Sunny. High 46F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies. Very cold. Low 24F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: January 7, 2025 @ 5:01 am
Emily performs for the crowd during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Semaj sings an emotional ballad during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Kimi C. and Brigid watch karaoke performances from the bar during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Jojo Celestine tends bar during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Guests enjoy themselves during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Friends Bees and Beau share a laugh during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Emily performs for the crowd during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
The Hoot is a bar and restaurant nestled just off Columbia’s Rosewood Drive. Looking through their first year and a half of operations, it’s clear they specialize in unique cocktails, tasty vegan fare and fostering local connections.
“Right from the beginning, one of our goals in opening this establishment as an ownership group was to be a part of this community,” said Chelsea Ford (they/them), co-owner, manager and event coordinator at the Hoot. “We’ve all worked and lived here for a long time, and we are especially invested in the intersections of various groups in the community with the service industry.”
It’s a consideration embedded in their business practices — how restaurant leadership seeks to support their staff, how they spend their money and the events they choose to host.
Kimi C. and Brigid watch karaoke performances from the bar during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
“It’s very important to me to support local art in all its forms, so that is definitely one of the goals,” Ford said of scheduling the Hoot’s weekly affairs. “Not second to that at all is just the goal of everybody having fun and having a place to let loose and relax … and also still feel safe doing all those things.”
Since opening in June 2023, the Hoot has hosted typical bar events like trivia and music bingo. They’ve also hosted fundraising nights for small businesses and organizations like Rosewood Elementary, Queer Haven Books and the Harriet Hancock Center. They’ve played host for a cat adoption brunch, drag shows, an opera concert, community craft night and more. They even had a past promotion of giving free boiled peanuts to any diners who brought proof they’d done something local in Columbia that same day, rewarding patrons for supporting cultural spaces.
One of Ford’s favorite events at the Hoot is Karaoke for Kowards. Like other karaoke experiences, success requires vulnerability from patrons willing to get up and sing. What feels more unique to this event is the come-as-you-are mentality that’s embraced. The space is void of any daunting stage. Participants are encouraged to sing anything from anywhere, however they’re comfortable. No matter who gets up there or what they sing, they’ll be celebrated.
“It’s really great to see everybody just absolutely rooting for strangers and getting together and having such a good time,” said Ford.
Jojo Celestine tends bar during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Karaoke for Kowards is the brainchild of Marko Geslani, Preach Jacobs and Alyssa Thorn, who run the event together. Thorn (she/they) is a former Hoot employee, described by Ford as “the world’s best hype girl.”
Seeing how much regulars loved dancing, even just to others singing karaoke, Thorn pitched a new idea to Ford.
“What if I had an end-of-summer gay dance party?” she asked. “What happens then?”
That idea became Club Venus, which launched Aug. 9. Leading up to it, Thorn posted on social media: “CLUB VENUS is a place where you can come as you are and dance like nobody’s watching…”
Now, even talking about the night brings tears to her eyes.
Guests enjoy themselves during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
“I maybe expected just my friends to show up,” she said. Before long, the cozy bar had transformed into an overflowing night club. “There were people on the porch and it was packed. There were people in the parking lot, just like strewn about … I was like, I think this is what people want.”
In this space, it’s Thorn who sets the tone of vulnerability and connection.
“When I’m at Club Venus, I just dance the second it starts and hope that people join me,” said Thorn.
And they do. People show up, dressed in accordance with Thorn’s curated theme (emo, vampires, “Pink Pony Club”). And they dance. Meanwhile, Thorn flutters about, speaking to everyone, thanking them for coming, complimenting their outfits. On both sides, vulnerability is a behavior well rewarded with community and a chance to let loose together.
Semaj sings an emotional ballad during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
Thorn doesn’t pretend to have invented anything new or revolutionary with Club Venus.
In fact, she’s quick to credit a variety of other Columbia creatives and institutions as inspiration: the Art Bar karaoke scene, DJ Olive Arden at New Brookland Tavern, Maya Wang and Folk Tech, all of whom she said have been excited for the The Hoot’s success.
“That was kind of the reason I wanted to start it because … there are a few of these spaces, but why not more?” said Thorn. “Columbia deserves to have a lot of cool (expletive) happening cause there’s a lot of cool people here. There’s a lot of sweet, kind people that deserve to have fun.”
In a world where the expectation for a business model is capitalism and competition, it’s invigorating to patronize a business and experience so clearly rooted in a foundation of fostering community.
Friends Bees and Beau share a laugh during Karaoke for Kowards at The Hoot in Columbia, South Carolina on December 9, 2024.
“It really was part of the thing from the very beginning,” said Ford. “All of the owners — and all of the staff for that matter — we all really care about Columbia and love our little community within Columbia and want to see it thrive. And the only way for it to do that is if we all support each other.”
The Hoot is open every day from 4 p.m. to midnight, plus Sunday brunch. Club Venus is set to light up the space with a variety of new themes like New Year Disco and “Wicked” every other Friday night through Feb. 21 — though more dates may be added. Follow the Hoot on Instagram (@hootcolumbia) to keep up with their weekly events.
Zoe is the Senior Features Editor of The Post and Courier and Free Times. Reach her at znicholson@free-times.com or on X @zoenicholson_
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
