Isle of Palms Magazine Winter 2016-17

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Finch Properties transformed the club into a world-class
resort – Wild Dunes. In a letter to Finch, J.C. Long once
wrote, “I am completely at a loss for words to express to you
and to the others who have participated in the development
of the Beach and Racquet Club what a magnificent job I
think has been accomplished. It is something that I believe
surpasses the dreams of anybody.”
6. The Burgis Family: Members of the Burgis family
weren’t the first business owners on Front Beach, but their
legacy has
been an-
chored there
for decades.
Wallace
and Eliza-
beth Burgis
opened a
full-service
restaurant
on Front
Beach in
1962, with
just six
stools and
two tables.
The popu-
lar Palms
Seafood
Restaurant
was one
of the first
oceanfront restaurants in the Charleston area, serving up
specialties such as fried creek shrimp and Mrs. Burgis’ fa-
mous coleslaw. When it was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo,
it had grown to 12 stools and seated more than 250 people.
Their sons, Malcolm and James, opened the Windjammer
in 1972 on the site of J.C. Long’s former SurfDeck. Beach
views, beer, volleyball, live music and a touted “jam good
time” have been drawing locals and vacationers to Front
Beach for nearly 45 years. Malcolm Burgis serves on the Isle
of Palms Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee.
7. The sTone Family: In 1977, Don Stone bought
Island Realty from Bill Walters, who gave the business its
current name after purchasing it from Al Johnson, who
was J.C. Long’s broker. Don Stone was an astute business-
man and understood that what was good for Isle of Palms
would be good for all businesses on the island. For nearly 40
years, the Stone family has been influential in steering the
housing and rental market to be the flourishing business it
has become. Today, his son Sandy and wife Peggy own the
company, and his grandsons, Alex and Eric, also work with
the company. They attribute their business’ success to decades
of being active in the community they serve. Sandy Stone also
served on the Isle of Palms City Council from 2010 to 2013.
8. The Carroll Family: The Carrolls are another
family that has influenced the island for generations. The
matriarch, Kathy Carroll, ran the Isle of Palms Recreation
Center in its infancy. With the help of the Women’s Aux-
iliary, she held fundraisers for new equipment, rather than
asking the city for money. In 1981, she and her son, Jimmy,
co-founded Carroll Realty, the island’s oldest owner-started
real estate company, which was a catalyst for what the local
real estate and property rental market has become today.
Jimmy, now serving his second term on the City Council,
remains an agent for Carroll Realty but sold the company
Photo courtesy of the Stone family.
Wallace Burgis
Kathy Carroll
Don Stone with grandson.
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Carroll.
Photo courtesy of FindaGrave.com.