SupportConway SC small businesses are steadily filling storefronts along Main Street and Laurel Street that sat vacant for years, driven by lower rent than the coast, steady foot traffic from Coastal Carolina University, and a wave of owners who grew up in Horry County and came back to open something of their own.
Why Main Street Emptied Out, and Why It’s Filling Back In
Downtown Conway went through a rough stretch. Several storefronts along Main Street sat vacant for two or three years at a time, especially after the 2018 and 2020 flooding events along the Waccamaw River pushed some longtime tenants out for good. Walk the same block today and the picture looks different.
Part of that shift traces back to rent. A small storefront downtown still runs well below what a comparable space costs closer to the beach in Myrtle Beach or North Myrtle Beach, according to commercial listings tracked by regional real estate groups. That gap matters most to a first-time owner deciding whether to sign a lease at all.
The other part is foot traffic. Coastal Carolina University enrollment has climbed over the past decade, and a meaningful share of that student and staff population lives close enough to downtown to walk or bike in for a coffee, a haircut, or a quick lunch between classes.
City investment played a role too. Streetscape improvements along Main Street over the past several years, new sidewalks, updated lighting, repaved sections near the Riverwalk entrance, made the block more inviting to walk before a single new storefront ever opened. A nicer-looking block is not enough on its own to fill vacant space, but it removes one excuse a hesitant new owner might otherwise have for choosing somewhere else.
What Kind of Businesses Are Moving In
The new wave downtown skews toward service and specialty retail rather than big-format stores. Think a small boutique, a bike repair shop, a bakery counter, a tattoo studio, a plant shop. These are businesses that can run profitably out of 800 to 1,500 square feet, which happens to match the footprint of most available storefronts on Main and Laurel.
Our New Business Openings coverage tracks these as they happen. A pattern worth naming: most new owners are not first-time entrepreneurs moving in from out of state. A large share grew up in Horry County, worked a version of this business elsewhere, and came back to Conway specifically because it was cheaper and less crowded than opening the same shop in Myrtle Beach.
A short, informal list of what tends to work
- Food and drink concepts with a narrow menu and a clear identity
- Personal services like salons, barbers, and repair shops
- Specialty retail tied to a maker or a single product category
The Real Cost of Opening on Main Street
Cheaper than the beach does not mean cheap. A new business still faces build-out costs, a security deposit, insurance, permitting through the City of Conway, and enough working capital to survive a slow first six months. Several owners who have opened downtown in the past two years describe the first winter, after the holiday shopping rush ends and before spring events start, as the hardest financial stretch.
The rent is lower downtown, but the runway a new owner needs is still measured in months, not weeks.
Flood insurance is its own line item worth naming directly, given the Waccamaw River's history. Storefronts closer to the river landing carry different insurance requirements than ones a block or two back, and that difference shows up in a new owner's monthly overhead before they have sold a single item.
How Locals Can Actually Help These Businesses Survive
Showing up once for a grand opening photo and never returning does not keep a storefront open. The businesses that make it past year one tend to have a small base of repeat customers who come back on a normal week, not just during a festival or a promotional push.
A few concrete ways this looks in practice: leaving a specific, honest review instead of a generic star rating, following a shop's own social account rather than only engaging when it shows up in a feed, and buying a gift card during a slow season to give the business cash flow when it needs it most.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a large share of small business failures trace back to cash flow gaps in the first two years, not a bad product or a bad idea. That is exactly the window where steady local customers matter most.
What Makes a Small Business Last in Conway
Talking to owners downtown over the past year, one theme keeps repeating: the businesses that last are the ones that treat Conway as their actual customer base, not a stepping stone toward something bigger in Myrtle Beach. That sounds obvious, but it shows up in small decisions, like keeping hours that match when Conway residents are actually free, not tourist hours built around a beach schedule.
It also shows up in pricing. A shop that prices itself for a beach tourist crowd tends to struggle downtown, where a large share of repeat traffic is local and price-sensitive on a weekly basis rather than a once-a-year vacation budget.
Relationships with other downtown owners matter more than a first-time entrepreneur might expect too. Several of the businesses that have lasted longest describe an informal network of neighboring shop owners who trade customer referrals, cover each other's storefronts during a quick errand, and share notes on which suppliers are reliable. That kind of cooperation does not show up in a business plan, but owners downtown consistently point to it as part of what kept them going through a slow stretch.
Common Mistakes New Business Owners Make Here
A few patterns show up often enough to name directly. Underestimating the slow season between January and early March is one. Assuming Coastal Carolina University foot traffic alone will sustain a business through the summer, when much of the student population leaves town, is another.
Skipping a real conversation with the City of Conway's permitting office before signing a lease also costs new owners time and money they did not budget for. Zoning and permitted use vary block to block downtown, and a space that looks move-in ready is not always approved for the specific business a new owner has in mind.
A third mistake shows up less often but hits harder when it does: underpricing a specialty product to compete with a big-box store on cost instead of on quality or story. A handmade item cannot win a price war with a mass-produced version of the same category, and owners who try usually end up squeezing their own margin until the business cannot cover its rent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did so many Conway SC storefronts sit empty for years?
A combination of flooding along the Waccamaw River in 2018 and 2020 and a slow post-recession recovery pushed several longtime tenants out of downtown Conway. Many of those spaces have only started filling back in over the past two to three years.
Is it cheaper to open a small business in Conway than in Myrtle Beach?
Generally yes. Commercial rent downtown tends to run below comparable space closer to the coast, though total startup costs still include build-out, insurance, and permitting through the City of Conway.
What kind of small businesses are opening in Conway right now?
Service businesses and specialty retail dominate the current wave, including food and drink concepts, salons and repair shops, and shops tied to a single maker or product category.
How can I support a new small business in Conway SC?
Return as a repeat customer, leave a specific and honest review, follow the business’s own social account, and consider a gift card purchase during a slow season to help with cash flow.
Bottom Line
Conway SC small businesses are filling Main Street back in for real, practical reasons: lower rent, steady Coastal Carolina University foot traffic, and owners who grew up in Horry County and know the market. The businesses that last are the ones locals treat as a normal weekly stop, not a once-a-year novelty. If you want downtown Conway to keep filling in, become a repeat customer somewhere new this month.