Elephants for sale alongside Hardeeville fireworks shop. Will Big Al and Lizzy stay?
Along with the fireworks store behind it, a quirky and iconic roadside attraction in downtown Hardeeville is now on the market. The lucky buyer gets a turnkey retail location and two life-size elephant statues with a storied history and dedicated following.
Local Realtor Gabriela Padron is asking for $1.2 million for the elephants’ current stomping grounds at Crazy Joe’s Fireworks, located next to Hardeeville’s Red Roof Inn on U.S. 17 (Whyte Hardee Boulevard). The commercial listing for the 3,454-square-foot building touts its proximity to I-95 that positions it for “high seasonal and year-round traffic.”
“It’s a great property at a great location that could potentially be used for anything,” said Padron, who is the broker in charge at the Lowcountry-based Mi Casa Real Estate. “It doesn’t have to stay as a fireworks store, and it has these elephants that we consider kind of a landmark.”
The fireworks shop comes with inventory and pre-installed shelving, Padron added.
Many visitors know the pink and gray elephants as Big Al and Lizzy, while others call them Thelma and Louise. The pair previously stood guard for decades at the nearby Papa Joe’s Fireworks on U.S. 17. The shop owner brought the statues to Hardeeville in the 1970s after purchasing them in Alabama.
After Papa Joe’s closed its doors in early 2022, the elephants were moved about a half-mile down the highway to Crazy Joe’s, which continues to operate on a limited schedule.
At its new location, the herd even got its own habitat: a large green-and-red canopy, formerly used to shelter gas pumps when the Crazy Joe’s building was used as a gas station.
Between Big Al and Lizzy hangs a small sign, colored bright yellow with red lettering to match the Crazy Joe’s storefront. It’s a simple warning for overzealous admirers: “Please stay off elephants.”
What’s pink, gray and adored all over?
The niche roadside attraction has garnered an elephant-sized share of fans, some of whom take detours to visit Big Al and Lizzy during their travels on I-95.
“They’re a tourist attraction at this point,” Padron said, adding that many road trippers have made a tradition of repeatedly visiting the elephants over the years. “It’s become a family generation thing; when they have kids 30 or 40 years later, they bring their kids to take pictures with them.”
Emphasizing Hardeeville’s status as one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the country, Padron said the property’s downtown location would be beneficial for buyers who are interested in opening a business along the busy I-95 corridor.
“With everything happening now in Hardeeville and the new Exit 3 and Buc-ee’s, everything’s gone up in value, only because everything’s more accessible now, and it’s going to draw so many people,” Padron said.
The new owners could do as they see fit with Big Al and Lizzy, Padron said. But she shares the same view as countless locals and faraway fans: The elephants should stay.
“One of the main reasons why we wouldn’t want it to be taken out (is) because so many people know Jasper County, know Hardeeville, because of those elephants,” Padron said.
This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
