All the details on North Charleston's new queer club
The Velvet Pony wants to be a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people and “those who hold [them] dear”
A gathering place for the LGBTQIA+ community
When Cat Forrester moved back to Charleston from a stint in New Orleans, she and her spouse, Lazer Kotowich, noticed they were often the only LGBTQIA+ people at bars and restaurants. They found themselves asking, “Where are the queer people? Where do we find them?”
At the time, in 2024, the South Carolina Legislature was drafting laws to limit the rights of trans people, and news circulated about the wrongful death of non-binary high school student Nex Benedict. Forrester says they lacked a place to find a like-minded community to mourn and commiserate with. “There was a level of sadness and desperation that made me want to do something about it,” she says. So, the idea for The Velvet Pony was born.
Forrester found a building at 2025 Reynolds Avenue and started looking for investors and raising money for the bar.
“Our mission is to provide a social community space for queer people and our friends in Charleston that remains rooted in the history of the queer bar as a space of political organizing, community support, and queer joy,” Forrester writes on The Velvet Pony’s fundraising page.
When Forrester told a friend about the idea, they voiced their concerns. They thought opening a queer-friendly bar in a red state with an open carry gun law would be dangerous. “I’m going to do this, even if it is scary,” says Forrester. “I refuse to comply in advance, and not doing this out of fear is complying in advance.”
The bar’s mission is to become a community space for queer people to socialize, organize politically, and find joy.
The Velvet Pony will serve drinks named after queer icons, like Harvey Milk Punch, and Charleston landmarks, like The Battery (once a popular cruising spot for gay men). It will also serve beer, wine, and NA cocktails. Kotowich will create the food menu.
The bar’s decor will highlight Charleston’s LGBTQIA+ history, such as a large photograph of Bryan Alston Seabrook, who performed in drag as Miss Africa. Forrester has fond memories of seeing Miss Africa at the former Horse & Cart (now Bangkok Lounge). “I want queer people, especially young people, to know about our queer history,” says Forrester, “and then they might be able to imagine a queer future for themselves here.”
Forrester, Kotowich, and friends are busy transforming the pale pink building at 2025 Reynolds Avenue into their ideal gathering space for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Velvet Pony is set to open this summer and is currently running a $100,000 fundraising campaign.
Sloppy burgers and bacon jam are back
The dream of the 2010s super-stacked burger is alive with Rogue & Reckless, a pop-up from chef Vincent Santiago.
"I was tired of boring food," says Santiago in a press release. "I wanted to build something that actually feels like me — loud flavors, messy burgers, real personality and no shortcuts. Just food that hits and an experience that's about more than just a great burger."
Rogue & Reckless offers smash burgers with housemade buns, pickles, and add-ons. The toppings aren’t as audacious as Charleston predecessors Burger Babies or Hom, but the pop-up has adopted a story of being the next bad-boy burger on the block, with housemade ketchup, bacon jam, and “reckless” sauce.
The next Rogue & Reckless pop-up will be at Sissy Bar on Sunday, July 12, from 4 p.m. until it sells out.
Weltons wants your figs
I’m lucky to live near a fig tree and have a neighbor (hi, Grace) who lets me pick its fruit whenever I want. Now that they are in season, I’ve been eating my fill and discovering that I might be slightly allergic.
When Weltons Tiny Bakeshop put out the call for figs (they are abundant in Charleston this time of year), I jumped on the chance to get rid of my stash since the snack was making my mouth tingly and my lips bright red (I don’t think that’s normal). Weltons offers a $5 gift card for a pound of decorative slicing figs and $3 for a pound of not-so-pretty figs bound for jam. I got $10, and I no longer have hives — a win-win situation.
If you have any tips for me, please reach out to erin@cootersoup.com.