‘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 bar’s account.

“Communication is a problem,” said Dawn Jacobs, co-owner of Homeland Craft Beer & Wine in Batesburg-Leesville. “They’re not telling people what they need to do or what they need to know.”

In the Facebook statement, Homeland Craft said the closure was temporary while management was looking for a new insurance company to cover the local watering hole in western Lexington County. 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.”

Jacobs said the bar had not received a warning letter before the notification arrived Wednesday that Homeland’s license was suspended.

She resubmitted updated insurance policy paperwork at the beginning of the year after the Department of Revenue informed her of a few mandatory changes, but said that the bar was never informed the issues had not been resolved, according to Jacobs.

While the bar had total insurance coverage exceeding the state’s minimum of $1 million, she says her previous insurer’s coverage does not meet the state minimum per each individual claim. Homeland Beer & Wine was previously insured by Three Insurance under Berkshire-Hathaway, who told Jacobs they could not meet state requirements.

Jacobs is now scrambling to find a new insurance provider that will meet state standards, which she says is no small task as insurance providers avoid the new state regulations.

“We are set up that we are the last resort,” Jacobs said. “We don’t really have a lot of choices. If people know people, they’ll be good, but I’m not one of those people.”

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.

However, Jacobs says that despite completing the staff trainings and taking other measures, insurance companies have not lowered costs accordingly.

“It sounds great on paper, but no one’s offering it,” she said.

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.

Bar and restaurant owners will have to wait until July 1, when the new budget will go into effect, for potential relief, but that might be too late for some small businesses.

“My family depends on this bar, and we have a family of people that work for us,” she said. “It’s a small group of us, but that’s our livelihood. It makes a difference for us.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 2:12 PM.