By HelloFlorenceSC.com · Last reviewed: April 2026 · Florence, SC & the Pee Dee region
Not long ago, downtown Florence looked like a lot of mid-sized Southern cities — storefronts empty, streets quiet, energy pointed outward toward the suburbs and the interstate. More than 42 percent of the eight-block downtown district sat vacant. The buildings were still there. The bones were good. But the city's heart had gone still.
What happened next is one of the most remarkable turnaround stories in South Carolina — and most people outside the Pee Dee region still haven't heard it.
This is the story of how downtown Florence came back to life.
For decades, downtown Florence suffered from what many American cities experienced in the latter half of the 20th century — the slow migration of commerce toward malls and highways, leaving historic districts hollowed out and overlooked. Empty storefronts. Crumbling facades hiding the bones of beautiful buildings underneath. A public perception problem that fed itself, because people stopped coming, which meant fewer reasons to come, which meant fewer people.
By the time city leaders and community investors decided enough was enough, the challenge felt enormous. Florence had a downtown worth saving — a walkable, 1.1-square-mile historic district with architectural heritage and a location at the crossroads of I-95 and I-20. What it needed was someone to believe in it first.
In 2013, a group of local investors looked at 126 W. Evans Street — a historic building wearing a weathered slipcover facade that hid what was underneath — and made a decision that would change the trajectory of the entire city.
They stripped off the facade. They renovated what was inside. And they opened Hotel Florence, the city's first boutique hotel and the anchor of what would become the Pee Dee's most ambitious downtown revitalization effort.
Hotel Florence was not just a hotel. It was a statement. It said: we believe this place is worth investing in. It said: other people should come. It said: Florence is becoming something.
Victors, the fine-dining restaurant inside the hotel, followed — and gave downtown Florence its first genuine destination restaurant in years. The ripple effect was immediate.
The Florence Downtown Development Corporation, a nonprofit established by the City of Florence, began implementing a community-informed revitalization plan in 2011. What followed over the next decade was extraordinary by any measure.
The Carolina Theatre on South Dargan Street — a beloved historic movie house — is being converted into a multipurpose community venue with $2 million in state funding, on track for a spring 2026 opening. New restaurants, a downtown bookstore, an ice cream shop, event spaces, and fitness studios continue to open along Evans Street and Dargan Street as renovation projects multiply throughout the district.
When you see a dumpster in front of a downtown Florence building today, it is not a sign of neglect. It is a sign of progress.
In 2023, Main Street America — the national organization dedicated to preservation-based commercial district revitalization — awarded Downtown Florence Main Street the Great American Main Street Award, one of the most prestigious recognitions in the country for downtown revitalization.
The citation recognized Florence for developing innovative approaches to community buy-in through representative leadership and inclusive programming. Main Street America noted that Florence set a national standard for downtown revitalization rooted in community connections.
To put that in perspective:
This award is given to three communities in the entire country each year. Florence, South Carolina — population under 40,000, tucked in the Pee Dee region that most of America drives past on I-95 — was one of them.
Southern Living has highlighted Florence as an underrated destination brimming with culture, creativity, and charm. Garden & Gun has featured the city's rail travel connections and culinary scene. Florence is no longer a secret to the publications that cover the South.
Numbers tell the story one way. Walking Evans Street and Dargan Street tells it another.
Today, downtown Florence is home to two hotels, more than a dozen independently owned restaurants, and more than a dozen unique shops. The City Center Farmers Market draws residents every Saturday. The Florence After Five concert series fills the streets on select Friday evenings with live music and community energy. The Andrew H. Griffin Plaza splash pad gives families a free gathering place at the heart of it all.
The James Allen Plaza — built by volunteers, city staff, and local artists — anchors the district as a welcoming space for celebrations and everyday life. Public art appears throughout the walkable streets. The FMU Performing Arts Center on South Dargan Street hosts the Florence Symphony Orchestra, the Florence Little Theatre, and a year-round calendar of performances that punch well above the city's size.
See the full arts and events calendar →
The Florence County Museum at 111 W Cheves Street — home to one of the most significant collections of William H. Johnson's work anywhere in the world — sits at the cultural center of the district, free to visit, and still one of the Pee Dee's most underappreciated treasures.
Revitalization does not happen because of a plan on paper. It happens because of people.
It happened because local investors believed in a building on Evans Street before anyone else did. It happened because city leaders built a Downtown Development Department dedicated entirely to the work. It happened because small business owners signed leases in buildings that needed renovation. It happened because volunteers showed up to build plazas and run events. It happened because residents chose downtown — to eat, to gather, to celebrate — when they could have gone anywhere else.
"When a community responds and says this is wonderful, it reinforces the work, and you want to do another and another and another."
— Fred Carter, President of Francis Marion University & Board Chair, Florence Downtown Development Corporation
That spirit is still alive in Florence.
The revival is real. And by every indication, it is not finished.
Downtown Florence's new master plan sets intentions for the next decade. By 2030, the city expects a larger, more diverse, and more walkable downtown — with a goal of 1,000 additional residential units covering a range of price points and styles. Renovation projects continue to multiply. New businesses are signing leases. The Carolina Theatre conversion will add a major new cultural venue.
For newcomers arriving in Florence, this is the downtown they get to be part of — not the chapter that needed saving, but the chapter being written right now.
Thinking about moving to Florence? Here is everything you need to know →
For longtime residents, it is a reminder of what this community is capable of when it decides something is worth fighting for.
Florence decided its downtown was worth fighting for. The proof is on every block.
The story of downtown Florence's revival is ultimately a story about community — people choosing to invest in each other, in their streets, in their shared future. That is the same spirit that drives this site.
If you are new to Florence, welcome. You arrived at a good time.
If you have been here all along, you already knew this was coming. And you helped make it happen.