Jaco’s Corner will remain bar and restaurant

Jaco’s Corner bar and grill in Columbia, which had been operated by three generations of the Jaco family until it was sold Monday, will remain a bar and restaurant, according to the real estate agent who represented the Jaco family in the sale.

Agent Whit Suber said an unnamed group of local people purchased the landmark bar for $750,000 and other considerations. The group plans to renovate the building.

“My understanding is the new operators intend to preserve as much of the history and spirit as possible,” Suber said. “I feel very comfortable those local and football patrons and new Olympia residents are going to be very excited about what’s to come.”

But a building opened for decades likely will need some renovations that might include bringing it up to current city code. A lot building’s features are “grandfathered in,” said Jake Jaco, who owned the bar for decades with his sister, Janet.

Janet Jaco, through tears Tuesday morning, said the bar’s last open night was Saturday. A private party was held to say farewell to the Olympia mill village fixture.

The Jacos wouldn’t wouldn’t say who purchased it or for what purpose.

“It’s been for sale for 11 years,” Janet Jaco said. “But it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Suber called Monday’s closing “an emotional sale for all sides. The Jaco family has owned that property since 1912. It’s obviously a huge part of their family history and the local area.”

Jaco’s Corner was opened in 1912 by Harris and Alberta Jaco, the grandparents of Janet and Jake.

Other than its longevity, Jaco’s was known for its colorful group of local regulars and late night crowds of University of South Carolina students.

Across the street from the State Fairgrounds and a block away from Williams Brice Stadium, the bar was a game day staple for tailgaters and others, and a hangout for carnival workers during the annual State Fair.

Jake Jaco said that he and his sister have reached retirement age and the younger Jacos have moved on from the family establishment.

“It was time” to sell, he said. “We’re getting older and our kids are doing other things.”

The bar “is still going to be there. You’ll be able to drive by it. There are lots of memories,” Jake Jaco said.

Suber said he has been marketing the property for four years, and was afraid it would be purchased and razed.

“So I’m really pleased to know that it will be a bar and restaurant rather than fast food or drugstore,” he said.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Jaco’s Corner will remain bar and restaurant."