Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Market Common comes of age
Great article on The Market Common from The Sun News
Click here to see the article on TheSunNews.com
A year on, buildings are full, shoppers abound
By Jessica Foster - jfoster@thesunnews.com
Unless he's going to work, Taft Corbett rarely has to get in his car.
The shopping, the parks, the dining and festivals are all right in his backyard in what many residents of The Market Common district have nicknamed "the bubble."
"Really most of what I do outside of work is here in this little area," he said.
Participants in the Myrtle Beach Beer Fest gather Saturday on the lawn at the Market Common. By Rebecca Koenig rkoenig@thesunnews.com
PDF: A look at how The Market Common has changed in one year
Now, it is becoming the walkable community that planners envisioned and a bustling hub for recreation and community events.
Its ability to weather tough economic times is also paving the way for more development on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base.
"You consider how new it is in that area and the access issues for it for a period of time, I think it's done fantastically well," said Dan McCaffery, president of the company that owns and developed the property, McCaffery Interests. "It's building all the time, that's the good news."
Steady growth
The center itself has evolved in the past year, adding about a dozen new stores and eateries, three new offices and building public restrooms that are slated to open in April. The complex is now 97 percent leased on the retail side and 25 percent leased in its office building, which opened in August.
Traffic counts were not available from The Market Common nor from the city, but the shopping center's general manager, Sue Bonin, said she's pleased with the amount of activity.
Winter months were expected to be slow, but traffic was surprisingly good, which Bonin attributed to events such as the Christmas tree lighting ceremony held there and the Myrtle Beach Marathon, which put runners in rental units.
"Traffic, overall, has been better than expected given the state of the economy," Bonin said.
A monument sign being built at Farrow Parkway and U.S. 17 Business will tell people what's on the former base and help newcomers find it. One frequent complaint in the past year was that The Market Common was hard to find, tucked between U.S. 17 Bypass and U.S. 17 Business on the former base - which does not have the benefit of being on a major road with a lot of drive-by traffic.
Fringe benefits
Other parts of the former base are also changing, as developers try to feed off traffic to and from The Market Common and the city continues to make improvements.
Instead of the barracks and fighter squadrons that were there when the base closed in 1993, visitors will find people working out at the newly renovated Crabtree Memorial Gymnasium or walking their dogs around the lake in Grand Park.
The city is almost finished realigning Meyers Avenue and has started sitework on three new ballfields.
A 288-unit apartment complex called Alexan Withers Preserve is also being built at the intersection of Farrow Parkway and U.S. 17 Bypass.
The Market Common was a selling point to the people who financed the $30 million apartment complex, and now it's a selling point to potential residents, said Robert Morgan, managing director for developer Trammell Crow Residential's S.C. division.
"There's no question their success will be our success," Morgan said.
Dock Street Communities has built about 130 townhomes on the periphery of The Market Common, and buyers are scooping them up.
People who live there are embracing the concept of walking to shop, eat or work.
"It's great, I love it," said Deborah Perrone, who lives above her shop, Tee Time Cafe, in one of the live/work townhomes on Howard Avenue. She fell in love with The Market Common when it was still a construction site and decided to move from Connecticut to open a business.
"You get out of bed, you do your little thing, and you're at work in one second," she said.
Dock Street Communities wants to build more homes on the 21 acres near the intersection of Phillis Boulevard and Farrow Parkway. That effort is pending an amendment to the master plan, but the hope is to start construction by the end of the summer, McCaffery said.
A few setbacks
The urban village and other projects on the former base, however, have not been immune to the slowdown in the retail and housing sectors.
One shopping center finished last year on Farrow Parkway still sits empty.
And sales have been slow in the Withers Preserve master-planned community, which gained national attention for its use of General Electric's Ecomagination products.
The sales office gets about 50 walk-ins a week, but only three sales have been made so far in the Balmoral neighborhood, said Rick Ryan, president of Withers Preserve. Developers originally projected a 10-year build-out, but now it will likely be 15 to 20 years, Ryan said.
"It's just been the market; that's all there is to it," he said. "I couldn't ask for better traffic. We've just got to get some confidence back in the economy."
Instead of continuing to develop in Balmoral, Withers Preserve has started building model homes in a new neighborhood on the former base, which could sell quicker because they will cost less and be closer to The Market Common, Ryan said.
In the retail sector, many consumers have been scaling back on discretionary spending, and forecasts indicate that won't change this year.
In the past few months, Horry County retail sales have been down 15 percent to 20 percent from last year, according to Coastal Carolina University research economist Don Schunk. He expects 2009 spending to be down as much as 10 percent from 2008 levels.
"One would have a to be a nut to say it hasn't slowed us down," McCaffery said. "Would it have been better if the economy hadn't have slowed down? Sure. Fortunately, we're apparently able to weather this."
The large tenants such as Barnes & Noble, the restaurants and the movie theater are a big draw that help keep business flowing to the smaller shops, Schunk wrote in an e-mail.
"These larger, national tenants also have access to more resources for marketing, which is helping the entire complex in terms of market share. This has been key, and will be even more critical in the coming year," Schunk wrote. "The combined marketing resources of the tenants and the entire development are what could help Market Common ride out this tough year in terms of consumer spending."
Many of the businesses in the complex host free activities or offer discounts to lure cost-conscious shoppers.
Grand 14 Cinema, for example, has mailed out thousands of coupons for free popcorn and sometimes has $1 kids movies, said general manager Duane Farmer. Roy & Sids has seniors night on Tuesdays and Barnes & Noble hosts Mom Day Mondays.
"We know that the economy is down, and we understand that things are hard so everyone is reaching out," Farmer said.
A slew of events are planned for 2009 to keep locals and tourists coming back, Bonin said.
"That was truly one of our goals to make it a community meeting place," Bonin said. "I think we're on our way to achieving that."
The Market Common's first birthday celebration is scheduled for this week.
What | Activities and entertainment such as face painting, carriage rides, a caricature artist, a living statue and a roving juggler.
When | Activities start at 4 p.m. Saturday, with fireworks at 8:30 p.m.
Cost | Free
Click here to see the article on TheSunNews.com
A year on, buildings are full, shoppers abound
By Jessica Foster - jfoster@thesunnews.com
Unless he's going to work, Taft Corbett rarely has to get in his car.
The shopping, the parks, the dining and festivals are all right in his backyard in what many residents of The Market Common district have nicknamed "the bubble."
"Really most of what I do outside of work is here in this little area," he said.
Participants in the Myrtle Beach Beer Fest gather Saturday on the lawn at the Market Common. By Rebecca Koenig rkoenig@thesunnews.com
PDF: A look at how The Market Common has changed in one year
Now, it is becoming the walkable community that planners envisioned and a bustling hub for recreation and community events.
Its ability to weather tough economic times is also paving the way for more development on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base.
"You consider how new it is in that area and the access issues for it for a period of time, I think it's done fantastically well," said Dan McCaffery, president of the company that owns and developed the property, McCaffery Interests. "It's building all the time, that's the good news."
Steady growth
The center itself has evolved in the past year, adding about a dozen new stores and eateries, three new offices and building public restrooms that are slated to open in April. The complex is now 97 percent leased on the retail side and 25 percent leased in its office building, which opened in August.
Traffic counts were not available from The Market Common nor from the city, but the shopping center's general manager, Sue Bonin, said she's pleased with the amount of activity.
Winter months were expected to be slow, but traffic was surprisingly good, which Bonin attributed to events such as the Christmas tree lighting ceremony held there and the Myrtle Beach Marathon, which put runners in rental units.
"Traffic, overall, has been better than expected given the state of the economy," Bonin said.
A monument sign being built at Farrow Parkway and U.S. 17 Business will tell people what's on the former base and help newcomers find it. One frequent complaint in the past year was that The Market Common was hard to find, tucked between U.S. 17 Bypass and U.S. 17 Business on the former base - which does not have the benefit of being on a major road with a lot of drive-by traffic.
Fringe benefits
Other parts of the former base are also changing, as developers try to feed off traffic to and from The Market Common and the city continues to make improvements.
Instead of the barracks and fighter squadrons that were there when the base closed in 1993, visitors will find people working out at the newly renovated Crabtree Memorial Gymnasium or walking their dogs around the lake in Grand Park.
The city is almost finished realigning Meyers Avenue and has started sitework on three new ballfields.
A 288-unit apartment complex called Alexan Withers Preserve is also being built at the intersection of Farrow Parkway and U.S. 17 Bypass.
The Market Common was a selling point to the people who financed the $30 million apartment complex, and now it's a selling point to potential residents, said Robert Morgan, managing director for developer Trammell Crow Residential's S.C. division.
"There's no question their success will be our success," Morgan said.
Dock Street Communities has built about 130 townhomes on the periphery of The Market Common, and buyers are scooping them up.
People who live there are embracing the concept of walking to shop, eat or work.
"It's great, I love it," said Deborah Perrone, who lives above her shop, Tee Time Cafe, in one of the live/work townhomes on Howard Avenue. She fell in love with The Market Common when it was still a construction site and decided to move from Connecticut to open a business.
"You get out of bed, you do your little thing, and you're at work in one second," she said.
Dock Street Communities wants to build more homes on the 21 acres near the intersection of Phillis Boulevard and Farrow Parkway. That effort is pending an amendment to the master plan, but the hope is to start construction by the end of the summer, McCaffery said.
A few setbacks
The urban village and other projects on the former base, however, have not been immune to the slowdown in the retail and housing sectors.
One shopping center finished last year on Farrow Parkway still sits empty.
And sales have been slow in the Withers Preserve master-planned community, which gained national attention for its use of General Electric's Ecomagination products.
The sales office gets about 50 walk-ins a week, but only three sales have been made so far in the Balmoral neighborhood, said Rick Ryan, president of Withers Preserve. Developers originally projected a 10-year build-out, but now it will likely be 15 to 20 years, Ryan said.
"It's just been the market; that's all there is to it," he said. "I couldn't ask for better traffic. We've just got to get some confidence back in the economy."
Instead of continuing to develop in Balmoral, Withers Preserve has started building model homes in a new neighborhood on the former base, which could sell quicker because they will cost less and be closer to The Market Common, Ryan said.
In the retail sector, many consumers have been scaling back on discretionary spending, and forecasts indicate that won't change this year.
In the past few months, Horry County retail sales have been down 15 percent to 20 percent from last year, according to Coastal Carolina University research economist Don Schunk. He expects 2009 spending to be down as much as 10 percent from 2008 levels.
"One would have a to be a nut to say it hasn't slowed us down," McCaffery said. "Would it have been better if the economy hadn't have slowed down? Sure. Fortunately, we're apparently able to weather this."
The large tenants such as Barnes & Noble, the restaurants and the movie theater are a big draw that help keep business flowing to the smaller shops, Schunk wrote in an e-mail.
"These larger, national tenants also have access to more resources for marketing, which is helping the entire complex in terms of market share. This has been key, and will be even more critical in the coming year," Schunk wrote. "The combined marketing resources of the tenants and the entire development are what could help Market Common ride out this tough year in terms of consumer spending."
Many of the businesses in the complex host free activities or offer discounts to lure cost-conscious shoppers.
Grand 14 Cinema, for example, has mailed out thousands of coupons for free popcorn and sometimes has $1 kids movies, said general manager Duane Farmer. Roy & Sids has seniors night on Tuesdays and Barnes & Noble hosts Mom Day Mondays.
"We know that the economy is down, and we understand that things are hard so everyone is reaching out," Farmer said.
A slew of events are planned for 2009 to keep locals and tourists coming back, Bonin said.
"That was truly one of our goals to make it a community meeting place," Bonin said. "I think we're on our way to achieving that."
The Market Common's first birthday celebration is scheduled for this week.
What | Activities and entertainment such as face painting, carriage rides, a caricature artist, a living statue and a roving juggler.
When | Activities start at 4 p.m. Saturday, with fireworks at 8:30 p.m.
Cost | Free
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Gordon Bierch Bartender wins the Hottest Hot Pour Contest
Yesterday, Surge announced the winner of the Hottest Hot Pour Contest at the Myrtle Beach Beer Fest. One male and one female bartender from all of the area bars & restaurants were chosen by fans. The finalists were posted online, and fans were able to vote once a day. We are very proud of Jessi from Gordon Biersch - she was crowned the Hottest Hot Pour of 2009!
Myrtle Beach Beer Fest
Myrtle Beach Beer Fest was a HUGE success despite the horrible weather forecasts all week - thankfully, we only had about 5 minutes worth of light rain so the weather actually turned out to be perfect. The music was fun, the beer was great, everyone had a great time, and the event is definitely one we will repeat. Festival Promotions did an incredible job planning and executing the event.
The selection of beers was fantastic - and our Piggly Wiggly sells 99% of them!! If you haven't been to the beer/wine section of the Pig, check it out because they have the best selection in town.
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| Myrtle Beach Beer Fest at The Market Common |
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Divine Prime Earns Four Diamond Rating
AAA crowns Divine Prime
Kurt D'Aurizio, director for cuisine for the Divine Dining Group, is jolly.
Why is he happy? Well, he recently learned that Divine Prime earned a four-diamond rating from AAA.
"We are very proud," he wrote to me in an e-mail. "This is only the second four-diamond [restaurant] in Myrtle Beach and one of 16 in the state of South Carolina."
Janean Flowe, a spokeswoman for AAA, said Divine Prime will be listed in the 2010 AAA TourBook.
As of this writing, Divine Prime was the only restaurant on the Grand Strand that had been notified of a four-diamond rating. The other restaurant awarded a four-diamond rating for 2007 was Umi Pacific Grille, which is also a Divine Dining Group property.
The AAA diamond ratings are done anonymously by a professional evaluator, one of 65, known as a tourism editor, Flowe said.
Article on TheSunNews.com:
http://www.thesunnews.com/restaurant-news/story/824820.html
Kurt D'Aurizio, director for cuisine for the Divine Dining Group, is jolly.
Why is he happy? Well, he recently learned that Divine Prime earned a four-diamond rating from AAA.
"We are very proud," he wrote to me in an e-mail. "This is only the second four-diamond [restaurant] in Myrtle Beach and one of 16 in the state of South Carolina."
Janean Flowe, a spokeswoman for AAA, said Divine Prime will be listed in the 2010 AAA TourBook.
As of this writing, Divine Prime was the only restaurant on the Grand Strand that had been notified of a four-diamond rating. The other restaurant awarded a four-diamond rating for 2007 was Umi Pacific Grille, which is also a Divine Dining Group property.
The AAA diamond ratings are done anonymously by a professional evaluator, one of 65, known as a tourism editor, Flowe said.
Article on TheSunNews.com:
http://www.thesunnews.com/restaurant-news/story/824820.html
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Family Artz SpringFest
The Family Artz SpringFest was a huge success! The Long Bay Symphony, Franklin G. Burroughs - Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, Children's Museum of SC, and Horry County Arts & Cultural Council came together to put on a fantasic line-up of hands-on art activities and live entertainment. Click here for photos:
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| Family Artz SpringFest Photos |
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