Home Care In North Charleston, SC

The bright yellow hue of a rubber duck on a red billboard has been catching the eyes of South Carolina drivers.

The roadside signs feature no words, no explanation, no brand. Just a single duck.

Some ducks peek at motorists, their heads only just entering the frame of the billboard. Others are front-and-center, parked right in the middle of a billboard along busy — and some less so — roadways.

No matter how they’re positioned, the ducks have a few things in common: They’re big, they’re bright, and they’ve got people talking.

“Does anyone know what the duck billboards are for,” one user asked on a Charleston Reddit thread.

“I saw this too on the way home on 526 and thought I was losing my mind or that I’d seen something I hadn’t actually seen,” another user responded.

Though the billboard does not use traditional advertising techniques, it is still part of a marketing campaign by Adams Outdoor Advertising — a company that specializes in “high-impact” billboard campaigns, according to its website.

The campaign targets drivers’ curiosity, according to Elise Ince, an associate professor in the marketing department at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.

“People have a pure desire to resolve curiosity, but it has to be pure,” Ince said.

The symbol of a rubber duck has zero clear negative connotations — in fact, it may bring a smile to the face of drivers, Ince said.

“We’re thrilled to hear the duck campaign is stirring up plenty of curiosity. That’s exactly what we wanted,” Brandie Hayes, Adams Outdoor Florence and Beaufort general sales manager, wrote via email to The Post and Courier.

Billboards may seem like a thing of the past in a digital age, but Ince argued the opposite.

“We have become very good at ignoring ads,” Ince said. “You turn off the TV, you press mute, you don’t read the email, you delete it right away. And so, more and more now, what companies are trying to do is find situations where consumers cannot escape (ads).”

Roadways are one of those places where advertising is not easily escaped, but the ad itself is not “loud” or “over the top,” Ince said.

This strategy has been done before, though. An example Ince gave was a 2019 Super Bowl commercial for Burger King. The commercial was an old video of late artist Andy Warhol eating a Burger King burger. The ad was quiet and featured no voiceover. The Burger King logo was shown briefly at the end of the ad alongside a hashtag, #eatlikeandy.

The quiet commercial stirred up viewers’ curiosity amid loud Super Bowl ads, with many not recognizing Warhol.

“They had to make sure it was relatable and they had to make sure people liked who (Warhol) was,” Ince said. “Most people didn’t recognize him, but then when they recognized who he was, it all made sense.”

The same curiosity that once made people wonder who Warhol was and why they’d want to eat like him leads people to ask, “What’s up with the ducks?” For now, Adams Outdoor is keeping it under wraps.

Those who are curious can vote in the company's Linkedin poll, where the prompt is, “What do you think is up with the ducks?” A reveal is anticipated near the end of August.

The company’s campaign is running across all 18 of its markets, Hayes wrote. In South Carolina, Adams Outdoor markets stretch from Florence to Myrtle Beach, from Sumter to Columbia and around Charleston.

The advertiser markets in nine states, including North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois and Pennsylvania.

NORTH CHARLESTON — At a warehouse at the Navy Yard, a 2,500-pound crate was recently pried open to reveal a trove of colorful hand-dipped cast iron and aged French oak wood — components that will become the rarest garden planters in the world.

Also inside were handcrafted hinges and gleaming brass vanity plates — the signature elements of the square-shaped “Château de Versailles” planters first crafted by French heritage brand Jardins du Roi Soleil more than 350 years ago.

They're the same materials for the planters that exclusively adorn the Orangerie gardens at the Palace of Versailles — and were personally requested by foreign royalty for castles, palaces and the world’s most exclusive landscapes.

Now, for the first time, Jardins du Roi Soleil planters bound for U.S. customers will be fabricated and assembled on U.S. soil in North Charleston.

Since 1670, Jardins du Roi Soleil planters have been made exclusively in France, first conceived by landscape architect André Le Nôtre for King Louis XIV’s citrus trees with signature panels that open from every side.

High-profile clients from The Duke of Luxembourg, Saudi royalty and shops along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills seek out the instantly recognizable planters, which first became commercially available in 1870. They take five hours to assemble, and no middlemen or dealers are used. Fewer than 350 are made each year.

Prices begin at $7,600 for a two-and-a-half-foot-square model, plus shipping.

And there's a two-planter minimum.

Ned Brown, the company’s recent part-owner and longtime Charleston resident, said the brand had long considered a stateside assembly location to better serve its U.S. and North American buyers.

But it was President Donald Trump’s increase on tariffs for imported goods and the recent volatility of the euro versus the U.S. dollar made the decision more immediate, he said.

“We already have over a dozen orders for U.S.-assembled planters from our existing European clients, who have business operations in the U.S., or from individuals with homes in Europe and homes in the U.S.,” said Brown. “Demand for our product greatly outweighs our desire to supply. The waiting list is substantial.”

On a 16-day journey across the Atlantic, a 20-foot shipping container can carry enough parts for 50 planters, compared to just eight fully-assembled planters.

Brown said a crate with parts for a dozen additional planters are on their way from France to Charleston.

The North Charleston location was selected for the first U.S. assembly facility thanks to its wealth of skilled artisans, including a steady stream of classically trained students from the Charleston-based American College of the Building Arts, where the disciplines include ironwork, woodworking and millwork.

Another option was Asheville, which also has a host of artisans.

South Carolina found an ally in Curtis Loftis, the state treasurer and an acquaintance of Brown’s, who pointed out the striking parallels between Charleston and the Jardins du Roi Soleil brand — including that the Holy City was founded in 1670, the same year as the company’s origins — to the delight of the French executives.

“I was enthusiastic about making the case for why South Carolina, and especially Charleston, is the ideal location for this company’s U.S. operations,” Loftis said. “We have a strong reputation for producing high-end goods, and Charleston’s status as a port city with global reach — along with its deep historic ties to France — made it a natural fit.”

Brown became involved with Jardins du Roi Soleil this year after forging a partnership with friend and business partner Jacques Bolelli, who purchased the company in 2005.

Brown had been looking to acquire a French heritage brand, and he and Bolelli began discussions about expanding the company’s North American footprint and assembling the planters in the U.S.

“Our client Louis Vuitton gave me confidence that we could do this when they built their Louis Vuitton atelier in Texas. The workmanship (in the U.S.) is achievable,” Brown said.

In early 2025, Brown established Jardins du Roi Soleil’s Charleston-based operations, JRS-US. Brown now serves as chairman and sole owner. Following approvals by France's Ministry of Culture and Paris Commerce Tribunal, he hopes to be the primary owner and chairman of the combined French and American entities as the company’s third owner in its history.

Brown said the planters are akin to the high-demand handmade Birkin handbags coveted by celebrities and high-net-worth individuals. Like some upscale designer products, discerning an authentic Jardins du Roi Soleil from imitators are the vanity nameplates that include the year it was manufactured.

All U.S. assembly will be completed under master assembler Dimitri Bertin, who will visit the Lowcountry in September to oversee initial production. He'll return every six weeks to inspect each planter before delivery.

The raw materials will continue to be sourced exclusively from France, including the oak wood harvested from one of eight heritage forests. It's air-dried for three years then placed in a kiln for three weeks. The iron is forged in Alsace at the same foundry that’s served the brand for over 200 years.

Once in the U.S., each planter will be assembled, dipped in coating and painted atop a wooden palette so that, when completed, it can be boxed up and lifted by crane into a truck for shipping across the U.S.

The company will hire around six craftsmen to assemble the planters at a rate of $35 per hour, around $70,000 per year, Brown said.

“Charleston has exceptional training programs to teach these craft skills, often by classically trained European instructors,” he said.

North Charleston’s Navy Yard is an ideal fit for the assembly of the planters with its newly designated Design District, which brings together design professionals and millworkers. The company is currently in negotiations with a local millworker to take on the planter assembly.

While the North Charleston investment will start solely with the planters, it could someday add the brand’s newer line of garden furniture, including benches, rectangular planters, garden vases, bronze paperweights, side tables and chests.

Brown said he hopes the Charleston assembly market will result in the brand’s first-ever Holy City customer, although, under its exclusivity terms, the company will sell no more than 30 planters annually in the area.

“If someone today is paying $10 million, $30 million, $50 million or more for a home, they are going to want the best for their garden,” Brown said.

The popularity lies in their scarcity — not just anyone can purchase them. The customer and brand both need to be a fit, which includes the buyers providing photographs of where and how the planters will be displayed.

As for where the first pair of North Charleston-assembled planters are headed?

“I can't tell you who specifically, but it’s a very well-known hotel in Washington,” Brown said.

NORTH CHARLESTON — In an effort to mitigate the parking shortage on the peninsula, the Medical University of South Carolina leased a parking lot on Rivers Avenue to shuttle students and employees to the downtown Charleston hospital. But those who work and go to school there expressed concerns of shuttle reliability and unpredictable traffic along the seven-mile route to campus.

The parking lot at the site of the former Charleston Naval Hospital will provide 725 spaces, enough to address the current parking shortage at the downtown campus, said Stewart Mixon, MUSC’s chief operations officer. The lot is MUSC’s first official park-and-ride location.

The Post and Courier first reported the new lease Aug. 8.

According to an email sent by MUSC to students and employees on Aug. 11, spots at the new lot, referred to as the “R Lot,” will initially be assigned to new MUSC employees who live in North Charleston and Dorchester and Berkeley counties. Current employees who have assigned parking won’t be moved to the lot unless requested.

“This does not impact current parking assignments,” spokesperson Faith Arenth told The Post and Courier Aug. 15. As MUSC grows, she said this parking option is aimed at accommodating new employees.

Employees will be shuttled to the downtown campus using internal MUSC Transportation Services. Five new buses were ordered for the route and will depart every 10 minutes during peak hours, the email said. The bus routes have been optimized through extensive test runs, Arenth said.

She said the lot will have adequate lighting and security provided by MUSC Public Safety.

The target date to assign the new parking is late August, and commuters won’t be charged to park.

The email also addressed existing bus routes from the Hagood lot downtown, stating that CARTA will be providing additional support and five to six buses during peak hours from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tyler Jones Cooke, a clinical manager at MUSC’s dental school, said MUSC has not been forthcoming about their future parking strategy. She heard about the new parking lot “through the grapevine” before receiving the email sent to employees. She said MUSC is not communicating with those affected by the changes.

Despite living in Summerville, she would not consider using the new lot out of concern of the shuttle logistics, such as the plan for transportation when the streets near campus are flooded.

Lily Rogers, a research program coordinator with MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center, said she heard about the new parking lot from coworkers the week of Aug. 11. She said various employees posted about the lot in their internal chat site Viva Engage. She also saw the email from MUSC’s parking management.

When talking with coworkers, she said most of their concerns centered on the timeliness of the shuttles.

“I definitely don't think it's a solution,” she said. “I think it will work for people who are coming from North Charleston, but again, the buses are gonna take a lot longer to get there.”

Rogers lives in Johns Island, so she will not use the new lot in North Charleston. But she does have experience waiting on the shuttle where she parks now at the Hagood Avenue lot. She arrives at 7:15 a.m., roughly 45 minutes before she needs to be at work, to ensure she gets a spot before the lot is full. Then, she often has to wait for the shuttle. She has a flexible start time at work, so arriving early and waiting for the shuttle is more of an inconvenience.

“I know that others who have to be at work and clocked in at a certain time get frustrated when there's no shuttles after 15 minutes of us standing there,” she said.

She said some people rent Lime bikes or walk the one mile to campus when the shuttle is late.

The North Charleston lot was selected through a solicitation process, Mixon said. The lease, which started Aug. 1, was approved by MUSC’s Board of Trustees earlier this year.

The annual lease is $870,000 with a two percent rent increase each year, according to the lease agreement provided by MUSC. The three-year lease will cost MUSC $2.6 million.

The former Charleston Naval Hospital property, including the parking lot, is owned by Navy Hospital Partners, L.P., which is registered under The Cogswell Company, LLC, according to state business filings. The registered agent for The Cogswell Company, formed in 2012, is Charleston Mayor William Cogswell.

City spokesperson Deja Knight McMillan wrote in an email to The Post and Courier that Cogswell has been “far removed from this for a while.” The newspaper asked for clarification on Cogswell’s involvement with The Cogswell Company.

“He does not have day-to-day involvement and is not negotiating a lease with MUSC,” she wrote.

The property is part of the Navy Yard Charleston project that aims to restore the historic buildings at the former Naval Base along the Cooper River in North Charleston. The project is helmed by Jamestown, Weaver Capital Partners and WECCO, where Cogswell serves as principal.

Since starting his campaign for mayor in early 2023, he has stepped away from day to day operations, he previously told the newspaper. Lucile Cogswell, his wife, now serves as president of WECCO, according to its website.

CHARLESTON — Shoppers at Tanger Outlets in North Charleston will soon have new options for both fashion and food, including South Carolina’s first Shake Shack restaurant.

The popular "elevated burger" chain along with Lululemon Athletica, Auntie Anne’s and The Children’s Place are the latest tenants announced for the outdoor shopping center, which is in the final stages of a major renovation.

Opening dates weren’t immediately available.

New York-based Shake Shack is planning to unveil a 3,500-square-foot restaurant that will serve its signature ShackBurgers, chicken sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries and hand-spun milkshakes.

Its arrival dovetails with Tanger’s strategy to add more dining and entertainment options at its properties to encourage shoppers to stay longer and spend more.

The nearest Shake Shack to the Charleston area is in Charlotte. The fast-casual chain and the shopping center owner have collaborated on at least three other Tanger mall locations — in San Marcos, Texas, in Nashville and on New York’s Long Island.

Last month, Shake Shack told investors it plans to add 80 to 90 restaurants this year.

Also at Tanger, retailer Lululemon will launch a limited-time pop-up space featuring its yoga-geared apparel and lifestyle products near the Banana Republic clothing store and Tanger’s new Play Park.

It will be the Canadian athleisure chain’s fourth location in the local market, joining others on King Street in downtown Charleston, in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre and at Freshfields Village on Kiawah Island.

Elsewhere at Tanger, The Children’s Place will open a 5,125-square-foot store near the Old Navy outlet, offering clothing and accessories for newborns through tweens.

And a co-branded Auntie Anne’s and Jamba Juice shop will open near the Zales and Coach outlets, giving shoppers the chance to grab pretzels, smoothies and snacks on the go.

“These new tenants each bring something fresh and in demand to the center, expanding our retail and dining options and enhancing the experience for shoppers,” said Andrea Gervacio, marketing director for the shopping center.

Tanger, which is based in Greensboro, N.C., opened its 382,000-square-foot retail outlet near Interstate 526 and International Boulevard in 2006. The company said in its most recent quarterly report that the property is nearly 100 percent leased. The 85 or so retail tenants include Sephora, Victoria’s Secret, Kate Spade and Pandora.

Recent closings included jewelry retailer Clarie’s and the L’eggs Hanes Bali Playtex, which shut down in June.

Tanger owns four other South Carolina outlet malls — two in Myrtle Beach and two near Hilton Head Island.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Newly released state records detail years of neglect allegations at a North Charleston rehabilitation facility, including complaints of residents left in filth, insect infestations, unanswered call bells and chronic understaffing.

For Charlean Kelly, those allegations against Riverside Health and Rehab are not just words on paper. They mirror the treatment she says her mother, Ethel Kelly, endured at the facility.

When dementia and physical challenges made it difficult for Charlean Kelly to care for her mother, the family placed her at Riverside, expecting safety, compassion and dignity. Instead, Charlean Kelly says, they found neglect, filth and cries for help that went unanswered.

“She meant everything to us and to have to leave her day after day, I felt horrible,” Charlean Kelly says. “It’s like someone took a bucket of urine and poured it on her clothes.”

A serious fall at the facility, the family says, broke not only Ethel Kelly’s body but the family’s trust.

Newly obtained records from the South Carolina Department of Public Health show dozens of complaints in recent years alleging unsanitary conditions, a pervasive stench, dirty walls and floors, staff arguing in hallways and loud music blasting from nurses’ stations.

“The facility has no clean linen, towels nor washcloths,” one complaint reads. “The residents’ call bells ring and no one answers them. Residents lay on a dry pad but underneath pad bed wet with urine or feces. There are bugs crawling throughout the facility. Staff sit around [a] desk using profanity with music loud while dancing.”

One complaint alleges ants bit a resident. Another describes a wheelchair without footrests that caused an open sore when a resident’s foot dragged against the wheel.

“[The] resident fell and was found on the floor in [a] pool of blood,” a different complaint reads. “[The power of attorney] had a meeting with the facility. The head nurse stated if a resident wants to fall it is their right.”

One complaint details a resident’s death they considered to have involved a “high concern for neglect.”

The S.C. Department of Public Health cited the facility for some issues, including cleanliness, staffing, improperly administering medications, spiders and improper food preparation, but did not issue a citation after investigating others, documents show.

The facility submitted correction plans following the citations, according to state records.

In an email, Riverside officials say the facility is committed to quality care and takes every complaint seriously. Complaints are a routine part of regulation and should not be portrayed as proof of systemic neglect, the email states.

As for the Kelly family’s concerns, Riverside leaders say they have no record of getting complaints about hygiene or unanswered call bells. The facility says it understands how frightening it is for families to learn of a fall, but adds federal privacy laws limit what it can share publicly about residents.

Sam Brooks, the director of public policy for the advocacy group The Consumer Voice, says inadequate staffing is at the heart of most nursing home failures.

“Inadequate staffing results in harm, results in poor care to residents and overall it really underpins most of the bad occurrences that happen in nursing homes,” Brooks says. “Unfortunately, if you’re living in a for-profit home or for-profit chain, it’s very common you’re going to receive bad care, and it’s gotten even worse since the pandemic.”

Riverside has faced scrutiny before. Previous Live 5 Investigations show former complaints, some confirmed by the state, others dismissed, have included allegations of urine-soaked beds, maggots in wounds, bug infestations and overfilled catheter bags. Court records show dozens of lawsuits against the facility alleging medical negligence, wrongful death and preventable suffering. Many cases have been settled, some were dismissed and others remain pending.

Charlean Kelly says she wanted to move her mother from the facility, but she had to keep her at Riverside because of her mother’s insurance.

“I want her to have good, decent treatment,” she says. “It was killing me because I wasn’t able to give her the 100 percent care that she needed and deserved.”

Brooks says improving care will require stronger staffing standards, tougher enforcement and a commitment to treating every resident with dignity.

For Kelly’s family, that commitment is personal. They want Ethel Kelly’s story to spark change.

“Now that she’s no longer with us, it’s like, ‘Mom, I’m going to make sure that I pursue this just to make sure justice is done in some type of way,” Charlean Kelly says.

Riverside’s Administrator De’Shaon Davis sent the following statement via email:

As always, we appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns raised and provide some context to the issues you’ve highlighted.

As background, I feel it is important for you to understand the purpose of the complaint process in South Carolina nursing homes. This mechanism is in place to help facilities like ours stay compliant with federal and state regulations and to address and correct issues when they are identified. We view it as a tool for continuous improvement and welcome guidance from the state on all fronts. However, it’s crucial to note that a complaint from a resident, family member, or even facility staff, is not an automatic validation of wrongdoing, and the existence of a complaint does not make it inherently true. Every complaint we receive is investigated and addressed through our internal grievance procedures, and if required under the law, it is reported to the state for an independent investigation. Sometimes, individuals report concerns directly to the state without notifying us first, which is their right. Either way, we strive to address issues promptly and take appropriate corrective actions when necessary to prevent recurrence.

Regarding the specific complaints from the state that you provided to me, we wish to clarify that the majority of these were from as far back as almost two and a half years ago. Each complaint has been thoroughly investigated and addressed as necessary. We caution against turning the complaint process, which is a standard and necessary procedure in all nursing homes, into a sensational news piece. It’s essential to present a balanced perspective that takes into account the proactive measures we take to identify and resolve any issues and the improvements made as a result of the complaint process.

With respect to the complaints from Ms. Kelly’s family, I am sure you are aware by now with as many pieces as you have written about our facility, that we are limited in what we can share with you about her care due to federal and state privacy laws. However, after looking into the concerns you raised, we can say we do not have a record of receiving any complaints from Ms. Kelly’s family regarding her hygiene or our staff’s alleged failure to answer calls or assist Ms. Kelly. We are disheartened that Ms. Kelly’s family feels there was “limited transparency” regarding her fall but we understand how scary it is to learn that your loved one fell and the frustration that comes with dealing with insurance companies during such difficult times.

Finally, while we understand your interest in an on-camera interview, we believe that our focus should remain on the well-being of our residents and the smooth operation of our facility, and therefore will not be participating in an in-person interview at this time. Again, thank you for your understanding and for giving us the opportunity to address these concerns. We remain committed to providing the quality care to all of our residents.