Roofing company in North Myrtle Beach, SC

In May, many Myrtle Beach area businesses put up signs saying “Welcome bikers!”, inviting motorcyclists into their restaurants and stores during the popular spring bike rallies.

In September and October, the signs switched, welcoming Mustangs during Mustang Week and Jeeps for Jeep Jam, which brought hundreds of people and vehicles to the Myrtle Beach area.

The Myrtle Beach area hosts a wide range of car events throughout the year, including three motorcycle rallies, a massive car show and various weeks dedicated to classic cars. This has been going on since the 1940s when the Myrtle Beach Bike Rally started and has only grown over the past 80 years.

Along with the large vehicle events that draw in thousands, Myrtle Beach has many car clubs. There are clubs dedicated to classic cars, British cars, Mustangs, Jeeps and Corvettes, to name a few.

What is it about Myrtle Beach that attracts car lovers?

Run to the Sun organizer Michael Leaventon said the classic car show originally started about an hour away in Florence. But as the show expanded, organizers brought it to Myrtle Beach to better accommodate the event.

“It grew so much that in about the eighth or ninth year, they had to move it to Myrtle Beach, because a lot of people are coming from out of town, and there’s a lot of hotels and stuff in Myrtle Beach,” Leaventon said. “The reason we stay in Myrtle Beach is just it’s a great location to have a car show.”

The Myrtle Beach area has over 157,000 accommodation units, according to the Myrtle Beach Visitor’s Bureau. This includes hotel rooms, rental houses, RV parks and bed and breakfasts. The wide range of places to stay offers lodging at various price ranges, making it more accessible to vacation at any cost.

Outside of hotels, Myrtle Beach provides activity outside of the vehicle show events. There are thousands of restaurants and various shopping centers to explore. And, of course, there’s the beach.

“When you’re not out riding or driving or at (an) event, you can always go to the beach,” said Lee “Spider” Webb, the Myrtle Beach Bike Rally marketing coordinator.

Along with what’s been built here, Myrtle Beach’s location along the East Coast works in its favor.

Jeep Jam founder Steve Taylor said he decided to start a Jeep Jam in the city because there wasn’t one nearby. As an avid Jeep fan, he’d seen Jeep events in other places like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee or Daytona, Florida. Hosting a Jeep Jam in Myrtle Beach brought in people from the Carolinas and Virginia that may find other events too far.

Myrtle Beach offers good roads to ride along, Webb said. If people head outside the Myrtle Beach area, there are nice country roads and motorcyclists can drive to Charleston, Georgetown and Wilmington, North Carolina, easily.

“When you come to a rally, (the) No. 1 thing you want to do is to ride a motorcycle,” Webb said. “Myrtle Beach has great options.”

One reason Leaventon said there are so many car events is because there are a lot of car lovers in the Carolinas. That can be partly attributed to the number of retirees headed to the Grand Strand, said Carol Hadley, the lead director of the Myrtle Beach Car Club.

“(The Myrtle Beach area) is now becoming one of the largest areas for retirees. So a lot of the people that are coming down here, they have cars or trucks or motorcycles that they’re into. It’s their passion,” Hadley said.

The weather is one big reason car lovers end up here, Hadley said. South Carolina’s mild weather allows people to cruise year-round instead of locking their classic car in the garage through the winter.

Leaventon said Run to the Sun targets people in their 70s with disposable income, which is a sizable demographic in Myrtle Beach.

More than just retirees love cars. Taylor said around 25% of the Jeeps registered for Jeep Jam 2024 came from the Myrtle Beach area. In total, there were around 500 locals who brought their cars to the event.

The rallies and events bring together people who love cars, giving them space to socialize and celebrate different vehicles.

“Overall, it’s a great community. Not only just the location and the people, but the car clubs are very welcoming of each other,” Leaventon said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie in the car community, not only in Myrtle Beach, but in the whole hobby.”

Follow more of our reporting on Uniquely Myrtle Beach

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NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - A new Amazon facility in North Myrtle Beach is bringing jobs and a faster delivery speed to the Grand Strand just in time for the holidays.

“Welcome Amazon to the City of North Myrtle Beach,” said North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley.

The newly opened facility was years in the making and now has many opportunities to bolster the local economy.

“It’s going to create jobs for the community and for years we’ve talked about diversifying our economy and so that’s what we’re doing out at the Palmetto Industrial Park,” said Hatley.

Hatley said it’s that diversification that they hope will keep the economy strong year-round - especially when it comes to those seasonal workers after the summer ends.

City Councilwoman Nikki Fontana said that in addition to the economic benefits, there’s also something in it for consumers.

“I just think it’s going to add another level of convenience for everyone who doesn’t want to get out and shop,” she said.

That’s especially important with holidays right around the corner.

The same-day facility promises delivery within 24 hours, with many packages arriving just five hours after ordering.

Sam Blatt - Amazon’s Economic Development manager for Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina - said it will make a difference this holiday season.

“For this facility specifically, you know it’s going to be great to help people get those last-minute gifts if they need them or to get some of that holiday shopping out of the way early. With that fast delivery promise that we offer at the facility,” said Blatt.

Amazon announced it would be hiring 2,000 seasonal workers state-wide with many being hired here in North Myrtle Beach making at least $18 an hour.

In addition, this new facility will provide about 100 full-time positions.

“I just think it’s great to have Amazon here and I just want to welcome them to our city,” said Fontana.

Hatley hopes this facility attracts others to continue diversifying the economy, but she said there will be a balance.

“We’re going to be very careful on what type of companies because we want good quality companies to be a part of our community,” said Hatley said.

Blatt told WMBF News that dozens of those full-time positions have been filled.

He said jobs are posted on Fridays after 7 p.m.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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A North Myrtle Beach business owner has been accused by employees of operating a “tip pooling scheme” and not paying servers and bartenders a lawful wage.

Two former employees of Buoys on the Boulevard have filed a lawsuit against owner Weldon Boyd; the restaurant; High Hook, which does business as Buoys; and Stephanie Boothe, manager of High Hook.

A message left for Weldon Boyd and his attorney were not immediately returned.

The suit, filed by Sylviarose Morgan and Breanna Miller, claims that servers and bartenders are paid less than required under the South Carolina Payment of Wages Act because of the defendants’ use of an unlawful tip credit and tip pooling “scheme.”

Tip pooling is a practice where tips received at a restaurant or bar, or another establishment, are placed into a pool that their employer then divides evenly among staff.

The suit claims employees were required at the end of their shifts to put a portion of their tips into the tip pool, which was then divided among staff, including supervisors, managers and the “house.”

Employees were paid less than the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and tips that were received were placed in a mandatory tip pool, the suit said. In addition, employees were charged for uniforms, which is also in violation of the state wages act, the suit said. The uniform was Buoys T-shirts, the suit said.

The suit has been filed on behalf of the plaintiffs and as a class action for non-exempt employees who were employed by defendants anytime within three years who want to join the lawsuit.

Sylivarose Morgan was employed by Buoys from March 2023 through August 2024 as a server and as a head server. Breanna Miller was employed from February 2024 through August 2024 as a server.

The employees claim that they would often work overtime hours, especially during the busy season which ran from May through early September, and were not paid correct wages during that time. Money was deducted from the employees’ paychecks without their permission, the suit said.

In addition, the plaintiffs were required to perform non-tipping work, including working in the kitchen and deep cleaning and food preparation while paying them $2.13 an hour and not minimum wage.

A jury trial is being requested and the suit, which was filed on Nov. 1, is asking for damages, attorney’s fees and costs and wages and compensation due.