Bald Head Island Sells Maritime Market

Bald Head Island, NC (January 6, 2011) – Bald Head Island Limited, LLC recently announced the sale of the Maritime Market grocery store on Bald Head Island to Claude and Melissa Pope of Raleigh, N.C. The Popes, who have owned a residence on the island since 2001, are the former owners of Getitquick.com, an office supply company based in Raleigh. They built the business to three locations with over 50 employees before selling it in 2007.

“We’re delighted to transfer the Maritime Market to such capable new owners,” said Charles A. Paul, III, CEO of Bald Head Island Limited, LLC. “Claude and Melissa Pope bring entrepreneurial business experience and inventory management expertise, as well as a passion for Bald Head Island.”

The sale includes both the real estate and the business, and marks the first time that Bald Head Island Limited, LLC has sold a major commercial enterprise to a third party.

“Bald Head Island Limited’s long-term vision is to develop a viable community in harmony with the Island’s unique maritime environment,” said Paul. “Our long-term development plan includes having a diverse and thriving business community. That diversity can only be achieved by bringing in third-party owners and operators who share the Island’s core values. I’ve been very impressed with the Popes’ commitment to Bald Head Island, and their desire to help build a strong community of business owners,” Paul continued.

“We’re investing in the long-term vision for the island,” said Claude Pope. “Melissa and I have been coming here for years, beginning in the late 1980s with our young children. After renting every summer for 12 years, we became owners in 2001, buying a condo at Royal James Landing, and then in 2005, buying a home on Dowitcher Trail. We just love Bald Head, and can’t wait to get started.”

For the Popes, purchasing the grocery store marks a return to their entrepreneurial roots. “We’ve always worked in a small business environment, and for us, owning the Maritime Market gives us the opportunity to apply all of the lessons we’ve learned over the years to a truly unique enterprise,” said Pope. “To be able to do this, and at the same time do it on Bald Head Island, is a dream come true for us.”

The Popes’ daughter Katie and son-in-law Greg will also be working in the business, with Greg heading up the market’s restaurant/deli operations and Katie wearing several hats, including coordinating events, catering, and working with Greg to enhance the prepared food offerings in the deli. To learn more about the Maritime Market, visit www.maritimemarketbhi.com.

Bald Head Island is a year-round and vacation community located just off the coast of Southport, NC. With no bridge connecting the island to the mainland, visitors take a 20-minute ferry ride across the Cape Fear River. Of the island’s 12,000 total acres, 10,000 are permanently protected and will never be developed. To learn more about Bald Head Island, visit www.baldheadisland.com.