This convenience store with a South Carolina Lowcountry flare is coming to Little River
A gas station and convenience store with a South Carolina Lowcountry flare will soon open in Little River.
The seventh Refuel Market in Horry and Georgetown counties is scheduled to open on July 3 on U.S. 17 near the entrance to River Hills Golf & Country Club.
The 4,600-square-foot store will feature a fairly extensive menu for a convenience store, with items including fried chicken and boiled peanuts that are cooked in-house.
“Because Refuel was founded in Charleston we will create cool features on our menu like boiled peanuts and amazing fried chicken. It’s Southern fare,” said Refuel founder and CEO Mark Jordan of Charleston. “We spend a lot of time on our food. To my knowledge we’re the only convenience store business anywhere that actually boils its own boiled peanuts on site, so we’re pretty passionate about that.”
Other menu items include breakfast sandwiches, burgers, subs, sandwiches, pizza, a variety of sides including mac & cheese and green beans, and more. Local candies include the Charleston Chew chocolate bar.
Bean to Cup coffee machines are also featured. “It’s just a very accurate way of brewing coffee, and you will not find better coffee anywhere in town,” Jordan said.
Local and regional beverages are featured at Refuel locations, including Island Coastal Lager, the product of a Charleston company founded by Scott Hansen, who like Jordan is a Citadel grad. Frozen beverages are also offered.
“We are very proud to sell his beer whenever possible,” Jordan said. “[We do] anything we can to highlight that this is a Southeast company that started in Charleston.”
Jordan, a Charleston native, founded the company in 2008 with one store location in Charleston. The Little River store will be No. 177 for Refuel in five states: the Carolinas, Texas Mississippi and Arkansas.
“It’s been busy growth,” Jordan said. “It’s crazy how fast this company has grown, especially recently.”
There are currently five Refuels in Horry and one in Georgetown county, including a recently renovated store on U.S. 17 in Murrells Inlet.
Three more in the area are in the early planning stages, including one on Highway 90. Jordan expects all three to open over the next 12 months.
“We’re very interested in expanding in Horry and Georgetown counties,” said Jordan, who said there are dozens of Refuel locations in the planning stages.
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Jordan said he wants his stores to cater to different demographics including boaters and families, with seating and well-lit exterior areas.
Refuel’s expansion into Horry County includes the purchase a couple years ago of three Turtle Market stores on the Grand Strand from Edmund Watkins of Murrells Inlet. Watkins is now a partner in Refuel handling real estate site work and development. “He’s a very important part of the company,” Jordan said.
The store sign includes a sandwich, hot dog and cup of coffee unobtrusively within the logo.
“It’s a Charleston story,” Jordan said. “The success of Refuel is tied to the growth of the Southeast and it has been really rewarding to be a part of because it’s what I love to do and it’s working so well.“
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