The Aiken community has anxiously awaited progress on the redevelopment of the property at the site of the former Aiken Mall since Southeastern Development Associates purchased the property in 2016.

Identified as a property of great economic potential by the Aiken Chamber Blue Ribbon Panel Next Big Ideas Report issued in 2014, Southeastern’s plans have evolved over time and will be unveiled at the Aiken Chamber’s March 4 First Friday Means Business breakfast.

“Economic development requires great amounts of patience,” said Chamber President/CEO J. David Jameson. “Everything must line up and the moment must be just right. Redevelopment projects are a marathon, not a sprint.”

Southeastern first proposed developing the property into a lifestyle center which would include retail, restaurant and entertainment space.

In 2017, Chamber Board Chair Charlie Hartz and Aiken Chamber President/ CEO J. David Jameson led a group of 44 business, government, education and civic leaders on a one-day trip to visit Shelter Cove. The purpose of the visit was to see firsthand the work of Southeastern. The group was very impressed with Southeastern’s work.

Shopping patterns across the country were rapidly changing by 2018. Online shopping grew exponentially and securing anchor stores for the lifestyle center became more challenging.

While Southeastern was working on its plans, a seemingly unrelated project was underway.

In 2018, the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, Aiken Corporation, City of Aiken and the Economic Development Partnership, commissioned a comprehensive market analysis and forecast of the citywide rental housing market through 2022. The study looked at demographics of the area, economic conditions and existing multi-family rental housing supply characteristics

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The study determined a market rate rental vacancy rate of 1.4 percent indicating a high demand, low supply market. The demand for a minimum of 314 market rate apartments was identified in the City of Aiken.

In 2018, Mayor Osbon and Chamber President/CEO connected the two seemingly unrelated items together and presented the rental market housing study to Vic Mills, CEO of Southeastern. The team at Southeastern has taken the information in the study as well as their immense knowledge of development and established a revised plan for the property.

Southeastern Senior Vice President John Mills and Vice President Jason Long will present the current status of the over $30 million project, the site plan, renderings, information on the public park, and the timeline at First Friday Means Business, March 4 at 7:30 a.m. at Newberry Hall.

Jewish families and their businesses are the foundation of Aiken’s thriving business community. Aiken was a welcoming environment for these immigrants, who were from Russia in what is now Poland. They were fleeing oppression for economic opportunity and building a better life for their families.

The first Jewish owned stores opened on Laurens Street in the 1890s. The success of the Jewish merchants in Aiken was tied primarily to the overall growth of the town and the local economy – but the seasonal influx of Winter Colony residents was an important driver of this growth, especially from 1900-1950.

The success of the Aiken Jewish community attracted others, and by the 1950s there were over 20 Jewish owned stores in Aiken. Over time, these businesses faced pressure from changing competition (chain stores) and the decline of the Winter Colony – but they provided a good life for their families and important services for the local Aiken economy for many decades.

Did you know?

• Both BM Surasky’s & Rudnick Dry Goods claim Minnie Pearl as a customer when she came to Aiken in the 1930s to perform at the Highland Park Hotel; each family claims to have sold her the flowered straw hat (with dangling price tag) that became her signature look for decades.

• Samuel Wolf’s family recalls Fred Astaire as a customer of his liquor store and family members remember keeping an unpaid invoice as a memento of that patronage.

• Mandle Surasky (1898-1986) served as a two-term Mayor of Aiken as well as on City Council. He was a former President of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Merchants Association and a leader in numerous civic and charitable organizations (e.g., Masons, Rotary Club, American Legion, Red Cross).

• Isadore Efron (1903-1980) came to Aiken in the 1920s and opened a taxi business catering to Winter Colony visitors arriving by train. One of the stories from the 1930s is that he was asked to pick up a young George HW Bush who was sent by train to visit his mother’s family – the Walkers – in Barnwell.

• Irene Krugman Rudnick (1929-2019) a local attorney was a trailblazer for women during a time when entering politics was difficult for them. Rudnick was an attorney and began her political career as Superintendent of Education for Aiken County. In 1972, she became the first Jewish woman to be elected to the South Carolina State Legislature where she served from 1972-1986. She was the Aiken Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year in 2004.

The Jewish merchants did well in Aiken and this success meant the next generation often chose to pursue careers outside the family business. Although the storefronts of Aiken are no longer owned by Jewish merchants, the positive impact these families had on Aiken is still evident in our business community. From the beginning, the Aiken Jewish community had a distinct identity but were also part of the fabric of the town where they contributed to the greater good. Today, the Aiken Jewish community is made up primarily of retirees who have moved here from elsewhere.

In this way, the story of the Aiken Jewish community is also the story of Aiken. It’s about hard work, focus on faith and family, respecting others and contributing to the community. Its about a culture of tolerance and inclusiveness in Aiken that is part of the attraction of this town for everyone that lives here.

More information on the past, present and future of the Jewish community in Aiken is available at www.asourceoflight.org.

The Aiken Chamber is offering All About Aiken, an orientation program to connect your key employees and their families to the wonderful Aiken community.

All About Aiken will offer a glimpse of Aiken’s fascinating history, highlight the activities and offerings available in the community, and share information on Aiken’s promising future.

Scheduled for March 30 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, All About Aiken will feature multiple presenters and include a full Southern Aiken breakfast and a voucher for a complimentary driving tour of Aiken with Marty Bailey, owner of Tailored Tours of Aiken.

The cost of the half-day program, breakfast and tour is $95 per person. Contact Mandy Collins for reservations at (803) 645-0049 or mcollins@aikenchamber.net

An elegant night of fun, excitement and surprises awaits attendees of the Aiken Chamber’s 104^th Annual Gala being held at the Etherredge Center at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24. 

Chamber members who wish to attend should contact Aiken Chamber Membership Services Director, Jim Tunison, at (803) 645-0144 or jtunison@aikenchamber.net for ticket information.

Contact John Hensley at (859) 912-4994 or email jhensley@chambermaps.com for more information.  

Aiken Toastmasters – Nonprofit Educational

Aurora Technical Systems, LLC – Staffing Service

Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe, LLC – Candy Boutique

Mema’s Sweets LLC d/b/a Nothing Bundt Cakes – Bakery

Marcus Weeks State Farm – Insurance

Oak Film Co. – Advertising Agency

PEL Writing and Editing Services – Business Support Services/Consulting

The Southern Roots Team – Real Estate

Strategic Financial Planning – Financial Advisor/Investments/Planning