Businessman to expand Bojangles in Charleston

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The economy is suffering, but that hasn't stopped Charlotte businessman Kevin Archer from his plans to open three new Bojangles restaurants in Charleston next year and another in 2010.

Archer's company, K-Bo Inc. , owns 17 of the fast-food chicken restaurants in the Greater Charlotte area. He will open his 18th one Tuesday in Hildebran, west of Charlotte. Archer plans to open the first one in the Charleston area in March at Folly Road and Hunley Avenue on James Island.

Others are planned over subsequent four-month intervals for Johns Island, Mount Pleasant and downtown. Archer said the company is negotiating for their locations.

The Charleston area already boasts three corporate-owned Bojangles in North Charleston and West Ashley.

Archer said he is planning the restaurants despite the struggling economy because he believes the Charleston market has been underserved by the Bojangles brand. Same-store sales at corporate-owned Bojangles have grown month over month for more than five straight years, he said.

Bojangles has commitments for 300 new stores over the next five years in addition to transactions with new franchisees.

Archer said each 4,000-square-foot store will represent investments between $2 million and $5 million, depending on the location. They will hire on average 35 employees each. "We feel good about Charleston," Archer said. "We think it will be a home run for us."

Food line

The Centre Pointe shopping area of North Charleston around Tanger Outlet Center continues to add new businesses. A 440-seat Golden Corral buffet-style restaurant will open Jan. 1 with 180 employees, said Ed Rowland, general manager.

The all-you-can-eat restaurant already has hired 150 people. "We have seen over 1,500 applications," he said.

Employee training started Sunday, and the restaurant at 4968 Centre Pointe Drive will conduct dry runs between Christmas and New Year's Day, he said.

Rowland does not see the sputtering economy as a factor in opening a restaurant during economic upheaval. "With the value that we offer, it's not going to be that bad," he said.

The restaurant sits beside Jim N Nick's Barbeque, which opened earlier this month.

Old threads

As more affluent shoppers fill their shopping carts with less expensive items in the hard-pressed economy, Amanda Rosen hopes her new Butterfly Women's Consignment shop in Mount Pleasant will be on their list of places to save money. Rosen opened the high-end consignment shop at 624-H Long Point Road in Belle Hall Shopping Center last week as a tonic for the retail doldrums.

"Our business relies on knowledgeable consumers who seek high fashion at affordable prices," said Rosen, who also owns Victoria's, a high-end consignment store in Mount Pleasant.

Seventy-four percent of members of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops recently reported average October and November sales increases of nearly 35 percent over last year.

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