MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW)- For years, Myrtle Beach has marketed itself as a “family friendly” vacation destination.
“We all understand that the families are our bread and butter, that’s who comes to visit us for the most part,” said City Spokesperson Mark Kruea.
Kruea says the city works hard to keep it’s image, but some unsightly merchandise stands in their way.
“Some of the items that our visitors complain about, whether it’s the weapons that seem a little odd or the t-shirts with the unhappy slogans on them,” he said.
At a recent Downtown Redevelopment Corporation meeting, City Manager John Pedersen announced that he is working with the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce to fix the problem.
According to Kruea, one idea would be to move the inappropriate items to the back of the store.
“If they’re going to display those items, maybe they can display them in a place that’s not right out there on the boulevard where everybody can see them,” he explained
“We’ve tried that, we’ve moved everything to the back,” said Store Manager Terick Nelson. “That doesn’t really help.”
Nelson says the city should focus on bringing new attraction and events to the area.
“It’s not about the clothing items or the things that are portrayed outside it’s about the quality of the area. If it was cleaner down here I think people would want to come,” said Nelson.
Obviously, the First Amendment protects businesses from being told what they can cannot display, so Kruea says the city would simply be asking owners to get on board.
“Keep that family friendly perspective,” he stated. “Is the booty short really family friendly probably not.”
City Manager John Pedersen suggested giving family friendly business stickers to businesses that support the cities brand.
