Charleston bar crowd quietly clears out at 2 a.m.
By: TYRONE WALKER Of The Post and Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 01/12/03
Page: B1
AH: Authorities report no problems, but owners fear
financial drain from earlier closing time
Minutes after the city of Charleston's 2 a.m. bar
closing ordinance took effect Saturday, a team of plain-clothes officers with
the Charleston police made rounds in West Ashley and downtown to ensure that all
the doors were shut.
"We had no problems. Everybody complied,"
said Charleston police Cpl. John Varn, the team supervisor. Officers had visited
bars throughout the night, reminding owners of the ordinance, he said.
Although there were no problems, bar owners who had to
close up early said they will lose money and might have to lay off employees,
while the owner of a bar just outside Charleston was expecting a busy night.
After midnight at Manny's in downtown Charleston,
friends crowded the bar for drinks and a few couples sat at tables for a
late-night bite to eat.
The next few hours usually have been the busiest time
of the night at the restaurant and bar, said the owner, Michael Stavrinakis, who
opened for business about two months ago.
Most of his patrons are food and beverage workers who
work at downtown luxury hotels and restaurants. The reinstatement of the city's
2 a.m. bar closing ordinance is going to kill off business, Stavrinakis said.
"I'm going to lose three solid hours of
revenue," he said, adding that he may have to lay off several workers until
business picks back up during the tourist season.
The S.C. Supreme Court decided Thursday that it would
not reconsider its ruling upholding the city of Charleston's 2 a.m. bar-closing
ordinance, a decision that cleared the way for the law to be enforced.
The law took effect for several months in 2001. Bars
received a temporary reprieve, however, when they asked the court to reconsider
the decision, a last-ditch effort that the court denied.
Violations will be punishable by fines of up to $500 or
jail time of up to 30 days, city officials said.
Just before 1:30 a.m., bartenders at one West Ashley
nightspot started asking patrons to settle up their tabs. Minutes later, a
bartender hollered last call. Patrons crowded the bar to order their last rounds
of shots and beers.
"You got 15 minutes to finish up and get out. We
have to close the bar at 2 a.m.," another bartender shouted.
Bar patron Laura Boatwright, a food and beverage
worker, said the mandatory bar closing doesn't give her much time to hang out
after work for a drink with friends.
"The new law is going to lead to a lot of house
parties," she said as a bartender swiped her drink from the table.
At 2:08 a.m., the only people in the parking lot
outside the bar were three men with a flashlight trying to use a coat hanger to
unlock a car door.
About 30 minutes later on James Island, the parking lot
outside The Reef was packed with cars. About 300 people were inside the
business, and the line outside stretched from the door and wrapped around the
building, said Steve Clymer, the general manager.
Because The Reef is outside Charleston's city limits,
it's one of the few bars nearby that can remain open for business past 2 a.m.
What will put a dent in the pockets of downtown
late-night bar owners and employees is expected to put a bulge in the wallets of
The Reef's employees.
"I feel bad for everyone who is going to lose
their jobs. The good comes with the bad," Clymer said.
The James Island bar - which was nearly deserted about
midnight - has doubled its bar and security staffs and scheduled more bands to
play farther into the wee hours of the morning to satisfy the late-night crowd.
Clymer said he expects the bar to remain open to as
late as 4:30 a.m. or as long the business has customers.
"When everyone is done drinking, we'll
close," he said.