Lighting, public restrooms, more parking, pigeon relocation in plan

To paraphrase the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams": "If you build it, they will come."

That statement exemplifies the spirit and hopes Steve Varn and Hank Holliday have for the City Market. And since the structures already exist, one might be led to believe that half the work is done.

Not so, say the two men who collectively own several of the restaurants, hotels and office buildings that surround the City Market. Their ideal for the area that once served as the heart of the peninsula is some major revitalization.

"What we have today in the Market is a very good set of merchants working under adverse conditions," Holliday said.

Holliday and Varn are hoping to change that. In February, the city of Charleston picked its group, City Market Preservation Trust, from a small group of bidders competing to manage and improve the Market. Since then, they have been hammering out the legalities with the city and hope to close on it within the next month or so.

The plan Preservation Trust presented to the city at the time called for spending more than $2 million on upgrades, such as improved lighting, public bathrooms, interior and exterior design, increased parking and a fresh coat of paint. They also want to set up a mechanism to capture pigeons and take them elsewhere, so they don't interfere with commerce. The money would come from a municipal bond secured by the stream of income from the Market.

Of course, this is historic Charleston. Nothing can be changed without heavy approval from the proper boards and committees. But Holliday and Varn aren't looking to change the character of the sheds.

"We want it as authentically historic looking as possible and be brought back to a more authentic situation," Varn said. "We want to make it something Charleston can be proud of."

Holliday said it would be a "multimillion-dollar historical renovation" and that they plan to hold public meetings so residents can make suggestions and express their likes and dislikes.

They've also started traveling around the country to visit cities that have thriving public markets. So far, they've hit San Francisco, New York, Portland and Faneuil Hall in Boston. And while they've enlisted the help of local planners and architects for the revitalization project, they also have the benefit of world-renowned professionals such as David O'Neill, a Philadelphia-based consultant who has helped redesign markets everywhere from the French Market in New Orleans to projects in Africa and Russia.

One of Preservation Trust's major goals is to garner a mix of locals and tourists spending their money there.

The efforts seem to be appreciated by most Market vendors. James Island resident Jeanie Drucker has been selling her painted canvases, sand dollars and bricks there for 28 years, and is happy to know that someone wants to improve it.

"I think the biggest issue here is getting the locals back," she said. "They used to be a big part of the clientele. And I don't mean to sound snobby, but there's too many things being sold here that you can find at the mall. Some people need more exciting merchandise."

Drucker also mentioned that parking costs have risen to the point that people just don't want to park for the day and shop. She especially supports one of the ideas that stemmed from Preservation Trust to keep the Market open beyond 5 and 6 p.m., but to do that, better lighting would have to be installed, she said.

"The Market has lost a lot of its mystique. But I think the Market can rise again," she said. "It's Charleston's most popular free attraction."

Reach Sophia Rodriguez at 937-5538 or srodriguez@postandcourier.com.