While the changes have frustrated some regulars, at least one business within the building said the new policy was overdue and that some patrons have been pleasantly surprised.
“Our customers have had no problem finding parking over the past three days,” said Laran D’eustachio, managing director of Stella Nova and part owner of Barrelli Barber, both operating at The Cigar Factory. “I’m looking outside at the parking lot at 3 p.m. and there are so many spaces — you don’t normally see that this time of day. It’s been an eye-opener.”
She added that the Cigar Factory owners, which includes Charleston Mayor William Cogswell family’s WECCO Development, were accommodating and allowed Stella Nova to offer customers 90 minutes of free parking, as salon appointments often take hours.
D’eustachio also said at least one of her regulars expressed frustration at the hourly cost.
Representatives from The Cigar Factory did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over at Rappahannock Oyster Bar, which occupies a corner space, general manager Samuel LaCour agreed that parking regulations were overdue.
“People were staying six, seven, sometimes eight hours at Mercantile and Mash and some others were just leaving their cars and exploring the rest of Charleston,” said LaCour, adding that it was still too recent a development to notice any shifts in customer behavior.
The Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay St. is enforcing new parking rules with one hour of complimentary parking for customers and nearly $7 per hour for additional time.
The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which operates Mercantile & Mash and The Cedar Room event space, said in a written a statement that eventgoers will still park free for events booked for the space.
“We are doing what we can to help our guests have a clear understanding of the process so they can make the most of their visit,” a company spokesperson said.
The Cigar Factory started as a cotton mill built in 1881. It survived the devastating earthquake of 1886. In 1903, the American Cigar Co. leased the building. Johnson & Wales University in 1980 started offering culinary arts classes in part of the building. The school moved out of Charleston in 2006. In 2014, Cigar Factory Development LLC paid about $24.18 million for the property, which required extensive renovations.
