Island living just got a tad easier, as the new Harris Teeter Grocery opens in the old Red and White on the Isle of Palms, finally. Parking is a little wacky in the lot, but the convenience of a shopping center on the IOP is a happy thing for those who need a quick thing without leaving the islands. We wish they had a “click and shop” program and a full coffee bar, but for those services you only have to go a little farther, to the Six Mile shopping center.

They have a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, and plenty of grab-and-go prepared foods. Also (we might have discovered this on Friday when we were 55 minutes early for the ferry) it is possible to get a pint of ice cream from the freezer and a spoon from the deli and hang out on the tables out front, finishing ice cream and watching people.

On another occasion, I was able to arrive on the IOP by 4:30 pm, stop for bread, milk, and produce, and catch the 5:00 ferry with no problems. The 25,000 square foot store is open from 6:00 am to midnight. There are eight check-out lanes and four “you scan” lines, so you should have plenty of options for a speedy check-out.