Editor’s Message

A Community Publication That’s Here For You by Melissa LaScaleia The Coastal Insider is the only true community publication that covers the entire Grand Strand area from Pawleys Island in the South to Little River in the North. Many people think that we’re a newspaper, but we aren’t. So what are we really? And why? Simply put, we are a monthly publication that serves this market by bringing our readers engaging content about the people, events, and businesses that are relevant to the Grand Strand.  “The need for this was apparent after living here for forty-one years,” says co-founder of the Coastal Insider, Jim Parker. “I’ve seen how Myrtle Beach has grown since I was eighteen, and as it has changed, the needs of the community have changed as well.  “It was clear to me that there was a disconnect between the local residents, the visitors to the area, the local businesses, and the individual communities along the Grand Strand— all the parts of our community that make it what it is. And it seemed they should be better integrated.”  Jim set out with his business partner John Jobson to brainstorm the ways in which they could bridge the gap to connect the pieces and create a stronger sense of unification as well as knowledge about what is where in our area and when.  They eventually hit upon the idea of a publication that would provide information that was relevant to locals, visitors, and prospective residents— information about the services that local businesses provide; real estate information; restaurant happy hours and live music listings; festivals; and articles that captured the stories and spirit of the people who live, work, and visit here.  “We never wanted to be a newspaper,” Jim says. “To me that’s entirely different from what we do. Our intention was never to broadcast local news. It was always to build a stronger sense of community, to highlight the individual voices and unique aspects of all of the communities that make up the Grand Strand, and to be a place where those communities can market themselves and show what they have to offer residents, visitors, and potential residents.”    In a world where things are easily replaced, the Insider, perhaps because it feels hefty in your hands, perhaps because of the colors, or the antics of the little white dog within, has a remarkably long shelf-life. We hear how people save it to reference the happy hour later, or a service they intend to try. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “If you’re trying to build a stronger community, then reliability and consistency are key, as well as having a strong, clear message so people know what to expect, and come to trust you to provide the sort of information that they’re looking for,” he continues.  “We’re consistent with our message so our readers can understand more about the community they live in. And we always sought, by our design and our content, to reflect those values.”  Consequently, the Insider has a lighthearted, informative tone. It introduces people with sections like “Meet Your Neighbor” and “Meet Your Local Veteran;” tells about our roots with the “History” section; and delights with the antics of Charlie the dog from “Charlie’s Corner.”  Every section of the publication has been carefully thought out, to make it fun and engaging, to add value and establish continuity.  We deliver a completely in-color publication printed on 45 lb top-quality paper to residents and businesses along the Grand Strand every month. We also have an online presence.  “We’ve aimed to be a feel-good source of information that’s reflective of what community is,” Jim says. “We wanted to be something families could read together at the dinner table without fear of exposing their children to it. To me that’s what community is— it’s feel-good, and it’s inclusive. And that’s why we’re full color and why we focus on print: because it’s more fun to read, it brings people together, it puts a smile on your face, it engages you.”  Jim and John began by focusing on the Market Common area, the newest subset to the Grand Strand.  But the intention was always to connect that area to all the rest of the areas along the Grand Strand— a vision which they began to implement with our name change to the Coastal Insider in 2018, and continue to implement by the addition, beginning nine months ago, of our community sections.  Since that time, we’ve added additional communities, and this month are welcoming the inception of the Pawleys Island community page.  The community pages are separated into several components: there’s a main article that highlights what that particular community would like to showcase about themselves for the month; a schedule of their events; and a separate real estate summary which lists the total volume of sales for that month; the average sales price for the area that month; and the average number of days on the market.  “If you own real estate, you want to be able to see how your investment is doing,” Jim says. “If you’re looking to purchase in the area, you want to know what the market is doing.”  Over $3 billion dollars in residential sales transferred in Horry County last year. One half of those sales was from local residents, and the other half was from out of state buyers.  A community publication that provides the range and depth of information that we do is important to a geographic area like ours, because it speaks to the interests and needs of both sides of that $3 billion dollar demographic that directly feeds our local economy.  The Insider team in a candid moment. — Photo Meganpixels Parker Our publication is readily available at major shopping centers all over the Grand Strand, and our direct home delivery has secured us a readership of over 100,000. Our ease of access to both visitors and locals means that those who list their homes with us gain exposure to the community of people who are moving in as well as already here and transferring property. “5,000-6,000 words are … Read more

Celebrating Our Third Year Anniversary This June by Melissa LaScaleia This month marks our publication’s three year anniversary of bringing our readers lighthearted, uplifting, and relevant information about the businesses, activities, and people in our community; it’s also the one year anniversary of our evolution from the Insider at the Market Common to the Coastal Insider.  We pride ourselves on serving our local community day in and day out,” says Jim Parker, Co-owner of the Coastal Insider, and Broker in Charge of Real Living Home Realty Group in The Market Common.  “We’ve been true to our mission from the start— to inform visitors and locals about what’s happening in the area.  Our staff shows that day in and day out.  And our community supports us because they feel like we’re supporting them.  “Our customers have expressed how much they enjoy working with our staff, and notice how much our staff enjoys what they do— bringing their messages forward in the community.  Being able to get the support from local businesses that see the value of what we bring to the table has been instrumental to our success.”  Neither Jim nor his business partner John Jobson have publishing backgrounds, but they’ve been able to compile a talented team with diverse skill sets to help bring their vision to fruition just by being plugged into the community and sensitive to what the community needs.  “My living here for the past forty-one years gives me the upper hand in that better than most,” Jim says.  “We didn’t know what we would need when we started down this path, but every time we’ve had a need we’ve been able to secure the right person for the position.  And once they’re here, they’re usually here to stay.  It’s made this project and undertaking a very enjoyable venture.”  “I am always amazed by the stories and the way this publication touches the human spirit of our community,” says John.  “The Insider exemplifies our unique culture of beach and Lowcountry, as well as the diversity of new residents from all over the world.  I’m proud of the positive influence it has upon our audience.”    To celebrate our third birthday, I asked questions and captured some musings from our entire Insider team, the people who work at the forefront as well as behind-the-scenes to bring you, our readers, the Coastal Insider every month.  Megan Parker is our Creative Director and also wears the hats of graphic designer and photographer.  Megan collaborated with her father, Jim, for months preceding the publishing of our very first edition, to help create the design of our publication.  Q: What are a few of the most rewarding aspects of what you do on a day to day basis? Megan: Connecting with the hearts of the people who make up the Grand Strand area, watching how businesses/causes/organizations benefit from our platform, and inspiring our team to be leaders in our beautiful community.   Q: What is one of the most important things you’ve learned in your three years at the Insider?  Megan: Valuing and nurturing a community like a mother nurtures a child.  The more you build the child (community) up the more they will succeed and gain confidence in themselves. Melissa LaScaleia has been bringing our publication to life with words since our first edition.  She also acts as editor, and finds it amusing when she writes about herself in the third person.  Q: What do you like most about your role? Melissa: I love the variety of topics that I cover and situations I encounter as an interviewer, researcher, and writer— and speaking to such a wide range of people.  I love being creative—  hearing peoples’ stories— being able to engage them, and draw them out to share with me.  It’s always whimsical, and never dull, not even when I expect it to be.  Latoya Grayson is our public relations director.  She is the face of our publication, and forges connections in our community on a daily basis.  Q: What has it been like to be with the Insider over the past two years? Latoya:  It has been adventurous.  I love seeing people doing what they’re passionate about— living their lives, in their element— and I love assisting them to build their business, to help them put their best foot forward in any way I possibly can.  It’s not a job for me.  I love what I do.  Rachel Ogg is one of our graphic designers, celebrating her one year anniversary with us this July. Q: What do you find most satisfying about what you do?  Rachel: Whenever I can bring someone’s vision to life for their ad, it makes me feel like I’m helping somebody and that feels great.  I enjoy the creative process— I like to create something beautiful.  Q: What is your environment like in the creative corner?  Rachel: I appreciate my team because we’re always supporting and encouraging each other to be the best we can be, both personally and professionally.  The energy here is dynamic, but my little corner is always very calm.  Charlie Miller is our director of operations and has been at the Insider for the past two years.  Q: What do you do as director of operations?  Charlie: I coordinate the operations for the real estate, property management, and the Coastal Insider divisions of the company— handling security, logistics, and IT.  Jen O’Leary has been a part of our team for the past year and a half as a receptionist and more recently, assists with distribution.  Q: What’s it like to be an insider at the Insider? Jen: You get the inside scoop on the entire creation process of the publication from start to finish— the photo shoots, interviews, articles, and advertisements coming up.  The neatest part is seeing it come together at the end, not just on a computer screen, but when it’s delivered and printed in hard copy.  “The biggest thing we can say,” says Jim, “is that we truly feel like … Read more

Our readership for home delivery is over 40,000 papers monthly, and our rack distribution readership is 60,000. With numbers reaching over 100,000 people monthly along the Grand Strand, each community can spread their message outside of their boundaries.  Our Evolution Then to Now The new year is upon us, and we at the Coastal Insider are ringing it in with a celebration of where we are, who we are, and what we offer the community.  Since our inception two-and-a-half-years ago, we’ve evolved from twelve pages to a monthly fifty-four page publication, with a comprehensive area real estate magazine, a corresponding online paper, and an online presence.  In the beginning, our purpose was to create a publication for the Market Common that would connect the area’s residents and visitors with the businesses and services that were available to them.  We provided an inside perspective on area businesses, including information like a company’s history and the owner’s skill set and values— things that differentiated them from their competition.  Our articles painted a more complete picture of who and what these businesses were, and what they had to offer the community— and became a streamlined way for people looking for those services to receive information.  Through revealing a more intimate portrayal of who these owners were beyond their storefront, the articles fostered a greater interest, trust, and rapport between the community and the businesses, and inspired an increase in the support that those businesses received.  In a similar way, the month-to-month advertisements let the community know what was available and where, building a sense of familiarity and connection between patrons and providers.   The response to our publication was so immediate and so positive that we took our vision and projected it to the other areas of Myrtle Beach.  What would this city look and feel like if this platform existed beyond the Market Common? We realized that the value we brought to the Market Common district was relevant for all the areas along the Grand Strand; that residents, visitors, and businesses big and small would all benefit from increased exposure, from a greater awareness of what is available and what is happening in this area as a whole.  Almost right out of the gate, we began working towards that goal. And this January, we celebrate our evolution and the bringing our vision to fruition— that of being a true community publication that incorporates information about all of the communities in our area.   We implemented two tactics to reach this point— our name change and our distribution.  In June of 2018, we changed our name from the Insider at the Market Common to the Coastal Insider to signal that the content we provide is inclusive of the entire Grand Strand area. We spent time growing and learning how to be a message board for the community and then expanded that model when it was solid.  The Surfside section was a launching pad in our vision to use our publication as a platform for local communities to get their individual messages out about the events and activities happening in that specific locale.  Our partnership with Surfside Beach was the catalyst for creating community sections within our paper. These sections add value because local residents are looking to know what’s happening in all areas, and when visitors come they want to know what they should go and do.  We’ve had the Surfside Beach section for over a year now, and this past December, we added a Market Common as well as Carolina Forest sections, with more to come.   Our readership for home delivery is over 40,000 papers monthly, and our rack distribution readership is 60,000. With numbers reaching over 100,000 people monthly along the Grand Strand, each community can spread their message outside of their boundaries. Now we feel we’re hitting the market with a very dynamic publication.  Initially we implemented in-house distribution methods in available racks outside of businesses and shopping centers. We put a lot of time and energy into studying the success and relevancy of our strategy, and learned that the quality of our locations was more important than the quantity of locations we had.  Our distribution has been well-thought out over the past year; and in June of 2018, we implemented our new plan, and contracted with two of the most well-known national distribution companies to secure tenure in highly trafficked, high-profile locations along the Grand Strand.   Now, copies of the Insider are in almost every grocery store as well as high volume shopping centers. The change of direction of distribution has placed us securely in the overall market as a source for local information and pertinent community information.   As we continue to enhance our publication, we celebrate who we are, where we are, and especially, you are readers, who with your continued support and encouragement, inspire us to bring you meaningful and relevant content each and every month.