Streetscape improvements in an historic tourist city a second visit to King Street, Charleston, South Carolina

“King Street, like people, after years of use and abuse, has developed wrinkles in its face. It's time for a facelift” (The Post and Courier, November 17, p. B1). Such was the sentiment, several years ago, of Charleston, South Carolina merchants as they considered their historic main street. This paper, second in a series, follows the progress of the King Street revitalization project undertaken by the City of Charleston as it strives to maintain its downtown's attractiveness. The current views of the city's merchants, based upon a survey exercise conducted mid-project, provide useful feedback to the city, but of broader importance, provide valuable lessons for other historic tourist cities striving to preserve their urban retail core.