By Holly Fisher

David Schuttenberg and Tina Heath-Schuttenberg, restaurateurs and owners of the popular Kwei Fei on James Island, plan to open a new Chinese restaurant concept after leasing a 3,063 square-foot suite at 128 Columbus St.

Leasing is picking up at Courier Square, a development at the corner of Meeting and Columbus streets in downtown Charleston. Charleston Commercial, which handles leasing for the property, has announced new tenants.  

David Schuttenberg and Tina Heath-Schuttenberg, restaurateurs and owners of the popularKwei Feion James Island, plan to open a new Chinese restaurant concept after leasing a 3,063 square-foot suite at 128 Columbus St. It will feature the foods of western China, specifically the province of Sichuan, known for dishes of vibrant color and piquant flavors. They are still working out the specific details, but the menu and space will be warm and modern. Both restaurants will operate under Always Awkward Hospitality. Kwei Fei started in 2017 as a pop-up concept and moved into a brick-and-mortar space four years ago. 

That kind of innovative thinking is what drew the couple to downtown Charleston and this project in particular.

“We’ve been really scrappy. We always try to think about things in unconventional ways,” explained Heath-Schuttenberg. Her background in retail and marketing has helped them think and act quickly. For example, Kwei Fei pivoted to a takeout model two days before the citywide pandemic shutdown in March 2020. That kind of innovative thinking is what drew the couple to downtown Charleston and this project in particular. “There are interesting things happening there,” she said. “We do things unconventionally. We want people to subscribe to the experience we’ve provided and that’s something you can do when you’re moving into a newer area.” They are building their restaurant vision from the ground up and anticipate opening in early 2023. 

Totality Medispais slated to open its Courier Square location in July. The medical spa has another location on Daniel Island. Charleston Commercial is also in negotiations with an Atlanta restaurant group to anchor the 6,305-square-foot corner restaurant suite. Nick Maylander, project lead for the leasing at Courier Square, said he hopes to make an announcement on that restaurant project soon. The project also houses the headquarters for Greystar Real Estate Partners and the fully occupied luxury apartment complex,The Guild.That leaves just two 1,500-square-foot retail suites available for lease and according to Maylander there’s been quite a bit of interest in those. “We took over the Courier Square retail leasing forGreystarlate last summer, and at the time, roughly 80 percent of the 19,000 square feet of retail space was vacant,” he added. “We spent the remainder of 2021 fine-tuning our marketing strategy and have seen a strong uptick in interest ever since the beginning of this year. Courier Square is quickly becoming the hottest part of town for new hotels, apartments, retail, and office space." 

About Charleston Commercial

Charleston Commercial is a fully integrated commercial real estate group located in Charleston, S.C., specializing in commercial brokerage and asset management for a wide range of property types, including retail, medical office, office, multi-family, hospitality, urban infill, and industrial properties. The firm offers a broad range of incorporated services to see assignments through from start to finish. Services range from market prospecting, acquisition, value creation (including entitlements, zoning, approvals, and development oversight), leasing, asset management, and disposition. Reach Charleston Commercial at 843-670-5727.