Siding repair in Nexton, SC

A new gathering spot in Nexton is giving dog lovers and the community another place to unwind, grab a bite and enjoy the outdoors with their furry friends by their side.

The GoDog Dog Park Bar in Summerville opened July 29, bringing together a unique combination of an off-leash dog park, restaurant and bar experience designed for both people and pets.

GoDog Food & Beverage Manager Sam Promanee said the new bar is open to everyone, not just dog owners. Guests with dogs can take advantage of the off-leash dog park as long as they meet GoDog’s membership and vaccination requirements, while those without pets can still enjoy the food, drinks and lively atmosphere.

“It’s a great place to meet friends, enjoy the atmosphere, watch the dogs play and grab great food and drinks,” he said.

The menu focuses on casual, shareable favorites paired with a variety of craft beverages. One of the signature offerings is the Big Dog Pretzel, served with a flight of four house-made dipping sauces, including ranch, honey mustard, cinnamon butter and the signature pimento beer cheese.

Guests can also choose from gourmet all-beef hot dogs, loaded walking tacos, house-seasoned chips and other fun bites. The drink menu features craft beer, wine, canned cocktails, signature frozen drinks, margaritas and specialty cocktails.

“Whether you're stopping by for a quick bite, meeting friends after work, or spending the afternoon watching the dogs play, there's something for everyone,” Promanee said.

The GoDog Dog Park Bar is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Beyond food and drinks, the venue plans to offer a full calendar of entertainment and community events, including trivia nights, music bingo, live music and DJ entertainment. Future events will include dog adoption days, breed-specific meetups and Family Days designed for guests of all ages.

“We're more than just a dog park and bar,” Promanee said. “We're creating a destination for the entire community.”

For many Nexton residents, finding a quick meal often means choosing between convenience and nutrition. Julie Boone hopes her newest business proves they don't have to settle for either.

Blue Café + Wellness Market recently opened its doors at 424 Brighton Park Boulevard, bringing specialty coffee, protein-packed smoothies, fresh grain bowls, wraps, salads and a carefully curated wellness market to one of the area's fastest-growing communities.

But for Boone, Blue is about much more than serving healthy food; it's about creating a neighborhood gathering place.

"Healthy food should be convenient, delicious and something people genuinely look forward to eating," Boone said. "We want Blue to fit naturally into people's routines."

For Boone, opening in Nexton wasn't a business decision as much as it was a personal one.

She's called the community home for more than five years, raising her family in Brighton Park while watching the neighborhood continue to grow.

Along the way, she recognized a gap in the local dining scene—a place where families, professionals and fitness-minded residents could stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner without sacrificing quality ingredients.

"Opening Blue here felt incredibly personal," she said. "I saw a real opportunity for a neighborhood café that offered healthier, more substantial options beyond traditional coffee shop fare."

Blue occupies the space formerly home to The Bomb Bar, which Boone previously operated as a franchise. After years managing franchise businesses, she decided it was time to build something that reflected her own vision.

The name "Blue" takes its inspiration from the world's Blue Zones—regions known for having some of the longest-living, healthiest populations. While Boone isn't trying to recreate those communities, she wanted to borrow many of the same principles, whole foods and plant-forward meals. That philosophy shows up throughout the menu.

Customers can grab handcrafted smoothies, specialty coffee and breakfast in the morning before work, stop in for grain bowls and salads during lunch, or pick up prepared meals and healthier pantry staples on the way home.

Many menu items are naturally gluten-friendly or dairy-free, with an emphasis on whole-food ingredients and protein-rich options. Some early favorites are already emerging.

The grain bowls, each inspired by a different Blue Zone region around the world, have quickly become customer staples. Smoothies like the Build Plus, Blue Crush and Sunrise have also developed a loyal following.

Still, Boone said creating the menu wasn't nearly as simple as choosing ingredients.

"People see the finished product, but behind every smoothie, bowl or salad are countless rounds of testing, tweaking, nutritional analysis, sourcing ingredients and refining recipes," she said.

"It's an enormous amount of work,” said Boone, “but it's incredibly rewarding when guests come back and order those same items again."

Even renovating the café came with unexpected lessons.

Moving one refrigerated display case sparked a chain reaction of new countertops, electrical work and countless other improvements that weren't originally part of the plan. Like many small business owners, Boone quickly discovered that even modest renovations can snowball.

Thankfully, she hasn't had to do it alone.

As the mother of a 2-year-old overseeing three businesses, Boone credits much of Blue's success to her leadership team, including Director of Operations Natasha May and Café Director Haley Brooks, whose work helps maintain the welcoming atmosphere she envisioned from the start.

“I truly couldn't do this without an incredible leadership team," Boone said.

That sense of hospitality may ultimately be what separates Blue from other cafés. Boone hopes customers see familiar faces each visit and that they feel like they're dropping into a place that's part of the neighborhood.

Success, she said, won't simply be measured by sales.

"If people begin thinking of Blue as ‘their café’—the place they stop every morning, meet friends for lunch, grab dinner on a busy evening or recommend to neighbors—we'll know we've accomplished what we set out to do,” she said.

In a community that continues to welcome new residents almost daily, Blue Café + Wellness Market is aiming to become more than another place to grab coffee. Boone hopes it becomes one of those familiar neighborhood spots where healthy food, friendly faces and everyday routines naturally come together.