MB businesses say they’ll survive Bikefest boycott

People in the business community had mixed reactions this week to the news of a campaign among Atlantic Beach Bikefest attendees to boycott the city next year.

Some Bikefest participants, who stayed in Myrtle Beach over the Memorial Day weekend, were infuriated over enforcement efforts that included a traffic loop, extra police presence and barricaded roads city leaders say were needed to keep everyone safe.

Some vowed never to return, opting instead on a plan to spend money in beach towns north of Myrtle Beach in order to hit the city they said mistreated them where it would hurt most – “in their pockets.”

“The move for 2017 is to boycott the city of Myrtle Beach. Move everyone to Atlantic Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Cherry Grove, and the surrounding areas, and to not spend a single dime in the Myrtle Beach city limits,” said Clarence Middleton, moderator of www.blackbikeweek.us and its corresponding Facebook page, on a GoFundMe site he set up for the boycott campaign. “Let's bankrupt Myrtle Beach!”

Business leaders doubted the move would bankrupt Myrtle Beach.

“I feel like they can do whatever they want to do. I don’t think they can bankrupt the city,” said Max Alon, owner of NY Pizzeria at 706 N. Ocean Blvd.

Business is business, he said. “It was a good weekend before they came. It’s going to be a good weekend after they came. It doesn’t matter,” Alon said. “We work very hard that weekend. But I’m sure it will be fine. Somebody else will come.”

But the temporary absence of Memorial Day weekend customers that crowd the 8th Avenue Tiki Bar next door, which was full of patrons mostly in town for Bikefest this year, may hurt at first.

“As a business guy, yes, it will hurt business,” said Gil Reibenbach, general manager at the 8th Avenue Tiki Bar. “But, where I come from, I come from up north and Memorial weekend is a big family weekend. … It’s not about bikers.”

He says he loves the bikers and the business they bring, but he doesn’t care for the stigma or the trouble that seems to haunt that weekend.

Middleton said the goal for next year is to avoid spending money in Myrtle Beach to send the city a message, but he said he felt bad for the businesses that would be hurt in the process.

“For every boycotter, there are numerous travelers looking for a safe, enjoyable, family-friendly experience,” said Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. “We welcome any visitor that respects our community and obeys our laws, and given the number of visitors who have regularly expressed their displeasure with the antics related to some Atlantic Beach Bikefest attendees, we don't expect any such boycott to have a long-term impact on our local tourism industry.

“The transition to a new base of visitors might not happen overnight, but given the significant national travel volume during Memorial Day Weekend, we don't believe it would take long for families to return.”