{"id":10590,"date":"2015-06-11T12:31:21","date_gmt":"2015-06-11T16:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/columbiaclosings.com\/wordpress\/?p=10590"},"modified":"2015-11-01T23:17:23","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T04:17:23","slug":"sams-corner-12036-ocean-highway-pawleys-island-late-april-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/columbiaclosings.com\/wordpress\/?p=10590","title":{"rendered":"Sam's Corner, 12036 Ocean Highway Pawleys Island: Late April 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"p1240654_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240655_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240656_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240657_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240658_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240659_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240660_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240661_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240662_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240663_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240664_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240665_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240666_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240667_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"p1240668_tn.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The only time I ever ate at a Sam<\/b>'s Corner<\/b><\/i> was Monday 30 June 1997.<\/p>\n

I was living in Aiken at the time (and working in Augusta), but found out less than a week in advance that The Beach Boys<\/i> were playing the House of Blues<\/i> in North Myrtle Beach that day. It was a rare small venue appearance, and I think many fans realized it was probably one of the last chances to see Carl Wilson on stage. In the event it was a bittersweet performance. Carl played most of the set seated and I think everyone in the audience could tell he was not long for the world, though he still sounded like an angel.<\/p>\n

At any rate, when the show was over, with it not being a weekend, I was on the hook to be at work the following morning, so I fortified myself at the NMB Sam<\/b>'s<\/i> with a hot-dog and coffee and made it back to Aiken (after further fortification with Waffle House<\/i> coffee in Manning) in time to slip into bed half an hour before I had to get up. It was not something I could do now, and could barely do then.<\/p>\n

Truthfully I was so focused on what I had to do that Sam<\/b>'s<\/i> made little impression on me other than it was well lit, had an acceptable chili-dog and drinkable coffee.<\/p>\n

I think the NMB location was the second for the chain, with one by the pier in Garden City being the first.<\/p>\n

This location on US-17 in Pawleys Island came much later, and was, I think, something of a miss-step as the South Strand is a much different place from Myrtle Beach or even Garden City. I had noticed over the few years it was open that despite the proudly proclaimed 24 Hours in fact during the off season, it was rarely open past 10, and lately wasn't open at all except during the summer. I even did a post on the dark building called 25th Hour<\/a> a few months ago.<\/p>\n

On my last trip down over the Memorial Day week I saw that the place is now officially closed, even though they apparently had a plan to upfit the office space.<\/p>\n