Commercial Truck Insurance in Georgetown, SC

The colonial seaport town gets a hotel and restaurant combo full of sweet homages to the community

February 29, 2024 Updated March 1, 2024

For over eighty years, a family-owned seafood market called Independent Seafood operated on Front Street in the colonial seaport town of Georgetown, South Carolina, serving fresh shrimp and fish to the community daily. Last year, it closed its doors—but two weeks ago, a new restaurant opened bearing their name, housed in a new hotel, the George, that opens today.

“We wanted to be thoughtful about the history and the fabric of the community,” says Steve Palmer, the founder of Indigo Road, the hospitality group behind the new spot. “There’s certainly sadness when a local business like that closes, and we decided the best way to honor them was to call the restaurant the Independent.” The menu reflects the market’s history, too: Raw offerings like littleneck clams and oysters abound, plus larger plates including blackened flounder with a lump crab and andouille sausage perlo. “That blackened flounder is the best-selling dish in the two weeks we’ve been open,” Palmer says. “And the fried crab fingers are my other favorite.”

The hotel itself, with fifty-six rooms, features its own set of homages to Georgetown and the surrounding area; Charleston designer Jenny Keenan wanted to incorporate the history of the town and the environment into every detail. “We all wanted something that blended into the town and the landscape,” she says. “Pecky cypress wood was non negotiable. So were sweetgrass baskets and local art.” Below, look inside the hotel and the restaurant.

ANDREW CEBULKA

“I always love to see the sweetgrass huts along Highway 17 as I drive from Charleston to Georgetown,” Keenan says. The team commissioned local Angela Manigault to make two large baskets to hang on the hotel wall as a nod to the regional art form.

ANDREW CEBULKA

A seating area at the end of the hotel’s first-floor corridor features poppy patterns, a colorful tapestry from India, and framed insects. “Living with birds and butterflies and alligators is part of being in an area with so much greenspace,” Keenan says. “I added touches of the flora and fauna wherever I could.”

ANDREW CEBULKA

From the lobby, guests can peek into the Independent and at a commissioned piece featuring a flying bull and fish. “We wanted the restaurant to feel distinct from the hotel,” Keenan says. “It has a nautical, throwback vibe, with merlot-colored walls and blues.”

Inside the Independent, the bar area features layered textures of leather, wood, and marble.

In the back hallway, this seating area incorporates a collection of found pieces. “We wanted it to feel old, so these items are from antique stores and flea markets,” Keenan says. The team dubbed the portrait of the woman Eliza, after Eliza Lucas Pinkney, an influential historical figure who brought indigo to the area—and they borrowed her name for the outdoor bar, as well.

The cypress wood paneling and floor covers the first-floor corridor, providing a backdrop for a whimsical piece of an alligator and mermaid by Charleston artist David Boatwright.

ANDREW CEBULKA

On the way to the hotel elevators from the lobby, guests pass under an archway, one of Keenan’s favorite structural details. “I wanted it to feel like you are walking through a forest,” she says.

Keenan also wanted the hotel to have an English feel, so she selected patterned wallpaper—in dark blue as a nod to the importance of the indigo industry to the area.

The George Hotel has opened its doors to welcome guests. The design-forward waterfront property from Indigo Road Hospitality Group and Winyah Hospitality has 56 rooms and suites alongside a full-service restaurant, marina bar and private event spaces, making it the first of its kind on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.

Georgetown, SC, is a common stopover for boaters traveling the eastern coast and The George offers prime marina access, allowing boaters the opportunity to enjoy the hotel’s amenities, while also providing a port for guests to enjoy excursions, such as fishing and sailing, in Winyah Bay. In addition to on-site activities and events, The George offers a variety of spaces that can be booked for semi-private and private events, including a meeting and event room, outdoor greenspace and bar, Eliza’s, and on-site restaurant, The Independent.

Housing 56 rooms, 42 of which are waterfront, the hotel has been curated by Jenny Keenan Design, which used a collection of vintage European furnishings and custom pieces. The lobby sports two-toned hardwoods and lime-washed plank walls, patterned sofas, wing-backed chairs and "oriental" rugs. The corridor of the first floor displays a large painting of a mermaid and alligator by artist David Boatwright of Charleston.

There are several room types, including two suite variations with living rooms and balconies, the largest being approximately 725 square feet. Each guestroom includes vintage seating and sideboards with custom fabric headboards ranging from detailed chintz to soft pastel stripes. Rooms vary in color scheme, while cypress softwoods stripe the floors and walls of communal spaces.

Located within The George Hotel, The Independent is a seafood restaurant and raw bar paying homage to the community’s former seafood market by the same name. Guests can expect a seasonal menu of Southern-inspired dishes guided by the region’s seafood. Raw offerings such as littleneck clams, peel-and-eat shrimp and oysters on the half shell are complemented by prepared small plates, chef selections and à la carte proteins and sides.

Located on The George’s greenspace, Eliza’s waterfront bar serves as a casual retreat along the Sampit Riverfront with lounge seating and outdoor games. It offers island-inspired cocktails with a small menu of light bites, snacks and a full raw bar, as well. The name serves as tribute to South Carolina’s Eliza Lucas Pickney, who was largely responsible for the indigo crop hitting the map, and the first woman to be inducted into South Carolina’s Business Hall of Fame.

For more information, visit www.thegeorgehotelsc.com.

GEORGETOWN — Marie Livingston has big shoes to fill, but the Georgetown native is more than ready for the challenge.

Livingston recently took over as executive director of Friendship Place from Charlie Ball, who retired after 24 years at the helm of the Christian-based nonprofit whose mission is to help break the cycle of poverty in Georgetown.

“I heard a smart man several years ago say something to the effect of, you know when you’ve taken something as far as you can take it,” Ball said. “It didn’t make sense to me at that point, but 24 years later and a fantastic new facility, a great capital campaign, great leadership; gosh, it’s time for fresh eyes to take a look at it and take it into the future.”

That set of fresh eyes belongs to Livingston, a 40-year-old wife and mother of four who additionally co-owns a logistics company with her husband Quentin.

Ball knows Livingston’s father, Commander Franklin Rutledge, who runs the Low Country Veterans Group in Georgetown. He recalled one day years ago when Rutledge hinted to him that Livingston was in the process of moving back to the area from out of state.

“He knew that we were looking for someone to help us who had energy and passion,” Ball said.

Georgetown Times

It is actually the second round at Friendship Place for Livingston, who started in 2017 as a program lead for the organization’s Georgetown WORKS initiative and stayed until 2019, when she went to work for the city of Georgetown. Livingston came back in 2022 as the associate director but remained engaged even though she was away.

“We were ecstatic when she came back," Ball said. "She is the perfect fit. She knows and loves the organization. She’s got the right personality and drive for it and I’m just so excited for Friendship Place and what it is going to do with her leadership.”

Friendship Place has served the Georgetown community for more than two decades. It helps people move from crisis to self-sufficiency through programs with names such as EATS, LEARNS and PRAYS.

Livingston said the nonprofit is averaging 30-40 individuals per day in its EATS program, where anyone can come to the facility at 1423 Front St. and receive a hot meal and words of encouragement.

“We just learn our neighbors and who they are and how we can better assist them with their various needs,” Livingston said. “Oftentimes, we have to say this is what you need, but it’s not a cookie-cutter solution for everyone. ... They are all coming from different backgrounds and different walks of life.”

LEARNS aims to improve reading skills of elementary school students through one-on-one literacy tutoring sessions. Livingston said PRAYS speaks to their role as a Christian-focused organization.

“It’s right in alignment with what we believe in, nourishing the souls of neighbors through effective ministry and prayer,” Livingston said. “Our prayer team and prayer in general keeps us grounded. It helps keep us sound and focused on the mission of what we are doing in our community.”

Livingston said the transition into her new role as executive director has been eye-opening, but she is excited to expand on the foundation that Ball has set.

“We are looking to launch Georgetown LIVES in the spring, which is a little revamping of Georgetown WORKS,” Livingston said. “It was primarily for women but we are looking to open that up for all of our neighbors. It is a more holistic approach to helping those navigate life and get them employed through direct support versus getting bounced around from agency to agency.”

Friendship Place is a nonprofit, so it relies on donations to operate. Two of the organization’s biggest fundraisers are Georgetown’s annual Bridge2Bridge Run in April and Palmetto Giving Day in May. Livingston said they participated in Coastal Giving Tuesday for the first time in November and raised $68,000.

Livingston said the facility's Tom and Jean Yawkey Foundation Community Room can be rented for meetings.

“We are here for the community,” Livingston said. “That’s what we want to be known and identified as. I encourage anyone interested to schedule a tour of our new location and see what we are doing.”

Ball said it’s been inspirational to spend 24 years at Friendship Place. He can recall helping people reunite with their families, getting folks into drug rehabilitation, seeing people get their first job or just leaving someone with a good word.

“To know that it is in such great hands, it is a blessing to see that,” Ball said. “She has a great board and staff. I can’t wait to see the new things there that will happen under her leadership.”

GEORGETOWN — Georgetown officials want more short-term vacation rentals in the city, but not at the expense of longtime residents and property owners.

Rentals such as Airbnbs and Vrbos could soon face additional regulations in the state’s third-oldest city, although a proposed cap of 250 short-term vacation rentals has yet to receive final approval from city leaders.

Georgetown City Council on Dec. 21 postponed a second vote on the cap as well as other proposed regulations, including an application and permitting process. Although that plan had unanimously passed a first vote a month earlier, city officials said they want to hold a workshop to discuss the idea further.

City ordinances already define short-term rentals, but Georgetown leaders have never outlined which areas can offer this type of activity.

Zoning Administrator Peter Gaytan previously said that he discovered the problem when he went through applicable laws while researching whether a River Road home could be used as a short-term rental. He said the city never mapped out where they are allowed to operate.

Under the latest proposal, a property owner would be required to obtain a short-term vacation rental permit on an annual basis no later than May 1. There would be an initial application fee of $500 for whole-house rentals as well as accessory dwelling units and $250 for owner-occupied homes.

The applications would be required to be submitted annually with a renewal fee of $250. The fees would be subject to change during the city’s budget process. Property owners would also have to obtain a business license and submit a parking plan with their application.

Some real estate leaders worry about the move’s impact on property rights, particularly with the proposed cap of 250 short-term rentals.

“I realize the ordinance is written with the intent and the mindset that you currently have about less than or about 100 short-term vacation rentals in the city,” said Madison Cooper, senior vice president of government affairs and community relations for the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors. “But in reality, no one really knows how many there are.”

Georgetown Times

Cooper asked the council that an amendment be considered to add language so that when the 250-rental cap is met, city staff would automatically be required to bring the ordinance back to the council within 30 days to consider raising the limit.

“I can go back and add that language to come back to city council,” said Gaytan, who estimated there currently may be between 60 to 100 short-term rentals in the city. “I kind of wanted to wait to actually get this into the books to create that database to see where we are at. I put that 250 cap thinking that we wouldn’t meet that.”

One of the issues brought up during the council meeting was the proposed requirement that a short-term vacation rental applicant notify their adjacent neighbors of their intention to operate. Cooper suggested that it could be done through certified mail.

“If it’s my house and I short-term rental (it), I see no reason that I should have to notify my neighbors as long as I’m doing what I need to do and I’m doing it lawfully,” Mayor Carol Jayroe said.

Councilman Jim Clements countered that there would be issues created if there was a disturbance at a home and the neighbor did not know that it was a short-term rental.

“They (owners) can do what they want, but if there is not going to be anyone living in that house on a regular basis to develop some relationship with, then I think the adjacent neighbors are disadvantaged and we are going to have to rely on our public authorities, which is an additional cost, and we haven’t even been compensated by these (rentals) to date from what I understand,” Clements said.

A second issue that came up during the December meeting was the fear that if the majority of the short-term rentals end up in one section of the city, it could disproportionately affect one community. Officials hope to spread out the rentals evenly across the city, so they plan to hold a workshop in January or February to discuss the issues in depth.

“We need to make sure it’s clean and precise because there will be kickback if we don’t define that specifically now,” councilman Jonathan Angner said.

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCBD) – As Georgetown braces for frigid temperatures this weekend, some are concerned about lack of shelters available to homeless people.

Wendy and Philip Adams live in Georgetown said they plan to spend their weekend indoors, but for some that is not an option.

“We do have a friend that’s living on a boat and of course Georgetown has a lot of people that live on boats here and they might not have sufficient heat, so we are planning to invite them to stay at our place if they need to,” Adams said.

The question of where homeless people will spend the cold nights came up during the public comment section of this week’s Georgetown City Council meeting.

“I know homeless individuals here in the City of Georgetown. You may not, but I do know homeless people. And when I walk my dog at night, I do think about them when I’m walking my dog. Wondering exactly what and where they’re doing and how they’re doing. And what is our city, and our county, and our school district, and our local churches doing to have an impact on that?” asked Sheldon Butts.

Georgetown County’s public information officer said the county does not have any shelters open and said they’re generally operated by churches and nonprofits. The same goes for the City of Georgetown.

“We don’t open a warming shelter with the EOC and Red Cross unless it’s an emergency situation such as an ice storm where you have power out for days. Warming centers, we rely on the faith-based community as well as non-profits to do that,” said Georgetown Mayor Carol Jayroe.

The mayor said Mount Olive Baptist Church plans to open its doors on Saturday and believes other churches will follow suit.

“The city does not have any resources or a place for a warming center. So, that’s not something that we can accommodate at all, however, we have reached out to nonprofits and churches and hopefully they will take care of their own,” the mayor said.

Mayor Jayroe recommended to stay indoors if possible and to check on neighbors. She said the city’s non-emergency number is available to call if someone would like a wellness check for their neighbor. The number is 843-527-6763.