Owner of The Whig on Main Street to open beer garden in West Columbia

Phill Blair, owner of popular Main Street bar and restaurant The Whig, is emerging from his usual underground spot across from the South Carolina State House to do something new.

His next move: opening a beer garden and retail craft beer and wine shop in West Columbia.

Blair secured a “long lease” for a vacant building at 626 Meeting St., across the river from downtown Columbia, he said. The building formerly housed K9 Coature, a dog grooming shop, as well as a plant nursery and a nightclub.

As a lifetime West Columbia resident, Blair said he wants to fill a gap in the local market with his new project.

“I’ve wanted to do something over on my side of town for years,” he said.

The Whig opened on Main Street in 2005 when “the only thing open were wig shops,” Blair told The State in 2015. Since then, the bar has anchored major development and become a hotspot for local beer, late-night burgers and dimly lit hangouts. (And stayed alive after the last of the wig shops closed.)

The Meeting Street corridor is to West Columbia what Main Street was to Columbia when Blair opened The Whig — a major area of focus and opportunity. Meeting Street development was kicked off by the large public-private, mixed-use Brookland project, which is nearing completion.

The strip of retail and restaurants near the Brookland development has experienced the jolt of new businesses moving in over the past year. Most recently, Black Rooster opened nearby, with rooftop views of the Columbia skyline. And the city has injected money into a flurry of projects around the West Columbia riverwalk, including more parking and a park for children of all abilities.

Blair said he does not have an opening date yet.

This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 11:10 AM.