Southern Gentlemen’s Club Coming Soon sign a hoax

Hollow Creek, SC (05/21/2021 Paul Kirby) – A sign that was installed over the last weekend drew a great deal of attention from the public before it was determined it was a hoax. The sign that was erected on the Saluda County side of the second of the two twin bridges on US Hwy 378 near Hollow Creek announced that a “Southern Gentlemen’s Club” was to be built there on the banks of Lake Murray. In case you are still not sure where this is, use Hollow Creek Distillery as a reference point. That’s just across the highway from the lot in question.

According to Lexington County Councilman Larry Brigham, he was made aware of the sign when his telephone started ringing constantly early in the week. Brigham said that he immediately made some calls to make sure there were no loopholes in the county’s Zoning Ordinance that would allow an adult oriented business to be located in that spot. Once the county’s staff determined that no one had made any request to build that type of business on the lot with the sign, the question of who had erected the sign seemed even more interesting.

Councilman Brigham said that it was finally determined that the owner of the land had the sign installed as a hoax. Apparently in the past, the man had floated several ideas about what he might develop on his lot. Each time he came up with an idea, there was some opposition to what he wanted to develop from people who lived in that general area. To send a message that what he might develop on the land wasn’t as bad as it could be, the owner installed the Southern Gentlemen’s Club sign.

According to Brigham, the ordinance regarding these types of signs is clear if you are working through the planning process for building something. However, the ordinance doesn’t exactly address installing this type of sign if you are just kidding your neighbors or the motoring public. “It’s private property,” Brigham said Thursday. “It’s not on the highway right of way and it’s not an eyesore. I don’t think we could make him take it down, but we’ve asked the owner of the property nicely if he would remove it. I think that’s what he is doing. I haven’t been out there to look but my phone is definitely not ringing as much.”

Several citizens who called The Lexington County Ledger about the sign said that while they would be opposed to an adult oriented business in their area, they’d enjoy a nice restaurant there. Perhaps someone should let the property’s owner know that there is community support for him to do something with his lot after all.