West Ashley Innovation

From the moment the boat landed at Albemarle point, the name for the area where Charles Towne Landing is located, entrepreneurship has been in action. The explosion of plantation life and wealth that happened within 50 years of the landing and continued until the Civil War is a testament to that very early entrepreneurship.
The Civil War destroyed the way of life in St. Andrew’s Parish West Ashley but it wasn’t long before phosphate reserves were discovered and Dr. St. Julien Ravenel figured out how to make fertilizer from phosphates. The money from this endeavor combined with revenues from truck farming and dairy farming created the beginnings of an economic turn around for the Parish. Some of the names that were prominent during this era were Ravenel, Hanckel, Harrison, Bellinger, Kennerty, Higdon, and King. They farmed and were involved in sculpting the new dynamics for St. Andrew’s Parish.
World War I and World War II brought the expansion of the Charleston Naval Shipyard. Housing for workers was at a premium. Large landowners, like Harrison, Ravenel, and Simons, began selling property to developers thus contributing to the birth of the Parish’s suburbs.
George A. Nash, Charles S. Dwight, I. D. Peek, William Means, J. C. and Leonard Long, James Simmons, and Bill Ackerman began to see the potential in housing developments giving rise to Wappoo Heights, The Crescent, Avondale, Moreland, Ashley Forest, and Byrnes Downs, Windermere, and South Windermere respectively. V-Housing Corporation, Long Construction, Ravenel Construction, and Truluck Construction were some on the early builders involved in not only housing but also commercial construction.
Once people were living in the area, community spirit, infrastructure and business support started to blossom. Gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, 5-and-10 stores started to spring up. Some of these early stations owners were Carter, Whaley, Lamar, Bunch, Bair, Bootle, Kinsey, and Leopard.
Grocery Stores were run by Butehorn, Dupont, Waters, Edens, and Rodenberg. The businesses of Avondale constituted the first commercial hub for St. Andrew’s Parish West Ashley. Stephen’s 5-and-10, Hudson’s Barber, Edward’s 5-and-10, C&S Bank, Avondale Bake Shop, Avondale Pharmacy, Ashley Flower Shop, and Avondale Feed & Seed are just some of the early local entrepreneurs.
By the mid 1950’s St. Andrew’s Center and South Windermere Shopping Center provided even more opportunities for locals to shop in West Ashley.
There were also examples of entrepreneurship in the tourism, food and beverage, and the entertainment industry. Guest homes populated Savannah Highway and soon Dan Groves would be building motels. Philip Bootle and Roy Hart were serving up delicious barbecue. The Byrnes Downs Grill, Sugar Bowl, Fountain Inn, and Portaro’s were early restaurants. Club 17, Come On In and of course the Cavallero were providing entertainment.
There were doctors, dentists, farm suppliers, an In and Out Car Wash, Lyerly’s Cleaners, and real estate companies. The complete list of early business owners would become quite extensive and is beyond the scope of this column, but it speaks volumes about the history of the entrepreneurial spirit in the Parish.
Know a history of a local business? Contact Donna at westashleybook@gmail.com.