HARTSVILLE, SC – Each year young women and their family members travel to Hartsville from across the state for the Little Miss and Teen Miss South Carolina Pageant.
That pageant begins this week, and many business owners are already feeling the impact.
As hundreds of young women take the stage in Hartsville to compete this week, excitement fills the air.
“I am super-duper excited! I just got finished with my interview, and I rocked it. So, I am really excited for tonight,” said contestant Taylor Ann Hughes.
The pageant prelims last all week, and for those who made the top ten last night, that excitement is hard to contain.
“I just wish I could scream,” said contestant Sarah Adkins.
And that excitement isn’t just filling the contestants.
The pageant is expected to bring over 1,000 people to the heart of downtown Hartsville, and that’s a huge opportunity for business owners.
Brandi Wheeler says her small town boutique looks forward to this week all year because the pageant is one of their biggest money makers.
“This week would be slow if it wasn’t for them,” said Wheeler.
She says it’s the timing of the pageant that makes all the difference for her business.
“July by nature is a little bit slow for a big business or a small business. So, to have it this week is a really big deal because it increases our revenue, and you know, in some cases, it is our biggest money maker of the season,” said Wheeler.
Just down the street at Kick-And-Flair Boutique, cashier Whitney Warren says she’s seen the impact, too.
“You’d have to have more than just one employee working. I can tell you, it gets overwhelming with a lot of people coming in at once needing your assistance, and one person would not be able to do it on their own,” said Warren.
For most businesses in the downtown area, additional staff is something they welcome if it means bringing in the big bucks with this week’s pageant.
The prelims for Little Miss and Teen Miss South Carolina will last throughout the week with finals night finishing up this Saturday, and business owners say they hope this year will be just as successful as years in the past.
