A recent addition to Five Points is already expanding into a neighboring space
A Columbia cultural institution that relocated to Five Points in December is already expanding, taking over a vacant storefront next door.
New Brookland Tavern, which made the leap from West Columbia to the former Cotton Gin space at 632 Harden St. (a one-time movie theater marked by its prominent “5 Points” marquee), has signed a lease to take over the space formerly occupied by Sylvan & DuBose Jewelers, which sits between the club and Bar None.
The longstanding local rock club, which has operated as a full-time music venue since at least 1998, already increased its capacity for shows by moving to the new location. The main upstairs show space in Five Points allows the venue to bring in up to 400 people. The new room will add a second stage with a capacity anticipated to land between 150 and 200.
The hope is to start hosting shows in the second room starting in May.
“There’s not a whole lot of bands in Colombia that can pack out upstairs,” said Carlin Thompson, New Brookland’s talent buyer, marketing coordinator and production manager. “Which makes it kind of difficult for us when we’re doing stuff more locally and regionally. We can’t necessarily justify putting a show upstairs that does 50 people just because of how expensive it can be for us.”
He explained that many national touring bills come with built-in support acts and don’t allow local talent to jump on. So adding the secondary room will provide local acts a chance to play on the same night as some of the bigger names that come through. Thompson added that these corresponding local shows will be offered for free for ticket holders for the night’s main event.
The second space will have a stage that Thompson said should be larger than the one at the old West Columbia club, along with a bar. That will make three bars in the overall complex, with one in the main showroom and one below it.
Adding a secondary venue space isn’t the only advantage New Brookland hopes to flex with the expansion. Thompson said the club will look to rent out the new room as practice space for bands, something that’s in increasingly short supply in the Midlands.
There will also be rooms in the back that Thompson said could be rented out for people offering guitar, drum or other music lessons, and the club is also considering adding a retail component offering music essentials — strings, picks, drum heads, pedals, etc. — that bands touring through might need. With Pecknel Music’s move out of Five Points back in 2019, there are no close-by music store options for out-of-towners needing supplies.
“Just all around in general making more opportunities with the location,” Thompson said.
He compared what New Brookland is attempting to do by adding additional performance space to the success of regional venues such as Atlanta’s Masquerade, which has four rooms that range in capacity from 250 to 1,500 and also presents shows in other venues. Thompson is also looking to expand the booking he does outside of New Brookland and bring it under the club’s umbrella, flexing relationships he has with clubs in Augusta, Greenville and Charlotte. For instance, when he brought popular emo-punk band Joyce Manor through Columbia last week, he also brought them to Greenville’s Radio Room and Augusta’s Grantski Records.
Thompson said having multiple rooms in Five Points and presenting shows at other places will allow New Brookland to cultivate relationships with up-and-coming bands and continue to work with them as they grow, placing them in larger rooms as they progress.
Thompson added that New Brookland would love to expand further, specifically circling the barber shop between its downstairs entrance and the forthcoming second showroom, something he would love to acquire should it ever close.
All of these ambitions hinge on the club being successful in its new home near the University of South Carolina. Thompson said it has largely lived up to their expectations, with increased foot traffic helping to boost attendance.
“We’ve had a lot of shows performed better than they would have across the river,” he offered, adding that the crowds brought by the recent St. Pat’s in Five Points festival gave both the club and the DJs and bands who performed there that day a nice influx of cash. “We’ve been able to adjust what we book also to accommodate more towards the demographic that’s down there.”
