Folly’s beloved beach store changes hands after 72 years
by Jenny Peterson | Current Staff Writer
For many Folly Beach vacationers, a trip to the Edge of America wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the beloved Mr. John’s Beach Store.
The family-owned and operated Center Street staple has been around for 72 years, first opening in 1951 as a pharmacy/soda shop/beach store run by John Chrysostom and his wife and pharmacist Rachel Chrysostom. In the mid-1960s, it transformed into its current iteration as a funky maximalist beach store with unique treasures, décor, beach items, keepsakes, clothing and work from local artists and authors.
Paul Chrysostom—John and Rachel’s son—who has lived on Folly Beach his entire life and grew up coming to the store, took over running the business in 1989 and renamed it “Mr. John’s Beach Store” as a tribute to his late father. Paul had become so synonymous with his family business and the store that still he answers to the name “John.”
“Even when I was a kid, people would go, ‘Hey, John,’ and I went, ‘Hey,’” Paul recalls. “When my father was still living and we had the store, a girl I knew that also grew up out here on Folly, always called me John and only recently found out my name was Paul.”
Paul was a constant fixture in the longstanding store, taking a genuine interest in meeting customers, asking where visitors were from and happily suggesting places to eat and drink during their vacation. Generations of families would stop in on their annual vacation to the beach.
“I was always chatting up customers asking, ‘What brings you to Folly?’” Paul said. “People would ask me where to go to eat and I’d look them up and down and say, ‘I’ll send you here,’” he laughs.
“One family comes to mind—five generations all from up north. The grandmother came here as a child, and she started bringing her children here. She had six or seven daughters, and they were all coming down here with their kids. They’d always stop in,” Paul said. “Running the business was about meeting good people and talking to people.”
After 34 years of running Mr. John’s Beach Store, Paul announced in early 2024 that he was retiring, selling the business to Eli Aboudaran, who already owns several other beach stores on the beach. Paul’s last day running the business was Jan. 1.
“I had the opportunity (to sell) and I said, ‘Okay, I’m taking it,” Paul said, noting that his family still owns the building on the corner of Center Street and East Cooper Steet, where his parents first set up shop in 1951.
A retirement party was held on Thursday, Jan. 18 at Planet Follywood to honor Paul and the iconic Folly institution that had been a part of Paul’s entire life. Folly residents and longtime friends of all ages donned Hawaiian shirts and brought potluck food items, including Greek dishes to honor Paul’s heritage, for all to enjoy.
While the business and name will stay the same, the announcement marks the end of an era. Paul said his goal was always to make coming to Mr. John’s Beach store a Folly experience and he employed many local residents over the years—including Peggie Adams, an employee of more than 20 years.
“I was trying to get more local people to come in. I wanted to create something that was cool and funky that anybody would want that might be unique,” Paul said.
