Lighting Store Showroom Near Murrells Inlet, SC

MURRELLS INLET, SC (WMBF) - A Murrells Inlet 55-and-older mobile home community is speaking out after landowner Cobblestone Real Estate raised monthly lot rent by up to 16 percent.

The community’s union said Cobblestone sent notices in November 2025 stating rent would increase between eight and 16 percent for the Oceanside Landing community, located off Pendergrass Avenue near Highway 17.

The amount of the increase depended on lot type: standard lots received a lower increase, while premium lots, described as those closer to the pool and accommodating double-wides, received the higher rate.

Lease agreements also shifted from yearly to month-to-month.

Tenants describe financial strain

Debra Wade, who moved to Oceanside Landing about a year ago, said the increase came quickly after her arrival.

“I moved here just a year ago, and with the repairs I’ve had to purchase, and also the lot rent increase of 16% within just 8 months after I lived here has caused me to have to work 3 jobs,” Wade said.

Harry Prentiss, who relocated from Pennsylvania, said he and his wife budget carefully on a fixed income.

“We moved here from Pennsylvania, came down, and I’m fortunate to have a pension as well as Social Security,” Prentiss said. “My wife has Social Security, but we still budget. We budgeted our whole lives.”

Patricia Groth said she has no backup plan if she is forced to leave.

“I would probably end up in my car with two cats, a litter box, and a dog because I would have nowhere to move to. I have no backup plans,” Groth said.

Community members organize, seek change

At a community meeting, one person speaking from the podium described the situation as forcing difficult decisions.

“Many of us are making impossible choices just to stay in the homes we planned to live in for the rest of our lives,” the tenant said. “Some of us have turned up our thermostats in the summer.”

Another speaker expressed cautious resolve.

“We can get through everything. But we also know when enough is enough,” the tenant said.

With new representation, people living there said they are optimistic that change will come.

Cobblestone Real Estate, based in Pennsylvania, did not respond to a request for comment.

Notices were sent out in November 2025 stating rent would increase between 8 and 16 percent, according to the community’s union. The amount of the increase depended on lot type — standard lots received a lower increase, while premium lots, described as those closer to the pool and accommodating doublewides, received the higher rate. Lease agreements also shifted from yearly to month-to-month.

Residents describe financial strain

Debra Wade, who moved to Oceanside Landing about a year ago, said the increase came quickly after her arrival.

“I moved here just a year ago, and with the repairs I’ve had to purchase and also the lot rent increase of 16% within just 8 months after I lived here has caused me to have to work 3 jobs,” Wade said.

Harry Prentiss, who relocated from Pennsylvania, said he and his wife budget carefully on a fixed income.

“We moved here from Pennsylvania, came down, and I’m fortunate to have a pension as well as Social Security,” Prentiss said. “My wife has Social Security, but we still budget. We budgeted our whole lives.”

Resident Patricia Groth said she has no backup plan if she is forced to leave.

“I would probably end up in my car with 2 cats, a litter box, and a dog because I would have nowhere to move to. I have no backup plans,” Groth said.

Residents organize, seek change

At a community meeting, one resident speaking from the podium described the situation as forcing difficult decisions.

“Many of us are making impossible choices just to stay in the homes we planned to live in for the rest of our lives. Some of us have turned up our thermostats in the summer,” the resident said.

Another speaker expressed cautious resolve.

“We can get through everything. But we also know when enough is enough,” the resident said.

With new representation, some residents said they are optimistic that change will come.

Cobblestone Real Estate, based in Pennsylvania, did not respond to a request for comment.

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MYRTLE BEACH — The popular coffee giant Starbucks recently closed hundreds of stores across North America, including four in South Carolina.

Areas that lost cafes include the Pee Dee, one on the Grand Strand and two in the Upstate.

What we know

The Starbucks locations in Anderson, Darlington, Murrells Inlet and Taylors shuttered the week of Sept. 27.

Specifically, the following stores closed:

The door of the S.C. Highway 707 location in Murrells Inlet had a note left behind for former patrons, offering a QR code to direct them to other available locations.

"This week, we made the very difficult decision to close this Starbucks location," the note on the Murrells Inlet café stated. "We know this may be hard to hear, because this isn’t just any store. It’s your coffeehouse … where memories were made and meaningful connections with our partners grew. We’re deeply grateful for these moments, and for the community that’s been built here."

In the note, management added that they are "working closely to support" the site’s former baristas and staff through the transition.

"Our commitment to creating welcoming, memorable experiences remains unchanged," the note stated. "We hope you’ll visit us at a nearby Starbucks where we’d be honored to continue bringing joy and coffee to your day."

Customers can find a current list of active locations on the Starbucks app.

Starbucks closes hundreds of stores

The four South Carolina stores were among 250 that the coffee giant shuttered in North America.

The company announced the closures on Sept. 24, adding in a statement that the coffeehouses represented about 1 percent of the chain’s more than 18,000 around North America.

If you are a fan of live music, chances are good that you've seen guitarist and singer Skyler Whitfield in action – either solo or with his band, the Sky Whitfield Band – bringing his brand of Americana, rock, folk, outlaw country, Celtic and original music to venues across the Grand Strand and beyond.

Whitfield, now a Socastee resident, moved to the area from Greensboro, N.C., to study music at Coastal Carolina University – attending for two years.

"I had the choice of either taking out a loan and try to get this degree that really only helps when you’re teaching – or go to work and actually play the gigs," he said. "I decided to do that."

Whitfield said he took piano lessons as a kid, but the instrument he chose in elementary school for school band could seem unusual.

"I was a fourth grader lugging around a full-size concert tuba," he said. "It was probably bigger than me at the time."

Originally, Whitfield told the band teacher, Mike Love (same as the Beach Boys singer), that he wanted to play drums or percussion. Love told him that the band could use someone on the low brass section.

"I played tuba until the ninth grade. It wasn't exactly helping me out in the ladies' department, so I switched to guitar," Whitfield said.

It could be said that Whitfield’s first instrument was his voice. He sang in church and his mother is a theater director.

In high school, Whitfield was in a band called Sweet Relief – concentrating on high-voltage Southern rock.

"I was always influenced by bands like The Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers. I’ve always loved Southern rock. That was an elemental part of my music choices growing up, he said, adding that 60s folk-era music was also influential – and he was also exposed to a good deal of country music, in large part because his father was born in southern Georgia and raised in southern Virginia.

When he became an adult, Whitfield said he got heavily into the blues.

"I wanted to discover who invented that sound first,” he said, citing musicians like R.L. Burnside, Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, Mississippi Fred McDowell and more.

From there, Whitfield became enamored with slide guitar.

"My fingers were a little too stupid to rip a solo just with my left hand – but I discovered the slide and always liked how that sounded, Whitfield said. "The guitar I play primarily is called a resonator. It’s sort of a mix between an acoustic and electric and a dobro (he plays dobro, too). It’s got the metal head, so it's resonant on its own – and then I set it up to where you can plug it in, and it’s just been my main thing ever since."

During his solo shows, you’ll hear the Southern rock influences – and his shows always start with a Steve Earle song, of whom Whitfield is a huge fan. He said he doesn’t play a ton of modern covers, but you will likely hear fare from Tyler Childers, Marcus King or Colter Wall. Whitfield employs a kick drum and alternates between his resonator, a traditional acoustic and lately his traditional dobro.

"I try to throw in at least one original every 20 minutes or so – and sort of introduce the song. I don’t like to weigh people down with stuff they’re not familiar with, but it’s fun to throw them in there,” Whitfield said.

In addition to his solo and band gigs – Whitfield frequently sits in with an outfit out of Cherry Grove called Root 65 Band.

"They’re all older guys from Guilford County (N.C.). I met them by happenstance. They do more traditional bluegrass and country – and I enjoy playing with them too. We have an ongoing joke about how I met them. I was delivering acid to the guitar/mandolin player – the sulfuric kind for his pool business."

Catch Whitfield solo at Wahoo’s Fish House in Murrells Inlet on Oct. 8 from 5:30-9 p.m.

For complete info, hit up www.skylerwhitfield.live.

Gullah culture, history and spirituality

On Oct. 2 (and again on Oct. 21), join Emmy-nominated performing artist, author and cultural interpreter Ron Daise at Brookgreen Gardens for a discussion about Gullah Geechee culture, history and spirituality – as depicted through characters and scenes in his book, "Raptors in the Ricelands" – his first historical novel.

Daise, also vice president for creative education at Brookgreen and creator of Nick Jr. TV’s "Gullah Gullah Island" (with wife Natalie Daise), will cover the family secrets and conflicts set in his novel, challenging cultural beliefs.

"Spiderwort, Root Medicine, and Spiritual Healing" takes place in the Jennewein Gallery from 1-2 p.m. Admission is free with registration for members. Non-members get in free with Gardens admission and registration. For more, visit www.brookgreen.org.

Literary luncheon in Pawleys

Thanks to your friends at Litchfield Books, you can rub elbows with award-winning author Scott Gould at Caffe Piccolo in Pawleys Island on Oct. 9 as he presents his latest offering, "Beneath a Fallen Sky."

Gould is the author of seven books and his honors include an Eric Hofer Award for fiction, a Memoir Prize for books, the Larry Brown Short Story Award, the S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowship in prose and more.

The event runs from 10:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. For $38, your ticket includes an intimate talk and Q&A with Gould, a top-notch lunch, author meet-and-greet and the opportunity to purchase the event book. For more, visit www.litchfieldbooks.com.

Fine feathered friends

On Oct. 9, explore the diverse habitats of Hobcaw Barony and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center – both of which are homes to a jaw-dropping variety of coastal birds. "Birding Both Sides of the Bay" is a guided birding tour that will take you to a variety of locations – salt marshes, mature longleaf pine forests, brackish and freshwater managed wetlands and the grounds of Bellefield Plantation.

Expect to see shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, woodland species, woodpeckers (including the red-cockaded woodpecker), forest birds and more. The tour begins at Hobcaw Barony and runs from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Admission is $38. For complete details, visit www.hobcawbarony.org.

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World/USA/South Carolina/Murrells Inlet

Air quality in Murrells Inlet

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46*

US AQI⁺

Good

Main pollutant:

PM2.5

8.4 µg/m³

19°

3 km/h

100 %

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PM2.5 concentration is currently 1.7 times the World Health Organization annual PM2.5 guideline value.

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Index

High

Source:

wetter.com

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