“Market common is the crown jewel for this city,” Bethune said. At points in the meeting, she and Tucker noted that the area would be receiving $25 million to continue to make it better.

The limits of what are technically downtown Myrtle Beach and The Market Common are sometimes blurred. Here’s what the official districts are, according to information from the city.

The Common Market’s progress has surprised even its most fervent backers. Trade between the Six jumped 19% during their first year as a Common Market, 25% last year, ...