Faith, Family and Groceries
Written by Vickie McIntyre I Photos by Ruthe Ritterbeck
At first glance David Martin, owner of the Piggly Wiggly in Coligny Plaza who’s restocking lunch meat in the deli aisle, doesn’t look like your typical store manager in his khaki shorts, blue ballcap and Piggly Wiggly T-shirt.
But don’t let his casual appearance and easy smile fool you. He’s seriously committed to upholding his family’s 54-year legacy that involves far more than simply selling groceries.
Martin’s presence in the store began at age 10 after his father, Gene, relocated the family from Allendale, S.C., to Hilton Head to run the former Red & White franchise that became Piggly Wiggly in 1992.
Years of working by his father’s side fostered dreams of ownership, so after graduating from Stetson University, Martin returned to work for his dad, eventually purchasing the business from him in 2010.
Gene, though, continued working alongside his son well into retirement.
“Ten days before he passed last spring, he was in my store in a wheelchair arguing with me about where to put a stack of beach chairs,” laughs Martin.
All those years of tutelage gave Martin a foundation of guiding principles that he still abides by today.
“My dad came from a tough background. His father was a farmer in rural South Carolina, and both his parents died before he was 12,” he reflects. “He came to Hilton Head with no money and knew what it was like to struggle, but he was always giving, whether it was through Deep Well, youth athletic programs or in-house charge accounts, allowing customers to pay when they were able.”
That passion for community support hasn’t wavered. Piggly Wiggly generously partners with organizations like Sandalwood Food Bank, St. Andrew’s Soup Kitchen, Deep Well and Backpack Buddies.
Soon, they hope to work with Volunteers in Medicine to get fresh food to their clients.
“The goal we have as a store is that we do not want to waste food – not when we have people in our country who are hungry,” says Martin. “It’s a challenge I’ve embraced.”
Martin then recalls how his father extended credit to people who couldn’t pay their bills during the real estate bust of 1972, saying, “I’ve had at least 25 people tell me their children would not have eaten if my dad hadn’t done that for them.”
Another mainstay of his father’s management style was listening to customers.
“When tourists from the Northeast started asking for Perrier water in the early 70s,” Martin recounts, “Dad tried to find some, even though he didn’t know what it was.” Thanks to his dad’s efforts, the Hilton Head Piggly Wiggly became the first grocery store in South Carolina to sell the sparkling water. That same drive for innovation led Martin’s dad to start carrying beach supplies.
“Providing things other stores didn’t carry was one of my dad’s big strategies,” he explains.
David, though, had ideas of his own – so many that by the time he took the reins, he had 43 pages of ideas.
He computerized the store, brought in different vendors, updated lighting and fixtures, and put the store on social media, which his son still manages.
After expanding the selection of summer merchandise, Martin also created Pig Corner, where shoppers can find an array of koozies, coffee mugs and Piggly Wiggly T-shirts that his daughter designs.
“I’ve seen my T-shirts all over the world,” he boasts.
Another smart decision was working with local fishermen who bring in fresh catch throughout the day. To help preserve the Lowcountry shrimping industry, he also invested in two boats with a shrimper from Beaufort, a move that allows him to get shrimp directly from the dock.
Martin sits a little taller as he sings the praises of his counter staff who “know how to cook” and who’ve been “steaming shrimp for 20 years.”
But it’s that “coffee-shop” feel that makes Piggly Wiggly truly special. Whether it’s tourists or locals, Martin loves bantering with shoppers about everything from where they are from to their favorite sports teams.
“Life is short,” Martin said, “so why not be positive and make it fun?”
The same directive applies to employees.
In fact, workers repeatedly use words like “fun” and “family” to describe their jobs. Nearly everyone calls Martin their “second dad.”
Jake Hobbs, a manager at the store since 2021, says, “David takes the phrase ‘if you enjoy what you do, you don’t work a day in your life’ to a whole new level. Seeing him have a blast makes us have a blast.”
Martin’s philosophy, though, was born from a time of struggle.
“As a young man I struggled with addiction and got sober in September 1987,” he confides.
He adds, “In my darkest moment, I said, ‘God, if you can get me through this, I won’t look back.’ My darkest days led to my brightest days.”
Martin has stayed true to that promise, vowing ever since to approach each day with passion and humor while also relying on his faith.
He’s also made a commitment to engage with the island’s teens.
He organized Bagging for Bucks where youth groups bag groceries in his store to raise money for their sports teams or church organizations, and he’s active in LowCountry Alliance for Healthy Youth, an organization geared to prevent substance abuse among the area’s youth.
His greatest pleasure is hiring teens to work at his store, most of whom work until they graduate. Many return for summer employment while attending college.
“Most kids just want a chance,” says Martin, adding that mentoring youth about money, responsibility and social engagement is something he enjoys.
Liz Faulkner, a store manager, has worked at Piggly Wiggly since she was 14. Now 29, she says she still listens to Martin’s advice about life issues.
“He’s an incredible mentor, and I don’t think you’ll ever find an owner who is as active in the store as he is,” she says. “He doesn’t ask you to do something he wouldn’t do himself. He is in the trenches with us getting carts and scrubbing floors.”
Emma Ryan, a 10-year employee, adds, “Working here has never felt so much like a job as a community to be a part of. David’s the glue that holds us together.”
One of her favorite memories involves a Thanksgiving break during college when she came back to work for the weekend.
“David hung a paper on my back that said: Broke College Student,” she chuckles, “and I left with an extra $60 in tips.”
Martin’s pension for looking out for others came full circle after Hurricane Matthew when an army of locals showed up to help him.
“People were in there mopping floors, cleaning up, throwing away stuff — and they wouldn’t accept money,” recalls Martin, who describes how they grabbed flashlights and wrote paper receipts for locals who stayed through the storm and needed food.
Six months later people were still thanking him and handing him money for what they owed.
“It was an incredible time to see how people worked together,” he says, shaking his head.
No less incredible is Piggly Wiggly’s thriving presence in an era of mega-grocery stores. Martin theorizes that it’s partly due to maintaining that “small town” feel.
“Funny story,” he says, “A man walked into the store recently, exclaiming, ‘Man, I love how you embrace the old way!’ I replied, ‘We never embraced the old way; we just never changed.’”
Let’s hope they never do.
