Florence Is Open for Business

Something is happening in Florence, SC.

Walk down Evans Street and you will notice it. New signs going up. New doors opening. New names you have not heard yet but will soon. Florence is growing and the people doing the growing are choosing to plant their roots right here in the Pee Dee.

Here is a look at what is new, what is coming, and what it all means for this community.

DOWNTOWN IS HAVING A MOMENT

The heart of Florence has been quietly getting busier and it is starting to show.

Lucky Dog Re-Tail Thrift opened at 236 W. Evans Street and brought something a little different downtown. The volunteer-run shop sells second-hand items and pet supplies, and every dollar stays close to home. It is exactly the kind of neighborhood business that makes a downtown feel like a place people actually want to spend time.

Funky Flow Fitness and Jiu Jitsu at 167 N. Dargan Street is woman-owned and brings Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, and youth classes to downtown Florence. Whether you are a complete beginner or training for competition, there is a class for you.

El Venue at 157 W. Evans Street fills a gap Florence has needed for a while. The newly renovated event space handles weddings, receptions, corporate conferences, and private parties. If you have been looking for a place to host something special in downtown Florence, that conversation just got a lot easier.

Smiling Scoops at 184 W. Evans Street is exactly what its name sounds like. Born and raised in Florence, owner Stoney Duprey said he always felt downtown was missing an ice cream shop. He opened one. Florence agreed.

Florence Nutrition at 292 W. Evans Street serves tea bombs, juices, acai bowls, and smoothies, a healthy stop that fits right in with the energy building along Evans Street.

And then there is Jack's Books.

Owner Colton Cauthen noticed something missing in Florence. Not a chain. Not a big box store. A real, local, independent bookstore where you could walk in on a Saturday morning, pull a book off the shelf, and feel like you belonged somewhere. He opened Jack's Books at 152 S. Dargan Street in October 2024 and Florence showed up in a big way. Between 2,500 and 3,000 curated new and used titles, gift items, and a space designed with beauty in mind. Cauthen put it simply: "I saw a gap, but I realized so many other people were feeling that gap too." Florence had not had an independent bookstore in years. Now it does. Visit Jack's Books at shopjacksbooks.com or stop by Monday through Saturday, 10:30am to 6:00pm.

THE CAROLINA THEATRE IS COMING BACK

This one is worth paying attention to.

The Carolina Theatre at 117 S. Dargan Street, a historic movie house that has been dark for years, is in the process of coming back to life. The City of Florence completed phase one of renovations and received $2 million from the state of South Carolina for phase two. When it opens, Florence will have a venue that shows films the way they were meant to be seen and doubles as a concert space and rentable event hall. A piece of Florence history is being restored and it is bringing something new with it at the same time.

BIG INVESTMENTS. REAL JOBS.

The growth in Florence is not just happening on Evans Street. It is happening at a scale that matters for the entire county.

Cheney Brothers, a national broadline food distributor, built a $66 million distribution facility in Florence, one of the largest culinary kitchens the company has ever developed, located near the Pee Dee Commerce City East Industrial Park just off Interstate 95. The company's total investment in Florence has since grown to $108.5 million, supporting 365 jobs in the community. They first broke ground here in 2023 and clearly liked what they found.

PRET Advanced Materials is investing $18.5 million in the Johnsonville area of Florence County, creating 74 new jobs. Governor Henry McMaster called it a company with a longstanding legacy in South Carolina continuing to find success. That kind of investment does not happen in a community people are not confident in.

WHAT IS STILL COMING

The Urban Square development project will bring apartments, townhomes, a hotel, and a retail and business center to downtown Florence. Mayor Lethonia Barnes and developers have already broken ground on The Gamble Apartments, a four-story, 102-unit building at the corner of Coit and Baroody Streets. The city's goal is to add 1,000 residential units downtown over the next ten years to support the commercial growth already underway.

A new hotel is also in the works for the block of W. Evans, Coit, and McQueen Streets with construction targeted to begin in 2026.

More people living and staying downtown means more people walking into those businesses on Evans Street. Florence is building something here and it is building it with intention.

Downtown Florence won the Great American Main Street Award from Main Street America in 2023. That kind of recognition does not happen by accident. It happens because a community decides to invest in itself.

Florence decided. And Florence is just getting started.

Know about a new business opening in Florence that deserves attention? Tell us at helloflorencesc.com/contact.