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Wow, I was going over the internet and they said over 30 restaurants have closed since 2010, and looks like its much higher in whats said in other web sites.... I remember coming here years ago and it was lively, It still is to a point but I cant belive how much it has changed and the economy hit it hard.... no work here either
Well, when areas like where I'm currently stuck living (Michigan) have so many people out of work, they cut out expenses they don't need. And those expenses include vacations. It's a terrible trickle down thing and then those once annual vacation spots suffer also. My wife's friend just went to Myrtle Beach this week for the first time in years but MB was once an annual trip for her.
Things are slowly getting better in areas of the country, but the Rust Belt is going to lag behind everyone else and this area has a lot of former MB vacationers who simply cannot afford it anymore.
Also, gas prices are making many reconsider a lengthy road trip and instead they're doing a "staycation" where families do fun things in their area avoiding travel, hotel and dining out.
MB will always be great despite recent times. And I will continue to jump all the hurdles that keep getting put in front of me to get there.
There's no doubt much has changed in MB over the years, but the overall long-term pattern has continued to be enormous growth. Unfortunately, too much of that was uncontrolled, but developers have always ruled this area, and environmental concerns have too frequently been pushed aside.
Did your Internet say how many new restaurants have opened since 2010? I suspect the number of openings is at least as great as the number of closings. I cannot imagine anyone would suggest that the MB area is underbuilt in the restaurant market. Restaurants come and go. Much of that is a weeding-out process, with the paying public deciding who deserves to stick around. Many of the restaurants that have closed in my neck of the woods were doing nothing more than trying to make a quick buck off of tourists. They did nothing to separate themselves from the masses, and simply failed in their business model (assuming they had one). I can easily think of more that need to go away. Golf courses are a similar situation. During the last couple booms, far too many courses were built, many of them for no reason except to help a developer sell properties. The consumer market always tends to determine what's the right number for an area, and those economics have been at work for awhile.
IMO, downtown MB is actually doing a pretty good job of bringing itself back from some seedy times. The new boardwalk and the SkyWheel are good examples. I remember Peaches Corner from the 60's, when it was the "center of the universe". They've done a very nice facelift, perking up a look that's encouraging to visitors. Attractions are a fickle business. Tourist prefences change over time, and when an attraction stops being "attractive", it's time to move on to something else. I remain amazed at the number of miniature golf courses the area supports, but they apparently still draw in business. On the other hand, Hard Rock Park was probably a bad idea from the start. Unlike most theme parks, it had a very limited portion of the year to make it's money, and it competed against far too many other less expensive attractions.
As far as work, SC employment has been hit hard by the recession, and MB is no exception. Still our local economy has been tourist-based for a long, long time, and it has never been a mecca for good jobs. Doctors and lawyers seem to do well. Other than that, new arrivals have always competed for jobs with students who will work cheap just so they can be at the beach in the summer, and retirees who will gladly take low part-time wages because they have just realized that spending all day at home with their loving spouse ain't what they imagined it would be. Anybody who relocates to MB and is surprised by the job market should be ashamed of themselves.
Very well put!
I was just at a dollar store chain, and there was no one at the register to check my items out, then a man in a shirt and tie came and rang me through my purchase.... I said its none of my business but is it that bad around here , I saw over 15 people standing waiting to use the hiring computer, seems it went down and the cashier had to repair the computer... Was some sort of higher up and said yes we are opening up a new store and we have had over 400 applications in 10 days....WOW
Wow, I was going over the internet and they said over 30 restaurants have closed since 2010, and looks like its much higher in whats said in other web sites.... I remember coming here years ago and it was lively, It still is to a point but I cant belive how much it has changed and the economy hit it hard.... no work here either
Some close and some just move. I know of quite a few restaurants that moved to a better location. Some stores also.
There are just so many restaurants to choose from. All those in Murrells Inlet, those in Restaurant Row and how about the many at Broadway at the Beach. All those besides the local restaurants and along the main highway.
It really can be quite lively at Broadway at the Beach in the evening and also along the walkway in Murrells.
But surely the economy has been hit hard and many are back to cooking for their families at home. The fact is that is almost anywhere I can think of.
I am always impressed by the hotels in Myrtle Beach though and how they have risen from a downtrodden, old, and beaten Ocean Blvd., to quite classy and special.
The unique colors of the buildings, the remodeled high rises, are all looking just spanking new and inviting.
Work is mostly in the hotel field, medical, law and a good chunk in real estate.
Just a joy to be living here though. The weather is a winner always.
Location: Lakewood NJ/Murrells Inlet SC/ N. Naples FL/Swainton NJ
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I was not sure about this thread until tonight. First the first time I traveled the west side of 501 (across from the airport past the intercostal) to go to a wedding at the Raddison (I believe). That whole area, from the amusement park to the closed malls and stores is a blighted ghost town. I was shocked.......
I was rather surprised myself at that myself! When I went to purchase kitchen items for our condo my husband & I headed over to waccamaw pottery. Only it went missing.
Guess we had no reason over the years to visit there as I didn't notice........
Oh my girls just loved Waccamaw Pottery. I so wish that store had never left.
It was so much fun to go to the car show and then let us girls head into that store.....leaving the guys to do all that car dreamin' on their own.
I was not sure about this thread until tonight. First the first time I traveled the west side of 501 (across from the airport past the intercostal) to go to a wedding at the Raddison (I believe). That whole area, from the amusement park to the closed malls and stores is a blighted ghost town. I was shocked.......
UPDATE:
That whole place, the former Waccamaw Pottery Shopping Center has been purchased and the owner is currently in a big remodeling mode and already some new stores and businesses are in the process of locating there.
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