Roundup: New business in Murrells Inlet, reopening in Myrtle Beach top week’s business news | Myrtle Beach Business
A new business in Murrells Inlet, a possible reopening on Restaurant Row and plenty of accolades to go around in this week’s business roundup.
Myrtle Beach natives to bring new energy to Inlet Square Mall with juice bar, shop
MURRELLS INLET — A brother and sister duo from the Burgess community have opened Juice N Tingz — a juice bar and cultural items shop, some of which were handmade locally.
“We wanted to bring a grand opportunity to our community because we are natives of this area for generations,” said Jon Smalls, who runs the business with his sister, Dana Armstrong. “Our family has always been pioneering things and doing things like farming, so we wanted to give back to the community by giving them an oasis inside a cultural desert.
“We know Horry County is rich in history, but a lot of times we don’t recognize that. A lot of times we just don’t know because we don’t have a lot of natives speaking up and doing things.”
So they opened Juice N Tingz to bring jewelry, handbags, hair bows and dehydrated dog treats, along with healthy juice items via their location in Inlet Square Mall in Murrells Inlet.
“I wanted to bring some healthy options to the community, as well,” Smalls said. “I wanted to give people the alternative option of drinking juice or having something else to drink besides soda or Kool-Aid. I decided to make cold-pressed juices.”
Fruits used for the cold-pressed juices at Juice N Tingz come from around the state and Smalls grows the vegetables the shop uses. He said the cultural items in the shop are shipped from as nearby as Charleston and as far as Africa.
Smalls said the business has relied on word-of-mouth marketing through his family’s local connections at area churches, as well as his connections in the fitness world. Juice N Tingz is also on Facebook.
He said they chose to locate at Inlet Square Mall for multiple reasons.
“Inlet Square has been close and dear to us for so long and we noticed that a lot of people just pass it by,” Smalls said. “We wanted to come inside Inlet Square Mall and help rejuvenate it and bring that energy.”
The shop will celebrate its grand opening from noon to 5 p.m. Jan. 23. Juice N Tingz is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Blackburn-Gay Elected to national public relations position
Denise Blackburn-Gay, chief executive officer of Marketing Strategies, Inc. in Myrtle Beach, was elected a 2021 delegate-at-large for the Public Relations Society of America. She is one of two national members and three international members to be elected to the position.
Blackburn-Gay will serve a one-year renewable term. She, along with the other delegates, were chosen “based on their exemplary ethical conduct, their participation in and commitment to PRSA, and their professional achievements and recognition,” according to a press release from the PRSA.
The chosen delegates will communicate with at-large members concerning PRSA events and strategic initiatives, conduct surveys about members’ needs and interests, and participate in the leadership’s online community.
2020 SCRLA finalists announced
The South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association will host its 68th annual Stars of South Carolina Hospitality Awards on Feb. 1 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Columbia. Several Myrtle Beach-area hospitality industry workers are finalists for their “exceptional professionalism and outstanding service” in 2020.
Stars of the Industry finalists include:
- Lodging Manager of the Year – Tony Lee, Sheraton Myrtle Beach
- Lodging Heart of House Employee of the Year – Conrad Cooper, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront
- Hotel Bartender of the Year – Phil Sacco, Sheraton Myrtle Beach
- Hotel Chef of the Year – Connor Kaiser, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront
- Restaurant Front of House Employee of the Year nominee – Dawn Hlavacek, Croissants Bistro
Winners will be announced at the gala in February. More information about tickets can be found at www.scrla.org. Tickets are $40 for SCRLA members and $55 for non-members.
Nakato’s aiming for March reopening
Nakato’s Japanese Restaurant, a popular spot on Restaurant Row for more than 40 years, announced recently that it is working to reopen as early as March after a 2019 blaze caused it to close.
Nakato’s, a family owned Japanese restaurant, recently updated its voicemail message the it plans to reopen in March.
A message with Nakato’s had not been returned as of Friday morning.
It’s been more than a year since Nakato posted the following Facebook message:
“Nakato will remain closed until we can make the necessary repairs within our building,” according to the post. “We would like convey a big ‘Thank you’ to everyone that has reached out to us to inquire on when we reopen! Please continue to follow us on Facebook and we will update as soon as we have information available. We truly miss all of our guests and hope to see you soon.”
Nakato’s has been closed since a fire damaged the building in November 2019.
Nakato’s has locations in the Atlanta area, Charlotte and Springfield, Mo.
