MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Business

A glimpse inside the mind of a tattoo artist

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:38 EDT

Editor's note: This is the first in the "Take Five" series, which will appear Tuesdays in the Money section. The stories will give you a glimpse at what it's like working in various fields along the Grand Strand and introduce you to the people doing the work.

It was a relatively calm afternoon at Elite Ink Tattoos when Josh Griswold began tattooing a client with an American eagle that in three hours' time would span the man's entire back.

"That's right, go big or go home," Griswold approved, as he started etching the design into skin with black ink, the hum of the needle meshing with the shop's pulsing techno music.

Old gas pumps stymied by prices

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:38 EDT

Mom-and-pop service stations are running into a problem as gasoline marches toward $4 a gallon: Thousands of old-fashioned pumps can't register more than $3.99 on their spinning mechanical dials.

The pumps, throwbacks to a bygone era on the American road, are difficult and expensive to upgrade, and replacing them is often out of the question for station owners who are still just scraping by.

Many of the same pumps can only count up to $99.99 for the total sale, preventing owners of some sport utility vehicles, vans, trucks and tractor-trailers to fill their tanks all the way.

Newsday deal may help firm ease debt

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:38 EDT

Tribune Co.'s $650 million sale of Newsday is an important step toward alleviating its debt burden - for this year.

Now the Chicago company needs to move on its next big asset sales, including the Chicago Cubs baseball team and Wrigley Field, in order to meet its obligations to creditors looming in 2009.

The deal announced Monday puts one of Tribune's largest newspapers in the hands of cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp., which like Newsday is based on New York's Long Island.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:38 EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Regulators inquire about securities

Wachovia Corp., the nation's fourth-largest bank, said Monday its securities unit and affiliates have received inquiries and subpoenas from federal and state regulators over auction-rate securities.

COASTAL BUSINESS

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:21 EDT

MYRTLE BEACH

Johnny's Suzuki closes dealership

After less than a year in business, Johnny's Suzuki on U.S. 501 has closed, laying off 25 employees and putting the dealership and franchise up for sale, a company official said. The dealership's last day was Friday, said Randy Cox, used car director. The company has six other dealerships and eight franchises in other parts of South Carolina, including one that is scheduled to open in July in Easley.

DOW

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:21 EDT

+130.43

12,876.31NASDAQ

+42.97

MOTHER'S DAY

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:16 EDT

Moms get more gifts

American adults said they planned to spend more this year than last year for Mother's Day - although their moms wish they wouldn't.

In a recent poll, the 55 percent of men and women who said they intended to give gifts to their mothers said they planned to spend an average $70.30, up almost $4 from 2007.

Specialists schedule time for patients and families

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:16 EDT

Practicing cardiovascular medicine may have public prestige, but it's a tough life to live.

Cardiologist Jerry Watson juggles the 60-plus hours he works each week with his family time.

Watson's wife and 2-year-old triplets depend on him for emotional support, and he works hard to fill in when there's time.

Doctors in demand

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:16 EDT

Randy Eck was pretty upbeat late-morning Tuesday, considering within 20 minutes he'd have tubes inserted into his arteries.

Eck had a catheterization test done earlier this week at Conway Medical Center to assess his heart's blood flow. But he's no stranger to cardiovascular complications.

Within the past five years, the 44-year-old husband has had several procedures, including an angioplasty and the installation of a pacemaker.

Mobile banking gaining traction

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:17 EDT

Most Americans are still hesitant about banking with their cell phones and PDAs, but young people are increasingly coming around to the idea of mobile banking, according to a new survey.

Meeting the needs of these tech-savvy customers is going to be key for banks to stay competitive - the income of Generation Y is expected to surge over the next 10 years and exceed that of baby boomers.

So far, although most major banks offer mobile banking services, 89 percent of consumers do not use their cell phones to conduct mobile banking transactions, according to a study by IBM's retail banking consulting practice shown to The Associated Press.