If you’ve ever visited Folly Beach, you may have noticed the front half of a shark protruding from one of the souvenir shops on Center Street. It’s kind of hard to miss! Have you ever wondered what the story is behind this quirky landmark? We’ll dive into that in this blog.

Back in 1991, a man named Ed Hollingsworth and his friend Bill Perry dreamed up a fun plan to create the front half of a shark out of fiberglass and hang it up outside Ocean Surf Shop on Folly Beach. The owners of Ocean Surf Shop, Perry and Betty Sue Cowsert, thought it would be a great marketing tool to bring people into their store. The shark was originally supposed to be displayed in Myrtle Beach, but the Cowserts struck a deal for the half-shark to grace their little Folly surf shop instead.

No permission was granted by the city for the shark to be hung, so it had to be done under the cover of night, on the building inspector’s day off. Hollingsworth gathered a team to help him hang his great oceanic beast up outside of Ocean Surf Shop, which is right next door to Folly Beach City Hall. To reach that high up, they stood on top of their van and backed up onto the sidewalk, affixing the half-shark to the outside wall of the surf shop.

Surprisingly, no one from City Hall ever said a thing about it! The shark remained where it was, beckoning at tourists and locals alike with its toothy grin.

It has become a beloved landmark on Folly Beach, and one of the most photographed landmarks as well. More than 30 years on, the shark continues to watch over Center Street, now affixed to Native gift shop and apparel store. The next time you’re on Folly Beach, pay a visit to our very own city shark!