A restaurateur who has racked up impressive accolades in the Charleston dining scene has a new project underway in New Orleans that’s out to bring new life to a compelling address in Faubourg St. John.

Brooks Reitz and his business partners plan to open the Bell at 3125 Esplanade Ave. It’s slated to open in late spring (though likely not in time for Jazz Fest, held nearby).

That was most recently a restaurant, called the Post, which lasted just a few months before closing last year. Prior to that it was the pizza spot Nonna Mia for more than a decade.

The building is a picture book-cute cottage settled in a cluster of other neighborhood businesses, and one that draw much local speculation over what could come here next.

Reitz is well known in Charleston for his restaurants, which focus on classic American, Southern and Italian flavors respectively; though in New Orleans the Bell will be drawn up differently from those earlier projects.

Reitz said the Bell will be “a neighborhood restaurant with an English accent.”

The design inside will be along the lines of a cozy pub, but don’t start picturing pub fare like fish and chips and shepherd’s pie.

“We don’t want to open an English pub, but the idea is to take some inspiration from some of our favorite places in England, and filter that through a sensibility of where we are, which is New Orleans,” Reitz said.

“I’ve had some of the best meals of my life in England, the food is simple, seasonal and super delicious, that’s the guiding principle here,” he said.

It will be casual enough for anytime visits, and Reitz hopes it will fill a niche between the other restaurants around it.

Rietz operates three restaurants in close proximity in downtown Charleston: Leon’s Oyster Shop, Little Jack’s Tavern and Melfi’s.

Little Jack’s Tavern, home of a much-loved burger, made the national lists of best new American restaurants from Southern Living and Bon Appetit after its debut in 2016.

Leon’s, which has a specialty in fried chicken, oysters, whole fish and Champagne, was a nominee for the James Beard award for outstanding hospitality in 2020. Melfi’s, the newest of the bunch, is an Italian restaurant for fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza.

Bringing an English concept to New Orleas comes in part through Rietz’s business partners, Tim Mink and Andrew Bell, who each have close family ties to England and who each now live in New Orleans. The Esplanade Avenue property itself and its neighborhood setting sealed the deal, Reitz said.

The homey cottage-like building still retains some of the layout of a old home, with small dining rooms finished with ornate woodwork, stained glass and a wrap-around porch overlooking a large, gated patio.

“I’m so excited to do this, New Orleans is such an awesome town, and I see a lot of similarities to Charleston, I’ve felt at home there,” Reitz said.

The Bell will be open daily.

The Bell

3125 Esplanade Ave., projected opening late spring 2024

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A once-prominent fixture on the Charleston retail scene for nearly 150 years is returning.

Clothing store Grady Ervin & Co. will launch the sale of several products from the iconic Luden’s outdoors apparel brand during the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition Feb. 16-18.

Chip Ervin, owner of the 313 King St. haberdashery, secured a license agreement with the Butler family, which owns the Luden’s name, to market hats, T-shirts and other items featuring the company’s logo.

“We are bringing back an iconic label that’s been lying in wait,” the shop owner said. “It’s kind of a passion project for all of us.”

Ervin, who shopped at Luden’s long before Grady Ervin’s opened in 1995, also stressed the brand’s return is not a temporary pop-up shop.

“It’s meant to be a continued relationship to reintroduce the Luden’s brand for those who knew what it was and for those who haven’t been exposed to it,” Ervin said. “We are just trying to recapture the nostalgia of it and keep it in the spotlight.”

Luden’s closed its store on Alexander Street in 2009, but the owners kept the trademarked name and even set up a small online presence to maintain the name’s viability, according to Barre Butler, whose parents, Sheila and the late Herbert Butler, bought the Luden’s retail enterprise in 1964.

“We kept a very quiet website that had a very few products on it just in case the trademark situation came up,” Barre Butler said.

Ervin reached out to Butler about two years ago to sell some Luden’s products in his store. After further discussion, Butler said, “The timing was right,” to bring back the brand.

“Luden’s has always been about the trademark on quality goods,” Butler said. “We have been trying to replicate the original trademark without changing anything.”

Besides hats, T-shirts and a few other Luden’s branded products, customers will find other classic items such as canvas tote bags and koozies.

“Everybody loved the T-shirts and tote bags,” Butler said.

It’s too early to say if the Luden’s venture in Ervin’s store will translate into a full-scale retail shop once again, but Butler isn’t ruling anything out.

“Everything is a possibility,” he said. “We have no unrealistic expectations. We want to see how well Luden’s is remembered and wanted.”

Luden’s, which provides an initial startup date of 1867 shortly after the Civil War, had its first documented location at the northwest corner of East Bay and Queen streets before moving to 156-158 East Bay.

Started by William Luden as the J.J.W. Luden Co., the store served as a ship chandlery, offering supplies to the port’s seafarers such as rigging, ropes, tar, pitch, lanterns, fresh and cured meat, vegetables and preserved foodstuffs.

The business changed with the times, becoming a wholesale and retail marine supply store after World War II. It eventually evolved into a clothing store for the outdoor enthusiast and the office worker, offering silk ties and button-downs as well as cotton belts, camouflage boots and foul-weather gear.

In 1964, the aging owners, descendants of William Luden, sold the business to Herbert J. Butler, who bought the then-defunct S.C. Electric & Gas plant at the corner of Concord and Charlotte streets the following year. In 1970, he moved Luden’s into part of the former power plant.

Just before the turn of the century, Luden’s moved again to 78 Alexander St., where it operated for a decade before closing in May 2009 and ending a 142-year run.

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There's a school of architects and urban planners who support allowing more housing in existing neighborhoods, if new structures are similar in size and appearance to existing single-family houses. Call it the “compatibility school.” They support rule changes that generally allow for somewhere between two to six units to be built on sites with roughly the same footprint as single-family houses in the same neighborhoods.

This approach can deliver beautiful new homes in highly desirable locations. But it hasn’t proven to be a way to deliver a significant amount of new housing.

Charleston, S.C., provides perhaps the country’s best example of historic development patterns that are successfully accommodating compatible infill projects. In fact, prominent architects from the compatibility school were involved in shaping the land-use restrictions that are in place in Charleston today.

Charleston’s pattern of tall “single houses” on narrow lots provides a development pattern of around eight large houses per acre. Often these large houses are split up into smaller apartments, leading to higher unit density.

New construction blends seamlessly into Charleston’s historic patterns. Many of the buildings on the peninsula predate the car, offering a walkable development pattern. Flexible rules allow for new lots to be added to alleys on existing blocks, creating whole new streets and added interest for passersby who can view layers of houses and subtropical gardens while also increasing the number of households that can support neighborhood retail.

Even under Charleston’s relatively dense baseline zoning, some of its most celebrated new construction happens under planned unit developments, a planning tool that allows flexibility, but which often comes at the cost of extended delays and uncertainty. The city’s much-vaunted Catfiddle Alley is one such example. It includes relatively small, mostly three-story structures that all look like houses, but many of them include more than one unit. Its density is an impressive 40 units per acre.

While Charleston is gorgeous, it’s no model of affordability. This is due to many factors, including a spike in demand for both primary residences and vacation homes. But its regulations don’t help either. Projects on the peninsula must go through a long and uncertain review by the city’s Board of Architectural Review. This may be one source of the high quality of architecture that makes the city a darling for urban planners, residents and tourists. But this review, combined with a shortage of space where large multifamily projects can be built, contributes to serious housing supply and affordability challenges.

The Charleston model is not delivering a lot of housing, but it does show that new construction can contribute to beloved historic neighborhoods that already offer the benefits of urban, walkable living. The recent trend of moving away from single-family zoning applies an approach akin to Charleston’s — allowing new construction of a similar scale to existing buildings — in places that lack its pattern of walkable urbanism. In general, these reforms are not facilitating construction proportionate to the level of public debate and controversy they have caused.

Minneapolis and Arlington County, Va., have both recently adopted “missing middle” zoning reforms. This policy, shaped by the compatibility school, allows multiple units within house-scale structures in neighborhoods previously zoned for exclusively single-family zoning. Relative to Charleston, single-family houses in Arlington or Minneapolis sit on large yards. They have deep front and side lawns separating them from their streets and from their neighbors. This space contributes to quiet and privacy, but it also reduces the walkability of these neighborhoods by creating longer distances and dead space for someone on foot to traverse between destinations. It also prevents much neighborhood retail due to low population density.

Allowing a few more units to be built in this type of house-scale structure can offer cost savings to potential residents. But it also asks them to trade off space and privacy without getting the benefits of walkability that a place like Charleston offers. Allowing smaller units within the scale of a typical U.S. single-family neighborhood is never going to get close to the density of Catfiddle Alley.

Outside of their single-family zoning reforms, both Minneapolis and Arlington have been national standouts for permitting large numbers of big apartment buildings. In both places, rents are more affordable than in peer cities, in part due to this multifamily construction. One new apartment building in either locality may exceed its number of missing-middle units permitted in a year.

Debates over replacing single-family zoning with missing-middle zoning galvanize both supporters and opponents of new housing supply. It’s possible that on balance, raising the prominence of zoning in local policy debates will ultimately fuel awareness of the need to allow housing to be built, providing support for other reforms that result in serious levels of new construction. But there’s no way around it, reforms that lead to ample new construction will result in more built square footage in addition to more units.

In an exciting Coastal Athletic Association showdown, the Charleston Cougars (18-7, 9-3 CAA) are set to clash with the Northeastern Huskies (10-15, 5-7). This game, taking place on February 15th at 6:00 PM, pits two teams against each other with contrasting fortunes this season. The Cougars, riding high in second place in their conference, face off against a Huskies squad looking to climb the standings. With both teams eager to assert their dominance, this matchup promises to be a battle of tempo and tenacity.

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The Charleston Cougars (18-7, 9-3) have solidified their standing as a formidable force within the Coastal Athletic Association, holding a commendable second place. Their recent triumph over Drexel, clinching an 80-70 home victory, underscores Charleston's offensive might, which propels them forward with an average of 80.9 points per game, ranking them 34th nationally. Despite challenges in shooting accuracy with a field goal percentage of 43.7 (246th nationally) and a three-point percentage of 32.4 (252nd nationally), the Cougars have excelled in rebounding, pulling down 40.6 boards per game. This rebounding prowess, coupled with their scoring ability, showcases their balanced attack and resilience in overcoming shooting woes.

Defensively, the Cougars navigate rough waters, allowing 74.6 points per game, positioning them at 264th nationally. Their defensive field goal percentage sits at 44.3 (228th nationally), hinting at vulnerabilities that opponents might exploit. However, Charleston counters these challenges with a strategic emphasis on rebounding and a disciplined approach to defense, illustrated by their capacity to limit second-chance points and control the game's pace. Ante Brzovic emerges as a key figure in this strategy, leading with an average of 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, underscoring his pivotal role in both offensive and defensive plays.

Charleston's journey this season is a testament to their tenacity and strategic gameplay. Players like CJ Fulton, who leads with 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and James Scott, dominating with an 84.5 shooting percentage and 1.3 blocks per game, reflect the depth and versatility of the Cougars' roster. Their collective effort and strategic focus on rebounding, coupled with a high-scoring offense, position them as a formidable opponent in the Coastal Athletic Association, ready to leverage their strengths in upcoming matchups.

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The UNC Asheville Bulldogs (18-9, 10-2 Big South) will look to build on a four-game winning streak when they host the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (8-16, 4-7 Big South) on February 17, 2024 at Kimmel Arena.

On Wednesday, in its last game, UNC Asheville topped Presbyterian 71-69. With 16 points, Josh Banks was its top scorer. Charleston Southern dropped its previous game to Gardner-Webb, 85-77, on Wednesday. A’Lahn Sumler was its leading scorer with 25 points.

When is UNC Asheville vs. Charleston Southern and when does it start?

This matchup between the Bulldogs and Buccaneers is set to start on Saturday, February 17, 2024. You should expect the opening tip at 4:30 PM ET.

The Bulldogs and Buccaneers will take to the floor at Kimmel Arena for this matchup on February 17, and if you’d like to catch the matchup live, get your tickets now from Vivid Seats!

You can catch this game live on ESPN+.

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UNC Asheville Bulldogs vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers Game Preview

UNC Asheville averages 80.4 points per game (43rd in college basketball) while giving up 74.0 per outing (241st in college basketball). It has a +173 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 6.4 points per game.

The 80.4 points the Bulldogs average are 5.4 more than the Buccaneers allow.

UNC Asheville connects on 8.1 three-pointers per game (111th in college basketball) while shooting 37.4% from beyond the arc (27th in college basketball). It is making 2.1 more threes per outing than its opponents, who drain 6.0 per game while shooting 31.5%.

The Bulldogs are posting 86.0 points per game in home games. On the road, they are averaging 76.4 points per contest.

In its last 10 games, UNC Asheville has been scoring 76.7 points per contest, an average that’s a little lower than the 80.4 it has scored over the course of the 2023-24 season.

Charleston Southern has been outscored by 5.3 points per game (posting 69.7 points per game, 286th in college basketball, while allowing 75.0 per outing, 271st in college basketball) and has a -128 scoring differential.

The Buccaneers average 69.7 points, only 4.3 fewer than the Bulldogs give up.

Charleston Southern hits 6.9 three-pointers per game (229th in college basketball), 1.3 more than its opponents.

At home the Buccaneers are putting up 76.8 points per game, 14.1 more than they are averaging away (62.7).

Charleston Southern is averaging 69.1 points per game over its previous 10 games, which is 0.6 fewer points than its average for the season (69.7).

And for more CBB game previews, NCAA basketball picks or even how to bet on college basketball check out the latest NCAAB lines on Betsperts.

written by

Brian is just a regular guy whose first passion was sports. He's either been playing, watching, now working in, and recreationally betting on sports for over 30 years. His favorite sports to bet are Football (NFL/NCAAF), College Basketball, and the NASCAR Cup Series. In addition to being a content contributor here at Bleacher Nation, Brian co-hosts the Angle of Pursuit Nascar Betting Podcast , & is also the FantasyLifeApp breaking news moderator/manager.