Category Archives: Swamp Rabbit Trail

Mauldin: An Emerging Community

For the past year it has been a pleasure for us to learn more about the city of Mauldin. Given that Mauldin has never had an actual main street or “downtown” area, it has an extraordinary 61% population growth since 2000! One of the challenges is how can Mauldin provide the growing residents and visitors a thriving environment of culture, business, and activities.
One of the things we’ve learned is George Patrick, Administrator, Office of Cultural Affairs has been diligently working to promote provide artistic and cultural activities to continually develop a more energetic community. As we spoke with George, it was evident that all the avenues were explored including bench-marking other municipalities and their growth plans. You can read more about Mauldin’s Downtown Master Plan here: Master Plan.  However, he wanted an additional component, a grassroots community driven ideas for input into their strategic plans.

mauldin-city-center-45

Beer and Napkins provided the platform where both residents and visitors delivered their input at the July 21st and August 5th idea events.  George shared with the group about the underdeveloped spaces behind Chicora Alley and the Cultural Center ripe for ideas. He also shared with the group about plans for connecting with the Swamp Rabbit.

Many ideas ranging from open air cafes, interactive art displays, to pubs, breweries, and high end shopping were mentioned. Additionally, the #MauldinEdge was born representing both the spirit of progress of Mauldin and where the hub sits on the edge of the crossroads formed by 107 [East Butler Road] intersecting with 276 & the railroad.

You can review, add, and vote on these ideas here: https://beerandnapkins.imaginethat.io/mauldinedge

Through these community idea generation events two key themes emerged: a center hub where guests can interact with each other and art and a walkable, connected city.

At our September 1st Event we will developing short-term and long-term recommendations to support these two key themes.  Join us at the Turtle Shell, September 1st at 6:30pm for a fun and engaging community event! RSVP Meetup Here: #MauldinEdge: The Final Session

George, Tony, and I look forward to seeing you Tuesday!

Phil McCreight, Founder Beer and Napkins

#MauldinEdge : The Final Session

MauldinEdge_Final

Date: September 1st, 6:30 pm  Location: The Turtle Shell 

RSVP here:  #MauldinEdge Meetup 

We have explored a number of ideas in our last few sessions and we are on our way to establishing a number of vitalizing game plans!

At our last event at the Turtle Shell, we will be narrowing down the collective input into from our last session into 2-3 “Themes / Goals” for the community (e.g. “walkability”, “local flavor”, etc) and establish 1-3 short term and long term recommendations for each of them.

Even though you may have not attended the earlier sessions your input is still desired!

We are continuing to collect ideas so please vote, add to our#MauldinEdge idea stream!

https://beerandnapkins.imaginethat.io/mauldinedge


Appetizers will be served. Food and drinks available for purchase.

For questions please contact [email protected]m or [email protected]

MauldinEdge: Round II – A Community Based Idea Session Moving the Mauldin Crossroads Forward

Wednesday, August 5th, 6:30pm – 9:30pm The Turtle Shell Grill & Bar
306 N Main St, Mauldin, SC

Sign up here  http://www.meetup.com/Greenville-Beer-and-Napkins-Community-of-Growth/events/224132739/

Beer and Napkins will be stimulating creativity in Mauldin, South Carolina! DiMauldin-Round-IIverse group of Thinkers and Doers Wanted!

We had a great event on Tuesday July 21st. Attendees brainstormed ideas around two challenges.

• What should we see when we walk (or bike) around Mauldin in 5, 10 or 25 years?”

• What kinds of businesses do you want to see in Mauldin?

We collected many ideas and want to continue to dive deeper on potential projects.  Please join us at the Turtle Shell  in Mauldin

Meetup is free.  Food and Beverages will be available for purchase.

Please feel free to add additional ideas on our crowd sourced ImagineThat site:

 https://beerandnapkins.imaginethat.io/mauldinedge

We will be using the hashtag #MauldinEdge

For more information contact Phil McCreight or Tony Miller 

Weekly Challenge May 19th, James Thomas, Unplug and Get Active

JT-beer-and-napkin-2 In celebration of National Bike Month  our challenge comes from industrial designer James Thomas.  Studies show that even a moderate amount of activity can increase creativity for hours. Get on your bike and ride! Challenge: Break up your daily routine with a bike ride, run, or walk. Be open to inspiration along the way allow the creative energy to shape your work for the rest of your day. James Thomas, an industrial designer with an interest in cycling, photography, architecture, lighting, active transportation, sustainability, and art & design in general. You will find content about all of those topics and more here. If bicycles are your main interest, check out my old blog at BicycleDesign.net. That one is no longer updated, but there are 8 years worth of archives that are worth exploring. You can follow James here JCTdesign.net and Twitter/JCTdesign