For the second year in a row, Cherry Grove Beach has been named Best Beach in the state of South Carolina. As if that isn’t enough, it was also voted number 11 in TripAdvisor’s top 25 beaches in the United States. This is no surprise to those of us lucky enough to call Cherry Grove Beach home. Those that visit seem to echo the sentiments that our residents share, Cherry Grove with its wide expanse of beach, and small-town, family-friendly feel is a sought-after location for vacationers everywhere.
Our small beach town received its name from Cherry Grove Plantation, which occupied the area in the early 1700’s. Over the years, the plantation was sold and a portion of it was eventually transformed into Cherry Grove Beach. In its early years, Cherry Grove was mainly gas stations, open roads, and the famous “swing-bridge”, which is still in operation today. Cherry Grove is joined by neighboring beach towns Windy Hill, Crescent Beach and Ocean Drive to comprise the city of North Myrtle Beach.
Not only is our beach top rated for its beauty and expansive coastline, it was also voted one of the safest cities in the state. With 7,600 cities being compared, coming in at seven is impressive.
In the TripAdvisor.com survey, Cherry Grove Beach was ranked as “most likely to not be crowded, best chances of free parking, more shells, lots of beach showers, toilet access, and the same great ocean as Myrtle Beach.” You can read more here.
Boulineau’s has been a part of Cherry Grove Beach from the beginning. In 1948, Frank and Louise Boulineau opened a grocery store in the small community of Cherry Grove Beach, which at the time had fewer than 100 houses. Just a few years later in 1954, Hurricane Hazel wiped out the store, along with most of Cherry Grove. That didn’t stop the Boulineaus. A few years later, they reopened a second store in Cherry Grove.
In 1969, Frank Boulineau III and his wife Elizabeth converted a portion of an 8,400 square foot discount store into a grocery store named Coastal Mart. Coastal Mart received a number of upgrades and expansions over the next several years including the addition of a unique, nautical gift shop, The Barnacle. Fast forward to 1986 and a major expansion was undertaken to double the size of the store to 50,000 square feet and the Boulineau’s name was placed on the main store. Another major expansion took place in 1998 with the addition of 30,000 more square feet. In the interim years, a Shell Gas Station, Food Mart and Car Wash and a True Value Hardware Store opened continuing the Boulineau’s tradition of excellence.
Today, Boulineau’s features 85,000 square feet of shopping on two floors and is one of the country’s most unique grocery stores and the largest in North Myrtle Beach. We’re proud to be a corner stone in Cherry Grove Beach and proud of the accolades our little town has received.
