‘Running small businesses out.’ Midlands bar temporarily closes due to insurance

A Midlands bar is temporarily closing its doors due to what the business is calling a miscommunication about liability insurance requirements, according to a Facebook post from the brewery’s account.

In the statement, Homeland Craft Beer & Wine in Batesburg-Leesville said the closure was temporary while management was looking for a new insurance company to cover Homeland Craft. The post also added that the owners were “not happy” with the state government, and that legislators are “running small businesses out of the state.”

The brewery said they had not been notified about changes to insurance requirements.

“Due to the state of SC changing an insurance requirement and not notifying us, and after finding out our insurance company cannot meet that requirement, we are CLOSED until we can secure another insurance company,” Homeland Craft said on social media.

The state Senate proposed last month to suspend the $1 million liquor liability insurance requirement that went into effect the beginning of this year, which has contributed to bar closures across the state.

Last year, the legislature allowed business owners the option of reducing the requirement to as low as $300,000 by taking certain precautionary measures, including server training and hour changes.

Bar and restaurant owners will have to wait until July 1, when the new budget will go into effect, for potential relief.

The bar said that they carried out mandated staff training requirements in a comment under their original post.

The State reached out to Homeland Craft Beer & Wine for comment.