Tanger Outlets gets OK for on-site alcohol sales at Myrtle Beach location

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — One of the Grand Strand’s largest retail centers could soon be offering a new type of service: On-site alcohol sales.

An Horry County regulatory board last week unanimously approved the request by Tanger Outlets for its 68-acre site off Highway 501.

The company would have to seek separate approval if it plans to allow alcohol sales at its second location on Highway 17.

“As a whole, we’re constantly looking to improve our portfolio, our assets. Retail is constantly changing, and we’re trying to keep up with that by increasing our tenant mix with new, exciting uses,” Tanger senior development manager Brett Brophy told the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals last week.

As part of the approval, any new restaurant or bar to open within Tanger Outlets must go before zoning officials to ensure compliance. And any location serving after midnight has to be previously cleared by the Horry County Police Department.

Tanger opened the 4635 Factory Stores Outlet location in 1995. Officials needed a variance to authorize alcohol sales because a portion of the property is located within 500 feet of residential area.

Mike Wooten, an engineer who worked on plans for Tanger, gave a stark assessment of why the new business model is necessary for the complex.

“Those of you that understand retail, understand what a struggle retail has been going through over the last 10 to 12 years. Internet has killed brick-and-mortar for a lot of stores,” he said. “And then our age folks who went to certain restaurants are fading away, and the younger generations coming up are not visiting those same restaurants.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, e-commerce accounted for .63% of all sales in 1999. By 2021, it had jumped to 13.3%.

The pandemic also ravaged traditional retail. More than 12,000 major retail chain stores permanently closed just in 2020 — a total of 159 million square feet lost. And the number of small businesses dropped by more than a third between January 2020 and April 201, a National League of Cities report found.

Myrtle Beach isn’t the only place where Tanger is exploring on-site alcohol sales. City council members in Mebane, N.C., heard a presentation July 1 from company officials hoping to create a “social district” where drinking is allowed.

Wooten said the Tanger brand remains strong, but expanding its services will keep it competitive in a fast-growing economy.

“Retailers have got to be innovative, or they lose market share,” he said. “When they lose market share, stores go dark. Anything we can do to help Tanger with this is an advantage. It’s a very, very popular place.”

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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