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Happy Valentines Day!

With Valentine’s Day love is on our minds—but not just the romantic kind! Today is the perfect reminder to celebrate all the little ways we show love in our families—from bedtime stories and pancake breakfasts to handwritten notes in lunchboxes and extra-tight hugs before school. Whether you're planning a special Valentine’s outing, crafting homemade cards with the kids, or just soaking in the everyday moments that make family life sweet, we hope today is filled with lots of love.

Don’t forget you can get free coffee this morning between 8-9:30am at Cafe de Fleur compliments of Ernest, The Dream Maker Agent and also meet the founder of Greater Things Learning Center to explore after school and hybrid homeschool options for your kids.

Click here if you’re still looking for weekend plans and want to see last week’s round up of all the Valentines and Galentines activities around town.

Don’t forget that this Thursday, the 20th, is Third Thursday downtown Summerville celebrating Catherine “Kitty” Springs, a successful woman of the late 1800s in spite of the obstacles of race and gender. She donated land to churches, schools, and health care for the disadvantaged. Read more about her story here. 

TO DO

Play at Azalea Park Children’s Discovery Garden

The Azalea Park Children's Discovery Garden in Summerville is a fun, hidden gem where kids can explore, play, and enjoy nature. Tucked inside Azalea Park, it’s a great spot for little ones to climb, jump, and let their imaginations run wild. There’s a small wooden play structure, stepping stones, interactive music pieces and cool sculptures, all surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers—especially in the spring. It’s a perfect place for families to slow down, get outside, and soak up some fresh air. Located right in downtown Summerville, it’s a peaceful little escape where kids can be kids.

This week, we checked it out, and my son had a blast exploring the park. We’re already planning to go back for picnics with friends or for a quiet outdoor activity when we need a break from the usual hustle. It’s the perfect mix of peaceful nature and playful fun, with scenic trails, blooming flowers, and ponds alongside interactive structures that spark kids’ imagination and movement. There’s lots of beautiful flowers blooming now ahead of spring, so it’s a perfect time to check it out!

You can find the Discovery Garden on the outskirts of Azalea Park, located next to Bethany United Methodist Church. The address for Azalea Park is 105 W 5th S St, Summerville. Read more about how the Garden came to be here. 

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LOCAL EVENT

The Inaugural Summerville Book Festival

This Saturday, February 15th, is Summerville’s first ever book festival! This will be an incredible event for the whole family to celebrate reading, and support authors and vendors. Many authors from around the low country will be there for meet and greets and to sell their books. You can get the full schedule here and see the map of special food and goods vendors below. Vendors will be set up from 9:30am-4:30pm in Hutchinson Square where there will also be many free exhibits and games for the family. Some of the other noteworthy events for kids and families during the event include:

• Build A Bookmark from 10am-1pm at the Public Works Art Center

• Children’s book readings from local authors from 9:30am-12pm. Includes six local authors of books like the award winning “Parker Discovers the Blues” and “When Fred The Snake and Friends Explore Charleston.”

RESTAURANT

New Restaurant Round Up

If you’re feeling like us, we’re having a hard time keeping up with all the new food spots opening in Summerville. We’re trying them as we can and look forward to doing full reviews in the future, but for now here’s a list of what’s opened so far this month (seriously, all in a couple weeks 🤯). We did have great experiences at Wakey Bakey, The Summit, and Biscuit Belly so far. If we missed one, shoot us an email so we can add it to our list to try.

Rotolo’s Craft and Crust Nexton

Rotolo’s opened up the last weekend in January and is off with a bang. Their restaurant offers a variety of pizza types including Detroit style pizza as well as burgers, wings, pastas, salads, soups and their famous cheese sticks.

📍 Location: 420 Cross Park Ln., Summerville
📍 Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm

Wakey Bakey Bagels Nexton

Wakey Bakey Bagels had their grand opening on Feb. 1st. They specialize in craft bagels with spreads and bagel sandwiches and coffees. Their sandwich options include classic bacon/sausage/egg/cheese combos and also include more interesting options like “The Lox” featuring smoked salmon, the Rueben, or the buffalo ranch chicken cutlet. Gluten free and vegan options available.

📍 Location: 1116 Metropolitan Ave., Summerville
📍 Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-3pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am-3pm

Summit Coffee Nexton

The Summit Coffee Shop opened on February 1st. They have a variety of coffees (including house made syrups) and pastries, as well as beer and wine offerings. They have other locations in Mt. Pleasant and Charleston and are excited to open their Summerville branch.

📍 Location: 408 Brighton Park Blvd. Suite 106, Summerville
📍 Hours: Monday-Friday 6am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday 7am-5pm

Kersey House

Opened on February 5th, Kersey House is a historic home in downtown Summerville that has been renovated to become a French Bistro and event space. Everyone who had tried it has had rave reviews so far. It’s owned by the Nico Group (also operates Laura in Summerville and other restaurants in the area). We recommend getting reservations if you want to give it a try!

📍 Location: 117 W. Luke Ave., Summerville
📍 Hours: Open daily 11am-8pm

Biscuit Belly

With a grand opening on February 7th, Summerville has a new biscuit spot in town. We feel a little but like we’re cheating on Vicious Biscuit, but thrilled to have a new breakfast spot downtown Summerville, especially with early opening hours. On the Biscuit Belly menu you can find biscuit sandwiches, other breakfast classics, lunch sandwiches, and kids options like mini biscuits and eggs.

📍 Location: 118 West Richardson Ave., Summerville
📍 Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30am-2pm, Saturday-Sunday 7:30am-3pm

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream

Bruster’s opened yesterday, February 13th, and is ready to serve their rotating menu of 24 flavors of ice cream, including non-dairy (oat milk) and sugar free options. All their ice cream is made fresh in store.

📍 Location: 143 Berkeley Circle Ste. 107, Summerville
📍 Hours: Open daily 12-9pm

Social Urban Bistro

Social Urban Bistro is a Cuban cafe serving Cuban sandwiches, picadillos, and empanadas. They opened on Wednesday, February 12th.

📍 Location: 820 Central Ave., Summerville
📍 Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 5-9pm

Coming Soon… La Chev 208

La Chev was a beloved French Bistro in Knightsville that closed and is now reopening at a new location in Summerville. They will offer an elegant indoor eating space as well as a relaxed backyard outdoor space. See their Facebook for updates about the grand opening and their menu. They are slated to open February 22nd.

📍 Location: 208 East 1st North Street, Summerville

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The Dream Maker Agent

3 Reasons to Buy a Home Before Spring

1. Less Competition from Other Buyers. The winter months tend to be quieter in the real estate market. Fewer people are actively looking for homes, which means you’ll likely face less competition when you make an offer. This makes the process feel less rushed and less stressful. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), homes sit on the market longer in winter compared to spring and summer

2. More Negotiating Power. With homes staying on the market longer, sellers may be more willing to negotiate. This can lead to better deals for you as a buyer, whether that means a lower price or added incentives, like sellers covering closing costs or making repairs. As Chen Zhao, an Economist at Redfin, points out: “. . . buying during the off season means less competition from other buyers. That means potentially negotiating a better deal.”

3. Lock in Today’s Prices Before They Rise. Historically, home prices tend to be at their lowest point in the winter months, too. According to data from NAR, home prices last year were at their lowest in January, February, and March — right before the spring buying season kicked in

Bottom Line: While spring may seem like the obvious time to buy, moving before the peak season can give you significant advantages, like less competition, more negotiation power, and lower prices. If you’re ready to explore your options, let’s connect.

-Ernest, Your Dream Maker Agent

PALMETTO PIECE

Five Family Friendly Valentines Activities

If you’re searching for festive ways to connect with your family and celebrate the holiday this weekend, here are five suggestions that can be put together last minute and are sure to create some great family memories:

1. Surprise Friends with Flowers/Candy: You probably know friends or family that are sick or in a tough season of life. Show your love by going as a family to do some porch drops offs of delicious desserts or beautiful bouquets.

2. Heart Shaped Pizzas: Buy the premade dough at Publix to shape in a heart and create your own pizzas, or try out the new Rotolo’s Craft & Crust and order a heart shaped pizza today. Pro tip: If you get a heart shaped pizza from a restaurant ask them not to cut it, it may arrive in a mess if it’s pre-cut.

3. Have a “Red Food” Snack or Dinner: Eat only red foods! Think pasta, apples, strawberries, salsa, etc.

4. Valentines Candy Relay Race: Gather your favorite Valentines candies (M&Ms, Red Hots, Conversation Hearts, etc.) and have some friendly competition with this Valentines Candy Relay Race.

5. Watch A Valentines Movie: Family friendly suggestions include Gnomeo & Juliet, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, Madly Madagascar, Enchanted, or Wish Dragon. Consider making a big comfy space in your living room or make a Valentines treat board to enjoy while you watch.

Love,

The Berks 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 

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