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SALISBURY, N.C., May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food Lion is making it easier for neighbors in Little River, SC, to get everything they need in one easy-to-shop location by opening a new store at 77 S. Highway 57, Little River, SC 29566. The new store and adjacent liquor store will open to the public at 8 a.m., May 3, following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. Afterward, the first 100 customers in line will receive a mystery gift card valued up to $200, free reusable shopping bag and custom apron. The store will be open daily from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. In addition, the liquor store next door is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.

“I’m excited to open this new store in Little River and offer our neighbors a wide product assortment at the everyday low prices they expect from Food Lion,” said Chris Cheers, Store Manager of the new Little River Food Lion. “With the liquor store adjacent to the Little River Food Lion, we will continue to deliver on our commitment to make grocery shopping easy, convenient and affordable for our customers.”

The new store features an extensive product assortment, hand-battered fried chicken, in-store cut fruit and a wide variety of affordable and easy “grab-and-go” options to help make any meal easier. Customers have a large selection of organic, gluten-free and plant-based items to choose from, including Nature’s Promise-brand items, which are Food Lion’s affordable brand of wholesome and organic products made with no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors. Additionally, the store features a walk-in produce cooler, ensuring the freshest items available, and a self-service hot wing and Asian food bar.

The store is proud to offer a wide variety of great local offerings, including Caroline Plantation Grits, Gillespie’s Salted Peanuts and 5C’s Everything Sauce, all produced within 100 miles of the store. A list of additional South Carolina-based suppliers that may be featured in the store can be found online. In keeping with Food Lion’s commitment to offering great local products, the liquor store features spirits distilled locally as well as other regional favorites. This is Food Lion’s fifth liquor store operating adjacent to a Food Lion grocery store and the fourth in South Carolina.

To make shopping easier for customers, the store offers self-checkout lanes and the Food Lion To Go grocery pickup service. Online orders may be placed on the Food Lion To Go website or the Food Lion To Go app. The convenient service allows customers to place an order with the click of a button while experiencing the same low prices and fresh food items they receive in the store.

Furthering Food Lion’s commitment to sustainability, the store features energy-efficient overhead LED lighting and refrigerated doors. Food Lion is the only company in the country to receive the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy for 22 consecutive years.

In another commitment to the Little River community, the store has donated $2,500 each ($5,000 total), to two local feeding agencies: North Strand Helping Hands and St. Delight Community Outreach, both of Horry County. Each of these organizations also will regularly collect food from the store to distribute to neighbors in need through Food Lion Feeds’ industry-leading food rescue program, in which food safe for human consumption is donated to a local feeding agency before the food spoils. Food Lion Feeds, the retailer’s hunger-relief initiative, has donated more than 1 billion meals to neighbors in need since 2014.

About Food LionFood Lion is an omnichannel retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors during the moments that matter most. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Through its ‘Count on me’ culture, Food Lion fosters a sense of belonging for all associates, promoting a diverse and inclusive environment that has supported LGBTQ+ equality for nearly two decades. Food Lion is the only company in the country to be named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 22 consecutive years. It also pioneered a food rescue program to support food-insecure neighbors. Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer has donated more than 1 billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.

CONTACTS:

Food Lion Media Relations 704-245-3317 [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/27555656-b054-4e48-b4fc-13f143da98f1

New Little River, SC, Food Lion opens on May 3 The new Little River, SC, Food Lion is located at 77 S. Highway 57, Little River, SC 29566 and has a...

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (WBTW) — There’s nothing little about what they serve at the Little River Deli.

The portions, the flavors, the menu — all bigger than you might expect. Inside this little building, they do it big.

“We can really do a lot in a small space,” owner Amanda Flowers said. “We got a great crew.”

The day I was at Little River Deli, it was a slow day and the line was still five people deep.

Flowers, who took over the deli in February, said some days the line goes out the door. The deli has been here since 1999, and it’s still the same.

“That’s one thing that I really wanted to keep was just the heart of it and the thing that people have come to love,” Flowers said. When you take over a business, I worked here, so I kind of knew what the place was and what people were here to get, and I never wanted to change that.”

Flowers has worked here for 15 years; her dad’s been here since it opened.

“I love it,” Flowers said. “I went to college and I had a whole ‘nother career. I always worked here in between and weekends and stuff, and at the end of the day I chose this, hands down.”

Little River Deli has a lot on the menu, but they specialize in New York and Italian food. While not much changes, occasionally, something new is added.

“So we’re cooking our own, roasting our own roast beef now, slicing it and serving it on a sub or open face with gravy. It’s something that people are calling in for every single day now,” Flowers said. “So that was my touch that I added.”

While tourists are important to the Grand Strand, this place is important to the locals.

“Honestly, a lot of times we do get some tourists, which is awesome, but consistently it’s locals coming in, and it think it’s really cool,” Flowers said. “A lot of people will say that are finding us, they’ll say, ‘Oh my gosh I drive right past you,’ or ‘you have no idea how many times I’ve driven past and this is my first time in.’ And I think that it’s so cool to know that they’re finding this new place and they always come back.”

And she’s not kidding when she says they come back.

“It’s a lot of hard work. It’s worth it,” Flowers said. “I think it’s satisfying when you see people come in every single day. We have customers that come seven days a week.”

Little River Deli now does catering for any size event. They’re on Highway in, you guessed it, Little River.

*****

Aaron Rhody is an anchor/reporter at WBTW News13. He’s been in the industry since 2011. He’s a Minnesota native who’s still getting used to the South Carolina heat. In his free time, you can find him at home with his five kids, including twin newborns. You can follow his and his family’s adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

The rich history of Little River includes a visit from President George Washington, rumored moorings from the pirate Blackbeard and evidence of Native American campsites from thousands of years ago.

But what gives Little River its charm isn’t a pit stop by the former president or visits from notorious pirates – it’s the families and traditions of the community that have endured for generations.

Toni Bessent, 70, has lived in Little River for most of her life and said her family has been in Little River since around 1766.

“Little River has been here for so long and has so much history,” Bessent said. “I’ve tried to leave a couple times and I come right back. It’s just where my history is and it’s where I have lots of friends I went to school with who are still my friends today.”

This month, Horry County officials are remembering Little River as a historic place by unveiling a historic marker.

On Aug. 10, a memorial commemorating the history of Little River will be unveiled in a ceremony at 10 a.m. at the County parking lot at 4466 Mineola Ave. The South Carolina State Historical Marker is sponsored by the Horry County Historic Preservation Commission, which is funded by the Horry County Council. The wording is approved by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

“When you do a state marker, it’s vetted,” Susan Platt, chair of Horry County’s Historic Preservation Commission, said. “We do the research, it goes to the state, they have a PHD who adds to your research, takes away and then works on what text will be on the actual marker. Then, it goes to yet another committee of staff members who are PHDs, and this is their career, who also look at it before they approve that state marker.”

Little River is widely regarded as one of the first permanent settlements in Horry County. According to an article in the Independent Republic Quarterly by late historian Catherine Heniford Lewis, British colonists had lived in the area since before 1734. Evidence that Native Americans fished and camped in Little River has been found from as early as the Middle Woodland Period (400-800 A.D.), according to Horry County Museum curator Abigail Geedy.

Platt describes the people of Little River as resourceful, using the expansion of Highway 17 as an example. The widening of the road from two to four lanes caused many plots of land with historic structures on them to be condemned to make room, but instead of allowing the demolition of the buildings, many residents opted to pick up and move the historic structures.

One example is the historic Parson’s Table restaurant, a former church that was moved from the intersection of Mineola Avenue and Highway 17 to its current location.

The unveiling of the historic memorial is the latest initiative to come from the county’s Historic Preservation Committee. The committee also began interviewing longtime residents for an oral history program last year.

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Even with tourism, Little River’s character remains

The Little River economy, which, early on, was centered around commercial fishing, lumber and turpentine trade, shifted after the great depression. Recreational fishing, party boats and now casino boats drive the economy of the Little River docks off Mineola Avenue.

Wade Long, however, has continued his family’s tradition of fishing commercially in Little River. He owns the docks next to the Crab Catcher’s Restaurant, offering jet ski rentals to visitors of Little River but also supplying restaurants with fresh seafood through a family commercial fishing business. Long said his grandfather moved to Little River, fished and built boats and that commercial fishing on Little River has been a family tradition ever since.

“In my lifetime there hasn’t been a lot of change in Little River,” Long said. “I still talk to some people I worked for when I was here as a kid. Danny Juel rents from me and puts his boat in the dock. I worked for him when I was a young kid. He’s in his 60s now and he’s fished his whole life. The Juels and the Longs have both been here a very long time making their living off this waterfront.”

It isn’t just the casino boats and watersport activities that draw people to the Intracoastal. It’s also the character of a small fishing town that Little River still holds, which is evident from the docks on Water Front Avenue.

“Traffic from Highway 17 and so many people coming here from other places have changed the character a good bit,” Bessent said. “But I think it still has some of its original character and that’s kind of the draw of Little River, which is ironic because tourism is what changes the character.”

Horry County is home to many historic properties, Little River included. Structures that are historically significant can be recognized on the National Register of Historic Places and also the Horry County Historic Property Register.

“One of our highest priorities is to get structures on our local register because it adds a level of protection,” said Lou Conklin, a senior planner for Horry County and staff liaison for the Historic Preservation Commission. “If you’re on the local register, it does help you in regards to development because a developer can’t just purchase your property and tear your structure down.”

Soon, an app will be launched which will make more accessible the catalog of historic structures in the county.

“If you have all this history and great stuff and you can’t get it into the hands of tourists or new people who don’t know it, it’s worthless. It’s in a book or archives somewhere,” Platt said. “An app opens it up to everyone.”

According to Horry County’s Preservation Plan, 89% of the historic structures cataloged are cemeteries. With so many historic cemeteries in the area, the HPC has been busy filling out a cemetery database, which aims to document information from all the gravesites in historic cemeteries in Horry County.

Conklin said that the cemetery database is important because many families used to bury loved ones in the backyard. Descendants from some of those families may eventually move away and sell the land, meaning the gravesites may be lost to the next generation.

Even though Little River is changing and growing, the spirit and history of the small fishing town remains, and the families do, too.

“If those big live oaks on that hill could talk, you could hear some of the best stories you could ever imagine,” Long said. “This was a magical place to grow up as a kid, and you couldn’t beat me away with a stick. If you took me away, I’d be walking back to Little River.”

A Food Lion grocery and liquor stores are set to open this week in Little River, offering gifts to the first 100 customers in line.

The store opens Wednesday at 8 a.m. with an extensive product assortment of hand cut meats, in-store cut fruits and grab-to-go food and drink options, according to a news release.

The first 100 customers in line will receive a mystery gift card valued at up to $200, free reusable shopping bags and a custom apron. The store, located at 77 S. Highway 57, Little River, will then be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The next-door liquor store will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.

“I’m excited to open this new store in Little River and offer our neighbors a wide product assortment at the everyday low prices they expect from Food Lion,” said Chris Cheers, store manager of the new Little River Food Lion. “With the liquor store adjacent to the Little River Food Lion, we will continue to deliver on our commitment to make grocery shopping easy, convenient and affordable for our customers.”

Customers can expect to see a large selection of organic, gluten-free and plant based items to choose from, including Nature’s Promise-brand items, which are Food Lion’s brand made with no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors, according to a release.

The store will also feature a walk-in produce cooler, a self-service hot wing and Asian food bar.

The location will offer a variety of locally grown produce and products likes Caroline Plantation Grits, Gillespie’s Salted Peanuts and 5C’s Everything Sauce, all produced within 100 miles of the store.

The Little River Food Lion is the fifth store to have a liquor store operating adjacent to a Food Lion grocery store and the fourth in South Carolina, the release states.

The store will also offer self-checkout lanes and the Food Lion To Go grocery pickup service. Online orders may be placed on the Food Lion To Go website or the Food Lion To Go app.

Food Lion has also made a commitment to the Little River area donating $2,500 to two local agencies in Horry County: North Strand Helping Hands and St. Delight Community Outreach.

Both organizations will also regularly collect food from the store to distribute to neighbors in need through Food Lion Feeds, an industry-leading food rescue program that stores food safe for human consumption to local feeding agencies before the food spoils. Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 1 billion meals to neighbors in need since 2014, the release states.

Customers of Little River Water & Sewerage Co. Inc. have approved the purchase of the utility by Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority.

Water officials said 6,398 Little River residents voted in favor and 710 were opposed, a 90-10 split which exceeded the 2/3 approval threshold required for the merger.

Christy Everett, CEO of GSWSA, said the merger makes sense for both companies since Grand Strand already provided water by wholesale to LRWSC since 1980. That means water quality will remain the same since Grand Strand already treated LRWSC’s water.

Grand Strand will take over operations of the Little River office and the company’s infrastructure, Everett said. The merger goes into effect Sept. 1.

“We hope the only difference customers notice is the logo on their bill,” Everett said.

The water rates between the two companies differ slightly. Grand Strand has a higher base rate ($12.90 compared to $8.67) but a lower charge per 1,000 gallons. Little River also charged a monthly “customer charge,” which is not on Grand Strand bills.

Little River residents who use more than 2,000 gallons of water per month will see a reduced water bill. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the average person uses about 2,700 gallons of water per month for indoor uses. Everett said a typical usage amount in Horry County is 4,000-8,000 gallons per month.

Sewer rates will also change for former Little River residents. Little River had a lower base charge ($4.94 compared to $12.70) but charges more than double per 1,000 gallons than Grand Strand. Little River customers will pay $4.32 more per month for 1,000 gallons of sewage, $2.52 more for 2,000 gallons, $0.74 more for 3,000 gallons and will save money for more gallons than that.

Commercial customers may notice a reduction in their water bill when the buyout goes through. Little River charged a base $2.75 per 1,000 gallons regardless of usage. Grand Strand does not have a base commercial rate but charges less than $2.79 per 1,000 gallons up to 15,000 gallons. The maximum per gallon rate Grand Strand charges is $3.07 for every 1,000 gallons after 15,000.

Jennifer Walters, president and CEO of the Little River Chamber of Commerce, said the organization decided to not take a position on the merger. The chamber conducted a survey among its members but Walters said not enough feedback and insight was gathered from business owners. The chamber did, however, spread information about the merger to local businesses to help owners make an educated decision.

“I believe the merger will be a good thing because Grand Strand has the resources and infrastructure to better handle the rapid growth of Little River,” Walters said following the approval of the buyout.

Fred Kisner, executive manager of LRWSC, did not respond to a request for comment, but Everett said employees would be retained at the Little River office.

Former Little River members will also be getting checks from proceeds of the buyout. Brochures sent out and the votelittleriver.com website stated that members will receive refund payments of at least $350.