1300 Hospital Dr #220
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
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Struggling with Knee or Shoulder Pain that won't improve?
From serious sports injuries causing tissue damage to bone issues and stiffness that comes with age, living with pain is, well, a pain. But it's more than that - it's a stressful, often upsetting way to get through your day, month, and year. Have you ever tried to get out of bed with sore, stiff knees? Most folks would rather just get back in bed. Think you might try exercising with plantar fasciitis? Don't plan on running far or doing cardio for very long. Torn rotator cuff? Without proper treatment, your life might not ever be the same.
Living with pain and the inevitable issues that come with age can seriously affect your wellbeing and happiness. Sure, you could wake up every morning and rely on addicting medications to help you move. Or, you could risk further injury and damage with invasive surgeries that require long periods of recovery and downtime. But those can't be the only two options for treatment, can they?
Fortunately, a new, natural, non-invasive treatment for pain is revolutionizing the medical industry and transforming people's lives. It's giving athletes, average folks, and people of a certain age a reason to be hopeful. It's called Softwave therapy, and unlike many fly-by-night medications and sketchy treatments, it's backed by science and provided by Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine.
If you're barely making it through the day suffering from chronic pain, this FDA-approved drug-free treatment may be for you. Softwave therapy has already been used by thousands of people around the country living with issues like shoulder pain, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis. You could be next.
Though its popularity has only grown in recent years, Softwave therapy - also known as shockwave therapy - has been around for years. In fact, the first systematic study into the benefits of shockwave therapy took place way back in 1950. So, what is Softwave therapy?
Softwave therapy is a method of treatment that works incredibly well for mobility rehab, pain relief, and full-body recovery, usually from chronic pain or injuries. Softwave therapy uses a device emitting low-energy soundwaves that target a patient's injured area. These low-intensity waves boost blood flow and kickstart your body's natural healing processes, relieving long-term pain and helping your body to heal a wide range of injuries and conditions.
The main targets in the body include bones, tendons, and other soft tissues, which are encouraged to regenerate and repair via the shockwaves. Often, shockwave therapy is used in conjunction with other non-invasive treatments like chiropractic care, which we offer at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine. The results are often incredible, leaving patients wondering why they never tried Softwave therapy before.
Softwave therapy works especially well for:
Better Blood Flow
Collagen Stimulation
Reducing Inflammation
Kickstarting cell growth and healing factors
Breaking down build-ups of calcium
With FDA clearance, little-to-no side effects, and quick application time, Softwave therapy is a welcome alternative for people suffering from pain. Who wants to spend weeks or months recovering from a surgery that might not even work? Likewise, who would want to become dependent on over-the-counter or, even worse, prescription pain meds? Living a life of addiction is a road nobody wants to go down.
Softwave therapy represents a revolution in non-invasive pain treatment; best of all, it's highly effective. Independent studies prove that shockwave therapy helps with pain. 65-91% of patients using shockwave therapy experienced real-deal improvements in damaged muscle and bone tissue, solving their mobility problems and drastically reducing pain. It almost sounds too good to be true, but as many patients at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine will tell you - it isn't.
Book AppointmentSome of the most common conditions that Softwave therapy treats include:
When you get up in the morning and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, do you notice a stabbing, sharp pain near your heel? Does the pain go away once you have a chance to walk around? If so, you could have plantar fasciitis. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, this painful condition is quite common. About two million people suffer from plantar fasciitis every year, and almost 10% of all people will experience the condition at least once in their life.
This common foot issue happens when the plantar fascia - a fan-shaped tissue near your heel - gets inflamed. The plantar fascia is a thick strip of connective tissue that links your toes to your heel bone, helping to preserve the arch of your foot. When this band is strained, it causes intensely sharp pain, usually in the morning when you wake up and plant your feet on the floor.
Most folks ignore plantar fasciitis because the pain eventually goes away throughout the day. However, if left untreated, plantar fasciitis can lead to weakness and chronic pain, which may affect daily walking.
Some causes of plantar fasciitis include:
The short answer to this question is not really. Patients with plantar fasciitis will ice the affected area with little-to-no relief since they spend so much time on their feet. It's hard to rest an achy heel if you've got a job that requires you to be on your feet. Anti-inflammatory meds like Advil don't work all that well, either. They may provide temporary pain relief, but in terms of a long-term solution, taking these drugs will cause major side effects.
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When more conservative treatment options like ice and over-the-counter meds don't work, most doctors turn to ultra-expensive orthotics, steroid injections, or invasive surgery. For the average person, those options fail on all fronts, as they carry risks for side effects and may even cause the issue to worsen.
Instead of going under the knife or changing their daily routines, many people suffering from plantar fasciitis are turning to Softwave therapy for relief.
During a shockwave therapy session, our expert providers use a special probe to deliver pressure waves to inflamed tissue. These waves trigger natural healing processes causing new blood vessels to form. In turn, oxygen is supplied to the affected area, reducing inflammation and causing healthy cells to regenerate. Shockwave therapy also produces collagen, which is crucial for connective tissue health.
With just a few visits, many patients find long-term relief from plantar fasciitis without relying on strange drugs or harmful surgeries.
Living with knee pain is just miserable. From knee tendonitis to osteoarthritis, knee pain can prevent you from enjoying activities and affect your day-to-day life. Your knee is a joint comprised of cartilage, bone, ligaments, and fluids. Tendons and muscles within the knee help the joint move. When one of these crucial knee structures is hurt or compromised, it results in knee pain and long-lasting knee problems. This, in turn, leads to difficulty walking at best and debilitating knee issues at worse.
If you're an active person or somebody who plays sports often, you're probably all too familiar with knee pain - especially common conditions like patellar tendinopathy. Also called "jumpers knee," this issue happens at the patellar tendon, which is found on the front of the knee just under the knee cap. When living with this condition, most patients experience pain around the kneecap or lower down on the leg around the tibia.
In addition to injuries and issues like jumper's knee, everyday wear and tear will cause knee pain over time. With time, this knee pain can develop into arthritis. If your knees are swollen, painful, or stiff, you may have arthritis in your knees. Regardless of the kind of knee pain you're experiencing, treatment options have been limited to agonizing surgeries and addicting pain medications. But that all changes with shockwave therapy for knee pain in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Though no two knee pain problems are exactly the same, shockwave therapy has been shown to be highly effective for knee pain. In fact, many patients at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine find relief after just one session. Many times, sessions can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. So if you want to find relief for knee pain on your lunch break, that's definitely possible.
As is the case with plantar fasciitis, Softwave therapy works by sending sound wave and low-energy impulses to the affected area of your knee. These pulses stimulate your body's healing factors, which can help regenerate and repair damaged tendons and tissues. Softwave therapy for knee pain is especially promising for people who have tried other treatments - like surgery and pain meds - with disappointing results.
Benefits include:
Several studies and reviews prove that Softwave therapy can be very beneficial for people suffering from knee pain problems like jumper's knee. A study involving 66 patients with knee pain found that they enjoyed a significant improvement in their reported pain levels with Softwave therapy. In fact, knee pain was reduced by nearly 50% after a single month. When combined with other regenerative and physical therapy treatments at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, your days of living with knee pain are numbered.
Book AppointmentHere's a fact for you to consider: Every joint that you have in your body plays a part in your day-to-day life. But when we think of joint issues, we typically jump to knee issues. However, your knees aren't the only joints in your body to go through wear and tear. Your shoulders experience just as much, if not more, wear and tear than your knees. We put a strain on our shoulders just about every time we use or move our arms. Our shoulders play a pivotal part in living a normal life. When they begin to deteriorate over time due to age or overuse, it creates a litany of painful problems.
There are many causes of shoulder pain, like deterioration, inflammation, and trauma. Of the many painful shoulder conditions affecting Americans yearly, rotator cuff tendonitis and arthritis are very common. Also called calcific tendinitis, rotator cuff pain is caused by built-up calcium deposits on the shoulder's tendons, which connect your rotator cuff to nearby muscles and bones. This painful condition is usually linked to sports, like basketball and volleyball, or in professions requiring repetitive movements, like in the plumbing industry.
Some common symptoms of shoulder pain and rotator cuff tendinitis include:
Though strengthening exercises and some medications provide temporary relief for shoulder pain, they're not meant as long-term solutions. Luckily, Softwave therapy for rotator cuff pain in Mount Pleasant, SC, can help.
Shockwave therapy has been shown to work wonders for shoulder pain. Low-intensity shockwaves break up calcium deposits and jumpstart your body's healing processes, stimulating blood flow and healthy cell growth. Shockwave treatment is especially effective for long-term shoulder pain since it releases stem cells, sends growth factors to the affected area, and boosts capillary production. Shockwave therapy has also been shown to break down scar tissue and eliminate trigger points, all of which decrease shoulder pain. This relief is most often long-lasting, unlike other treatments like medications and injections.
Many studies support the efficacy of Softwave therapy for shoulder conditions like rotator cuff pain and calcific tendonitis of the shoulder. In a study of 84 patients living with long-term rotator cuff tendonitis, participants in the treatment group saw a significant decrease in the intensity of their shoulder pain. Another study related to shockwave therapy for calcific tendonitis found that 86.6% of patients experienced fewer calcifications.
If you're having to live with rotator cuff pain or another type of shoulder issue, choosing Softwave therapy may be your best course of action.
Book AppointmentWhether you're sick of living with intense heel pain from plantar fasciitis, the mobility issues associated with knee pain, or the day-to-day struggles of rotator cuff degeneration, you'll find hope at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine. Unlike some medical clinics, our team of doctors and specialists focus on an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to healing. Instead of relying on addictive medications and invasive surgeries, we prefer to address the underlying causes that our patients face.
We combine several all-natural pain relief therapies so that your shoulder pain, knee pain, joint pain, and foot pain go away for good. We resolve pain by using healing treatments that restore function and improve mobility for the long term. Our state-of-the-art regenerative medicine treatments, used hand-in-hand with proven chiropractic techniques, will stimulate your body's healing power from within. If your pain is related to muscles, nerves, and bones, our doctors can help you overcome discomfort, injury, or medical conditions affecting these systems.
If you've been unable to resolve your pain or have become dependent on painkillers to cope, Softwave therapy may be the natural solution you need. It all starts with a quick call to our office, so we can begin to understand your needs. When you come for your first visit, our doctors will find the personalized treatment you need so that you can manage your pain in a non-invasive and drug-free environment manner.
Book AppointmentCinco de Mayo is one of everyone’s favorite days of the year. We Americans don’t mind taking a reason to celebrate the day beloved to our neighbors to the south. La Hacienda in Mount Pleasant has just undergone a face lift and can’t wait for patrons to celebrate with them this time around. This local favorite opened its first restaurant location in North Charleston 30 years ago. Now, with multiple locations throughout the Lowcountry, it has become a family staple.The Mount Pleasant restaurant opened its doors 10 year...
Cinco de Mayo is one of everyone’s favorite days of the year. We Americans don’t mind taking a reason to celebrate the day beloved to our neighbors to the south. La Hacienda in Mount Pleasant has just undergone a face lift and can’t wait for patrons to celebrate with them this time around. This local favorite opened its first restaurant location in North Charleston 30 years ago. Now, with multiple locations throughout the Lowcountry, it has become a family staple.
The Mount Pleasant restaurant opened its doors 10 years ago and strives to give our community the best customer experience possible. Their recent renovations allowed for the bar to be totally redone, the flooring to be changed out and new furniture and equipment to be installed. The patio is still a work in progress but is undergoing major changes and upgrades as well. Remodeling came because the staff wanted to be up-to-date with aesthetics and had a desire to make customers feel as comfortable as possible.
The owners stated that the new space, “makes you want to go in and have a great meal with your family and enjoy some awesome cocktails.”
In addition to the new atmosphere and overall vibe of La Hacienda, the restaurant has also updated their bar menu. It will now include fresh juices and 100% agave tequila. New cocktails and margaritas have been added just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
This restaurant loves to help customers enjoy Mexican fare while enjoying their experience and time together. What is better than chips and queso surrounded by those that you love? Even sweeter, it can all be enjoyed with an ice cold margarita in your hand that comes in a variety of flavors. The staff and family at La Hacienda want to provide the best customer service possible and are excited to share their revamped space with the community they adore. Although it may look different, it is the same quality and experience that residents have enjoyed for over a decade. Owners added that “we would love to invite all to come and visit us to enjoy our remodeled space. Our patio should be ready by May so everyone can come celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us.” The space will be decorated for the holiday, and they can’t wait to show off the work that has been completed. If you are looking for a way to celebrate in style, the newly renovated and consistently pleasing La Hacienda in Mount Pleasant (or any of their locations) has you covered. See you there!
For more information, please visit LaHaciendaMexRestaurants.com, or call 843-388-7636.
By Cari Lawson
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Another dining venue is coming to a former Mount Pleasant restaurant, and several new shops are now open across the greater Charleston area.Farm Haus Butcher & Beer Garden is renovating a ...
Another dining venue is coming to a former Mount Pleasant restaurant, and several new shops are now open across the greater Charleston area.
Farm Haus Butcher & Beer Garden is renovating a site at 604 Coleman Blvd. in Moultrie Plaza Shopping Center.
Farm Haus’ menu will feature house-made sausages and burgers using heritage-breed pork and grass-fed beef that will be ground fresh daily.
The space previously housed Asian eatery Bambu.
An opening date for Farm Haus has not been announced. A restaurant representative did not immediately respond for comment. The company also operates a location in Indian Land near Charlotte.
A new coffee shop is now welcoming customers on the Charleston peninsula, the second in the past month to open.
Big Kick Coffee recently launched at 476-D Meeting St. behind a Sherwin Williams paint store.
The 1,450-square-foot space offers retail, roasting, packing and online orders.
Big Kick comes from Veggie Bin owner Fraser Young, who operates another cafe at 125 S. Market St. in downtown Charleston. It joins the recent arrival of Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Roasters at 375 King St.
Two new businesses are coming to southern Moncks Corner, and another opened on May 2.
Fast-food restaurant Wendy’s and Valvoline Instant Oil Change plan to open in Foxbank Towne Center on U.S. Highway 52 near the Publix-anchored Moncks Corner Marketplace, according to Charleston-based developer Twin Rivers Capital.
WenJai Restaurant Group, one of the largest Wendy’s operators in the Southeast, recently broke ground and is expected to open in the second half of 2023.
Kentucky-based Valvoline, with more than 1,500 locations that offer stay-in-your car vehicle maintenance services, intends to break ground later this year and open by year’s end.
Valvoline also plans a new location on Faison Road across from Costco Wholesale in northern Mount Pleasant.
Also, now open in Moncks Corner is a new frozen treat shop.
Alien Cow Flavored Sno can be found at 2033 Old Highway 52. The shop opened Tuesday and offers mixes of “flavored sno” and “sno cream” which are dairy free, lactose free and vegan friendly, according to the new shop’s Facebook page. Business owners say it’s not ice cream or shaved ice. A food truck park also is planned for the future.
A new discount store is on the way to Goose Creek.
Tennessee-based Dollar General Corp. recently leased a 1.42-acre undeveloped site on St. James Avenue just west of Myers Road, according to Berkeley County land records.
The 15-year lease can be extended up to 25 years, according to terms of the agreement. An affiliate of Coastal Development Partners of Spartanburg bought the land in January for $295,000, land records show.
A new organic self-care products boutique is now open in Charleston.
Lost River Naturals can be found at 2317 Ashley River Road in West Ashley. Connie and Ricky Young launched the 1,300-square-foot shop in April.
Connie, an herbalist and aromatherapist, started the business online in 2006 after formulating organic, clean-beauty skin care and herbal products for men, women and children.
The shop also carries herbal teas, herbal tinctures and items such as gemstone jewelry, candles and crafts from other small businesses. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
An Oklahoma-based convenience store and gas station chain is entering the edge of the greater Charleston market.
Quik Trip plans to open a store at 1857 Bells Highway, just off Interstate 95, in Walterboro.
The Tulsa-headquartered company has two other stores in the eastern part of South Carolina in Orangeburg off I-26 and Hardeeville off I-95. Several other locations can be found in the Midlands and Upstate.
Also, Parker’s Kitchen snipped the ribbon May 1 on its new store at 5644 N. Rhett Ave. in North Charleston. It’s the 75th location for the Savannah-based convenience store and gas station chain.
The company has 12 locations in the Charleston area and 31 in South Carolina. Several others are on the way in the Lowcountry, Grand Strand and North Augusta.
MOUNT PLEASANT — Discount grocer Aldi is beefing up its presence across the Charleston area.The no-frills grocer recently leased several acres at U.S. Highway 17 and KOA Campgrounds Road for a second ...
MOUNT PLEASANT — Discount grocer Aldi is beefing up its presence across the Charleston area.
The no-frills grocer recently leased several acres at U.S. Highway 17 and KOA Campgrounds Road for a second East Cooper location.
Aldi plans to build a 23,000-square-foot store on the land next to South Morgans Point Road. The acreage sits across from Joe Bryant Court, on the opposite side of Highway 17, where a new mixed-used commercial and recreational development is in the works.
The company signed a land lease with property owner Oakland Associates LP for 20 years with the option to renew up to 25 years.
Aldi did not provide timeframes for construction and opening.
“We do not have any information to share,” said Shaun O’Keefe, divisional vice president.
The penny-pinching Aldi doesn’t provide free shopping bags and requires a refundable quarter deposit for a shopping cart.
The chain stocks a variety of standard products, mostly under its own label, as well as fresh meats and produce.
The grocer launched its first store in the Charleston region in 2015 off Dorchester Road on the edge of Summerville and North Charleston. The company then followed with a second store on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant in 2017. Both locations were former bowling alley sites.
Aldi opened its third Lowcountry location in 2020 on North Main Street in Summerville, just south of the Earth Fare supermarket. The company added a fourth site later that year in the former Barnes & Noble Booksellers space on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston. A fifth store opened in 2022 on St. James Avenue in Goose Creek.
The low-budget grocer, with its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers. It will add 120 stores this year. By the end of 2023, it will have 2,400 locations across the nation. It has 48 stores in South Carolina.
Lidl, its competitor that is also based in Germany, opened its first Charleston-area location on St. James Avenue in Goose Creek in 2017. A second location opened in 2022 in Cedar Grove Shopping Center on Dorchester Road in North Charleston, east of the Aldi location.
Lidl signed a lease in 2021 to outfit a former kitchenware shop in Bowman Place Shopping Center on Bowman Road in Mount Pleasant for the region’s third location, but it has not opened. A company representative did not immediately respond for comment on an update for the store.
MOUNT PLEASANT — No new apartment or condominium developments have been allowed since early 2017 in South Carolina’s fourth-largest city, and Town Council members are moving to extend that ban into 2025.The town’s elected leaders also just slashed the number of homes that would be allowed above businesses, drawing criticism from real estate professionals.Josh Dix, government affairs director for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, said Mount Pleasant has developed a culture “of privilege and ...
MOUNT PLEASANT — No new apartment or condominium developments have been allowed since early 2017 in South Carolina’s fourth-largest city, and Town Council members are moving to extend that ban into 2025.
The town’s elected leaders also just slashed the number of homes that would be allowed above businesses, drawing criticism from real estate professionals.
Josh Dix, government affairs director for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, said Mount Pleasant has developed a culture “of privilege and exclusion” and is acting more like a homeowner’s association in a gated community than a large town.
Councilman Jake Rambo took offense at Dix’s suggestion that increasing development restrictions have been making housing less affordable.
Mount Pleasant has three or four times the population it had when he was growing up there, Rambo said, but amid all that growth and development the town has become more expensive and less diverse.
The town’s population is more than 91 percent white and the median single-family home price was $750,000 in the least expensive part of the town, according to January figures.
Dix and other real estate professionals acknowledge that newer apartments in Mount Pleasant are far from affordable but say restricting apartment construction can drive up rents in the region.
“When you just stop, there are some unintended consequences,” Rob Woodul, a town resident who is president of South Carolina Realtors this year said prior to the council meeting. “When you choke off supply, it drives up prices.”
But choking off supply is just what Mount Pleasant has done, very deliberately and in response to the wishes of the majority of voters. Controlling residential growth and traffic have been talking points in each recent election.
On Feb. 14 the council made its latest moves, voting unanimously to reduce the number of residences allowed in commercial areas and to give initial approval to a two-year extension of the apartment and condo moratorium.
“We don’t want any more,” Councilwoman Laura Hyatt said after the meeting. “We don’t need any more.”
At the same time, many council members agree that Mount Pleasant needs more housing that people, including town employees, teachers and hospital workers, can afford. The town describes that as “attainable housing” and is relying on the private sector to create it.
Both the moratorium and the reduction in the number of residences allowed in commercial areas carve out exceptions for attainable housing.
“This is a big thing for affordability tonight,” said Mayor Will Haynie.
Real estate professionals have predicted that no such housing will be created under the town’s exceptions because they are too strict and won’t make sense financially.
Specifically, Town Council reduced the number of homes allowed in mixed commercial-residential developments — homes above businesses — from 12 per acre to four, but allowed for four more if they qualify as “attainable” housing for middle-income buyers or renters.
That would prohibit future developments similar to Shelmore Village, a collection of three-story buildings with homes above offices and shops that was built in 2006.
At an earlier meeting about the down-zoning, Daniel Doyle, chief operating officer and director of development for The Beach Co., said expecting developers to make half of the residences in a development “attainable housing” units won’t work financially.
The moratorium on apartments and condos also includes an exemption for attainable housing. That exception has been included in the town’s moratoriums since 2019, and no such multifamily developments have been proposed during that time.
The stated purpose of the moratorium extension is to give the town needed time to complete a rewrite of Mount Pleasant’s zoning code, to match up with its most recent Comprehensive Plan. Earlier versions of the moratorium were said to give the town’s infrastructure time to catch up with development.
The restrictions come at a time when the Charleston area is facing an affordable housing crisis, soaring apartment rents and a shortage of housing for sale.
Mount Pleasant’s neighbors, the cities of Charleston and North Charleston, have seen soaring demand for apartment construction during the time Mount Pleasant has had a moratorium in place. Mount Pleasant and the two neighboring cities are three of South Carolina’s four largest municipalities.
Charleston issued permits for development of 2,213 multifamily units in 2022 and 2021, according to the city, and more than 7,500 since Mount Pleasant’s continuous moratorium started in 2017.
Nearly 48 percent of residences in Charleston are in multifamily developments, according to the city. In Mount Pleasant, multifamily homes accounted for 27 percent of residences as of 2020, and no new ones have been permitted for years.
In North Charleston, 5,631 apartment units were in some stage of the permitting process during the past two years, according to the city. Some of those were under construction and were likely permitted prior to 2021, but had not yet received certificates of occupancy.
“We need all the housing we can get, and at all price points,” said Dix, prior to the Town Council meeting.
“Mount Pleasant is not an HOA,” said Dix, who also chairs Charleston County’s Housing Committee. “If they want to be a gated community, that’s another discussion.”
The town’s prohibition on new apartment developments began in 2016, ended briefly, then came back in 2017 and has remained in place. Apartment buildings developed since that time were either permitted before the moratoriums began, or were allowed due to a legal settlement.
The town also had a permit allocation system from 2001 into 2008, prompted by concerns that home construction was outpacing the town’s ability to keep up with road improvements and public services.
As in 2021, allowing the existing apartment and condo moratorium to expire this year would not have resulted in new apartment buildings because of the existing permit allocation system.
“Even if it does go away, there are no multifamily permits,” said Michele Reed, the town’s Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods director, prior to the council meeting.
The permit allocation system is in place until February 2024, and could be extended, she said.
There have been other South Carolina towns and cities that temporarily halted permitting for apartments, but none have done so for as long as Mount Pleasant.
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A new taco shop is set to open in Mount Pleasant this spring boasting unique flavors set in a tropical theme.The owners of White Duck Taco Shop, which originated in Asheville, North Carolina, have been renovating the former Sticky Fingers restaurant on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard for the past year.A complete overhaul of the building included opening the ceiling and removing some walls to create a larger feel inside the e...
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A new taco shop is set to open in Mount Pleasant this spring boasting unique flavors set in a tropical theme.
The owners of White Duck Taco Shop, which originated in Asheville, North Carolina, have been renovating the former Sticky Fingers restaurant on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard for the past year.
A complete overhaul of the building included opening the ceiling and removing some walls to create a larger feel inside the establishment. Bamboo is being used to section off seating areas and fresh paint will brighten up the once-dark barbecue joint.
Muralist Lacey Hennessey was brought in from Greenville, South Carolina to help merge the planned color scheme to give the restaurant its tropical feel and showcase floral themes, a large VW bus, and even a surfing duck.
“We’re very proud of what she accomplished here,” said Laura Reuss, who owns the restaurant.
The bar area will feature big-screen televisions and windows will open up to an outdoor lanai with bar service in addition to its deck area. “It gives an open-air feeling even though we’re in the middle of Mount Pleasant,” said Reuss.
Reuss has been working in the restaurant industry since she was a teenager. She left Park City, Utah in 2010 – working in restaurants at ski resorts – to later open the first White Duck Taco Shop in North Carolina.
The idea was to create a fun atmosphere where patrons would feel comfortable enjoying great, from-scratch food at affordable prices.
“We had been working at four- and five-star restaurants. We really wanted to be more approachable to everyone. So, we came up with the idea of White Duck Taco Shop,” she said.
The new restaurant ushered in new life for a part of Asheville that was still in its growth phase – the River Arts District.
“We were in Asheville, we actually moved there to start the brand. It was really a mom-and-pop organization, we just couldn’t keep up—it was crazy,” she said of opening the new shop.
The new location in Mount Pleasant will be White Duck Taco’s 14th venture.
Reuss and her late husband had roots in the Charleston area. And after reopening its other locations post-COVID-19 pandemic, she decided that it was the right time to bring the restaurant to the Lowcountry.
“I spent about seven, eight months looking for the perfect location with a lot of help from other people, and we came across Sticky Fingers,” she recalled.
A crew came in to determine how best to transform the former barbecue restaurant into a brightly-colored taco shop. After a few bumps in the road, thanks to logistics and delivery woes – White Duck Taco will soon serve customers just in time for the summer season.
Reuss described the menu as unique fusion tacos. “We do everything from fried oyster tacos, pork belly tacos with pickled watermelon rind, we have Thai peanut chicken tacos … the whole idea was to take really cool flavors and just put it in the form of a taco so that you could eat almost internationally.”
If you order a sandwich or burger off a menu, you only get to try one style or flavor at a time. Here, you’ll be able to select three variations in one sitting.
“The taco is the new American way,” she said. “Everyone loves a taco and a beer.”
Reuss is eyeing an opening in mid-to-late April depending upon final approvals from the Town of Mount Pleasant.
(843) 936-6238