Sun-News from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina • D3

THE SUN NEWS MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2013 3D MYRTLEBEACHONLINE.COM PERSONAL FINANCE FROM PAGE 1D potential deal with a neigh- boring ministry to the buy the land to expand its programs go through earlier this year after it raise enough money. Binkowski, one of the three Hard Rock developers, remi- nisced about the park during more than an hourlong, light- hearted chat Sept. 5 on Sea- son Pass, a podcast devoted to the theme park industry. Binkowski, who shared a couple of jokes and laughs about the short-lived history during the interview, relived how the park came about, what led to its downfall and the intricacies of how some of the notable rides, including the Led Zeppelin signature roller coaster and the Nights in White Satin came together.

The project had a loan of $385 million to get it built and opened, Binkowski said, mon- ey that came in after obtaining several million dollars to jumpstart the effort from local investors who knew the mar- ket, including former AVX Corp. CEO Dick Rosen and Tim Duncan. Though billed during its development and opening as a $400 million park, most of that price tag went to pay debt and for other Binkowski said. park itself really only had about a $225 million bud- get to build this whole he said. The large amount of financ- ing is one of the biggest fac- tors Binkowski said led to the demise, coupled with a slowing economy and $4 a gallon gas prices that ate into the discretionary dollars avail- able to the tourists the park counted on.

When times got tough, Hard Rock Park owners have a to turn to for help, Binkowski said. were highly financed. A lot of it was borrowed he said, adding that investors willing to chip in even more money to keep the park running for a few more years until better times. very hard for them to accept doing that and much easier to write it kind of piled on top of us and we kind of crumpled under the weight. hind- sight is a wonderful thing.

It was kind of a perfect storm of horrible things Binkowski brushed off the naysayers who blamed the high ticket prices and marketing plan for its failure. was all massaging that was being worked out over the Binkowski said. lots of people who have lots of Aside from the economics of the park, Binkowski gave details during the podcast about how the Hard Rock Park theme came about, the park originally was to focus on the four seasons of summer, spring, winter and fall; how it picked which musicians to partner with, including Led Zeppelin and how the con- cepts of some of the rides emerged. As he does about the concept, Binkowski still stands behind Myrtle Beach. happen to love Myrtle Beach.

I think it is a great he said. After the failure, Binkowski out from under my he said jokingly and returned to his company, Renaissance Enter- tainment, which he said has done work for Disney and others. went on to con- tinue to do great he said. Binkowski joked about the content that turns up when he Googles his name, and the Hard Rock hit to his reputation. like having he joked.

wants to kiss you Want to listen to the entire podcast? Go to http://micechat.com/40907 -season-pass-podcast-jon- Contact DAWN BRYANT at 626-0296 or at or follow her at Twitter.com/TSN_dawnbryant. TALK From Page 1D Courtesy photo One of the developers of the failed Hard Rock Park theme park is reflecting on the project five years after its first and only summer season, saying the large debt and faltering economy led to its demise. She worked for a series of real estate firms before set- tling at Southern Shores about eight years ago. Clarke said she has built up a network of buyers and sellers and so there is always busi- ness, even during a down econ- omy. But when the big one hit in 2008, Clarke used the time to re-evaluate and refocus rather than moan about what used to be and anymore What she came to was have to spend money to make she said.

She sees each day as both a blessing and a challenge, with each being different than the one before. She loves meeting people. always try to get to know their she said. Clarke is a self-identified workaholic at it 12 hours a day. She works at home after leaving the office.

She even works while getting her chemotherapy treatments. She recalled being set up with her computer in a hall while getting one treatment. A nurse came by and told her she needed to be in the room with the other chemo patients, on her back and at rest during the procedure. Clarke told the nurse that, no, she was accustomed to working while the chemicals were fed into her body and stayed at her post. showed homes when a a chemotherapy.

She has no doubt that her all-consuming positive atti- tude has something to do with the fact that held off the grim reaper whom she afraid of. But also the fact that both her parents were Methodist ministers, which was the foundation for her deep spiritual beliefs now. Most of all, though, she credits her doctors. She said the diagnosis con- fused her rather than de- pressed her. She had always exercised and eaten healthily, so the last thing she expected to hear was that she had a life- threatening illness.

Even then, her immediate reaction was to start figuring out how she was going to fight. She gets chemo treatments every 28 days and can eat noth- ing hot for a day before and a week after. The chemicals used are strong and can cause blis- ters on your hands and feet, so careful about being in the sun. Nevertheless, about two weeks ago she got the blisters on her feet, and it was the only time in seven years she has moaned about the disease, she said. And you know it, one of her co-workers gave her a pair of shoes that allowed her to walk without a lot of pain.

the great thing about the team at Southern Shores, she said, quickly switching back to the positive from a very brief description of a moment of negativity. want anybody to think I do my she said. Contact STEVE JONES at 444-1765. CLARKE From Page 1D BY CHARLES SLATE Kelley Clarke, a Southern Shores Realtor, refuses to look at the downside of anything, even her seven-year battle with cancer. clists, said Mike Lowney, Har- director of mar- ket outreach.

It shines a new light on the company, said Justin Mulry, a 27-year-old health club em- ployee from Milwaukee who has watched the fights and owns a 1976 Harley that he con- verted into a chopper-style bike. Not everyone is convinced that Harley has made huge gains in attracting younger riders, including industry ana- lyst Robin Farley, who wrote that her analysis of motorcy- clist data shows the average age of a Harley rider is over 50, up from 48 in 2008 and 43 in 1999. what you see are a lot of older guys on Har- leys, and you see any- where near as many young rid- said Paul Crowe, who writes about motorcycling in The Kneeslider, an online publication. have been talking about the demographics of Harley-Davidson for decades. probably a valid Crowe added.

Harley build a mo- torcycle specifically for youn- ger riders, but its Sportster line of bikes has always ap- pealed to a youthful, rebel spir- it. Also, its models tug at the heartstrings of young men who like the dark colors and stripped-down ap- pearance of those bikes. The dark, lean style came from the streets, where young people were modifying bikes to suit their tastes. invent it or create it. But nized what was happen- i young adult scene, which a i a motorcycles i blacked-out i i some denim Low- ney said.

Young mo- torcyclists also ride Harley- touring bikes, in- cluding the style bikes with saddle bags to carry lots of touring gear. Street Glide, a bagger, is No. 1 in sales to young people, ac- cording to the company. Cody Apps, a 25-year-old Greendale, police officer, said he owned four high-per- formance Japanese sport bikes before he bought his first Harley touring machine. I started riding the Harley at work, I realized how much more comfortable it a A a i friends make fun of me, saying I am on an but I tell them, you ride this thing it will change your opin- ion Shane Mecum, a 22-year-old a rl ey i from northern Illinois, bought a 1987 Sport- ster when he was 18 years old and now has a 2 0 0 1 a Road Glide.

a night-and-day difference. The bagger rides so i and, now that I a I buy anything else unless it was a recreational around-town Mecum said. put 12,000 miles on the Road Glide in 16 months compared with a couple of thousand miles on the Sport- ster in more than three years, Mecum said. Among the youngest Harley riders is Michael Griffin, who received a 1982 Sportster for his 16th birthday this summer. has a good rumble, and I look cool on it going to Griffin said.

His parents, Lee and Alison Griffin, also ride Harleys. HARLEY From Page 1D friends make fun of me, saying I am on an but I tell them, you ride this thing it will change your opinion CODY APPS police officer Retailers spend a lot of time, money and effort to entice you to buy merchandise in their stores. part of a capitalist system and should be expected by any savvy shopper. But it mean consumers are powerless once they cross the retail store threshold. Many tricks, tactics and strategies can lead to paying lower prices in the store or reaping better value from the money you spend.

Here are some examples: Decipher price tags. Sometimes retailers use secret price codes. A glance at a price tag will tell you whether an item is truly on sale or clearance. For example, Costco Wholesale prices ending in .97 instead of .99 indicates a markdown, says personal finance guru Clark Howard, whose new book is Living Large for the Long At Target, prices ending in 9 are at full re- tail price, while prices ending in 8 or 6 are discounted but might be cut again. Those ending in 4 are the lowest they will get.

At Club, a means on clearance, and prices ending in the digit 1 signal the item is marked down below cost, How- ard said. Beware the accessory up-sell. Smart shoppers re- search big-ticket purchases, such as a cellphone or televi- sion, but they can be tripped up by unexpected pitches for add- ons. Among the priciest are ac- cessories. For example, com- puter printers usually come with a cable to attach to a computer.

A friendly salesper- son can remind you of this and sell you a $25 printer cord. In- stead, stop at a dollar store on the way home and pick up a per- fectly usable cord for a buck. Similarly, televisions are best used with an HDMI cord to hook to the cable or sat- ellite box. Cables can cost $20 to $100 in-store. Warranties warranted? Extended warranties, more properly called service con- tracts, are another hard-sell up-sell, especially on electron- ics and appliances.

Personal fi- nance experts and consumer advocates generally are not fans of buying them. And if you made the purchase on a credit card, the card may extend that warranty. For autos, service contracts are losing said Consumer Reports. Be- cause vehicles are so reliable nowadays, chance of need- ing extended warranty cover- age just as great as it used to it said. Know a good price.

Walk- ing the aisles of a department store, you might be tempted by a product, but is the price com- petitive? If you own a smart- phone, use it to check compet- itive prices at other retailers. Many stores will although policies differ widely and are loaded with fine-print exceptions. Regardless of the written policy, a good idea to ask whether a store will match a price. Haggle. Part of talking to salespeople is to simply ask for a price break.

Be nice and main- tain your walk-away leverage. you ask for a discount, ask confidently like there is no reason in the world why your wish should not be said Mark Di Vincenzo, author of the books Shoes on Wednesday and Tweet at and Ketchup in May and Fly at You have more ne- gotiating power if con- sidering several purchases or can find flawed items or floor models for sale. If you bar- gain down the price, ask for free throw-ins, such as home deliv- ery of an appliance, clothing al- terations and no-interest fi- nancing. Strategies for paying less on big purchases BY GREGORY KARP Chicago Tribune BY SHANE KEYSER Kansas City Star Lisa Vedock (left), of Lenexa, and Gail Ossie, of Leawood, are busy attaching price tags to clothing. Many strategies can lead to paying lower prices in the store..