Grand Strand Produce Stands
Dean’s Produce: Dean Dew says that selling produce at his Highway 501 stand beats any job he’s ever had.
Roadside stands are ephemeral. They generally operate only from April until November, thus putting a premium on the fresh and the local, and in this way they imitate the crops they sell, which have brief windows of peak freshness and taste.
Dean's Produce
Barbara’s Produce: A smiling Barbara Burton waits to greet her browsing customers at her south Myrtle Beach stand on U.S. 17 Business.
Conversations at a roadside stand usually begin with questions about selection—Seller: “Can I show you how to pick out the best watermelon?” (Answer: “Thump it to see if it’s firm and look for the yellow belly.”); or Buyer: “Are these strawberries really sweet?” (Answer: “Yes, ma’am, try one for yourself.”)—and end up anywhere in the realm of human life, from gossip to weather, recipes to sports, and everything in between.
Barbara's Produce
Bellamy Farms: Lyles Bellamy, the owner of the certified Century Farm, Bellamy Farms, hand selects a basket of peaches for a customer.
“I had my first child in 1982. And that summer we grew a little bit of watermelon and cantaloupe, and we started selling it in the front yard for six weeks. We had a little wagon with an honor system on it, and in the winter we sold collard greens.” —Wanda Bellamy
Bellamy Farms
King’s Produce: Don “The Tomato Man” King, at one of his Grand Strand produce stands, is never shy about showing customers how to select the best produce.
King's Produce
Mr. Potato Head Produce
Mr. Potato Head Produce: Brenda Joan Smith shares her secret recipe: “You’ve got to be nice. You’ve got to be respectful. That’ll make them come back every time.”
