‘So important to our community:’ Here’s how Hilton Head businesses prep for RBC Heritage
It’s that time of year again on Hilton Head Island.
Workers in Sea Pines are wearing plaid accessories. Signs have been erected everywhere. Yellow-vested crews are stationed at security checkpoints to direct traffic.
Crews have spent the past month or two cleaning, re-painting, pruning and planting to beautify Sea Pines for RBC Heritage, one of Hilton Head Island’s biggest events of the year.
Everything is in order for the PGA Tour golf tournament, which kicks off Tuesday at noon with a cannon blast. Thousands of spectators will flood the gates in Sea Pines in the coming days to watch professional golfers tee off at the Harbour Town Golf Links
Kathy Kaess, who manages a gift shop called Coastal Treasures in Harbour Town, said she’s been “stocking up” to prepare for the Heritage crowds. On Monday, she was wearing a pair of plaid earrings, plaid sunglasses and a plaid hair bow.
Harbour Town businesses don’t get the bulk of foot traffic during tournament play, but it gets busy at night, especially over the weekend, she said.
“As the momentum picks up, it gets more exciting through the week,” Kaess said.
Vendors prepare tents
Monday afternoon, crews could still be seen preparing tents around the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town for ticket scanning and merchandising.
A row of tents along the marina housed local businesses, such as Bluffton-based Summer Breeze Outdoor Kitchens. Their tent showcased a full outdoor kitchen display with navy blue cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Oyster shells are embedded in the countertops for a Lowcountry flair.
Paula Greab owns Summer Breeze with her husband, Jamie Horner. It took a team of seven people about five hours to complete the display, and there’s still more to do, Greab said.
But it’s worth it, because “people are visual,” she said. Having a tent at Heritage helps with business. The walls were covered in photographs of the company’s previous work.
She gestured towards a photograph of an outdoor kitchen her company completed recently.
“We just finished that one, and that was a Heritage deal,” Greab said. “Their mother now wants a summer kitchen too.”
Everyone with a tent set up near the Harbour Town Marina is looking for business, though. Some are local nonprofits looking to raise awareness for their causes.
A few steps away from the Summer Breeze tent, Jimmy Banton and Stephanie Brown were setting up a banner for their nonprofit, Operation Patriots FOB.
The organization aims to eliminate veteran suicides by providing free resources and community support for local veterans.
This year marks the first year the organization received a tent at Heritage — not an easy thing to obtain.
“It’s been a couple years in the making,” Brown said.
Many veterans suffer from PTSD, which can induce seizures or even temporary paralysis, said Morgan Strain, Service Dog Program Manager for the organization. Strain trains service dogs like Bo to interrupt panic episodes and nightmares and offer comfort.
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet Bo and other dogs in training later this week, Strain said.
Shops at Sea Pines
Just down the road from Harbour Town, the Shops at Sea Pines were quiet Monday afternoon.
People attempting to navigate to Harbour Town were instructed to park at the Shops and either walk or take the Sea Pines Trolley the rest of the way. That’s how visitors like Beth Carroll and her cousin, Karin Shore, found themselves at the shops Monday afternoon.
The cousins often visit Hilton Head around this time of year, but they aren’t here for Heritage. Instead, they’re here to have lunch and a couple of Bloody Marys at the Crazy Crab in Harbour Town. They figured Monday would be the best day to avoid crowds.
It’s their first time riding the Sea Pines Trolley. “It’s probably better than walking,” Carroll said.
One business that’s been a staple of the Shops at Sea Pines Center for more than 44 years will have a spot among the Heritage tents.
Andrea Bragg has owned Forsythe Jewelers with her husband, Ray Forsythe, for the past 11 years. The shop has been located in The Shops at Sea Pines Center for 44 years.
Monday afternoon, Bragg said she was busy preparing for Heritage week. Each year, she can be found underneath a tent at the 1 & 9 Village, where they display Roberto Coin designer jewelry.
Both men and women stop by the tent, Bragg said. Ladies who get tired of watching golf stop by and are “excited to be looking at something other than sweatshirts and golf shirts.” Men who come every year for the tournament purchase something for their wives back home “so that they can come back next year.”
“This tournament is so important to our community,” Bragg said. “For years and years, we have depended on this tournament to support so many different charities. So it’s very important to the community to have this tournament.”
