NICHOLS, SC (WBTW) – As the Little Pee Dee River overflowed its banks last October, surging waters swamped an iconic corner store in the town of Nichols.
It’s been nearly three months since Hurricane Matthew and close to three months that familiar faces walked through the doors of Sunny Mart in Nichols.
Sunny Mart in Nichols opened its doors Wednesday for the first time since the flood.
Operations Manager Richard little says when the flood waters from Hurricane Matthew swept through the town of Nichols, they thought they had gone out of business.
The water was four feet deep where the local convenience store sits and there was more than two feet of water inside, says Little.
“Honey people love Sunny Mart. We are they family and when we open at five o’clock in the morning our corner over here is full,” said Assistant Manager Patricia Strickland.
Sunny mart has been a part of the Nichols community since the early 1980s.
“Friends from North Carolina, Lake View, Mullins, Marion even some from Florence stop by here,” said Nichols resident Floyd Strickland.
The store is best known for its breakfast, chicken, potato logs and much more. So Sunny Mart’s loyal customers were glad to see its doors open once again Wednesday.
“I was a day too early, I come up here yesterday and they wouldn’t let me in,” explained Nichols resident Samuel McDaniels.
With a bright new look, Sunny Mart greeted new and returning customers to the much-anticipated reopening.
“It’s kind of a mixed feeling in a sense, being open is great but you know there is still a lot of hardship on people in the community,” said Operations Manager Richard Little.
“It’s special because it is so convenient and they are very fortunate to have their own gas station in Nichols,” added Floyd Strickland.
Little says customers were a driving force that pushed sunny mart to reopen.
Sunny Mart in Nichols is open seven days a week from 5 am to 11 pm.
