The Woody to host grand reopening in new space
February 5, 2020
Local Dance Club Welcomes All to Celebrate at its New Main Street Location
Beloved Columbia dance club The Woody will host its grand reopening in its new space at 1649 Main Street on Friday, February 21st. The Columbia community is invited to attend the club’s first opening night beginning at 4 pm. The club’s legendary DJ and namesake Woody Windham will return to the booth to host the evening’s festivities and welcome the public to The Woody’s new home.
A spiral staircase in the storefront corner leads to the elevated DJ booth.
Voted The Free Times’ Best Dance Club seven years in a row, The Woody was housed at 808 Lady Street from 2011 to 2019. The search for a new space began at the end of June 2019 when the Lady Street building’s owner announced plans to renovate and open SOCO 80808 in its place. Woody Windham’s daughters and club co-owners Jennifer Windham and MacKenzie Winn decided on the lower levels of 1649 Main Street as the perfect new home for The Woody. Once the home of legendary Columbia restaurant Hennessey’s, 1649 Main Street’s historic wood floors, high ceilings, and exposed brick seemed a natural location for The Woody’s reincarnation.
“When we knew we’d have to move, we hoped we’d find another historic space for The Woody,” said Jennifer Windham. “We immediately loved the historic details in 1649 Main Street and knew that our clientele of shag and salsa dancers would love the wood floors. There’s no better place to teach the signature dance of South Carolina than on historic wood floors in one of Columbia’s oldest buildings!”
Upfitting the lower levels of 1649 Main Street also enabled The Woody to double its space. The lounge area downstairs features live edge wood countertops and provides access to the open-air patio in the building’s lower level. This space will be available for private party rentals, continuing The Woody’s tradition as a venue for bachelorette and birthday parties. The open floor plan on the main level provides a spacious dance floor, with granite-topped bars and cozy seating along two walls. High windows on the north wall and the glass storefront along Main Street bring light inside, highlighting the preserved high, pressed tin ceilings. Perhaps the most eye-catching feature of the space is the elevated DJ booth, suspended over the main entry and accessible via a spiral staircase in the storefront corner.
Local architecture and interiors firm Garvin Design Group and construction company Hood Construction Company helped The Woody create its new home. Architect and developer Scott Garvin noted “It took longer than expected to find the complementary neighbor to Hendrix, but The Woody will be a home run for our building and will add more nighttime activity on that corner.”
About The Woody
The Woody has been a staple of Columbia’s local dining and entertainment scene since 2011. It is co-owned and operated by DJ Woody Windham’s daughters and longtime apprentices Jennifer Windham and MacKenzie Winn. The club offers shag, salsa, and popular dance classes and is an ideal venue for bachelorettes and birthdays. For ongoing updates and previews of the new space, follow The Woody on Main on Facebook, The Woody on Snapchat, and The Woody on Main on Instagram.
