Home Care In Chapin, SC

CHAPIN, S.C. — It's Labor Day Weekend in the Town of Chapin, and the community is in celebration mode.

From Saturday into Monday, there are plenty of activities to enjoy, such as races, concerts, food trucks, and a parade to cap off the holiday.

"This is one of, if not the biggest Labor Day celebrations in the state, so everybody comes together to try to help the community to the best of their abilities," Chapin communication specialist Dylan Francis said.

Town officials said months of planning is what makes it possible. Boots on Beaufort Sunday night is just the prequel to the main event, Chapin's Labor Day Parade.

"Being local and everyone being out here has been awesome," said Monet Waltman, founder of River Bound Co. "It's a big family and I just love the atmosphere, the support."

Vendors along Beaufort Street stacked their goods to showcase with music and food.

Monet Waltman started a personalized hat business a couple of months ago out of her home.

Normally, she listens to the music or is in the parade. This year, she has a new perspective.

"It's different being a vendor and being on the other side, so, I really enjoy it though," Waltman said.

Heather Bird from Little Mountain loves Labor Day Weekend in Chapin.

"I've been coming here since I was 6 years old," Bird said.

She tells News 19 she's ready to see the parade turnout tomorrow with her sister.

"A small town, but a lot of people come, thousands of people come," Bird said.

"What I would say to people who think that the Midlands doesn't have much to offer, I just don't think they're looking in the right place. Chapin, while it's a small community, it's a small town, it has a lot of character, it's got wonderful people, wonderful businesses and we know how to throw down when it's time," Francis said.

For folks wanting to join the fun, the Chapin Labor Day parade starts tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

The town of Chapin explains Lexington Avenue will be shut down, as well as Chapin Road, where the parade comes through.

Happy Forks Restaurants CEO Ron Pereira says a new spa and gym are set to open in July.

CHAPIN, S.C. — Construction in the Chapin Commons complex along Columbia Avenue has been on pause for several months now and locals are curious when things will start up again.

Thankfully, that answer is soon.

Happy Forks Restaurants CEO Ron Pereira explains a new med spa is planning to move in next to the breakfast restaurant Bakon in about three months.

A new gym is taking the place of Muv Fitness with expectations to be open in July.

Southern Smoked Tavern, a new restaurant is hopefully opening before the end of this year.

"Chapin is a very up and coming area. Obviously lots of construction with the road widening, lots of new houses coming this way. I know there's a lot of houses being built behind us. The town itself has been extremely supportive," Pereira said.

Pereira says a new drive through restaurant called Modern Fresco is moving into Chapin Commons too.

He adds that he has letters of intent to move in from a frozen yogurt place, nail salon, axe throwing place and cigar shop.

Pereira explains that it was important in this process to listen to what types of businesses locals wanted.

"Every brand that the restaurant has developed has been based on the insights of the town, the chamber of commerce. We're heavily involved there. So we put out some feelers and we get the feedback of the community first and foremost," Pereira said.

According to him, weather, labor shortages and steel and lumber nearly tripling in price halted work.

"It didn't make sense to keep pushing forward with the costs that were in the past year, so they finally settled out and now we can keep pushing forward and where it's affordable to the tenants. Last thing we want to do is bring a business in here and then they can't afford the rent," Pereira said.

"The schools are great, the people are great, Chapin's a great place to raise your family, raise your kids and I think that's going to help add jobs, more attraction to Chapin and we always need more restaurants here," Sidney James a Chapin resident said.

Pereira says he's hoping to have all tenants within their businesses by spring of 2024.

"It’s just important for me to release that creativity," local artist Nicki Peeples said.

CHAPIN, S.C. — The town of Chapin just got much more vibrant with the addition of a new mural and a new interactive art trail.

"This one is going to be all about Lake Murray. Chapin is known as the capital of Lake Murray, so I really wanted to highlight that in this mural," Nicki Peeples, a local artist, said.

Peeples is the face behind the paintbrush of Chapin's newest mural at 115 Clark Street. She began this project at the end of August and said she hopes to finish it in the next month or two.

She said she's always needed to create art.

"It's just important for me to release that creativity. For years my mom owned a cookie store and we hand decorated cookies and after that closed, I really just needed that outlet, I needed that way to express myself," Peeples said.

Peeples said each of the letters that spell out Chapin will have a unique scene inside.

The mural and the Chapin Arts Trail, which includes other murals and art forms in town, are made possible through a grant from the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

An interactive brochure and guide to the trail are available at the town hall, local art studios and the chamber of commerce.

Visitors can scan a QR code for clues to a scavenger hunt on different art plaques around town. They're entered into a prize drawing if they finish the hunt successfully.

"There's tons of research that shows that artistic presence in a community adds richness to the community. And when you think about people go visit somewhere, the things that they talked about when they come back are the things that drew them in emotionally or aesthetically, so that might be natural beauty, but very often it's things that are art things," said Crooked Creek Art League Community Arts Manager Barbara Teusink.

There's still more painting to go, but Peeples said she hopes folks come by to watch the progress and enjoy the finished product.

Lexington County's Economic Development Department has been marketing this site since it opened in 2018 and has never had any tenants.

CHAPIN, S.C. — According to the county's economic development department, Lexington County's Business and Technology Park in Chapin has been sitting empty since January 2018.

The county said this project was nearly $15 million of Lexington County tax money.

Cars have been driving by, but not into, the Chapin Business and Technology Park at Brighton for the past six years.

The site is marketed to be a central location for businesses right next to I-26, with water, natural gas, wastewater, electricity and internet already installed. That's according to the Lexington County Economic Development Department's brochure on the county website.

The 220-acre site constructed in late 2013 still has no tenants.

Lexington County's $16 million project was made up of $14.9 million in tax dollars, as well as grants and utility tax credit funds.

The county's economic development department said they've marketed the site at $65,000 to $70,000 per acre.

"Currently, there are multiple prospects that are considering the park and are consulting with our Economic Development Department," a statement from Lexington County said.

But the county couldn't elaborate further when asked how many prospects there were.

"Parks are concentrated business areas like a mall, and so what you want to do is have businesses that work together, are related in this area and benefit the community in terms of work force, tax base and related businesses like grocery stores, gas stations," said Steven McClung, School of Business dean at Newberry College.

McClung said business parks are different to market than a standard business.

"The trick sometimes for the municipalities is to fill up the park, in other words market the park well enough that businesses coming in understand the advantage," McClung said.

He added that the benefits of a business park are that it can bring in dozens of jobs, a niche and sophisticated workforce, and support surrounding grocery stores, housing options and gas stations.

"You have to let people know you're here, you have to let people know the value of moving into your town and you have to let people know that you're available and the opportunity is there, otherwise the park sits empty and that's the last thing you want," McClung said.

When asked about the next steps, Lexington County's economic development department said it would continue to market this park until it was full of tenants.

CHAPIN, S.C. (WIS) - For one Chapin family, good things have not been coming in small packages.

Rebecca Kajouras reports to WIS she’s been contending with hundreds of Amazon packages arriving at her doorstep. They’re all filled with dresses, arriving at her home since February.

“People that stop by, I ask them if they want a dress, I’m like do you want a dress, I even offered two to my mail lady,” she said.

The packages are all labeled as returns but are coming from unique addresses and unique senders.

She said she has an Amazon account but isn’t sure why the boxes keep arriving.

“I can’t really get anybody from Amazon to give me a straight answer on what it is, when it’s going to stop, or how they’re going to handle it.”

She showed WIS what she estimates to be more than 100 packages from the last five weeks alone.

A spokesperson from Amazon said the corporate giant is investigating. The company also sent a statement reading:

Third-party sellers are prohibited from sending unsolicited packages to customers.If you receive a package or item that you didn’t order, check with friends and family or contact Customer Service to confirm it’s not a gift to you. If you receive a package addressed to someone else, please contact Customer Service. If you confirm that the package addressed to you wasn’t ordered by you or anyone you know, report the package online by going to the Report Unwanted Package form. Amazon investigates reports of “brushing” and takes action on bad actors that violate our policies, including suspending or removing selling privileges, withholding payments, and working with law enforcement. Customers don’t need to return the item.

In the meantime, Kajouras said she has been donating and giving away the dresses. She said she wants to avoid sending them to a landfill.

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