SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — As Surfside Beach officials prepare to tackle the future of vape shops in town, some residents say any attempts at controlling where they can operate may do more harm than good.
“It’s going to cause more of a traffic jam, traveling to another part of the community, where there’s already a huge traffic jam,” restaurant employee Matthew Jackson told News13 on Wednesday. “They need more attention in their streets and beaches (rather) than worrying about a storefront.”
The town’s planning commission meets July 2, where it’s expected to begin talks about creating a definition of what constitutes a vape or CBD shop.
It’s also possible that such businesses in the future would have to operate along Sandy Lane, keeping them away from the well-traveled Highway 17 Business corridor that runs through town.
“I think we really need to stay on this as a town, because it’s not good for us,” town council member Shawn Fallon said on Tuesday.
There are currently three vape and CBD stores within town limits.
Ibrahim Hamzah, owner of Ace Tobacco and Vape Shop along Highway 17, said he picked the location due to its ease of access.
One visitor told News13 that stores such as Hamzah’s don’t factor into his decision to spend time in the town.
“A vape store isn’t a deal breaker for a family coming to Surfside Beach. There’s no reason that should be their main concern,” he said. “It’s not promoting it to children. It’s not like they’re saying, ‘hey, come vape. Come do all this stuff.'”
Town council members want more community feedback as officials work through the issue, but one of them said on Tuesday that he worried what would happen if such stores were clustered along Sandy Lane.
“I’d hate Sandy Lane to turn into Seaboard. It’s strip joints, vape shops and tattoo parlors. It’s not even a mixture of anything. You don’t have convenience stores, you don’t have restaurants,” Henry Kohlmann said. “I don’t want a place where in the shadows, you have these businesses. They’re going to bring crime.”
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
