Newton plans to expand, hospitably

Tradd Newton beams, holding aloft a handsome sterling silver cup. Agreeably tarnished, it's the Grand Prize trophy of the 1937 Rhododendron Baby Parade, a gift from his mother on the occasion of his having purchased a mountain home with friends.

"I have this weird infatuation with sterling silver, especially vintage trophies," says Newton, relaxing at home on a clear, sun-splashed day. "I've collected 20 or so, which are displayed around the house. I'm not entirely sure why I like them so much, but I do."

Nestled by a fairway on the 15th hole of the Charleston Country Club, the home Newton shares with his wife of 18 years, Weesie, and their three children also is distinguished by an impressive collection of works by Charleston artists, many of whose studios Newton cavorted in as a kid.

It's only fitting. Newton, only son of Buzzy Newton of Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. fame, is as attached to the Holy City heart and soul. And just now, things couldn't be better for the budding hospitality industry wiz, owner of Fleet Landing restaurant and the Vendue Suites B&B.

It's a trophy life.

Newton and Weesie jumped into the deep end of hospitality pool with little or no preamble, but have enjoyed a level of success that has them pondering further expansion of their firm Newton Holdings.

"After college, I spent a year in Aspen before going to work for our family's business, Piggly Wiggly, and during that time we acquired McCrady's restaurant," Newton says. "The reins of that were given over to me. I had always had an interest in hotels and restaurants, but in the process of reinventing McCrady's in the mid-'90s I was bit by the bug."

He succeeded almost immediately, transforming McCrady's into a AAA Four Diamond restaurant. The company sold McCrady's about a year after Newton left Piggly Wiggly to forge an independent career out of his father's shadow.

"I wasn't a desk guy. That was the hard part of the corporate world for me. Although it was a great opportunity to have as a young person, I needed to go a little beyond that, and my father was such a strong presence in creating and developing the Piggly Wiggly business that it was a little intimidating at times. He was a tough act to follow."

The division of responsibility between Newton and his wife is clear cut.

"We handle everything together, but I'm not the numbers guy. You could say I'm more the front of the house and she's back of the house. She handles the financials. It was not her background, but it became her background."

Read more about Newton in Saturday's High Profile and on postandcourier.com.