A beloved restaurant and events venue in Charleston, closed for nearly two years, may soon be getting a revival.
A zoning request was approved this week for Tobin’s Market at 197 Jackson Street in Eastside Charleston. That request showed plans to establish a food truck in the outdoor space behind 193 Jackson Street, where Circa Barbershop operates. According to city records, this space will be “explicitly intended for the exclusive use of employees, with no provision for patron entry” and is “designated as a ‘back-of-house’ commercial kitchen space serving the adjacent restaurant.” Indeed, that space is adjacent to the outdoor area that held Tobin Market’s popular live music events prior to its closure in April 2022.
Just days after the approval of the zoning request, electrical permits were filed to begin the work to establish the food truck. The four buildings from 193-199 Jackson Street are all a part of the Jackson Street Cottages, a historic preservation and redevelopment project completed in 2020 by Kenneth Skidmore and Cameron Glaws, who also operate Tobin’s Market.
These filings may represent new path forward for the local venue, whose closure has remained largely a mystery to local fans. Tobin’s Market opened in September 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pivot from their original concept to an outdoor-first one. With live music offered every day of the week, as well as rentals for private events and weddings, its quickly became a beloved gathering place – even being crowned Best New Bar in 2021 by Charleston City Paper.
But after it was announced that they would be closed temporarily for improvements in April 2022, what was initially meant to be a ‘few weeks’ break stretched into seventeen months of silence from the group. Several stop work orders and demolition permits for unpermitted stage cover and outdoor dining structures hint at the obstacles they’ve faced, but the full story is unclear.
What is clear: Skidmore and Glaws are looking to get the old band back together. The two could not be reached for comment, and an official announcement of any reopening timeline has not been announced, but stay tuned for updates.
