ArtMares, the horror-themed display of work from local artists, is back for the second year.

All art will be available for sale. East End Main Street will receive 50 percent from sales to benefit East End events and revitalization efforts.

The exhibit is located at Kanawha Players, 309 Beauregard St.

ArtMares continues throughout HallowEast, from Oct. 27 to Oct. 30.

The exhibit is open 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27.

An ArtMares Reception on Oct. 28 runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Join us for fine wine, hors d’oeuvres and live music from Andy Park.

It runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29 then runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 30.

A Costume Ball on Oct. 30 will be the marquee event for this year’s HallowEast celebration.

Find the most creative costume and come out to support East End Main Street during the first annual event. This bash will include live music from The Voodoo Katz and DJ music from Electric 102.7, along with beer, drinks and food.

Tickets are $25. Click here to register.

Don’t miss this great celebration and get a chance to support East End Main Street and our efforts to continue the revitalization of Washington and Smith Streets! The party happens at the New China building, at the corner of Elizabeth and Washington streets.

The Empty Glass Halloween Hootenanny starts at 10 p.m. right after the Costume Ball. The cost of the Costume Ball includes entrance into the Hootenanny.

Moses Automotive – at 1406 Washington St. East – is again hosting the HallowEast Blood Drive.

It runs from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29.

Visit www.RedCrossLife.org to make an appointment!

Visit www.HallowEast.com for a full schedule of events and other details.

Zombies have infiltrated the East End and organized a parade to celebrate their victory during HallowEast. Join us Oct. 29 (either as a zombie or spectator) for this first-time event in Charleston. Please visit www.HallowEast.com if you’re interested in being converted for the Walk.

The Zombie Walk starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston Area Alliance, 1116 Smith St.

And visit East End Main Street’s Facebook page for details about becoming a zombie for the Walk.

The walk begins at the market and moves along Smith Street.

It ends at Mary Price Ratie Greenspace, where EEMS will host a Horror Film Fest, presented by Electric 102.7 and featuring two classic horror films to be shown on the eastern wall of the Fairfield Inn on Washington Street. Bring the family out for this first-time event. The Film Fest runs from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The No Pants Players are helping East End Main Street kick off HallowEast!

Join us Wednesday, Oct. 27 starting at 6:30 p.m. for Main Street Murder Mystery at the Woman’s Club of Charleston.

People all around town are being converted into zombies and you have to solve the mystery before complete disaster occurs. Who started the zombie outbreak? Bluegrass Kitchen is catering this interactive whodunit that will prove to be an East End classic.

Tickets are $35, and proceeds benefit EEMS revitalization efforts. Click here to register online.

 When the region’s biggest Halloween celebration launched last year, the success was scary.

“The sequel should be even better,” said Ric Cavender, East End Main Street program director. “HallowEast was a big hit last year, bringing together people in the community and raising funds to support our efforts year-round.”

A Murder Mystery featuring the No Pants Players kicks off the event at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Charleston’s Woman’s Club. Tickets are $35.

The marquee event, a Costume Ball presented by Suddenlink, is scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30 at 1558 Washington St. East. Tickets are $25, and the event includes beer, wine, hors d’oeuvres and live music from the Voodoo Katz, as well as DJ music provided by Electric 102.7.

“The location will offer a spooky, old warehouse setting,” Cavender said. “It’s going to be a quintessential Halloween event. You don’t want to miss it.”

More than 30 artists are displaying their ghoulish pieces for ArtMares 2 at Kanawha Players, 309 Beauregard St. An ArtMares reception is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28, and admission is free. The art is available for purchase with part of the proceeds going to EEMS.

The HallowEast Blood Drive, presented by The Red Cross, will return to Moses Automotive, and Trick or Treat on the East End is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28.

The Zombie Walk, a HallowEast first, is scheduled for Oct. 29 in the Warehouse District starting at Capitol Market and will end at the Mary Price Ratrie Greenspace with the Old Horror Movie Film Fest.

“We are very excited about the free film fest,” Cavender said. “We’ll be showing the classic versions of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and ‘House on Haunted Hill.’ We invite people to bring blankets and chairs and enjoy this unique atmosphere. Zombie walks are becoming more and more popular across the country. We hope people will come with masks and make-up and turn it into a HallowEast tradition.”

For information about participating in the Zombie Walk, visit East End Main Street’s Facebook fan page.

The HallowEast “Marketing Monster” is Mark Wolfe Design. Suddenlink and Electric 102.7 are “Phatasmagorical Premier Media Partners,” while C&H Taxi and K.D. Lett Photography are “Paranormal Partners of Advertising.”

HallowEast guides will be available at various Charleston businesses starting next week. Until then, visit www.HallowEast.com for all event details and tune into Electric 102.7 every Friday for exciting updates. The site includes online ticket sales, as well. (more…)

Another unique, eclectic business has opened on Charleston’s East End.

East End Main Street and the Charleston Area Alliance are joining Salon Indigo – which offers massages, pedicures, manicures and haircuts – to host a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. Aug. 31.

Mayor Danny Jones is scheduled to attend the event, which will showcase the remodeled and renovated facility at 1587 Washington St. East.

“I have always envisioned having my own business and wanted a location that was both diverse and artsy,” said Salon Indigo owner Stephanie Reese. “I would drive up and down Washington Street looking for potential locations, and I chose this one because I love that it’s an old, historic home. It has charm.

“I designed the salon with a modern edge, but this house is more than 100 years old,” Reese continued. “I wanted to add spice with modern fixtures within a historic space.”

Salon Indigo is a “neighborhood business that offers the amenities of an urban city,” Reese said. It offers quality products and focuses on plant-based ingredients for hair and skin care.

Reese said the salon is perfect for lunch-hour visits.

“We live in a busy world, and it’s important for my customers to save time,” she said. “I want to offer specialized services for Capitol workers. That’s the convenience of running a business on the East End. We are fortunate to have so much in one neighborhood.”

Salon Indigo will provide wine and hors d’oeuvres for the ribbon cutting.

Charleston’s East End would support a new grocery store, according to an East End Main Street feasibility study.

The East End, the market analysis says, is missing out on between $7 million and $10 million in revenue – a conservative estimate – by not having a full-service grocery store. A 20,000- to 25,000-square-foot store would be successful in the area.

“The grocery store idea has been a part of our outlook for quite some time,” said Ric Cavender, EEMS program director. “This analysis has confirmed residents’ desire to have a store on the East End, and now we can explore ways to make that happen.”

East End Main Street and its parent organization, the Charleston Area Alliance, today released the results of the feasibility study, conducted by the CLUE group out of Washington, DC and Urban Development Services out of San Antonio, Texas. EEMS hosted a public presentation Monday evening to announce the findings.

The EEMS Grocery Store Task Force this year hired Scott Day of Urban Development Services and Josh Bloom of CLUE to conduct neighborhood surveys and study buying patterns. The methodology included competitive analysis of existing food stores, analysis of sales potential, focus groups, assessment of potential sites, research on potential recruitment and consumer surveys. More than 800 people participated in surveys.

“We received an overwhelming response to the surveys, which were conducted both online and door-to-door,” Cavender said. “The consultants evaluated price points across the Charleston Metro region, buying power of the East End residents and shopping habits. This is a well-rounded, extensive study, and we are confident in the conclusions.”

At one time, the East End was home to two grocery stores, but both had closed by 2001. Foodland on Bigley Avenue and Capitol Market now are the nearest options.

“We’ve heard the demand for years,” said Alliance President and CEO Matt Ballard. “We hear about the need every day. This new data confirms it. A grocery store would be a boon for the East End economy and could spur growth in the area.”

According to the analysis, about 75 percent of grocery shopping trips made by East End residents are to stores outside of the East End area. It concludes many residents would opt to shop at East End stores, meaning current buying power justifies pursuing at least one grocery store for the region.

Several parcels in the area would be optimal sites for a store that serves the whole East End neighborhood and is walk-able for most East End residents and area employees, the study says. It suggests recruiting a “niche chain” grocery store and/or a business focused on organic foods.

“Because these two grocery stores concepts would be addressing different audiences, the two stores could be pursued separately or simultaneously,” the study says. (more…)

East End Main Street wants to share the results of a recent grocery store feasibility study with the public.

The EEMS Grocery Store Task Force hired Scott Day of Urban Development Services in San Antonio, Texas, and Josh Blood of CLUE Group in Washington, D.C., to conduct a district- and city-wide study and market analysis for a grocery store on Charleston’s East End.

They will present their findings at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Charleston Area Alliance, 1116 Smith St.

The public is invited to attend the presentation. Those interested in attending should RSVP no later than 10 a.m. Aug. 23 to DCoffman@CharlestonAreaAlliance.org.

Questions? Contact EEMS Program Director Ric Cavender at RCavender@CharlestonAreaAlliance.org or (304) 340-4253.

East End Main Street is conducting a feasibility study for a grocery store in the East End business district through the services of the CLUE group out of Washington, DC and Urban Development Services out of San Antonio, Texas.

The groups last week conducted a pair of focus groups for East End residents, but EEMS still welcomes information and insight regarding a grocery store.

Those unable to participate in the focus groups are invited to visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/TWW59TP and take a short survey by July 31.

“We want as much input as possible,” said EEMS Program Director Ric Cavender. “If an East End grocery store becomes a reality, we want it to serve the entire community. Therefore, we want feedback from the entire community.”