A Lexington County coffee brand is expanding again, but also cutting back.

Bart’s Crazy Good Coffee Shop, which operates shops in Chapin and Irmo in addition to its roasting operation, revealed via Facebook in mid-February that it is set to open a new location in the Ballentine area. As of press time, the location of that new shop wasn’t immediately clear.

The expansion comes with a corresponding constriction, however, as the shop recently announced that it will suspend operations at its original Chapin location, a move it hopes will be temporary.

“This is literally the hardest post I’ve had to make as the owner and operator of Bart’s Crazy Good Coffee Company,” Bart Baldwin posted Feb. 25 to his Chapin shop’s Facebook page. “Due to two major factors that we have no control over, we have had to make incredibly hard decisions regarding the future of our Chapin shop. A decision we didn’t settle on until the past day or two. The bottom line is that we will be suspending operations at our Chapin location in mid-March. Our last day of operation at the current location will be Friday, March 15th. Until then we will be operating with reduced hours Monday through Fridays, full days on Saturdays and Sundays.”

The move came the same day that the Irmo shop, which is located in a shopping center at 7949 Broad River Rd. and previously operated under different ownership as Tribal Coffee Co before Bart’s took it over last July, announced that it would temporarily operate with constricted hours.

“With every new opportunity comes challenges that must be overcome,” reads a Feb. 25 post to the Irmo shop’s Facebook “This applies to these next few weeks at Bart’s Crazy Good Coffee! While we are totally excited about the opportunity to expand to the Ballentine area, as well as the increased offerings that will happen at our Irmo location too, we have to get through the current phase of getting the new location operational.”

Those decreased hours (which will see the shop close on Mondays, and go from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday-Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, will remain in place through March 19. The shop will then resume its regular hours (8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday).

Until it shuts down, the Chapin location will also have reduced hours (7 a.m.-noon Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday). — JL

Haley falls to Trump in home state

Donald Trump came out on top in South Carolina's Republican Primary on Saturday, beating former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.

Haley held more campaign events in her home state (including multiple stops to Lexington County) than Trump did, according to reporting from The Associated Press, but South Carolinians still gave Trump 59.79% of the vote and Haley 39.52%.

During her visits to the county Haley touted about stopping carelessly giving money to other countries, stopping illegal immigration, plans for active military and veteran healthcare, denounced the possibility of raising federal minimum wage, among others

The margin was slightly closer in Lexington County.

The county saw 47,200 votes cast in Saturday's primary. Trump received 27,452 votes (58.10%), while Haley received 19,452 votes (41.21%), according to the state Election Commision.

Haley started her career in state politics in 2004, representing Lexington in the state House.

Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie received a combined 269 votes (0.58%). Other names on the ballot included David Stuckenberg and Ryan Binkley who received a combined total of 54 votes (0.11%). — BE and KK

Two municipalities add wraps to signal boxes

The town of Irmo and Irmo Future Growth recently unveiled their first wrapped signal box, sporting imagery of the town’s new branding, which was changed last year.

According to a Feb. 22 press release, the two entities have been working hand in hand to enhance the community's aesthetics and celebrate its local spirit. The first box is located at the intersection of St. Andrews Road and Lake Murray Boulevard close to Town Hall.

The release added that there are eight additional signal boxes that are in the pipeline to be transformed.

“These creatively adorned signal boxes go beyond their utilitarian function, serving as visual celebrations of Irmo's rich history and vibrant community spirit,” the release states. “The project is the result of a successful collaboration between the Irmo Future Growth Corporation, Sun Solutions, Kickstand Studio, and the Town of Irmo's rebranding initiative.”

The City of Cayce now has five new wrapped signal boxes highlighting its River Arts District. In a Facebook post from Feb. 16, the town said that this is the latest way that the city is integrating art into everyday life.

The wrapping on the boxes comes from local company Swatch Graphics.

“The weather is getting nicer, so walk down State Street and see the new look,” the business posted to Facebook. —  KK