Henry’s Restaurant & Bar will open at the site of 2108 State in Cayce. Photo by Xavier Edwards
As the greater Columbia area sees growth in venerable entertainment districts like the Vista and Five Points, and newly developing regions like the resurgent North Main, the question “what’s next?” comes up again and again.
For Henry Lees, owner of Henry’s Restaurant & Bar, the answer to that question is across Knox Abbott in Cayce, at the site of the former bar and restaurant 2108 State, which closed in 2015.
“I feel like we can help get the wheels turning down here if we provide good food and good service,” Lees says. “It’s going to be a question of how to get people in here the first time, but after that we’re going to do well.”
Henry’s began with a location on Devine Street in 2011, and expanded to the Northeast with a location on Sparkleberry Road in 2013. The Cayce location will be Lees’ third.
Lees hopes his restaurant will serve as an anchor for the far end of State Street, setting precedence for other business owners looking for a character-filled area to set up shop. He used to live near the neighborhood where his newest endeavor will go, and the recent development surrounding State Street is what prompted him to take a chance on the area.
“I just noticed that in the past 10 years that State Street from [Brookland-Cayce] High School down to Frink Street, people are putting in a lot of work into the buildings. It looks like people are starting to come over here and trying to make it a nicer area,” Lees says.
Greg Pinner, president of the Greater Cayce West Columbia Chamber of Commerce, says the area with its unique identity, along with the surge in businesses opening across the river, Cayce could soon find itself in a growth spurt of its own.
“Columbia is sort of booming and square footage leases keep going up, and generally when that happens people tend to look at our side of the river for things a little more affordable,” Pinner says. He hopes that Henry’s could encourage business owners, but also cites the upcoming Brookland development in West Columbia as a possible trigger for growth.
That development, slated for the corners of Meeting and State streets and across from the Riverwalk Amphitheater, will include retail, restaurants, office space and a parking garage.
“There are a lot of property owners waiting for that to happen and you might see some new retail developments announced with that,” Pinner says. “West Columbia and Cayce are so intertwined. They usually feed off each other.”
There’s also been development in Cayce, including the new Tremont apartments along Knox Abbott.
Pinner wouldn’t name any specific businesses that might soon call Cayce home, but says that exciting things are on the horizon for the city.
“I know Cayce was being looked at for a few breweries, but nothing more than discussions,” Pinner says.
With a renewed interest in redevelopment in the area of Frink and State streets, the City of Cayce is working on a master plan, Pinner says, to streetscape the area in hopes that refreshed spaces might bring in new tenants.
The city currently offers a facade grant for business owners on the Knox Abbott and State Street corridors, and will reimburse half of what an owner spends to renovate the exterior of their building, up to $4,000.
Lees used the grant to bring a new look to his corner of the street.
He’s anxious to see how the new location differs from his Devine Street and Northeast Columbia sites.
“I don’t see it being as much of a late night venue, but lunch, dinner and happy hour will bring in people on their way home. If we need to start doing our brunch every day, whatever it takes,” he says. “We’re not really worried at all. We’re going to bring in bands and see what works.”
As with any older building, the space at 2108 State St. hid surprises around every corner for Lees, who originally planned to open the doors in 2016, but unforeseen complications have pushed the ribbon-cutting to mid-February.
According to Lees, the former 2108 State did well when it came to food sales, so he knows the business potential is there and is hoping his restaurant’s reputation will take care of the rest.
“Hopefully if we do well enough we can give people the drive to come over here,” Lees says. “I feel like once we get our doors opened and bring in some foot traffic other business owners will see this area and how much cheaper it is to get into these buildings than the Vista or other areas it will be monkey see, monkey do.”
“Henry’s is definitely a good sign,” Pinner says.
