Tackle shops once served as the local hangout on Folly Beach
Fall is a time to slow down and enjoy a local’s pace of life on Folly Beach. Go out for dinner on Center Street, take a walk on the uncrowded beach, or just gather with friends in your backyard as the nights turn brisk.
For many years, tackle shops served as the go-to local hangout in the Lowcountry and on Folly Beach. From 1998 to 2000, former police chief and city councilman Wallace Benson ran the Village Tackle Shop at the site of the former Phillips 66 gas station at Center Street and West Hudson Avenue.
A previous tackle shop existed just across the bridge near the current site of Mariners Cay. The tackle shops served as a place to unwind and find level ground between council members and constituents. And, of course, they also sold bait.
Many images like this one are included in Stratton Lawrence’s book, Images of America: Folly Beach. To purchase your own personalized signed copies, delivered to your home on Folly Beach, or to share a photo and story for next month’s Folly Flashback column, email Stratton at strattonlawrence@gmail.com.
