Urban Outfitters to open Vista store in July
Good news, hipsters: You don’t need to drive to Charlotte or Charleston for clothes anymore.
Urban Outfitters is opening up shop in the Vista in July, The State reported.
The hip clothing chain that appeals to the young professional and college set will open a location at 912 Gervais St., which is an 83-year-old, 10,000-square-foot building, according to the newspaper. It’ll hire about 25 employees.
The store had been scouting the Columbia market for five years and had considered other spots, like Main Street.
The announcement adds to a string of new chains to come to the Midlands, like Mast General Store, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, that had long evaded the area.
“That shows that Columbia has moved up a notch in the retail world,” Matt Kennell, the president of the City Center Partnership, told The State.
—Thad Moore, News Editor
Man arrested, denied bond in CCU murder case
The man charged with the murder of a Coastal Carolina University student was denied bond Sunday morning, The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News reported.
Maquis Spencer McDonald, 20, was arrested Friday afternoon in connection with a shooting at a university apartment complex Tuesday night. Anthony Liddell, 19, a second-year student at Coastal Carolina, died after he sustained gunshot wounds in the chest.
McDonald is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. If convicted, he could face between 30 years and life in prison, plus another five years for the gun charge, according to The Sun News.
The investigation is continuing, and according to The Sun News, it’s not clear whether police will make more arrests.
—Thad Moore, News Editor
City trying to become more business friendly
Columbia is hoping to become more business friendly in part by hiring a business advocate and making more permitting process available online, The State reported.
The advocate position would be a new one for the city, and whoever is hired for it would be tasked with helping business owners navigate the various processes — licenses, fees, permits, etc. — necessary to do business.
The city is also moving those processes online, The State reported, but doing so is about a year away. A redesigned city website has been delayed twice before, but it’s scheduled to go live July 1.
The moves follow pressure from the local Chamber of Commerce, which published a report last year that says the county and city are known for being “difficult jurisdictions in which to do business,” according to The State.
—Thad Moore, News Editor