Waccamaw Pottery Comes Back to Life
Elissa Jarvis, Lead Reporter Friday, February 10, 2012
Waccamaw Pottery on Hwy 501 used to be bustling with sales. It was once the nation’s third largest outlet shopping center with over 100 stores on 80 acres of land. On any given weekend the outlets would be packed and you could hear the cash registers ring from the parking lots. Unfortunately in 2001, amid stiff competition from the Tanger outlet stores and others, Waccamaw Pottery closed. But new investors from New Jersey are looking to bring the outlets back to life!
Investment group 3W LLC has bought the area for $7.5 million dollars and is intending to revive the area with new stores, restaurants and attractions. Property Manager Martin Durham told the Sun News “We will gradually bring this thing back to life. We are hoping to, over time, open everything back up.” Crews have already started cleaning up the area, pulling weeds and fixing windows. New stores can be open as early as this summer, but its likely going to take 1-2 years before the area is thriving again. Rumors are already swirling that the buildings are likely to be turned into casinos, although it’s still not legal to have casinos in South Carolina yet.
So what do you think should open in the buildings?
Photocredit: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/02/09/2650935/new-life-coming-to-former-waccamaw.html