First-ever swingers club could be coming to Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – The Myrtle Beach Planning Commission considered Tuesday an application to bring the first swingers club to the Grand Strand.

This would be a co-owned swingers club, and applicant Amber Armour will be the co-owner with the owner of a similar club in North Carolina.

The two said they want to bring this to Myrtle Beach because of the number of members visiting from the area.

According to the North Carolina owner, around 5,000 of their members are from Myrtle Beach. On average, 20 couples visit the place in Fayetteville on the weekends.

While the two don't have a building in mind, the swingers club is hoping to be zoned in the wholesale manufacture district.

Business owner Jeff Whittington, who's been in the district for decades, said he doesn't believe the club is a good idea.

“I don’t like it. For several different reasons, I don’t think it will be an asset for this street for one thing because all these businesses are totally different from that,” Whittington said.

The owners, who want to remain anonymous, discussed why they want to bring a club to the city.

“There’s already a lot of private parties and hotel parties that’s in the area and we want to take that away from the public sector and put that in a more private, secure location so it isn’t readily available to anybody, especially just kids,” the owner said.

And swingers aren’t the only people to come to the club.

"We have people who aren’t swingers come here because they feel safer at our place than going to a bigger nightclub,” the owner said.

This would be a members-only nightclub and right now there aren’t places like that allowed in city limits.

The planning commission said the city of Myrtle Beach doesn’t regulate who comes into a business but what’s going on inside and before the next meeting the owners will have to redefine the definition of the club.

The city will also call the police chief in Fayetteville before the public hearing scheduled for November 5.

The North Carolina club owner said the club there is BYOB and they have been in business for years. They also said they have a great reputation with the Fayetteville police.

“I’m hoping the chief of police in Fayetteville say they love us because the officers I’ve talked to, that’s what they’re telling me,” they said. “And like I’ve said we’ve never had them called to our location for any incidents whatsoever.”

And when it comes to marriage.

“We’re not trying to do anything different to marriage," they said. "We’re not trying to change anyone’s marriage. We’re not going to save anyone’s marriage. The couples that come, most of them have a secure relationship.”

The planning commission’s recommendation would have to go before the full city council for consideration.