Shopping center near Columbia revitalizing, bringing in wine and raw bar
A rundown shopping center along State Street in Cayce will soon see new life with the introduction of a fine dining spot with roots in Irmo.
The redevelopment on the 1300 block across from Brookland-Cayce High School will welcome the second location of George Robert’s Wine and Raw Bar.
The restaurant, which opened in Irmo two years ago, serves a variety of seafood options including raw oysters and features an extensive wine and cocktail menu. Owner Rob Schoolmeester said the spot is “more than just an oyster bar,” with the menu also offering pork chops, steaks, tacos and salads.
The new spot will join other trendy developments on Cayce’s side of State Street, which continues on near the Congaree River into West Columbia. Cayce’s section, which the city promotes as its River Arts District, includes businesses such as Piecewise Coffee, Trini Lime Caribbean Cafe, and State of the Art Gallery and Pottery Studio.
Diners can expect a lot of the same staples from the Irmo menu at the new Cayce spot, along with more options for street tacos and artisan pizzas, Schoolmeester told The State. He also plans to add gourmet burgers to the menu.
“You’ll have a good variety to choose from that won’t break your bank either,” Schoolmeester said. “We take great care and spend a lot of time on the menu.”
The shopping center had lain empty for several years, according to Cayce Mayor Elise Partin. It was purchased by Pyramid Contracting President Bobby Alexander, who is a longtime friend of the restaurant’s owner, and is being developed in partnership with NAI Columbia.
The George Robert’s team was originally considering opening their second location in Lexington, but Schoolmeester said he changed his mind when Alexander showed him his renovation plans for the Cayce property.
Renderings show storefronts for four potential businesses, with modern light and dark gray paint and extended roofing. It’s a far cry from the dilapidated state the shopping center was in. Partin noted that it was missing sections of the roof and “needed a lot of work.”
Pyramid Contracting purchased the center from its longtime owner in late 2023 for $100,000, according to property records. Alexander, who developed several locations in West Columbia as well as one of Schoolmeester’s Carolina Wings locations, said he’d been interested in the property for a while after frequently passing by the empty building. Cayce’s side of State Street has “a lot of potential,” he said.
Alexander said he expects the renovation to be complete in about five months. George Robert’s should be ready to open 45-60 days after that, Schoolmeester said.
It is “beyond exciting” to see a fine dining opportunity for residents on Cayce’s side of State Street, Partin said. The city has made efforts over the years to promote revitalizing existing properties rather than starting fresh.
“There’s nothing that can excite a community more than … seeing [a property] revitalized and coming back to life,” Cayce Mayor Pro-Tem Tim James told The State. He also serves as president and CEO for the Greater Caye West Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
With close proximity to Brookland-Cayce High, council members said the business will set its hours with respect to the neighborhood. It will be open from 4-9 p.m. on weekdays, and close at 10 p.m. on Fridays, serving brunch on the weekends, Sox said after speaking with developers.
Developing the River Arts District
While development has come faster in neighboring West Columbia, Cayce has made smaller moves. The contrast between the two can be seen on State Street, where West Columbia’s end is packed with apartments and eateries. The difference is in part due to a lack of new housing development on Cayce’s side.
Sox said Cayce hasn’t seen any new neighborhoods built since around 2016, but with two housing developments on the horizon, leaders are working to incentivize more interest in the area.
The renovation furthers efforts to develop the city’s River Arts District, a vision spearheaded by Partin that has been in the works for years. It has sparked artists to paint murals in the area that offset several vacant properties.
Residents of Cayce can hopefully expect more revitalization projects like Pyramid’s in the coming years as the city council looks to develop its side of the State Street area, Partin said.
“They’re two different cities, but they’re intertwined,” Alexander said of Cayce and West Columbia, adding that he wants to see more development in the area similar to what he’s doing with the shopping center.
Sox said the new development is a unique combination of a local developer and restaurant coming together to provide something the community “deserves and wants.” This specific renovation will help bridge the gap between the West Columbia and Cayce ends of State Street, he said.
“It really fills that gap and brings in a finer dining experience compared to what we have to offer,” Sox said. “There’s not a lot of fine dining in Cayce, so it really brings that to the forefront.”
Schoolmeester, a resident of Columbia for 30 years who has also spent time in Charleston, said he expects Cayce to grow and expand in the next couple of years.
“I think George Robert’s fits that clientele down there. You’ve got a lot of old money down there, you’ve got a lot of new money down there, and you’ve got a lot of educated people,” the restaurant owner said.
Having small businesses on State Street provides easy access to residents who live in the surrounding neighborhoods and for those making the “short little trip” across the bridge from Columbia, said James, Cayce’s mayor pro-tem and the head of the local chamber.
Partin said she sees State Street as a vital center of activity for the surrounding neighborhood, similar to those in Chicago or Boston, where people can walk on the sidewalks and ride their bikes down to meet neighbors.
“I think you’ll see, as you are in West Columbia now, more people being able to walk places, and have more businesses to fill those gaps in between, and promote walkability, too,” Sox said.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
