than 1,800 acres in the Andrews area, growing a network of public lands and potentially providing a tourism boost to a town that has struggled to recover from the decline of the state’s textile industry.

The Black River Initiative is part of a community-driven effort to establish a new recreational water trail that connects public land along 70 miles of river through Williamsburg and Georgetown counties while providing flood mitigation and boosting local tourism. Spearheading the effort is national conservation group Open Space Institute, which recently purchased the 1,806-acre tract located near downtown Andrews from the American timberland company Weyerhaeuser for just over $6.4 million.

“Conservation works best when it contributes to the local economy, community, and culture of a place. The Weyerhaeuser tract checks all of the boxes,” said Maria Whitehead, OSI’s vice president of land, in a release. “OSI is incredibly grateful for the funding partners that came together to make this project happen, and for the engagement and commitment of our state and industry partners.”

Funding for the property came from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the South Carolina Office of Resilience, the Boeing Co., the Knobloch Family Foundation and additional private sources.

OSI officials said the newly secured land complements Andrews’ recently unveiled master plan, which was put together with community input and land-planning consultants Earth Design and Arnett Muldrow.

The 17-page document outlines a vision of vibrant, flood-resilient park spaces, accessibility to a future state park and welcoming streetscapes for the town of more than 2,500.

The 1,806 acres will offer both residents and visitors opportunities for biking, paddling, hiking and fishing in the future.

“In Andrews, we have a new plan and new hope,” Mayor Frank McClary said. “We plan to harness — and showcase — the world-class Black River experience to help create sustainable new jobs and opportunities for local residents.”

FRONT PAGE: In an article on page 1A on Jan. 27 about Union Pier, the name of Stephen Rosenberg was misspelled.

Among the sea of brightly colored sticky notes on which hundreds of people scribbled their dos and don’ts for the reimagining of Union Pier, one theme rose to surface: water.

People want access to the water at the 65-acre site that sits on the eastern edge of the Cooper River in downtown Charleston.

Over two days this week, the team tasked with developing a new plan for the cruise ship terminal collected feedback about desired uses for Union Pier. Designers offered a range of ideas within categories of residential, commercial, institutional, recreational, cultural and historical uses. Visitors indicated their selections with stickers and added their own ideas with Post-it notes.

“Boat ramps,” “a sailing center,” “public marina” read some of the notes stuck to dozens of displays at the Charleston Visitor Center and the Arthur W. Christopher Community Center. The comments from the workshops, and future ones, will be transcribed by the design team and considered in their eventual plan. A draft is expected in May or June, when the public will have the chance to weigh in again.

“The fact that we can’t easily access the water in a city surrounded by water is incredible,” said McKenna Joyce, a member of the city’s Planning Commission.

Aside from actually getting in or on the water, Joyce said people want to be able see it, which means potentially limiting the height and density of buildings on the site. Height and density, along with criticisms of a lack of public input, were reasons an earlier plan was scrapped.

“Nobody wants big, tall buildings on the waterfront,” said Fred Merrill, principal planner with Sasaki, a Boston-based design firm that is leading the effort. The firm helped transform an old port property just south of Union Pier into what is now the Joe Riley Waterfront Park back in the late 1980s.

Merrill briefly distilled some of the feedback for the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, which met Jan. 25. It was the first meeting that newly-installed Charleston Mayor William Cogswell attended, as he plans to be active in the planning process. The meeting was held at the Cigar Factory, a mixed-used building that Cogswell help redevelop on East Bay Street.

Merrill also emphasized a theme of “localness” that came out of his discussions with those who attended the workshops. Few people indicated interest in national restaurant or retail chains, but tons favored locally-owned businesses, according to responses at the workshops. In their displays about the site, the design team highlighted its history, ecologically and culturally, which many visitors said they hoped will be preserved or restored.

Points of contention will be the inclusion of a hotel and housing, he told the committee. Several comments called for prohibiting either on the site, but that’s not likely feasible economically, Merrill said.

James Lima, who heads a planning and development firm in New York City, is tasked with crunching the numbers to maximize the public space, while making sure there is enough investment to pay for it. He cited the Brooklyn Bridge Park as an example of the type of “civically generous” public-private partnership that might benefit Charleston. The sweeping park at the base of the iconic bridge in New York was paid for by residential redevelopment, he said.

Stephen Rosenberg, president of the North Central Neighborhood Association, said he’d like something that “draws people in that doesn’t necessarily cost money.” He brought his infant daughter in a stroller and his leashed dog to the community center to weigh in, and added family — and dog-friendly to his description.

“Everybody would be be happy with a park,” Rosenburg said. He applauded what he called a “good faith effort” at garnering input, but remains skeptical about how it might all make it into the final design.

The planning team will be back in March to hold another workshop on-site at the Union Pier, which is owned by the S.C. Ports Authority and not usually open to the public. Details of that event are forthcoming.

For more on the Union Pier planning process, visit unionpiersc.com.

This story has been changed to correct a misspelling.

ANDREWS, S.C. (WMBF) - A new coffee shop in Georgetown County is offering a unique discount and opportunity for education to gun owners who walk through their doors.

While the coffee shop has been open for weeks, AK Coffee held its grand opening Friday. Dozens of locals turned out for the event, complete with a ribbon cutting, live music and even an appearance from Santa!

What makes AK Coffee so unique is its policy on firearms. While most businesses have a sign on the door that reads, “No firearms allowed,” AK Coffee does things differently.

“We want to encourage law-abiding citizens to be able to protect themselves,” Kandy Thietten says.

Kandy and her husband, Abe, own AK Coffee. They moved to South Carolina from Idaho, eventually settling in Andrews.

“I figure if criminals know people are armed, everybody’s safer.”

If you bring a gun to AK Coffee, you may qualify for a 10% discount. Abe and Kandy have some rules you must follow to receive the discount.

“It has to be in a holster,” Kandy says. “It can’t be floating around in your purse or shoved into your waistband. It has to be holstered. We’re all about safety.”

Abe added that they haven’t had any issues with people bringing their guns to the shop.

They also offer discounts for military and first responders. Active duty and retired military get a 10% discount and first responders get a 50% discount, something they attribute to Andrews’ entire fire department being staffed by volunteers.

On top of encouraging and educating people about safe, legal gun ownership, AK Coffee wants to be a community pillar.

Norberto Luna lives in Andrews and frequents AK Coffee. He says Andrews desperately needs a community gathering spot.

“Get together, talk, solve problems between people, kids, and everything,” Luna says of his vision for AK Coffee. “We’re all in this boat together, and people forget about that. Just a place to get together.”

Luna says he knows young people in and around Andrews are bored; he cited a local parking lot as the hottest hangout spot. He says that boredom is what leads kids to get into trouble.

To appeal to a younger crowd, Abe and Kandy are planning on enhancing their customers’ experiences. They’re planning to add karaoke, a pool table, cornhole and even food trucks. They just installed a stage in the shop, and hope to have live music more frequently.

Luna says there’s no reason to turn down a trip to AK Coffee if you’re in the area.

“Nice part of town, plenty of parking, it’s good,” Luna says. “I highly recommend it.”

You can visit AK Coffee’s website here.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.

ANDREWS — This westernmost Georgetown County town wants to be more than just a simple dot on a South Carolina map.

A vision to reinvigorate Andrews could bring in more restaurants, fill vacant storefronts, introduce additional greenspace and offer new educational opportunities for local students with the help of a tool that nearby cities and beach communities have at their disposal — tourism.

The estimated economic impact of tourism in South Carolina was $29 billion in 2022, according to figures from the state Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. Across Georgetown County, tourist spending tops more than $380 million annually and supports more than 3,300 local jobs, according to state statistics.

Andrews leaders say a new state park along the Black River could help serve as an economic catalyst for the town of 2,575 residents. Still, they acknowledge there have been some bumps on the road to success.

“Our vision is still on course, but we also were plagued with what I call another pandemic,” Mayor Frank McClary said.

Challenges

During a roughly 12-month period last year, the town’s main sewer line was inadvertently severed while installing an AT&T cellphone tower and its aging water system failed.

McClary said the sewer line, operating on a temporary bypass, cost roughly $65,000 to fix. He said they secured a state grant to pay for it.

Around the same time, the town’s current water system, which was installed around 1984, also failed due to not being upgraded over the 39 years in service. McClary said they have around $7.2 million from the S.C. Infrastructure Investment Program and other grants to help with repairs and future upgrades.

“We don’t want to repeat this, obviously, but we were able to sustain all of these things and continue to meet our financial obligations and not go through our budget as we took advantage of some grants,” McClary said. “It doesn’t come by chance. It’s a lot of hard work with a very small staff and people keeping their nose to the ground so we will not have an adverse effect on this vision plan.”

Andrews operates on a $3 million budget. By comparison, Georgetown has a $44.5 million budget.

“You cannot qualify or get these types of things (grants) if you are in financial ruin,” McClary said. “We need to make sure that our citizens and all of our potential investors and developers understand that. We are in a position to continue to grow.”

The infrastructure challenges were just another blow to Andrews, which had to deal with the loss of T-shirt giant Oneita Knitting Mills in 1996. The plant at one time employed 1,000 people.

But the future is looking bright for the former mill site, which is just a few blocks from downtown.

“Oneita was a lifeline in Andrews for a very long time,” McClary said. “When that industry left in the late 1990s, it left a huge void. (But) there are two businesses there right now and two more coming in. Right now, we have Miatex Corp., one of the largest fabric-producing companies in the country, and Shed Cor, which is a storage shed manufacturer. We are very proud of where we are right now.”

A plan for success

Straddling the Williamsburg-Georgetown county line, Andrews was founded in 1909 and thrived in the early 20th century from the railroad and lumber business, but the two industries that shaped the town left.

The recent announcement of a $6.4 million public-private partnership that will preserve more than 1,800 acres in the Andrews area, along with the Black River Cypress Preserve that protects almost six miles of the surrounding Black River, could potentially provide an economic and tourism boost to a town whose claim to fame is being the birthplace of singer Chubby Checker and comedian Chris Rock.

“It is a little piece of heaven,” said town administrator Mauretta Wilson of the cypress preserve. “You talk about the Lowcountry being God’s country, well you can actually see it when you step out onto that property. It’s amazing to have something like that in Georgetown County.”

Georgetown Times

Rebecca Cantley, who works at the longtime town pharmacy Reynolds Drug Store, said Andrews needs to be revitalized and she hopes the new state park will help.

“Who doesn’t want something preserved and beautiful? I think it will be great for this small town,” Cantley said. “I’m just praying that we can get this town up and going and hope that this will drive some of that (tourism) to it.”

McClary said they are already seeing the effects of what the future state park could mean for tourism in Andrews as outside businesses are starting to fill some of the vacant buildings in town.

“In our old CVS location, we are anticipating a fitness center,” McClary said. “Another chain store that will be named later is in the works. We talk a lot about Little Caesars that’s coming to the corner in a spot that used to be the old cleaners. Everybody is excited about that and it is going to give us another restaurant in town.”

The Little Caesars franchise is slated to open next spring at the intersection of East Main Street and Morgan Avenue. Anytime Fitness will be moving into the Food Lion shopping center, McClary confirmed.

Super Chic, a popular store in Andrews, could also benefit from the state park by transforming itself to serve residents and tourists.

“We would love to see this turn into an outfitter location where you can get your delicious food, but also be able to buy a kayak or canoe, get your bait, things of that nature as you move down the connector,” McClary said.

Green space and education

A vision plan for the town presented this year at Black River Cypress Preserve laid out future goals for Andrews and its relationship with nature: A makeover of downtown alleyways and expansion of green space and nature park on the site of the former water treatment plant.

Officials hope to ultimately connect downtown to the state park with the Andrews Black River Greenway. The greenway will have a spur trail named the Rosemary Path that will create a loop throughout the town, with an entrance to a proposed career center.

The planned environmentally-focused career center would possibly sit on a portion of the former Oneita site.

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“The Black River Environmental Career Center is a conversation that was born out of a need for career technical services,” said Wilson, the town administrator. “Right now, all of the students in Andrews have to go to Georgetown County for those needs.

“We would love to see this program come to fruition, not just for the agritourism portion of it to teach children to respect the land, but also all of the cosmetology, welding, auto mechanic needs that are taught in those environments.”

Looking toward the future

Some local business owners hope the future state park could help transform downtown into a version of Georgetown’s Front Street.

Lorin Hayes and her mother Melissa Butler have owned and operated Mel’s Market on West Main Street for nearly three years. They already have customers who visited the Black River Cypress Preserve and joined them for lunch after a tour, hike or bike ride.

“That has brought us business, but it’s just not about my business,” Hayes said. “I would love for Andrews to eventually look a little more like how Georgetown looks downtown. There’s almost a business in every storefront on Front Street. I would love to see Andrews eventually look like that.”

McClary said he has always believed that Georgetown County has the opportunity to be one of the best counties in the state, and he plans for the town to be a gateway into the county.

“We want to make Andrews a place of destiny as opposed to just a bypass,” McClary said.

Georgetown Times

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ANDREWS — Andrews' new coffee shop celebrates God and gun owners.

AK Coffee, at 403 East Main St., has a Christian-themed ambience and also offers discounts to active and retired military members, first responders and those who have legally holstered firearms.

“There was no coffee shop (in Andrews) and we both like coffee, so we decided to open a coffee shop," said Abe Thietten, who co-owns the store with his wife Kandy. "We found this building and bought it and we really wanted to do something to serve God, so it’s a Christian-based coffee shop.”

The shop opened on Oct. 7. The Thiettens, who used to live in Idaho, quit their jobs, bought an RV and traveled across the country in 2021, hitting 43 states along the way. En route to Florida for the winter, they stopped in Myrtle Beach and liked the weather.

Myrtle Beach News

“I always wanted to flip a house, and so we fixed up a house and ended up getting to know the community and we liked all the churches and liked the people here,” Abe Thietten said.

The Thiettens have prior experience working in the coffee business and consider themselves connoisseurs.

Abe Thietten said all of the vendors and roaster they use are local in an effort to “help the town out as much as we can”. The shop also features a bookshelf filled with Bibles and Christian-based books.

AK has Bible verses posted throughout the building. The Thiettens also have a prayer station where patrons can submit prayer requests, which they read at 9 a.m. every morning as part of a daily prayer in the shop.

“We stop what we’re doing no matter how many people we have and say a prayer for the town,” Abe Thietten said.

The shop also has a conference room where Bible studies are held and offers free Wi-Fi and a drive-thru.

“We’ve gotten to know more people and this town has got the best people,” Kandy Thietten said. “You couldn’t find better.”

The shop’s menu features hot, iced and blended lattes, frappes, Italian sodas, and cookies, brownies and breakfast sandwiches brought in by local bakers and cooks.