A driver ran into the front of a beach boutique and rental equipment shop overnight Saturday in Cherry Grove, destroying furniture and cracking a window, store owners said on social media
No one was injured, but security footage showed a person made a left turn on to Main Street from Hillside Drive and went too wide, Cherry Grove Beach Services owner Derek Calhoun told The Sun News on Sunday.
The driver hit a picnic table and dragged it to the front of Cherry Grove Beach Services where the table hit the front windows and doors of the shop, breaking them.
The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 9 and the person was driving a red car, Calhoun said. After the accident, the person drove away. Kim Perkins, the owner of Mainstreet Bakery and Eatery came in around 3:30 a.m., saw the damage and called the police as well as Calhoun.
The picnic table was destroyed and the front door was cracked open with multiple holes. The owners asked anyone with information to contact to North Myrtle Beach Police Department. The Sun News requested the incident report from North Myrtle Beach Police.
If it wasn’t for the table, the car may have driven farther into the restaurant, Calhoun said. He and his wife were able to clean the glass and open on Saturday. Cherry Grove Beach Services will remain open during repairs.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Calhoun said.
The accident happened a day after Cherry Grove Beach Services announced its Beach Express Shops, which will offer beach equipment rental at the Ocean Drive Pavilion, Harold’s on the Ocean and Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort.
Two years ago, Cherry Grove Beach Services sued the city of North Myrtle Beach and accused the city of having a monopoly on beach rental equipment setup on the beach. In September, a judge sided with the city and said it was legally allowed to have a monopoly on beach chair and umbrella set up.
Cherry Grove Beach Services incurred over $20,000 worth of fines after they continued to set up beach chairs and umbrellas for patrons despite being told to stop by the city, The Sun News previously reported.
