Louis Vuitton bags space at Charleston Place

Unlike, say, Saks Fifth Avenue, luxury retailer Louis Vuitton isn't going out of its way to trumpet its debut in downtown Charleston. But the signs of the French chain's forthcoming arrival are there nonetheless — literally.

A stretch of ground-floor windows along the King Street side of Charleston Place were recently boarded over with what essentially are stylish black billboards for the 153-year-old company, asking passers-by to "pardon our appearance." The store would be Louis Vuitton's first in South Carolina.

As previously reported by The Post and Courier, Louis Vuitton is taking over spaces formerly occupied by fashion retailer Express and Dazzles jewelry boutique.

Construction crews were busy upfitting the interior Wednesday for what is expected to be a late summer opening, according to a Charleston Place employee.

Famous for its pricey trademark handbags, Louis Vuitton is part of the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton stable of retailers, which includes Givenchy, Fendi, Emilio Pucci and Marc Jacobs. The parent company made headlines this week after a French court ordered eBay Inc. to pay about $61 million to the high-end fashion outfit because of counterfeit goods sold on eBay's auction site.

Paris-based Vuitton is entering the fray for affluent shoppers amid fairly tough economic conditions with other high-end Charleston Place tenants, such as Gucci and St. John.

Taubman Co. , which leases the commercial space at the hotel and shopping complex, said on its Web site that Vuitton would be coming "soon" to 203 King St. The retailer itself makes no mention of a Holy City store in its online locator. Also, the retailer did not reply to an e-mail Wednesday, and the only telephone number listed for its U.S. headquarters in Manhattan greeted callers with a busy signal all day.

A Charleston Place executive did not respond to a request for comment.

Filling a void

Coffee and doughnuts are in store

to re-energize a long-vacant corner space at Meeting and Pinckney streets, formerly home to a string of formal dining establishments. Dunkin' Donuts operator Coastal Franchising is renovating the room for its 10th location in the Charleston region

The expansion-minded company is shooting for a late July or early August opening, said George Ross, chief executive. "It certainly doesn't have a drive-through," Ross quipped. "But as you know, there are 5 million tourists a year in Charleston, and even if we only get 4 million tourists this year, we're certainly hoping we can attract a few of those."

He also said the central downtown location draws its fair share of commercial traffic, including fellow tenants at 200 Meeting St. The corner spot has been vacant since Mo Sussman's Steakhouse abruptly closed in July 2006. It previously housed Upstream and Louis's Restaurant and Bar.

Reach John McDermott at 937-5572 or jmcdermott@postandcourier.com.