Derek and Claire Calhoun

Hi, my name is Jenny and I am starting this page to support my friends and fellow small business owners, Derek and Claire Calhoun. Derek is the owner of Cherry Grove Beach Gear in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Derek is currently an active duty soldier in the US-Army, serving as a recruiter and preparing for retirement this fall. Part of that retirement plan is this business. He and his wife saw an unmet need in their community several years ago and developed a plan to fulfill this need — this entrepreneurial spirit is what drives so many small businesses that contribute to the economic foundation of communities across the US.

Derek has been preparing for his transition from active duty to small business owner since late 2019 — recently receiving his MBA, where he presented the business plan for Cherry Grove Beach Gear as his capstone project.

They have successfully been operating since 2020, overcoming the impact of COVID from beach closures to being denied PPP assistance because they hadn’t been in business long enough. People are comfortable traveling again and beach goers are returning to North Myrtle in numbers even greater than they were pre-COVID, and Cherry Grove Beach Gear has had a successful launch to their summer season.

Unfortunately, the city of North Myrtle Beach — which previously granted Cherry Grove Beach Gear’s business license — has decided the small business is taking too much money away from the City’s own beach rental services and has created an ordinance that will prevent them from operating their business as usual. It essentially sets up a government sanctioned monopoly on beach rental services.

Derek and Claire are choosing to fight back through legal channels and are standing their ground to operate as a business within a free enterprise. A business that until last week was legal and already conducting themselves under existing ordinances established by the city — no same day rental services, no impeding beach clean up, and no conducting business on the beach. By taking this stand, they are also subjecting themselves to daily $500 citations.

Rarely does a business ever face a situation where they can be forced to shutter their doors because their competition has the authority to enact regulations to prevent competitors from doing business. Derek and Claire are not looking to impede on what the city is already doing, and have always worked in cooperation with them — even referring business to the city when appropriate. Although there is no formal system in place, Derek and Claire have also applied for a city franchise to allow them to set up rental gear on the beach for their customers, as requested by the city. However, they have been denied with no explanation.

They just want to continue doing business and support their family and their community.

This Go Fund Me will help cover their daily citation costs as they continue to work with legal counsel towards a solution.

More information about Cherry Grove Beach Gear and the North Myrtle Beach ordinance can be found through the company’s Facebook page and this local news story.

Any funds raised beyond what are needed to cover the company’s citation expenses (which are $500 daily), will be donated to various organizations that positively impact the North Myrtle Beach community.