Repairs cheer Inlet shops

After more than two years on hold, renovations restarted at Inlet Square on Sunday night, giving hope to many of the mall's remaining shops.

Crews will finish the $4.5 million renovations to the 430,000-square-foot mall, which stalled in 2007. The work will include new ceilings, floors, skylights and fresh paint, with updates inside and outside. New signs and entryways are planned for the exterior.

The renovation will take four to six months to complete, said Heather Gray, the mall's general manager. Crews will work on the project at night when the mall is closed, and mall operating hours will remain the same, she said.

Once the renovation is complete, the mall will have to face the hurdle of attracting new shops to fill the mostly empty storefronts

Joann Bell, manager of the mall's Hallmark store, has seen stores steadily leave over the last seven years, she said. Although her store's revenue has declined each year, Bell hopes that the renovation will attract shops, and the associated foot traffic, back to the mall.

"Last year I was thrilled to be making $1,000, when the business was so bad. But now I'm thrilled to be making $500 a day," Bell said. "Because of the amount of stores that have left, it's really hard."

Just outside Bell's shop, the courtyard floor has been chiseled away, exposing pipes. The mall has also had gaps in the ceiling and exposed metal frames for more than two years as the original renovation sat unfinished while the mall worked through bankruptcy. In September, Murrells Retail Associates, an entity within RAIT Partnership, became the mall's owner and began planning to resume construction.

Despite little visible progress in construction, Bell and another store manager said they've seen a bump in business from customers curious about the renovation.

"My business has gone up," said Kim Nguyen, owner of Super Nails. "My clients come here, and they're very happy that the mall is [being] remodeled."

Nguyen had considered moving last year, but reasonable rent and the promise of renovation kept him at Inlet Square, he said.

The food court was hit especially hard as stores exited the mall, said Homero Ortiz, manager of Corrado's Pizza. Ortiz's shop has been the only vendor in the food court since a Chinese restaurant closed about a year ago, he said.

"We been talking about going to Litchfield," Ortiz said. "Right now we're planning to stay because they say they've been working on [renovation]."

The mall gives the pizza parlor a break on rent, only charging a percentage of their income, he said.

Although the mall has emptied, major department stores continue to operate and serve as a lifeline that brings traffic to other shops, according to Tina Clark, manager of Ladies Choice Fitness Center.

"The K-Mart is busy, J.C. Penney's is busy. ... The anchor stores are doing well," Clark said.

The mall is also kept afloat by loyal customers, especially those who live along the southern Grand Strand, who would have to drive more than 10 miles to reach Coastal Grand.

"It's a lot closer to me than going to the other big mall, but that took away a lot of business from here," said Murrell's Inlet resident Joan Odhiambo. "When it was busy and all the stores were filled, it was a great mall."

Bell also sees Coastal Grand as the mall's main adversary and hopes the renovation will help Inlet Square compete, she said.

"I want to live long enough that I can make more money than Coastal Grand," she said.