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Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

Aug. 26--Two more stores are leaving Waccamaw Factory Shoppes less than a month after its anchor store, The Pottery at Waccamaw, closed its doors.

Haggar, a women's clothing store, will close after today.

Pepperidge Farm will close by the middle of September.

Haggar has stores in both Tanger Factory Outlet Centers in Myrtle Beach.

The Pepperidge Farm store, will move to Tanger's U.S. 501 center.

Billy Light, Pepperidge Farm's manager for more than five years, said business at Pepperidge Farm has dropped by 50 percent in the last year.

At its peak, Waccamaw Factory Shoppes had more than 125 stores and achieved a legendary reputation as the first factory outlet center in Myrtle Beach.

Five stores remain today in the complex that has drawn locals and tourists for almost 25 years.

The mall opened in 1981 on the heels of the popular Waccamaw Pottery, the area's first giant discount homegoods warehouse, which opened in 1977. The shopping center eventually grew to a four-building complex so vast that shoppers and busloads of tourists were hauled around the property by trolley.

Mall manager Dale Brannon said there is still a following at the remaining stores.

"QVC is having a banner summer and continues to be a very strong draw for our center here," Brannon said. "We're sorry we lost the Pottery and it's a hard loss for us, but we still have some good stores out here." The center has faced multiple problems, including road construction and the recon figuration of U.S. 501, the main artery bringing visitors to the outlet mall. The road is now elevated, obstructing the view of the shopping center to passing motorists.

But the area could soon be linked to traffic on U.S. 17 Bypass by the proposed Fantasy Harbor bridge. The South Carolina Dept. of Transportation in Conway said Wednesday that bids for the job were taken last week.

"I think the bridge is the catalyst for everything over here," Brannon said.

Last year a group of investors that include a Florida theme park consultant announced plans to build a theme park on the property directly behind Waccamaw Factory Shoppes including its former Mall III.

Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. a year ago confirmed its partnership with the group.

Jon Binkowski of Orlando said Wednesday those plans are moving forward and the group is still trying to secure funding.

"Every day is a little bit closer," Binkowski said. "We've never taken any steps back ward. If it were easy, everybody would be building theme parks everywhere." The global insurance company that owns Waccamaw Factory Shoppes, AIG, hasn't commented on its plans for the mall.

"I'm sure our friends that own the mall are going to plan to do something wonderful and spectacular, but they haven't revealed that to me," Binkowski said.

Brannon thinks the mall, in some form, will remain.

"We believe it's prime location for retail," Brannon said. "We're a firm believer that this is retail space here and will be retail space in the future."

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