Commercial Lease Market Overview

Andrews formed in 1909 from the merger of two rail-side settlements, Rosemary and Harpers Crossroads, along the Georgetown and Western Railroad, and grew quickly enough in the 1920s -- boosted by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's 1905 maintenance shops and the Atlantic Coast Lumber Company -- to be described, by the town's own later telling, as the fastest-growing town in the United States for its age, before the Great Depression closed the lumber company in 1932. That growth has not held: population fell from 2,861 in 2010 to 2,575 in 2020, a 10.0% decline continuing toward a 2024 estimate near 2,530, and city-data.com's presentation of 2024 ACS figures puts median household income at $59,746 against a $72,350 statewide figure, a 27.2% poverty rate, and an April 2026 unemployment rate of 6.2% versus 3.6% statewide. Andrews sits primarily in western Georgetown County with a portion extending into Williamsburg County, and a Census Bureau jurisdiction check of nearby rental addresses found 3 of 5 candidates resolve to unincorporated land in one county or the other despite an identical "Andrews, SC" mailing address -- a genuine complication for a commercial tenant's zoning and business-license exposure, though a check of the town's actual Morgan Avenue commercial corridor (First Citizens Bank at 12 North Morgan Avenue, established 1924; TD Bank at 201 South Morgan Avenue, established 1937; the Colonial Inn Motel at 506 South Morgan Avenue) confirms all three sit cleanly inside town limits. The town's own Code of Ordinances, partially accessible for this review, shows an active Chapter 10 business-license ordinance recently amended by Ordinance No. 2025-06 (adopted August 21, 2025) to conform to the state's Act 176 business-license standardization, plus a 2045 Comprehensive Plan and a Downtown Masterplan both listed as under public review -- real current planning activity, though neither document's substance could be independently retrieved. The historic "International Paper mill" often credited to Andrews' economic base actually opened in 1936 in the city of Georgetown, 17 miles away, and closed permanently by the end of 2024. No CoStar, JLL, or CBRE-grade rent report covers Andrews, and South Carolina law preempts local rent control statewide (S.C. Code §27-39-60).

Andrews pairs a declining population and a two-county jurisdiction split with a commercial core thin enough that confirming which government, and which business, actually stands behind a specific Andrews address is not a formality.

Top Lease Risks in Andrews

Commercial tenants in Andrews most frequently encounter these problematic lease provisions:

1. A landlord or broker may assume Andrews' business-license, zoning, and code-enforcement rules apply to a space based on its "Andrews, SC 29510" mailing address, but a Census Bureau jurisdiction check of the town's own nearby rental stock found 3 of 5 candidate addresses resolve to unincorporated Georgetown or Williamsburg County land despite an identical mailing address -- the same pattern likely extends to a commercial parcel outside the confirmed Morgan Avenue corridor and should be checked address-by-address, not assumed from the mailing city.

This clause creates significant financial exposure. In a tenant-friendly market like Andrews, landlords have leverage to include provisions that shift cost and risk onto tenants. Review any such clause carefully with a commercial real estate attorney before signing.

2. The "International Paper mill" long credited to Andrews' own economic history was never actually sited inside the town: it opened in 1936 as the Southern Kraft Division of International Paper in the city of Georgetown, roughly 17 miles away, and it permanently closed by the end of 2024, cutting 526 hourly and 148 salaried jobs -- a real regional job loss a landlord might point to as areawide manufacturing demand, but not a business, vacancy, or foot-traffic driver that ever actually operated inside Andrews town limits.

This is a common risk in Andrews's commercial lease market. Tenants often overlook this provision during negotiations, only discovering its impact after the lease is executed. Negotiate a carve-out or modification before you sign.

3. CAM Expense Transparency

Common area maintenance charges in Andrews vary widely by submarket and building class. Landlords in this market sometimes include vague CAM definitions that allow broad cost inclusions. Commonly requested: 3 years of historical CAM statements, alongside an annual cap (3–5%) on increases.

4. Personal Guaranty Scope

Personal guaranty requirements in Andrews range from reasonable to extreme depending on landlord, submarket, and tenant credit profile. Know your leverage: established businesses with strong financials can often negotiate shorter guaranty terms or a guaranty burndown provision.

Negotiation Priorities for Andrews Tenants

  1. Confirm a specific parcel's actual municipal jurisdiction -- Andrews town versus unincorporated Georgetown or Williamsburg County -- through the Census Bureau's geocoder or the relevant county GIS parcel lookup before relying on an "Andrews, SC" mailing address for business-license or zoning purposes.
  2. Request written confirmation of how the town's Ordinance No. 2025-06 (adopted August 21, 2025), which updated the business-license class schedule under the state's Act 176 standardization, applies to a specific business classification before signing, since the town's own Code of Ordinances renders through client-side scripts that block a full independent read of Chapter 10's current fee schedule.
  3. Commonly negotiated: shorter initial lease terms or built-in renewal options rather than a long lock-in, given the town's continuing population decline, an April 2026 unemployment rate of 6.2% against a 3.6% state average, and the complete absence of any independently published Andrews-specific commercial rent benchmark.
  4. Request 3 years of historical CAM reconciliation statements — reveals pattern of expense escalation and unexpected charges.
  5. Require subordination, non-disturbance, and attornment (SNDA) agreement — protects your lease if the building is sold or the landlord defaults on their mortgage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the commercial lease market posture in Andrews?

The Andrews market is currently Tenant-Friendly, driven by a shrinking two-county railroad-and-lumber-heritage town with a thin Morgan Avenue banking and small-retail corridor, no independently confirmed active industrial employer inside town limits, and a business-license ordinance recently updated under the state's Act 176 standardization. This means tenants should use current market conditions to negotiate favorable terms — multiple concessions are often available in a tenant-friendly environment.

What are typical office rents in Andrews?

Office rents in Andrews are not widely published; no CoStar, JLL, or CBRE-grade market report specific to the town or Georgetown/Williamsburg County covers it, and what little office-using activity exists -- two bank branches and town/county administrative functions along Morgan Avenue -- isn't a tracked multi-tenant office market. A local commercial broker's current asking-rate data is the only reliable benchmark.

What are typical retail rents in Andrews?

Retail rents in Andrews aren't published separately either. The only independently confirmed active businesses along the Morgan Avenue corridor are two long-established bank branches (First Citizens Bank, TD Bank) and a small motel; population fell 10.0% from 2010 to 2020 and continues declining toward a 2024 estimate near 2,530, so any published regional average would overstate demand for space outside that thin confirmed core.

Should I use a tenant-side broker in Andrews?

Yes — always. Tenant-rep brokers are paid by the landlord through commission splits, so their services are effectively free to you. A local tenant-rep broker brings current market data, comparable lease terms, and negotiation experience that can save you far more than their commission. In a tenant-friendly market, professional representation is especially valuable.