Historic Happy Hour tour spotlights city’s Jewish heritage

From the early 20th-century through the 1970s, Columbia did much of its shopping – for clothing, shoes, hats and even wedding gowns – on Main Street, where, over the years, Jewish-owned shops like Barry’s on Main, Kohn’s, Sterns and Lourie’s had transformed the corridor into a retail destination.

Although only three historic Jewish-owned businesses remain on Main Street today (and two on Assembly Street), they share a legacy of serving Columbia’s shopping needs that began as early as the 1820s.

“Those early Jewish merchants were integral to the commercial life of the city,” says Robert Olguin, a graduate assistant with Historic Columbia who has focused on Columbia’s Jewish history. “They were among the first shop owners to re-open after the city burned in 1865.”

On Friday, as part of the ongoing Historic Happy Hour series, Historic Columbia will explore how Jewish merchants, past and present, have shaped the downtown district and highlight the city’s Jewish hertiage with a newly-developed walking tour.

The happy hour begins with drinks in front of Michael's on Main Street, then travels down to Lady Street before crossing over Assembly Street to end at The Big Apple on Hampton Street for more drinks and light appetizers.

This is one of the first of many public events that are part of the Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative. The long-term project – in partnership with Columbia’s Jewish Community Center and Jewish Federation, the College of Charleston’s Jewish Heritage Collection, Richland County Public Library, and Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina – aims to record oral histories, and to collect photographs, historic documents, and Jewish memorabilia, while promoting awareness of the longevity and tenacity of Jewish life in the capital city.

For more information, and to register, visit www.historiccolumbia.org

Katie McElveen, Special to The State