Myrtle Square Mall
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Myrtle Square Mall was the first enclosed
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...
, United States, located in the heart of the city. It bordered the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Kings Highway, Oak Street, and it was in very close proximity to residential neighborhoods and many oceanfront hotels. Its size, for the time, was quite large with a total area around set on of land. The parking lot contained more than 2,800 spaces.


Former anchors

*
Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...
*
Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...
*
Peebles Peebles () is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in ...
*Collins Department Store (later Peebles)


Design and construction

Beginning in the early 1970s, Myrtle Beach Farms Company, owner of the mall and many buildings around the Myrtle Beach area, had considered building a mall in the area. A study taken by Wilbur Smith and Associates that indicated that a shopping center was needed for the Myrtle Beach area. These results greatly added to the decision to create the Myrtle Square Mall. The mall was designed by Nelson Benzing Design Associates. Construction of the mall began in December 1973. Besides being recognized as the first mall in the area, the mall was to be home to the reportedly world's largest clock. The clock was the mall's focal point and was the subject of many photographs from residents and tourists alike. The clock was the idea of Ezra Whittner, a member of Nelson Benzing Design Associates, based in Raleigh. The idea was different due to the beach area's unique expectations for the mall. Initially, the mall's design was based around a beach theme with waves, sand, and dunes. Since this was commonplace, a new concept was devised by Whittner with the idea of a large clock. According to a ''Sun News'' article written in April 1975, the mall was "expected to change the shopping habits of local residents and tourists." The article went on to state that the residents of the Strand will not have to travel to Charleston, Columbia,
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, or Wilmington. Estimates put that the mall would make $20 million in its first year. This money, which would have normally been spent in other locations, would stay in Myrtle Beach. The new mall in Myrtle Beach was not without criticism, however. There was concern that merchants from
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
,
North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along t ...
, Georgetown, and downtown Myrtle Beach might suffer from the cut of volume that would go to the new mall.


Early operation

The mall opened to the public on April 16, 1975 with full news coverage from
The Sun News ''The Sun News'' is a daily newspaper published in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in the United States. It serves the Grand Strand region of South Carolina. History The ''Myrtle Beach News'' was founded as a weekly in 1935 by brothers-in-law ...
. The mall's leasing manager was the Caine Company, based out of
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
. It was hailed as "one of the largest and most modern shopping facilities in the Southeast" for its time with an architectural style that was quite noticeable throughout the mall. The opening began with 30 diversified retail outlets. Some of the major tenants included
Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...
, Collins Department Store (later to be
Peebles Peebles () is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in ...
),
Eckerd Drugs Eckerd Corporation was an American pharmacy retail chain that was headquartered in Largo, Florida, and toward the end of its life, in Warwick, Rhode Island. At its peak, Eckerd was the second-largest pharmacy chain in the United States, with appr ...
, and
Morrison's Cafeteria Morrison's Cafeterias was a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants, located in the Southeastern United States with a concentration of locations in Georgia and Florida. Generally found in shopping malls, Morrison's primary competition was Piccadil ...
. Initially, many of the stores in the mall were local stores instead of national chains that can be commonly found in many malls. In addition to those mentioned above, the first stores that opened with the mall included Paperback Booksmith, Playhouse Toys,
Record Bar The Record Bar is a former U.S. retail music/entertainment store chain founded in Durham, North Carolina. The company eventually grew from a single location to 180 stores. One of the largest music retailing chains, it was located primarily in the s ...
, Coker's, Candlewood, Singer's, Suzanne's,
Baskin-Robbins Baskin-Robbins, Inc. is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake specialty store, specialty shops owned by Inspire Brands. Baskin-Robbins was formed in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California.Kinney Shoes The G.R. Kinney Company was an American manufacturer and retailer of shoes from 1894 until September 16, 1998. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March 1923, with the symbol KNN. The shoe concern was started by George Romanta Kinney ...
, Magic Cavern, Der Dog Haus, Friedman's, Gingham Peddler, Lowery Organs, Lynn's,
Hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...
,
Hickory Farms Hickory Farms, LLC is an American food gift retailer with headquarters in Chicago. Richard Ransom established the company in 1951 when he began selling handcrafted cheese at local fairs. By 1959, the company added summer sausage and opened its ...
,
Karmelkorn Karmelkorn was an American popcorn retailer. It was founded in 1928 in Casper, Wyoming, by Mr. and Mrs. William O'Sullivan. The O'Sullivans patented their candy-coated popcorn and trademarked the product's name and logo in 1929. Initially, they l ...
, La Marick, Leaf 'n Match, Merle Norman, Nelson's Men's Shop,
Endicott-Johnson The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company ("E-J") was a prosperous manufacturer of shoes based in New York's Southern Tier, with factories mostly located in the area's Triple Cities of Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott. An estimated 20,000 people ...
, and Orange Bowl. Most of these stores changed within the time span of Myrtle Square's thirty-year history, although some remained loyal and remained in the same location. In 1976, the first
Chick-Fil-A Chick-fil-A, Inc. ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain and the largest chain specializing in Chicken burger, chicken sandwiches. Headquarter ...
in the Myrtle Beach area was opened in the mall by John Shaw, a sales manager from Greer SC. At the time, there were less than 50 of these restaurants nationwide, all in shopping malls. John served as the president of the Myrtle Square Merchants Association for most of his time there. In order to open the mall more rapidly, half of the mall was delayed in opening until the next year as a "Phase II". Many new stores, including
Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...
, opened that year. It included a mail-ordering delivery destination for many of Myrtle Beach's residents when they ordered from the Sears catalog. Myrtle Beach's first attempt at an enclosed mall had been a success. In addition, several outparcels were built around the mall. Big Star Supermarket opened on the southwest area of the complex, as well as Citizens Bank.


Renovation

Over ten years had passed before any updates to the mall would take place. In those ten years, Myrtle Beach had grown extensively, and Briarcliffe Mall had opened in the Briarcliffe Acres area. To compete with shopping in the area, Myrtle Square Mall underwent a
renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...
. In the spring of 1985, Burroughs and Chapin began a renovation process that would take two months, beginning in February and ending in April. Some of the changes made included four additional kiosks. New stores appeared, including P-Nut Shak, Incredible Chocolate Chip Cookie Company, Things Remembered, and Nautical but Nice. In addition, all trees were replaced, and new flooring was installed. Several stores also received extensive renovations. The large clock remained in the mall following the renovations. It, too, was updated. According to Burroughs and Chapin officials, the clock had received a large amount of use and attention that was not originally planned. Burroughs and Chapin also updated the original clock design to better accommodate shoppers.


Later operation

The later 1980s and 1990s became a quiet time for Myrtle Square Mall. What was once the Coker's Department Store became the Carousel Court area by 1991. Carousel Court included a carousel area and an entertainment area. A food court was also added, replacing a landscaped entrance court located next to Sears. The food court won an International Council of Shopping Centers award in 1988 soon after it opened.


Coastal Grand Mall

Burroughs and Chapin began planning a new mall in the
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
area named Mall of South Carolina, later to be changed to Coastal Grand Mall. This mall was going to be located at the intersection of
US 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its len ...
and US 501 north of
Myrtle Beach International Airport Myrtle Beach International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport. It is located southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was formerly known as Myrtle Beach Jetpor ...
. Construction work began in 2003 and the mall opened in March 2004.


Closure

To some, the opening of Coastal Grand Mall meant the beginning of the end. To others, it meant that Myrtle Beach would start to come into the 21st century. The mall had not been updated for about twenty years, leaving the mall in a minor condition of disrepair. Since the mall was owned by the same owner as the new mall, Burroughs and Chapin had the power to close Myrtle Square, which would eventually happen. Most of the stores in Myrtle Square moved to the new mall in early 2004, so the mall became mostly vacant within a few weeks. Coastal Carolina University had several of its offices in Myrtle Square, as well as the Republican Party headquarters for
Horry County Horry County ( ) is the easternmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the List of counties in South Carolina, fourth-most popu ...
. Additionally, during the mall's last year in operation, the Carousel Court area served as the temporary offices for the Department of Motor Vehicles while that agency's offices underwent renovation.Department of Motor Vehicles moves to mall, Phil Watson, ''
The Sun News ''The Sun News'' is a daily newspaper published in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in the United States. It serves the Grand Strand region of South Carolina. History The ''Myrtle Beach News'' was founded as a weekly in 1935 by brothers-in-law ...
'', August 20, 2004
Peebles also remained inside of the mall until
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
of 2005. It had a liquidation sale before the store closed. The other tenants remaining also closed up shop shortly after, and the mall sat vacant for three months.


Demolition

Demolition began with the removal of the blue tiles on the exterior of the former Belk building. On December 22, 2005, a request for the demolition had been filed with the Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and was subject to public comment until January 2, 2006. The work required a
stormwater Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed lan ...
permit in which Burroughs and Chapin showed that debris from the demolition would not enter any waterways via stormwater. The demolition of the mall was completed by Vereen Construction Company. A second demolition permit filed in the city of Myrtle Beach was approved on December 30, 2005. The Charleston-based company LS3P was charged with coming up with a plan on what to do with the property after the building had been demolished. City water lines and power lines were disconnected soon thereafter, and structural demolition began. As of January 2006, almost all of the former Sears building had been demolished, as well as some of Phase II and the northern stores. Demolition had halted at about the center of the mall until mid-2006; the mall has since been demolished fully. Until a plan has been determined for future use of the property, the land will remain vacant.


References


External links


Burroughs and Chapin



Memories & pictures of the vacant mall site


News articles


Myrtle Square Mall to be demolished in six months
''Myrtle Beach Herald'', May 26, 2005

''Myrtle Beach Sun News'', December 25, 2005

''Myrtle Beach Sun News'', January 2, 2006
Myrtle Square Mall to become a grassy mall—for awhile
''Myrtle Beach Herald'', January 5, 2006

''Myrtle Beach Sun News'', January 19, 2006 {{Shopping Malls in South Carolina 1975 establishments in South Carolina 2005 disestablishments in South Carolina Buildings and structures demolished in 2006 Demolished buildings and structures in South Carolina Demolished shopping malls in the United States Shopping malls established in 1975 Shopping malls disestablished in 2005 Shopping malls in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina