Blackwells Corner Breaks Ground, Bringing Hanahan’s Long-Awaited Town Center Closer to Reality

The roughly 40,000-square-foot mixed-use project will bring locally focused dining, retail, offices and community gathering space to the former Blackwells Hardware site

Hanahan’s long-discussed vision for a true town center is officially moving from plans into construction.

City leaders and developers broke ground on Blackwells Corner on Sept. 10, marking a major milestone for the mixed-use project planned at 1279 Yeamans Hall Road, the former home of Blackwells Hardware.

When complete, Blackwells Corner is expected to bring roughly 40,000 square feet of restaurants, retail, fitness, salons and office space across six new buildings, alongside the existing TideLine Aquatics storefront. The plan centers the project around a community event lawn, covered outdoor dining areas and pedestrian-friendly gathering spaces designed for year-round programming.

For a city that has long lacked a traditional downtown district, Blackwells Corner is being positioned as more than another commercial development.

A town center Hanahan has wanted for years

The City of Hanahan has described the site as one of the community’s natural crossroads, and resident feedback helped shape the project’s emphasis on walkability, local businesses and public gathering space.

Mayor Christie Rainwater has said the development is intended to create the kind of recognizable sense of place residents have been requesting while bringing new opportunities for businesses and families.

That makes Blackwells Corner a different kind of project from a typical suburban shopping center.

Instead of building around a large parking lot and national chains, the development is being organized around streetscape-style buildings, patios, plazas and shared community space.

The Blackwells name carries decades of Hanahan history

The project’s name is not new.

Blackwells Hardware operated at the site for more than 75 years before closing in early 2025. Developers chose to preserve the Blackwells name as a link between the property’s history and what comes next.

That history is part of the identity the development team is trying to maintain as the corner changes.

Rather than erase what was there, Blackwells Corner is being designed as a new community hub built around a name generations of Hanahan residents already recognize.

The first tenants are already taking shape

Blackwells Corner’s first wave of businesses gives a clearer picture of what the development is supposed to become.

The announced lineup includes:

• Untitled Pizza Co., a wood-fired pizza concept from chef Jalen Reeves
• Kudu Coffee & Wine, expanding beyond its downtown Charleston location
• Pineapple House Boutique, opening a second location
• A new Italian mercato and wine bar from Cane Pazzo chef Mark Bolchoz

The tenant mix is notable because it leans heavily toward locally rooted operators rather than national chains.

That appears to be intentional.

Blackwells Corner’s development team has said it wants businesses that give Hanahan residents the kind of local options they have been asking for, rather than filling the project with interchangeable chain concepts.

Mark Bolchoz is building a larger Hanahan footprint

One of the more interesting pieces of the tenant lineup is the forthcoming concept from Mark Bolchoz, the chef behind Cane Pazzo.

His Blackwells Corner space is planned as an Italian mercato and wine bar with a working pastificio, where fresh pasta will be produced on-site. The operation is expected to support Cane Pazzo and other hospitality projects in the area while also offering retail products, wine and dining experiences.

That gives Blackwells Corner a connection to a broader hospitality cluster already developing around Hanahan and nearby Remount Road.

Bolchoz is also behind Reenie’s, the old-world tavern planned for the former Dashi space, meaning several of his projects will sit within a relatively tight radius of one another.

More than shops and restaurants

Blackwells Corner is also being designed around community programming.

Plans call for the central event lawn and public spaces to support markets, live music, festivals and other year-round events.

That matters because Hanahan’s growth has outpaced the number of places where residents can gather outside of schools, parks and traditional shopping centers.

If the project works as intended, Blackwells Corner could become a place where dining and shopping are only part of the draw.

The development team

Blackwells Corner is led by Chuck Woodward, working alongside Michael Sivel and Jennifer Rinella.

The project team also includes:

Land planning: SeamonWhiteside
Architecture: Bello | Garris Architects
Construction: Hill Construction

Together, the team is building a project meant to establish a more recognizable downtown identity for Hanahan while preserving some of the character associated with the original site.

When will Blackwells Corner open?

The City of Hanahan’s project announcement lists a projected grand opening in fall 2027.

Blackwells Corner’s own website currently shows some conflicting older timeline entries ranging from spring to summer 2027, so the city’s more recent fall 2027 projection is the safest timeline to use for now.

As with any active development project, that target could shift as construction and tenant buildouts progress.

What is no longer uncertain is whether the project is moving forward.

The ceremonial groundbreaking has happened, the first tenants have been announced, and Hanahan’s long-discussed town center is now officially entering its construction phase.

What to know

Project: Blackwells Corner
Address: 1279 Yeamans Hall Rd., Hanahan
Size: Approximately 40,000 square feet
Groundbreaking: Sept. 10, 2026
Current opening target: Fall 2027
Uses: Restaurants, retail, fitness, salons, offices and community gathering space
First announced tenants: Untitled Pizza Co., Kudu Coffee & Wine, Pineapple House Boutique and a new Italian mercato/wine bar from Mark Bolchoz

For Hanahan, this is not just another development replacing an old property.

It is an attempt to create the kind of walkable, locally focused downtown gathering place the city has never really had — while carrying the Blackwells name into its next chapter.