13-06-2025
Popular Charleston listening bar expanding to Charlotte
Groovers Listening Bar, a Charleston-based music venue featuring DJs who spin vinyl records, is expanding to Charlotte.
Why it matters: It's by the same owners as nightclub Trio and cocktail bar Blue Door in South End, Eric and Kate Gussin. They're teaming up with another South End bar owner, Orlando Botero, of Must Be Nice and Broken Promises.
The vibe: Groovers will have a stage for live bands and a DJ booth. You'll hear a mix of 70s, 80s and 90s music intended to make you dance and sing along.
Disco DJs will spin live vinyl and later in the night, the party will ramp up.
Its menu will feature hot dogs by Lizzy's Glizzys, grilled cheese sandwiches, plus craft cocktails.
"Every now and again, we get an itch to go out 'til one or 2am but don't necessarily want to be at Trio, even though I love Trio," co-owner Eric Gussin tells Axios.
Between the lines: Trio is an EDM venue with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems.
By contrast, Blue Door is known for its molecular gastronomy, music is not the centerpiece, and the demographic skews a little older.
Groovers "has the high-level hospitality and production of Blue Door, with the entertainment and fun dancing vibes of Trio," co-owner Kate Gussin tells Axios.
The big picture: The Gussins are a key part of the transformation happening on South Mint Street, in an increasingly popular pocket of South End.
Groovers (1510 S. Mint) will be next to Blue Door (1508 S. Mint) and across from Trio (1513 S. Mint).
On the same street, you've got Gamecock sports bar The Horseshoe, sushi restaurant YUME, and soon, Tyber Creek pub's new location.
Flashback: The name "Groovers" is a nod to the building's history on Charleston's Calhoun Street.
While researching the property, Kate says she learned that in the mid-90s, it housed a bar called "Groovers" that "was really the first place in Charleston that people were starting to DJ."
They loved the name and its history, so Groovers was reborn into what it is today.
Zoom in: Every Thursday night at Groovers Charleston, they host a "flip through" party. Their DJ brings 800-1,000 records and people can flip through them, put one in the queue, and the DJ will mix and spin it live.
The Gussins hope to bring the same kind of party to the Charlotte location if they can find the right DJ.
