Pee Dee Hearing Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Celest Kahn Executive Director along with her staff, the mayor, board members and Chamber Ambassadors cut their ribbon upon becoming a member of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Pee Dee Hearing Center celebrates the Grand Reopening as one of the area’s oldest nonprofits. The City of Florence passed a resolution assigning October 12 as Pee Dee Hearing Center Day!

Formerly Pee Dee Speech & Hearing Center, the practice’s mission is to empower the lives of people who struggle with all degrees of hearing challenges. Hearing loss is a prevalent condition throughout the community and is becoming even more common in younger generations as our environment grows noisier.

To read the full story, click here.

Michaels Crafts Store To Open At Magnolia Mall Early 2024

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The Magnolia Mall will see a Michaels arts and craft store open by late January or early February.

The store, located at 2853 David McLeod Blvd., will hire “dozens of temporary, full-and part-time roles” and hold a soft and grand opening for the community.

It will join the 15 other locations in South Carolina, including stores in Columbia, Charleston and Sumter. It’ll be the first location in Florence.

The company opened a third-party online marketplace this year, now having their own alongside Target and Walmart. The marketplace will make more than 1 million items available to shoppers, according to a company press release.

To read the full story, click here.

Organization Plans Thanksgiving Meal For All Of Florence

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Julia and Bryan Ransom have a vision: hundreds of people gathered around a Thanksgiving table in the middle of Florence — friends, families, neighbors and even strangers enjoying a meal together, striking up conversations and building community.

The Ransoms are the driving force behind a Thanksgiving community meal dubbed One Table Florence. The idea, taken from a similar event in Aiken, is to bring together people from across the city for a day of gratitude.

Julia Ransom described the goal of the event as “bringing the community together to strengthen our bonds, and restoring a sense of gratitude to Thanksgiving.”

The event is set to be held this Thanksgiving Day in Timrod Park. It will be free to all, and all are encouraged to attend, the Ransoms said.

To read the full story, click here.

Gould, Kelley Centers Support Small Business In Florence Area

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Justin Mack Sr. started his home health care business, 1st Palmetto Medical Services, in March 2021. He did so while also serving as assistant fire chief at Palmetto Rural Fire Department.

Some of the spaces that suited his needs in Florence would have cost him around $2,500 in rent each month. That didn’t include utilities.

A friend of his, who had grown a business in the Gould Manufacturing and Business Incubator, had a solution to his problem. Mack was put in touch with Tressa Gardner, associate vice president at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology, a part of the Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence, which houses the Gould Incubator.

Now, he runs 1st Palmetto and an ambulance service he purchased, Med Atlantic, out of the building.

“I owe it all to the incubator,” Mack said.

Gould has office spaces, conference rooms and loading bays. It had signed its 104th lease as of Sept. 12. Gardner said there are 15 companies on a waiting list for the incubator as of Sept. 12.

To read the full story, click here.

SCORE Of The Pee Dee Featured On ChamberLink Radio

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Rich Spivey, Mentor with SCORE of the Pee Dee, was on ChamberLink Radio this weekend to talk about being a volunteer and sharing his experience and knowledge helping small business professionals start, develop, and grow businesses.

You can catch the conversations on ChamberLink Radio each Sunday from 12:00-12:30pm on LIVE 95.3FM in Florence, SC.

ChamberLink Radio is brought to you by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and The UPS Stores.

Journey Soap Company Hosts Ribbon Cutting

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Kendra Wheeler the Owner of Journey Soap Bar along with friends and ambassadors cuts her ribbon joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Kendra began her Journey of Self- Care and Natural Products when she found she was allergic to store products such as soap, lotion, and deodorants. She began to study, research, and take classes on various products, that is when she created Journey Soap Bar.

Her goat milk soap specializes in helping people with problematic skin and has become her number one seller. She also creates whipped Body Butter Scented and Unscented, Sugar Scrubs, Moisturizing Rub for Men, and Soy Candles.

To read the full story, click here.

Florence Salon Suites Cuts Chamber Ribbon

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Rebecca Andrews along with family, friends and staff during ribbon cutting ceremony joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, October 10th. Florence Salon Suites announce the grand opening of their brand-new suite-based salon in the heart of Florence.

With a commitment to providing top-notch beauty and wellness services, Florence Salon Suites is set to revolutionize the salon experience in the local community. What sets Florence Salon Suites apart is their unique suite-based concept. Each of their talented beauty professionals operates their own individual suite within the salon. This allows them to offer personalized services in a private, one-on-one setting, ensuring that every client receives the attention and care they deserve.

To read the full story, click here.

Additional Development Worth Nearly $170M Set to Transform Downtown Florence

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Discover how Downtown Florence is set to become a hotspot for investment with nearly $170M of additional development on the horizon. Learn about the projects that are transforming the cityscape and driving economic growth in this insightful video.

Leadership Florence Class of 2024 Participate In Visual Arts and Media Session

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The Chamber’s Leadership Florence Class of 2024 continued their journey with Visual Arts and Media day. The day gave a comprehensive inside look at a number of organizations, including the Florence Museum, Adams Outdoor, FMU Performing Arts Center and Florence Little Theatre.

Thank you to all the host organizations that made our day possible. A special thank you also goes out to Adams Outdoor and Post and Courier Pee Dee for sponsoring breakfast and lunch.

To see photos from the day, click here.

S.C. Home Prices Continue to Rise While Sales Slip

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Home sales across South Carolina continue to decrease as interest rates and costs continue to rise. In August, 8,280 homes were bought and sold at a median price of $332,500 which is 4.2% higher than the median one year prior. The late summer price increases, however, are dwarfed by the double-digit increases seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A home in South Carolina now costs about 42% more than it did in March of 2020 when the pandemic first hit the U.S., and more than double the price from a decade ago. The Hilton Head and Beaufort regions have experienced the largest increases in price year to date with home prices in Hilton Head up 13.3 percent to $510,000 and homes in Beaufort up 8.1 percent to $400,000. Only the Rock Hill and Orangeburg markets experienced declines in median home prices.

Year-to-date home sales in South Carolina have declined by 16.9 percent from 2022 levels. The main factor behind this decline have been rising interest rates, which Freddie Mac reported this week have reached the highest levels in 23 years with the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate sitting at 7.49 percent. A recent July report from the Atlanta Fed highlights that the median American household needed 44 percent of its income to cover annual payments on a median-priced home.

Does this mean you should not be looking to buy a home. No not necessarily. There are options out there that local real estate agents can share that make buying and selling today an opportunity. Check with the local read estate broker for how home buying and selling can work to your advantage in today’s market place.