Barefoot Landing

Barefoot Landing

Barefoot Landing's Official Logo
Location	North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA
Coordinates	Coordinates: 33°48′3″N 78°44′32″W / 33.80083°N 78.74222°W / 33.80083; -78.74222
Address	4898 U.S. 17 North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
Opening date	1988
Management	Burroughs & Chapin Commercial Leasing
Owner	Barefoot Landing, Inc. / Barefoot Properties Limited Partnership (lLast trademark owners)[1] Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc through its newly formed holding company Barefoot Landing Commercial LLC
No. of stores and services	100 shops, 15 restaurants plus several entertainment venues[2]
Website	www.bflanding.com

Barefoot Landing is a large shopping complex located in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It consists of several divided sections of stores and attractions located on filled land over top of Louis Lake, next to the Intracoastal Waterway. Barefoot Landing was previously known as the Village of the Barefoot Traders which was a collection of 15 unusual gift shops that was located on 3½ acres along a natural marsh and in 1988 was rebuilt and opened as Barefoot Landing.

History

Barefoot Landing was originally a residential area that had its own private marina, that was developed in the 1970s into a quaint "village" of shops. The Village of Barefoot Traders opened in March 1972 on 3-1/2 acres of shops, was surrounded by Louis Lake, and had 15 different shops. The entire area was redeveloped as well as expanded into a much larger complex and consolidated under a single owners and was rebranded from The Village of Barefoot Traders to Barefoot Landing, which opened in 1988 and has become one of South Carolina's most impressive tourist destinations.^[3][4][5]

Today Barefoot Landing has over 100 stores and restaurants, on all sides of a small lake, plus it has adjoining areas with Alabama Theatre, House of Blues and Alligator Adventure, which is one of the largest reptile zoos in the world and provides a plethora of activity for both tourists and locals alike. Several unexploded bombs were unearthed during the construction of the resort. The bombs were left over from when the property was used a part of a bombing/gunnery range for the military.^[3][5]

On January 4 at around 6 p.m a fire broke out at the Tango Bay Clothing store, which caused $75,000 worth of structure and merchandise damage. According to Patrick Dowling, spokesman for the city the fire was contained to the store, but may have caused smoke damage to adjacent buildings. The cause/origin of the fire is unknown and is currently being investigated.^[6][7][8] It was later reported on Jan 8, 2014, that combustible items located too close to a space heater which caused the fire. The tenant was experiencing problems with the store’s heating system and used space heaters while they were waiting for repairs to be made. The fire was deemed “unintentional” by investigators with the North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue Division.

Purchase by Burroughs and Chapin

On December 12, 2012 Burroughs & Chapin along with an investment firm, put in a bid to purchase Barefoot Landing and a memo was sent out to the merchants of Barefoot Landing, notifying them of the potential sale.^[9]

On April 2, 2013 it was reported that B&C would take control of Barefoot Landing that month and a holding company called "Barefoot Landing Commercial, LLC" filed for incorporation in late January.^[10] The purchase was finalized on March 31. Current tenants would not notice any notable changes to the property or its administrative staff.^[11][12]

On April 15, 2013 it was also reported that Burroughs & Chapin paid $43 million for Barefoot Landing and the sale closed on March 1, with Barefoot Landing Commercial, LLC paying $43 million for the 64-acre complex which is according to the Register of Deeds office of Horry County. According to tenants, small improvements are set to be made at Barefoot Landing in the next month including installed fountains, playing music throughout the center, and replacing some of the aging boards in the wooden walkways.^[13][14][15]

On April 14, 2014, The Sun News reported that Barefoot Landing would be getting a fresh look, as well as 10 new stores. Work included redecking the pedestrian bridges, renovating and expanding the restrooms, freshening up landscaping and resurfacing the parking lots. The article also announced that around 10 new stores will be moving in that include some store who already have stores located at Broadway at the Beach, which is also owned by Burroughs & Chapin. M.R. Docks that sells casual wildlife apparel store, My Mobile, that sells accessories for electronic devices, Geneva Time Exchange that sells watches, Yours and Mayan that sells jewelry, masks, and wood carvings, and TrickMaster Magic Shop had already opened, while It’s Sugar, Auntie Anne's pretzels, Hat Fanatic, The Silver Shack and Crabby Jack’s General Store expected to open the next month.^[16][17]

Resort

On December 15, 1998, Silver Carolina Development and Barefoot Landing Inc. presented plans to the North Myrtle Beach city council for the $812 million 2345-acre Barefoot Landing Resort, which would be built over 12 to 15 years. The resort would have four golf courses, two hotels, a marina, and 5000 housing units, along with commercial, office and retail space. Late in 1999, the city annexed the area, a move expected to double the population in the city limits.^[18][19][20] In March 2000, a renovated swing bridge built in 1934 was moved from Edenton, North Carolina to cross the Intracoastal Waterway, connecting the resort to the shopping center.^[21] The golf courses opened in April, though the bridge was not ready, after a delay caused by damage from Hurricane Floyd.^[22]

References

External links

• Barefoot Landing Official Site
• Barefoot Leasing Info Site