Food trucks busy, downtown businesses quiet in Walterboro during Murdaugh trial

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - The city of Walterboro has never seen anything quite like the Alex Murdaugh murder trial and all of the national attention that has come with it. Now a week and a half into the trial, an official with the city said they are not seeing as much tourism as they hoped for downtown.

Many stores have remained quiet during the day while the trial is underway. Jessica Burdick, co-owner of Twig, opened earlier in the mornings and stayed open later in the evenings just in case.

“If I didn’t see the courthouse and the people down there, I would not know just from the shop here that we had anything going on out of the norm,” Burdick said.

Grooms, who is the city’s tourism director and director of downtown development, said things are picking up more during the trial’s second week. He said at night, restaurants downtown and on the interstate are seeing a good influx of business.

At the city’s wildlife center, it is a different story. Grooms said the food trucks they brought in to accommodate the extra visitors are doing “phenomenal.”

Walterboro barbecue spot Shorty’s Smokin’ Butts has been at the wildlife center with their truck since it began last week. The owners said they came to support other businesses that cannot keep up with the influx of people. They have been happy with the amount of business they have received.

“We’ve actually gotten people asking us about catering different events in the future just for coming here and visiting us at our food truck this week,” Co-Owner Ashley Lambe said.

For visitors and locals alike, seeing the variety of food in Walterboro is exciting.

“We come to Walterboro a lot because of family, and there just isn’t this scene normally,” Luke Howard, who is visiting from Mount Pleasant, said. “You’ve got your regular Walterboro restaurants, but this is really extraordinary. It’s almost like a carnival-type setting, a circus setting.”

Grooms hopes that all the new attention will make a lasting impact on Walterboro.

“I want to put Walterboro in the limelight, not for being the center of the trial but for being a southern town that people would want to come by,” Grooms said. “We’re right on the interstate people can come in here, they can see our beautiful homes, see our beautiful courthouse, and really enjoy Walterboro for what it is.”

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