About six weeks ago the owner of The New Brookland Tavern (Mike Lyons) announced that two months prior the owner of the building had informed him of his intention to sell the building the listing price being $775K. The club's sound technician and booking agent Carlin Thompson has since started a GoFundMe in order to either save the club (not happening) or to help defray costs in the event of relocation. The fundraising effort has so far generated nearly $38K but has stalled.

Over the weekend word spread that a buyer for the property had been found and although neither official nor named one can assume it's a developer whose almost certain intention is to raze the dilapidated building. Also unofficial is that the club will be allowed to remain open through the end of the year.

Thompson has been on social media announcing that they're looking to move the venue to Five Points in hopes that they will attract foot traffic which IMO is a bad idea due to terrible parking access, congestion, and crime. Maybe they lasted a quarter century due to the fact that they were not in Five Points or the vista.

In any case, it's the end of an era.

Yeah, moving to Five Points will be the nail in that coffin.  Most of the folks going to NBT don't want to be in Five Points, or the Vista, with that trash.  The residents around Five Points and Columbia politicians are actively trying their best to drive out all of the bars so that just makes that idea seem all the more weird.

While at the Cro-Mags show three weeks ago I got to take a really good look at the building and there is no damn way the buyer's going to invest in the massive improvements that will need to be made to bring the venue up to snuff. It's a tear-down. Coming soon: another Starbucks or Panera.

NBT announced that they're moving to The Cotton Gin's former location at 632 Harden St.

(the old Five Points theater)

I'm not wading a half mile each way through this shit:

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Maybe they can make it work, the cotton gins not a bad venue. A little disappointed, but I also haven’t been there in forever.

End of an era.  I haven't been to a show there in over a decade, but I have zero faith in things working out in Five Points; different crowd, different environment, etc.

Can you imagine going to see a gig there on a Friday or Saturday night esp. after a football game or other mass event?

It may very well be that the reason NBT lasted as long as it did in their current location was due to the fact that they weren't in 5 Points or the vista. Even under the best of circumstances when a music venue such as this moves they close.

NBT's sound technician/booking agent Carlin Thompson has from the start been dismissive of any suggestion that they stay in W. Columbia citing the desire to attract a younger crowd (foot traffic). Well, he's the fucking expert, I guess.

As I am disabled there is no damn way I'm parking blocks away and navigating through sidewalks packed with college drunks, panhandlers, crackheads, and thugs. Of course I'm in the tiny minority but not exactly alone in my opinion. Of course, the older patrons not on board have been largely silent and they'll remain so. They simply will not patronize the new location.

City of Columbia won't let them have a business license for a bar in 5 points. They're still working hard to kill a couple that are there for the new redevelopment plan. I think the buildings on State St are being bought for development into moar student housing. Sucks, but that's what's happening with a LOT of property now.

Is there a news story on this? Or an assumption based on the actions of The Harpootlian Gang?

You do know that the City is planning a redevelopment of 5 Points, with a fair amount of construction work? And yeah, the Dick (it's not just his name) gang has a lot to do with it.

Shocking, shocking I tell you.  They've been trying to turn Columbia into something it's not nor will it ever be, especially with the corruption.  A lot of folks have wanted Five Points gone for a long time.  

If the state legislature doesn't address the liquor liability laws pretty soon the only places you'll be able get a drink off-premises will be establishments catering to the 1%.

Cigar Milita's owner who is also a member of the state legislature had to turn in his on-premises beer/wine license as his liability premium went from $1,500/year to $28,000.

BubbaShootz just informed me that the River Rat Brewery is closing up shop for the same reason (and a few others). This...is...BULLSHIT.

I heard River Rat was closing, but I didn't know it was due to insurance reasons.

Makes sense, even though the news clip I saw didn't mention why.  I'd only been in there I think twice when visiting some friends and while the food wasn't bad, the beer was nothing special and the place was almost empty.

River Rat's owner had been looking to sell for some time. Why he chose to expand/remodel the building at a time when craft beer has already peaked is anyone's guess.

The main reason for closure, according to an article in the Post & Courier, is that business has been off due to the aforementioned reason: too many craft beer brewers chasing decreasing demand. It's peaked. No doubt the insurance thing is another nail in the coffin.

It will be interesting (and disheartening) to see how many of the current breweries/brewpubs in the area weather this current storm. A shit-ton of money has been invested by Angry Fish, Savage Craft, Hazelwood, Hunter-Gatherer, etc.

A friend who works at a trendy wine bar downtown says her employer took a horrendous financial hit with the increase in liability insurance. They're staying in business but who knows for how long.

What's that saying about there not being any problem that government can't make worse....

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I SO hope this works out. Lots of good memories from the old location.

Unlike the old location the new location in five points is a "gun-free zone". Another reason not to patronize.

5 points

Yeah, pretty much.

The last time I was there was a little more than a year ago on a Saturday afternoon while USC was on spring break. Walked the dog around the area.

Meh.

Thirty years ago I thought five points was pretty cool but now I'm just too old, too tired, and too nervous about my personal safety esp. by myself after dark.

I am getting second-hand information that the venue's security staff are having to deal with increasing incidents of violence in that nasty fights are starting to become a fairly regular occurrence. I don't know if these incidents are only happening at the "kung fu shows" (metalcore/hardcore) or if they are happening regardless of the entertainment but I'm not surprised if it was the former. Even in the chaos of a mosh pit there's some order but all you have to do is add some drunk frat bros and shit goes South in a hurry. One of my cousin's buds is a bouncer there and he supposedly got beat up pretty badly.

As I predicted.

Shocked, shocked I tell you.