Future of West Columbia music venue New Brookland Tavern in flux as building for sale
A longtime fixture of the Midlands music scene has started a fundraiser to help secure its future after the building where it has long been located was put up for sale.
New Brookland Tavern, which has been at 122 State St. in West Columbia for decades, recently started a GoFundMe fundraiser, one it has titled “Save New Brookland Tavern.” The move comes as the building where the business is located has been listed for sale for nearly $775,000, per local real estate listings.
“Recently we were made aware of the possibility that our building would be listed for sale — unsure if it was actually going to happen and how serious we needed to take it — we continued doing what we do, hosting all ages shows multiple days a week with local and national acts,” the GoFundMe listing for New Brookland Tavern reads.
The fundraiser notes that New Brookland owner Mike Lyons, who has owned the music venue business for nearly 20 years, was offered the first option to buy the building. However, the facility needs copious amount of work, the tavern says.
“Both AC units need replaced,” the tavern fundraiser page says. “Plumbing for bathrooms needs replaced. There is a mountain of things needing replaced. While the memories of New Brookland Tavern are invaluable — hosting thousands of bands over the years even before Mike purchased it — we have to prepare for the worst. This could be the last year that New Brookland Tavern is open in this building.”
The GoFundMe for New Brookland is looking to raise $250,000, which could be used for relocation, or potentially be put toward purchasing the current building.
The Lexington County Chronicle first reported the New Brookland Tavern situation.
“If you cannot donate, there will be a series of fundraising shows, limited merch drops, etc along the way to help raise funds,” New Brookland said in its fundraiser listing. “We appreciate everyone who has stuck with us for the last 20 years, and that we can say that again in 20 more years.”
New Brookland also addressed the issue in a Tuesday morning Facebook post.
“We are unsure of our next move, but we are hitting this head on immediately so that we can ensure a seamless transition of our business whether we stay or move to a new location,” the Facebook post reads. “These things can take months which buys us time, but we also are already locking in shows for 2024 so we kinda have to go ahead and prepare for the worst. Could be time for a fresh start somewhere else.”
New Brookland Tavern has, for years, been a vibrant hub for the Columbia area music scene, hosting countless local, regional and national acts from various genres. It has a full slate of shows scheduled for the coming months, including, among many others, an album release show for Columbia band Stagbriar on Sept. 29.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 10:54 AM.
