If you find yourself with a free evening or weekend and you’re trying to figure out what to do, you might want to put Spartanburg, SC on your list! This great city has great restaurants, stores, and an incredible aesthetic. However, like in most big cities, parking can be a bit of a pain.

As a Spartanburg resident, you know that parking downtown can be hard to come by, especially on weekends. With street parking as one of only a few options available to you, it's simply an unavoidable part of your life behind the wheel. So, if you have to park on the street, you may as well stay safe. Below are some basic things every Spartanburg Toyota driver can do to ensure the safety of their vehicle when parking on the street.

Getting A Handle On Street Parking in Spartanburg

Having to parallel park on a busy street can certainly be nerve-wracking. In fact,  parallel parking is something that many drivers struggle with, but it’s still an important skill to master. So, how comfortable are you with parallel parking? More importantly, can you parallel park? Because if the answer to either of these questions is no, you may want to just pony up the twenty-or-so bucks required to gain access to an oversaturated parking garage. However, if you have the mettle to take on the tall task of parallel parking on a busy city street, keep reading. 

Simple Tips

• Pay attention to the street signs: A common joke among big-city drivers is street signs are something that should be simple to interpret but, oftentimes, they’re not. With differing messages, time restraints, and symbols all coexisting on the same small rectangular sign, parking legally on the street can require some focus and mental fortitude. Take your time, read the signs and ensure that you won't be returning to a freshly booted vehicle.
• Park under street lights, not tree branches: If possible, it's always a good idea to park your car in a well-lit area. In general, the more visible your car is, the safer it will be. On the other hand, parking under trees should be avoided whenever possible. Trees shed debris with rain and wind and, on occasion, come down completely in severe weather. Not to mention bird poop is rather annoying, especially with a convertible.
• Fold in side mirrors: One of the easiest ways to protect your car when parking on the street is by simply folding in your driver-side side mirror. This prevents an irresponsible driver from passing too close to your parked car, clipping off your mirror, and continuing on with their day, leaving you with the bill for repairs.
• Take or hide your things and lock up: On average, over 80,000 unlocked cars are stolen yearly. That's right, unlocked cars. So, while this may seem like an obvious tip, it is an important one. Lock your car, take your keys with you and be sure that no valuables are visible to people passing by and peeking in. Make sure potential thieves are not interested in your car or anything inside it.
• Hey Siri, drop a pin: People are forgetful. We forget our keys, our phones, our wallets. Heck, sometimes we forget whether or not our kids are in the backseat. We also, on occasion, forget where we park. Prevent this issue by dropping a pin on your maps app before you leave your ride behind. Then, when you're ready to return, simply pull up the pin and find your ride in no time.

Save Up For These

• Car wash: Getting your car washed about every two weeks is a great way to make sure your car looks presentable. Beyond that, it shows would-be thieves that you pay attention to your vehicle. Oftentimes, car thieves target vehicles that look neglected. The idea here is that they will have more time after the theft to do with the car what they want before the owner even notices it's gone. So, protect your car's exterior appearance and show people you care about your ride with frequent washes. 
• Snow cover: A snow cover or car blanket protects your car from all elements. Whether that's snow, hail, tree debris, or bird droppings, a cover is a great way to protect your ride and prevent passersby from seeing what's inside.
• Sunshade: Over time, constant exposure to the sunlight will cause fading and cracks on your dash and other areas of your interior. A sunshade is a great way to protect your car's interior and prevent potential thieves from seeing something worth stealing in your car.
• Catalytic converter shield: This may sound like an unnecessary precaution, but when you consider the fact that an experienced thief can steal a catalytic converter in about two minutes, that $350 shield is looking a lot better than a $2,000+ converter.

Check Out Spartanburg Stress-Free

With more and more people moving to major metropolitan areas each year, parking in areas like Dayton is getting harder and harder to find, while inventory for car thieves has never been higher. However, if you follow these steps, you can rest easy knowing that you've done all you can to protect your car while it's parked on the street.

It’s always great when you get to experience all of your hard work and dedication pay off! And that’s exactly what the JDRF, as well as your hometown Toyota Dealer, were able to see on May 14th at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Gala! The Gala’s goal was to raise $500,000 for Type 1 Diabetes research. This goal was absolutely blown away with over $600,000 being raised during the event, resulting in this being a record-breaking fundraising event! The Gala saw over 350 people in attendance, with nearly 100 additional silent auction bidders participating remotely from across South Carolina. 

Held at Fluor Field in the Greenville Drive Stadium in downtown Greenville, attendees were able to enjoy several speeches from JDRF officials and companies including JDRF Global Mission Board Member Brad Schur, who lives and volunteers in Greenville himself, and Samaritan Biologics. Both provided updates on their work over the past year and promoted the JDRF mission program. An afterparty was held after the Gala, where attendees enjoyed The Company Band and celebrated a very fortunate fundraising event. 

We’re so happy that our support of the JDRF paid off and that they were able to hold such a successful event. And to give them even more support, Spartanburg Toyota is putting on our own Golf Tournament to benefit the JDRF! On Monday, August 22, meet us at the Carolina Country Club for a full day of golf, hosted by Jared Back and Spartanburg Toyota. Anyone who attends will enjoy a newly renovated course with ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass greens, and the opportunity to support the JDRF. Type One Diabetes hits home for Jared Back, who was diagnosed back in 2013. Learn more about why the JDRF means so much to Jared and how you can register for and contribute towards the JDRF Golf Tournament happening this August!

What was thought to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip became reality this past March thanks to Mobile Meals and their Scotland Land Cruise! Every year, the incredible team at Mobile Meals transforms their venue to resemble a cruise ship and takes sponsors and attendees around the world! This year, we went to Scotland and got to enjoy some incredible photography, Scottish food, and good ol’ highland fun! The event saw 600 guests, including sponsors like ourselves and volunteers, all in an effort to raise funds to further the goals of Mobile Meals. We all got to enjoy the Emcee News7 Anchor Mr. Gordon Dill and danced along to music from Back 9 Band. There were also over 100 auction items donated by local businesses and generous individuals.  And it was a huge success! We raised nearly $160,000, all of which will go towards feeding seniors throughout Spartanburg City and the surrounding County. 

Mobile meals has been helping the people of Spartanburg County since 1977 and started out serving 25 meals with only 15 volunteers. Now, they serve over 2,000 residents annually, with 150 volunteers offering their help every day and service 19 counties across North and South Carolina. Their recipients include emergency pantries, soup kitchens, senior programs, homeless shelters, and low-income daycare centers. 

We were so happy to be sponsors this year and look forward to sponsoring them again next year when they take us to a Spain destination! Check them out and see how you can help support their mission at https://www.mobile-meals.org/ today.

Type 1 Diabetes is an issue that hits home for us at Spartanburg Toyota, which is why we’re proud to be supporters of this year’s JDRF Gala in Greenville, South Carolina. More than 1.6 million Americans are currently living with T1D, including Spartanburg Toyota’s very own Jared Back, and often struggle with rising costs of insulin. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation works every day to not only raise funding for T1D research, but advocates on behalf of those living with T1D for lower insulin costs, as well as providing much-needed education and support.

Their goal for their 2022 JDRF Gala is to raise $500,000 which will all go towards the research to help prevent type 1 diabetes, improve the lives of those living with T1D, and ultimately find a cure! This Gala is also in honor of Loraine and Marc Smith, hosted by Megan Heidlberg, the co-host of “Your Carolina with Jack and Megan” on WSPA-TV. Because this is an issue that is personal to us at Spartanburg Toyota, we often sponsor events with the JDRF including the 2021 One Walk which raised over $125,000, and a golf tournament that’s coming up later this year. 

If you would like to attend the 2022 JDRF Gala, you can find more information and reserve tickets right here. Join us as we show our support for those diagnosed and living with type 1 diabetes on Saturday, May 14th, 2022 at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina!