Retailers, restaurants and service businesses are changing the landscape in Bluffton and Hilton Head. Here’s the latest in new construction, renovations, relocations, planned projects, commercial transactions, grand openings and closings.

  • Choo Choo BBQ Express, 129 Burnt Church Road, Bluffton. Bluffton resident Thomas Corey assumed ownership of this popular casual eatery in November. Diners enjoy traditional oak wood smoked, slow-cook and hand-pulled pork inside or outside, Tuesday through Saturday. Home-cooked side dishes and a specialty sauce complement the meat.
  • MidiCi, the Neopolitan Pizza Company, 7 Greenwood Drive, Suite C, Hilton Head. The Los Angeles-based franchise plans to open an eatery this spring at the former location of the Hilton Head Brewing Company. Specialty pizzas, appetizers, salads and desserts will be on the menu.
  • Peacock Automotive, U.S. 278, Hardeeville. This Jasper County-based company has opened an 18,000-square-foot facility for the area’s first new and pre-owned Maserati luxury-vehicle dealership. It also opened an Alfa Romeo dealership at the same site.

Both lines have a 100-year history in the sport of racing. Parts and service are areas also are located on-site. Peacock Automotive owns and operates 20 franchises in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, 15 of which are local.

“We are pleased to offer the luxury Maserati brand for the first time in this area, as well as to offer a new Alfa Romeo dealership at the Peacock Auto Mall,” said Warner Peacock, president and CEO of Peacock Automotive.

  • Mystic Bluff Apartment Homes, Bluffton Parkway adjacent to Buckwalter Place, Bluffton. Tennessee-based Neyland Apartment Associates plans to break ground this month for its new 248-unit apartment complex, which will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The upscale-appointed units and amenities sit on 44 acres.
  • Sylvan Learning. This national provider of personalized learning for 35 years with 750 locations in the country for students K-12 is looking to expand in the Hilton Head-Bluffton area with franchise opportunities.

Grand openings, ribbon cuttings, closings:

  • Andes’ Rotisserie, 7 Johnston Way, Bluffton, Nov. 15. Wood-flamed pork, chicken, beef and fish are paired with grilled and roasted vegetables for lunch and dinner carry-out. Owner Andy Fishkind serves Peruvian, Argentinian and Italian specialties.
  • WestView Investment Advisors, 1 Corpus Christi Place, Suite 106, Hilton Head, November. This Vermont-based, fee-only firm recently opened its second branch on the island. Local partners Roy and Pat Sokolowski specialize in financial planning and personalized portfolio management.
  • Stoner’s Pizza Joint, 70 Pope Ave., Suite B, Hilton Head, Oct. 31. Local owners Brett and Heidi Phillips have opened this franchise’s 23rd store and are serving a variety of fresh pizza combinations, Buffalo wings in a variety of flavors, salads, desserts and more. It’s open daily.
  • Symmetry Neuro-Pathway Training, 15 Hospital Center Commons, Suite 100-D, Hilton Head, Dec. 12. Specialists at the company’s fifth location use technology to correct brainwave dysregulation.

The clinical staff designs a specific program tailored to a client’s individual brain chemistry. Among the disorders treated are addictions, depression and reading disabilities.

This learning modality is painless, drugless, and non-invasive with no harmful side effects.

  • Alexandra’s Video and Marketing, Bluffton, Dec. 8. Blufftonian Alexandra O’Neil opened her business in October that creates video content to assist businesses with their marketing. She also specializes in creating and managing websites and other social media platforms.
  • Optical Solutions, 27 Mellichamp Drive, suite 100, Nov. 29. Founder Dr. Michael Campbell and his associates recently opened their third office. He has been practicing optometry in the Lowcountry since 1988.
  • Nonna Lucia, 5 Godfrey Place, Bluffton. This Italian eatery opened in November and joins its older sister establishment, Nonna Rosa, in Okatie. Co-owner Danny Tinnel, co-owner and executive chef Peppe Gialone, and chef Mariona Carannante serve authentic Southern Coastal Italian cuisine daily with its appetizers, soups, salads, pastas, entrees, side dishes and desserts.
  • Cracked Egg, 2915 Okatie Highway, Ridgeland, Dec. 4. This diner is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily at the former location of Joe Loves Lobster Rolls.

Have Bluffton or Hilton Head business news (new construction, relocations, expansions, openings, ownership changes, etc.) to share? Send information to leaftoo@live.com.

Dean Rowland is a veteran senior editor and freelance writer.