Surfside Beach nonprofit receives first Business of the Month award

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Memory Lane in Surfside Beach is a thrift and gift store that raises money for Alzheimer’s and all forms of dementia.

The store only hire individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Owner and founder Kevin Andrews said it was an honor to receive the first business of the month award. He explained why he wanted to open this business, as well as what it means to him.

“My wife has been in special-ed for over 20 years, and in my previous life, I used to work with doctors and teaching on autism, and one thing I learned is that a lot of these individuals don’t have much after high school,” Andrews said. “And they have so much to give and offer, so why not give them a shot? And that’s what we do, we hire them for that purpose.”

One of the employees at memory Lane, Samuel Authier, said his mom introduced him to the store and encouraged him to apply. Authier has been working there for a year now and explained what it’s like.

“Pretty laid back, pretty chill,” he said. “I got to say, it’s really fun and it’s really easy working here in a shop like this, and I have some very good coworkers who I have some great conversations with.”

Andrews said that many times, individuals with autism or intellectual disabilities are 30-40% more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia as they age.

He said the shop has not only had an impact on his family, but customers as well.

“Every day we meet somebody who is looking for resources or just looking to talk to somebody about the illness,” Andrews said. “It’s a horrible disease and a lot of time they don’t know where to turn, so they come here and talk about it and they feel better when they leave.”

Authier said he has made some great friends while working. He explained who his favorite people to work with are.

“These twins, they’re called, their identical twins called Brianna and Brittany, and they’re nonverbal, so they can’t really communicate or talk well,” he said. “But I definitely still have a fun time conversating with them.”

They won the award due to their involvement and impact in the community.

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Hannah Huffstickler is a multimedia journalist at News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2024 after graduating from Coastal Carolina University in December of 2023. Keep up with Hannah on Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can also read more of her work here .

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