By: Ashley Daniels
The Hammock Shops Village is a charming, diverse destination that marries a storied history of the location with dining and shopping under a canopy of live oaks on Pawleys Island. To be exact, there are more than 21 shops and two restaurants waiting for you to explore.
History
Besides the invention of the hammock that has a strong connection to these grounds by a riverboat captain who ferried rice and supplies between Georgetown and Waverly Mills in 1889, there is more history that unfolds here at The Hammock Shops.
Several old buildings standing on the property were transported from nearby Waverly Plantation, which once served as the largest and last rice plantation in the 1700s and 1800s with about 500 people employed. Some of the architecture incorporated into the other buildings at The Hammock Shops is also a nod to the historic Georgetown plantations that once thrived.
Another layer in this history is rooted in the original owner of The Hammock Shops, Arthur Herbert “Doc” Lachicotte, who was an heir to Waverly Plantation and built the Original Hammock Shop building on the property in 1938.
Shopping
Original Hammock Shop
Standing as the heartbeat of The Hammock Shops Village, The Original Hammock Shop was founded by the Lachicotte family in 1938. This family is responsible for creating the iconic Pawleys Island rope hammock and, in 1971, Doc Lachicotte’s son, remodeled the building to reflect the history of the area, including repurposed lumber, long hand-hewn beams, and a rice millstone built into the brick floor.
The invention of the rope hammock itself dates back to 1889, when a well-known riverboat captain, who ferried rice and supplies between Georgetown and Waverly Mills, thought his grass-stuffed mattress on the boat was too hot during those sizzling South Carolina summers. There were hammocks out there, but none that were breathable, like the one the captain designed with comfortable cotton ropes.
Today, the signature Pawleys Island hammocks are hand-woven and sold at the shop, along with small-batch, house-made fudge, outdoor furniture, and locally sourced products, crafts, and art.
The Christmas Mouse
This unique boutique that sells all things Christmas (holiday décor, ornaments, and seasonal gifts and accents) is housed in a former tobacco barn built around 1900. In the mid-1900s, the barn was disassembled, moved to The Hammock Shops, and reassembled onsite. The barn’s architecture is post-Civil War-style after the 1880s, when tobacco reigned supreme as the crop of South Carolina.
Other Shops
There is so much more in store for your shopping pleasure, including The Barefoot General Store, Pawleys Island Mercantile (home of the wall-to-wall Candy Cottage); fashion, accessories, and jewelry stores; Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming; home décor and gift stores; and gourmet food stores: Pawleys Island Olive Oil and Stella & Remi’s Southern Pecans.
Dining
BisQit
Open for business in The Waverly Building, which was built in the early 1800s and originally located at Waverly Plantation, this restaurant, as the name implies, is known for its made-from-scratch biscuits that sandwich just about every local ingredient, as well as for serving Southern specialties, and mega milkshakes. The building, which once served as the Pawleys Island area post office, moved to The Hammock Shops in 1983. (Fun fact: Because the plantation was the largest rice mill in Georgetown at the time, the postmark was actually Waverly Mills before it was a Pawleys Island postmark in 1939.)
Local, Eat, Drink, Celebrate
This second restaurant at The Hammock Shops is a casual eatery serving brunch and dinner indoors and out on a cool outdoor deck under the live oaks. Handcrafted dishes range from fresh seafood to hearty comfort food to vegan bowls. No matter what you order, all ingredients are locally sourced, hence the name. Local also offers a rotating list of craft beers on tap, brunch events, and live music on the weekends.
For more information and a complete list of shops, visit Hammockshops.com.
