Coligny Plaza that led him to found the South Carolina Yacht Club while he was developing Windmill Harbour. As Sea Pines grew, so did Coligny Plaza. By 1961, Norris began adding buildings and services, beginning with a laundromat and barbershop and beauty salon. A pharmacy followed a few years later. Although the island had no pharmacist, Norris built and stocked the building and placed an “open soon” sign in the window. Norris’ faith was rewarded when a visiting pharmacist inquired about the sign, and the pharmacy became a reality. “Whenever something was needed on the island, Norris would build it,” says Leslie Richardson, his daughter-in-law. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, quite a few things were needed. Thanks to Fraser and Sea Pines, the island’s population had increased more than tenfold since the mid-1950s, and more than a quarter of a million people had visited Hilton Head. In addition to the amenities behind the gates of Sea Pines and other communities, people wanted the same easy access to goods and services they enjoyed on the mainland. Norris made sure they had it. Norris Richardson bought and built Coligny Plaza parcel by parcel, one business and one service at a time, doing much of the physical labor himself. Coligny Plaza became the home of many island firsts, including a bakery, a clothing store, a hardware store, a dry cleaners and a carwash. Longtime locals can still recall The Fin and Feather, Hilton Head’s first fast-food restaurant. An ice cream parlor, movie theater, bike shop, art store and spa soon followed, as did office space for real estate and insurance companies. In the decades after Forest Beach Market opened, Norris Richardson essentially created Hilton Head’s downtown. “It wasn’t planned like this. It grew as needed,” says Norris’ son, J.R. Richardson. “Coligny Plaza has been a happening, an evolution.” Coligny Plaza’s layered history is reflected in its architecture. The Richardson family built all but three of the 17 buildings, and the eclectic style can only be described as classic Hilton Head. In the spirit of Fraser and Sea Pines, the buildings are environmentally friendly in natural, muted colors that complement their environment. A meandering lagoon, dug by Norris himself, flows lazily through the Plaza. Throughout his life, Norris Richardson continued to work at Coligny Plaza, maintaining the landscaping and collecting quarters at the laundromat. He died in 2001, but the next generations of Richardsons are as committed and passionate about Coligny Plaza as he was. His two children, J.R. and Mary Katherine Toomer, own Coligny, and J.R. continues to oversee its day-to-day operations. A third generation also carries the Richardson torch. Bill Toomer owns three Coligny businesses: Mingles, Billy’s Beach Shop, and Bikes & Things. J.R.’s teen-age son, James, scoops ice cream at The Frozen Moo. The island has seen many changes since Norris and Lois Richardson opened their oceanfront grocery store in 1956. One thing that hasn’t changed in half a century is the commitment of the Richardson family to Coligny Plaza and Hilton Head Island. SeaPines50thAnniversary.com | SeaPinesHomesAndVillas.com 51 ...Coligny Plaza today Coligny Plaza yesterday... The Richardson family built all but three of the 17 buildings, and the eclectic style can only be described as classic Hilton Head. WHEN THE RICHARDSON family arrived on Hilton Head Island in 1955, they found no phones, no bridge and a single paved road. The population of the island wasn’t even close to 700 souls, and electricity service had been available for less than a decade. Nevertheless, Lois and Norris Richardson knew they had found a home. Like Charles Fraser, Norris was a visionary. Norris and Lois Richardson opened the island’s first grocery store, and it eventually grew to become Coligny Plaza–Hilton Head Island’s downtown. The sprawling retail center has provided islanders and visitors with services, shopping and entertainment for 50 years. Charles Fraser and Sea Pines put Hilton Head on the map, but the Richardsons and Coligny Plaza helped make it a community. It wasn’t an easy task, but Norris was never one to shy away from a challenge; in fact, he was more likely to go looking for one. He had risen from sweeping floors in a grocery store to owning five of them in Georgia, yet the beauty and possibilities offered by the undeveloped island lured Norris and Lois to risk everything and move their three children, J.R., Collins and Mary Katherine, to Hilton Head. The Richardsons opened Forest Beach Market in June of 1956. Since neither the bridge nor the toll road had been built, all materials had to be shipped in, a costly endeavor for a business that could go days without a customer. The Richardsons contended with storms and wild pigs, all the while greeting by name everyone who came in. One of the store’s first customers was Charles Fraser, who walked in and literally swept items off the shelves, filling two grocery carts. It was the beginning of a lifelong relationship between the Richardsons and the Frasers. In many ways, Sea Pines itself began in that little store. Lois Richardson was the first Sea Pines employee, working as Charles Fraser’s secretary between waiting on customers. Fraser had a key to the store and would drop off ledgers and paperwork for Lois. Lois was not the only Richardson who worked for Fraser. Son J.R.’s first job as a teen-ager was cleaning his office. Fraser’s love for collecting rare antiquities made J.R.’s job interesting. One day, he cleaned the office in President Abraham Lincoln’s black top hat. In later years, Fraser was J.R.’s professional mentor and close friend. Charles taught J.R. how to sail, which sparked a passion in J.R. 50 SeaPines50thAnniversary.com | SeaPinesHomesAndVillas.com By Teresa Fitzgibbons In The Heart of Hilton Head Photographs Contributed By Renay McClain/Richardson Family Lois and Norris Richardson– opened Hilton Head Island’s first grocery store.
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