[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” _i=”0″ _address=”0″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Featured Image caption” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” _i=”0″ _address=”0.0.0.0″]<\/p>\n
The Tapp’s building on Main Street has been an iconic landmark since the 1930s and the modern-depression style facade has remained relatively the same throughout the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” _i=”1″ _address=”1″ prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_margin=”10px|||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” _i=”0″ _address=”1.0″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”1.0.0″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” hover_enabled=”0″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” _i=”0″ _address=”1.0.0.0″]<\/p>\n
Tapp\u2019s Art Center, a collaborative space with individual artist studios that houses a wide variety of arts, is moving from Columbia’s Main Street at the end of the year, leaving 30 local artists with one less opportunity to front their own studios and display their work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The art organization is vacating Main Street\u2019s 1930s-era landmark skyscraper and is, in a way, a victim of Main Street\u2019s success, with its rising rents and its growing popularity as the city\u2019s cultural heart. <\/span><\/p>\n Caitlin Bright, executive director of Tapp\u2019s Art Center, said the loss of a city arts grant hastened the center’s demise, but she expects a core group of artists to carry on the mission in a new location.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis ended up being a positive because of the overhead in this beautiful, old decaying building,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For over 90 years, the Art Moderne style building\u00a0at the corner of Marion and Main Streets was home to Tapp\u2019s Department Store. Generations of South Carolinian shoppers experienced the modern, air-conditioned four-story\u00a0department store that operated until 1995. The store\u2019<\/span>s slogan, \u201c<\/span>Meet Me at Tapp\u2019<\/span>s,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0described the era of elegant department shopping, that not only included a wide range of merchandise like luggage, cosmetics and shoes, but it even had a restaurant in the basement. The slogan remains painted on the back of the building today. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2003, the building was renovated to loft-style apartments which remain in the upper levels of the building and are now managed by Capitol Places. Tapp\u2019s Art Center moved into the ground floor and basement years later in <\/span>2011.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Recently, Main Street has undergone a downtown renaissance with new dining and retail options, and community-focused events like the weekly Soda City Market,\u00a0<\/span>which draws hundreds to the Saturday food and crafts street market. Mary Catherine Kunze, owner of Uniquely MC Handbags who has rented a Tapp’s studio for the past five years, thinks that Tapp’s Art Center played a roll in the area\u2019<\/span>s success.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen Tapp\u2019s opened, I know this block wasn\u2019t as desirable. There weren\u2019t as many businesses down on this end and I really think that Tapp\u2019s helped revitalize Main Street,\u201d said Kunze.<\/span><\/p>\n The artists have benefitted from the increased foot traffic to the area,\u00a0due to reoccurring events like First Thursday on Main, that bring life to Main Street through entertainment and restaurant specials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First Thursday gave the artists the opportunity to showcase their work in a mini-exhibition at Tapp\u2019s, said Ron Hagell, a\u00a0multidisciplinary\u00a0artist, filmmaker and photographer who has rented a space in Tapp\u2019s since 2014. He said he also thinks Main Street has taken off because of Tapp\u2019s role in First Thursday and the event won\u2019t be the same without the local Tapp\u2019s artists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s doubly sad in a way because we’re losing our work spaces and things, but the city is also losing too,\u201d said Hagell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lee Snelgrove is the executive director of One Columbia, a non-profit organization that advocates for art and history within Columbia. He said it\u2019<\/span>s a loss for Main Street to no longer\u00a0have a collaborative space where many different types of art forms collide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTapp\u2019s was there when the 1600 block became successful, but then that also contributed to the fact that that space became more valuable than what Tapp\u2019s could afford,\u201d Snelgrove said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Snelgrove said an art organization\u2019s business model has to be adaptable to changing property values and rising rents. He said many arts organizations receive money through hospitality tax grants. The 2% hospitality tax charged for food and beverage sales is distributed among organizations that promote tourism in the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Bright requested a $50,000 hospitality tax grant from the city of Columbia to cover programming and advertising costs and was given less than\u00a0$8,000 for the year. Since the organization did not receive enough money to cover those costs, it had to borrow from its operating budget that was used to pay for the space, therefore making it difficult to afford rent.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s backlash every time I say it, but we weren\u2019t supported by the city,\u201d Bright said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Snelgrove said it\u2019<\/span>s unfortunately common for art organizations in any city to be priced out, but hopes the closing of Tapp\u2019s will inspire further thought from Columbia residents and leaders on\u00a0the role of arts in the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The future of the old Tapp\u2019s building has not been announced. Tim Hose, president and CEO of SYNCO Properties, the company that owns the Tapp\u2019s building, said they are in serious discussions with a prospective tenant. He said he could not disclose specific information about what will go into the ground floor and basement of Tapp\u2019s until the lease has been signed, but he’s hoping to finalize a lease in four weeks, begin renovations at the end of the year and reopen mid-2020. <\/span><\/p>\n Hagell said what Main Street is <\/span>losing<\/span>\u00a0with Tapp\u2019s Art Center\u00a0<\/span>will be replaced elsewhere because there is a core group of artists who are willing to travel with the organization when it relocates.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of an attraction that there\u2019s a group of artists who are the \u2018Tapp\u2019s artists,\u2019\u201d Hagell said. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Bright said the organization\u2019s name will change when they move buildings. The new name will include \u201cTapp\u2019s,\u201d but that part will eventually phase out as the new name becomes more recognizable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although Bright said she planned on moving at some point, the news of the organization\u2019<\/span>s relocation came suddenly and the timeline was moved up. Bright said she is still working to finalize aspects of the move to ensure a smooth transition to a new location.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe community we built has been amazing, but we realized this space is amazing because of the people here and not because of the footprint,\u201d Bright said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Some artists saw Tapp\u2019s move as an opportunity to branch out on their own. Ashley Moore, former operations director at Tapp\u2019s and renter with her dance studio Movement Arts Co-Op, decided to move out of Tapp\u2019s after the announcement.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was something that I had been saving for the possibility and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to transition over into owning my own studio,\u201d Moore said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even though Moore had been preparing to move, the timing was sudden. She was able to quickly purchase a studio in West Columbia which is a more affordable space than one in downtown. Her vision for Sage Studios is to have shared spaces for other artists and a retail area, along with the dance studios.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Columbia\u2019s art landscape differs from other cities because there is not one central arts district. Instead, the arts are scattered throughout the city. Snelgrove said he doesn\u2019t see this dispersion of arts as a disadvantage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s actually overall more positive for the whole city because then that sort of arts and cultural development happens in a lot of different places and everybody can kinda interact with it,\u201d Snelgrove said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He pointed to artists who live and work in Rosewood and show their work at the annual Rosewood Arts Festival,\u00a0as well as\u00a0in North Columbia, across the river in West Columbia and in the Vista. He said this gives each area the opportunity to retain its own identity and create different styles of art.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This also means there is not a mass of artists moving to one area, so even though Tapp\u2019s is leaving Main Street,\u00a0a stable arts scene will likely remain in the area, especially with the Columbia Museum of Art located less than two blocks away. <\/span>Bright said the art scene on Main Street will stay, but the tone might be altered a little.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like the arts on Main Street dyed its hair,\u201d Bright said. \u201cIt\u2019s still the arts, it just has red hair now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Snelgrove said there is a demand for the arts and for spaces similar to Tapp\u2019s where local artists can rent studio space, work and display their art. He said that is the main loss for the local arts community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe just don’t have enough of that kind of space and so I think that that’s the big need in any of those parts of the city,\u201d Snelgrove said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As for the future of the art organization, Bright is looking to announce the new location and other plans in the coming weeks. \u00a0She said members of the organization are being \u201cbig hippies\u201d and are trying to stay positive about everything.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThings move and morph and transform and let\u2019s all just celebrate it because we\u2019re all constantly moving forward anyways,\u201d Bright said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||” _i=”1″ _address=”1.0.1″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tappsP2W_KC.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” always_center_on_mobile=”on” _i=”0″ _address=”1.0.1.0″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” _i=”1″ _address=”1.0.1.1″]<\/p>\n Tapp’s Art Center is located in the street-level floor and basement of the building and includes 30 individual artist studios, recording studio space and a live music venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tappsP3W_KC2.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” always_center_on_mobile=”on” _i=”2″ _address=”1.0.1.2″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” _i=”3″ _address=”1.0.1.3″]<\/p>\n “Meet Me at Tapp’s” remains painted on the back of the building and was the slogan for the department store that was located in the building for more than 90 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tappsP4W_KC.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” always_center_on_mobile=”on” _i=”4″ _address=”1.0.1.4″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” _i=”5″ _address=”1.0.1.5″]<\/p>\n Mary Catherine Kunze, owner of Uniquely MC Handbags, is planning to move with other Tapp’s artists to the new location. “There’s so much in the air, but hopefully it means something more exciting for the future,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/tappsP5W_KC.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.29.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” always_center_on_mobile=”on” _i=”6″ _address=”1.0.1.6″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” _i=”7″ _address=”1.0.1.7″]<\/p>\n Tapp’s many individual studios allow for artists to display their work and interact with visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tapp’s Art Center is searching for a new location after announcing their move from the iconic, historic building on Main Street. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":220,"featured_media":25474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67,71],"tags":[75,96,159,76,1006,326,77,655,353],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25175"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/220"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25175"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25504,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25175\/revisions\/25504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}