Johns Island, once a sleepy rural community of ancient grand oaks and truck farms, is in transition. The core of the 84-square-mile island, once bypassed by beachgoers rushing to Kiawah or Seabrook islands, now is emerging as a bustling suburb with breweries, new restaurants, subdivisions with larger-than-city lots and apartment complexes — lots of apartment complexes.
In just the last decade, the population has doubled to almost 28,000 residents, making Johns Island among the fastest-growing communities in Charleston County.
Today’s Johns island, County Councilman Joe Boykin says, is like a cultural blender. New residents are being infused into the community, he said.
“And I think a lot of those folks enjoy a little bit of a slower pace, a little more of the hospitality that is the Lowcountry — like please and thank you and yes sir and no sir, kind of a thing. And they’ve got to love the food. I think there’s a lot going on.”
As the island matures, many wonder what’s lost — and what’s gained. They want to know how they fit into the growing community and how Johns Island fits into the larger area, too.
Community needs
Jessica Welenteichick, co-owner of Sunrise Bistro at what has become a primary hub of the island at Main Road and Maybank Highway, believes her locally-cherished breakfast diner has fulfilled a big need for the community over the last 15 years.
“Everyone needs somewhere in a small-town that’s theirs,” Welenteichick said on a recent morning over coffee. “They need somewhere to go — somewhere they are recognized, remembered, find friends or whatever they are looking for. They can find it here.”
Whether it’s the restaurant’s homemade biscuits, coffee bar or a table reserved every week, Welenteichick said her team tries to adapt to a customer’s wants and needs, especially its regulars. She also said the diner offers a place for local groups to hold community meetings other than the nearby Johns Island Library. Why? Because the community’s expansion is sparking a growing need among locals to discuss concerns and questions, such as the horrors of traffic, more people and the need for better services.
“Right now, it’s sort of organized chaos out here as we are all trying to figure out, ‘Where do we go? Where do we commune?’ ” she said. “I think that’s all happening right now — right in front of our face.”
Efforts are being made to address traffic issues by expanding the intersection at Main Road and Maybank Highway. That may affect parking and potentially the premises of long-established eateries like Sunrise Bistro and Blackbird Market.
“As a resident I’m concerned about the people — as a business owner, I want more people — so I’m divided,” Welenteichick said.“It’s your for-lifers, who have grown up here, born here and are seeing it change so much and not having a voice— that’s the biggest concern.”
“The community from the get-go wants it an island, and wants the feel of an island, and I think [some] people are fighting for that.”
Living legacies
Cherly Glover, an islander for 60 years, recalls rural Johns Island childhood in which she crossed two-laned roads to visit cousins or neighbors about a mile away. Hardly a car passed in sight, she remembered, adding that about 40% of the people she grew up with never left South Carolina. The biggest portion of them never much set foot off the island, she said.
“Those who are left are still trying to hold on to what they do have,” Glover said. “The legacy of the island is that they’ve always been there for each other.”
Glover, who is Black, describes the presence of her generation on Johns Island as “a speck of pepper in a bowl of salt,” in comparison to its newcomers. But people whose families have been there for generations are still there — at the heart of its community.
“I think it’s just a mutual understanding that I’ve always been here, and you’re a newcomer,” Glover said. “The benefit of all of this is going to be that we’re already one community, if we live as one community.”
Within the blend of the new and old on Johns Island, there’s a community firmly rooted in its historically rich Gullah Geechee heritage. Much of what Johns Island represents today draws upon legendary civil rights figure Esau Jenkins, grandfather to the Rev. DeMett Jenkins.
“Preservation is the key,” she told the Charleston City Paper. “The same way we can’t lose our Gullah Geechee culture, we can’t lose all the things that comprise that, and so if we just build over, nobody will know it was there.”
Jenkin suggests that people take time to learn Johns Island’s history, talk to natives and go to local events, including churches which have played a pivotal role in shaping John’s Island’s current identity.
“It’s an intentionality that you have to bring to say ‘I’m going to learn the area in which I live, I’m going to learn about the people here, the history,’ ” Jenkins said.
Significant historical milestones that occurred on Johns Island include the establishment of The Progressive Club in 1948 by Esau Jenkins to serve as a community center for rural Blacks for education, voter registration and civil rights activism. Islanders are now revitalizing it to make it as “a center of history and hope.” Another historical landmark, the Moving Star Hall, is an old-time praise house that links today’s generation to the past.
Farm-to-table culture
Wild Olive, a pioneering restaurant on Johns Island that opened in 2009, greets visitors with the embrace of live oak trees and delightful Italian aromas wafting from the kitchen.
“As a chef, being in the center of everything that I need to achieve greatness — the ocean, these wonderful farms — you just can’t beat it. It’s a chef’s dream to work here,” said Bradley Grozis, who has worked with Wild Olive for 15 years.
Johns Island is renowned for its rich agricultural heritage and generations of skilled farmers. And it is gradually starting to gain recognition for its newer food scene, too.
“What I love to do is take a classic Italian dish and utilize these beautiful local ingredients and turn it into something still Italian but special to John’s Island,” Grozis said. “As far as the ingredients go, you just can’t beat the freshness.”
Grozis attributes some of Wild Olive’s success over the years to its strong-sense of community between restaurants and farmers in the area.
John’s Island’s rich history, tight-knit community and thriving local businesses is evolving as it preserves its unique identity and charm. As the population grows and its heritage is revitalized, the island represents a true testament to resilience, unity and the enduring spirit of its people.
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