Lula Drake Wine Parlour announces opening of The Pastor’s Study
October 19, 2017
New Event Venue Will be a Unique Gathering Place for Main Street
After an intoxicating year of success as Columbia’s premier wine parlour, Lula Drake is taking it to the next level with the opening of The Pastor’s Study—a new special event venue located directly upstairs from Lula Drake at 1635 Main Street. The new rental space has been a dream of Lula Drake’s owner, Tim Gardner, since he first opened his wine concept in 2016. To celebrate the grand opening of the space, Gardner will hold Lula Drake’s First Annual Dead Celebrity Ball—Upstairs at The Pastor’s Study—this coming Friday, October 27 beginning at 7:30 pm.
“Opening the second floor of Lula Drake has always been on my agenda, ever since we opened the front door of Lula,” said Gardner. “I saw the incredible potential for our second floor to become a unique, historic gathering space for the community and to provide a one of a kind event hall where people can make their own memories.” Gardner says The Pastor’s Study is a 2000-square foot open space that can accommodate wedding receptions, family reunions, corporate Christmas parties and be used as a meeting venue.
The unique name for The Pastor’s Study hails back to Gardner’s deep appreciation of the building’s history and how he found the original name for his wine establishment. “In our first days of exploring the space at 1635 Main, we discovered a trunk dating back to the early 1920s. Inside we found a treasure trove of collections, notes and a single gold-embossed calling card bearing a woman’s name—Lula Drake,” said Gardner. “In deciding what to name our upstairs event space, we also took a look at what was right in front of our eyes in the form of a hand-lettered door that simply read ‘The Pastors Study.’”
Gardner says that the name hails back to the partial use of the upstairs space as a literal pastor’s study for Ebenezer Lutheran Church. “Apparently, the church only had a sanctuary without any office space for their pastor,” said Gardner. “The original owner of our building was a generous man named John Seegers—who was also the Chairman of Ebenezer at the time— and he graciously donated part of his upstairs space to help the church.
To celebrate the opening of The Pastor’s Study, Gardner has created a unique Halloween event with the inaugural “Dead Celebrity Ball” to be held Friday, October 27. “Lula Drake is so alive in this space and we wanted to honor both her and other celebrated people who have passed before us but who remain with us in spirit,” said Gardner. Gardner encourages party guests to be as creative as possible in their costumes for this special event which will include a gourmet menu from Lula Drake’s Master Chef Pierce; wine and other beverages; a costume and dance contest; and some other seasonal surprises.
Tickets for Lula Drake’s First Annual Dead Celebrity Ball—Upstairs at The Pastor’s Study—can be purchased through Eventbrite at http://bit.ly/2x7PR9K. For more information, call Lula Drake at (803) 606-1968.
