A brand new speakeasy lounge called Kounter Lounge is getting ready to make its debut in Downtown Rock Hill, located at 135 E. Main St.
The new lounge will move into a two-story space that serves as the Edward Jones downtown office, according to the Post and Courier. On the first floor will sit the Kounter Lounge, while a speakeasy named Elsie’s will sit on the second floor. Owner Rob Masone expects to start construction in October, with a Spring 2024 completion planned. The concept will be found across from Kounter, Masone’s flagship restaurant, and serve as an expansion.
“The goal is to bring a much-needed, elevated experience to Rock Hill’s Main Street,” Masone said in Tuesday’s announcement. “I envision Kounter Lounge to be a space for upscale client meetings and that generates more foot traffic in downtown Rock Hill after typical dinner hours.”
Masone is naming the speakeasy after his late grandmother. In honor of his family roots, the restaurateur will hang pictures of his family in the stairwell leading up to the speakeasy. Once there, visitors will have to buzz into the section to find a more vintage-looking space filled with Chesterfield furniture, a house piano, and other decorations to make the space resemble the prohibition era. In Kounter Lounge, customers can expect charcuterie, dessert, and an extensive cocktail list.
“This will not be a standard bar,” Masone tells the Post and Courier. “I’m not opening a bar. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re doing a high-end cocktail lounge. Upstairs is going to be very swanky, very fun, and funky.”
