‘With a sad and heavy heart’: Hunter-Gatherer Brewery on Columbia’s Main Street to close
Columbia’s first micro-brewery restaurant will close its doors later this month after nearly three decades in business.
Hunter-Gatherer Brewery & Alehouse is shuttering its location at 900 Main St., according to a Friday morning Facebook post from the business. The Main Street spot will remain open until Dec. 28, the post said.
“It is with a sad and heavy heart that we announce the closing of our Main Street location,” said the Hunter-Gatherer post, which was signed by business founder Kevin Varner. “It has been an incredible privilege and a pleasure to host you over these 29+ years, but our lease is coming to a end. We thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives over the years. It’s been a great run.”
Meanwhile, the Hunter-Gatherer Hangar location, which is at 1402 Jim Hamilton Blvd. near the Jim Hamilton - LB Owens Airport, will remain open.
“While we are sad to see this chapter of the original HG come to a close, please know that the Hangar location is still going strong,” Varner wrote.
Varner established Hunter-Gatherer in 1995 as Columbia’s first micro-brewery, as noted on the H-G website.
“[Varner’s] love for English and American-style ales as well has his experience overseas has made Hunter-Gatherer Brewery a well-known staple in the Midlands,” the website boasts.
The Main Street Hunter-Gatherer has been known for its in-house beers, including a Hazy IPA, a pale ale, the Gravity IPA and several others. With its dark woods and cozy feel, it has been a date night favorite in Columbia, with food items including shrimp and grits, burgers with hand-cut fries, and goat cheese salads, among other offerings.
The Hunter-Gatherer announcement that the spot at 900 Main will soon close drew an immediate reaction on Facebook, garnering more than 325 reactions, more than 120 comments and nearly 70 shares in the first hour after it posted. Many customers and fans lamented the coming shuttering.
“This place has been my extended living room for decades, and where I learned to appreciate craft beer,” one commenter noted, while another said, “This will be a huge loss for all of us who love high quality food and beer in a casual, friendly setting.”
Columbia mainstay Tracie Broom, who co-founded local public relations firm Flock and Rally, summed up the feelings of many in a comment on Hunter-Gatherer’s closing post, saying she has cherished it as a place to meet friends for many years.
“It’s an institution and will be very missed,” Broom posted.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 11:36 AM.
