NBT - Fundraiser

NBT Writing this to let everyone know the full scope of the predicament we are facing which is risking permanent closure of New Brookland Tavern for good. Over the summer the previous owner of NBT decided it was time to call it quits after owning NBT for roughly 20 years. When we moved we faced numerous expenses that continuously set us back while also adjusting to a new location - between renovation costs, insurance, equipment failures and replacing those. Spring was hard for us but we made it through only to face an even harder summer. When he presented the idea of being done with NBT I offered to take over ownership in full in hopes to get us on our feet. I have been with NBT since 2017 after moving here from Augusta to work for NBT. Started as a door person and part time sound guy and was presented with the opportunity to book shows there. The owner had presented the idea that one day he would like someone to takeover all the booking for the club which I have done majority of since late 2019, while also helping manage the logistics of the club, marketing, security, working in the kitchen during the covid shut down. Anything within our walls I have done for the good of NBT to help support having all ages music in Columbia in a safe environment for everyone. At the end of August when it was time for the licensing to transfer, it was brought to my attention that were certain taxes regulated by the Dep. of Revenue that were unpaid which left all our new licensing to be withheld with liens on the business ( S.C. Code Section 12-54-124 ) and was unaware of this debt nor aware it would be forced on us by SC tax laws. We can’t change the name (although we don’t want to) or move. This has prevented us from reopening and doing what we do. The terms presented from dep of revenue is that we must assume all the previous tax debt from the previous owner. He cannot afford to pay it off as NBT was his main livelihood. The tax debt is roughly $35k and they require $15k of it down before we can even open our doors. On top of this, we were already facing issues with the liquor liability laws / insurance agencies in SC price gouging policies which has been shutting down businesses across SC. Our quote requires 25% of it paid down - which is about $18k of a $70k a year policy which makes our line of work extremely unaffordable. While we think this will be fixed in the next couple years, we can’t sit back and wait with closed doors. We are trying to raise about $75k to get us back where we need to be to be fully operational and stop being set back constantly. This includes the tax debt, insurance costs, renovations for ADA accessibility, kitchen electrical repairs etc. This time we are offering individual donors a tier system in exchange for the help.

 All tiers are limited to the first 30 people each
 $50+ donors - 4 free shows of their choice
 $100+ donors - free shows for a month
 $500+ donors - free shows for 6 months
 $1000+ donors - free shows for a year

 These are also transferable per show; if you can’t make it give your spot away. We will manage this list via a will call list letting us know who has donated what and when their free shows expire. Our minimum goal is the tax debt down payment. If we do not reach that within the next few weeks we will potentially have to close our doors indefinitely. Thank you for any support you’ve given us over the years. Hope to keep serving the Columbia music community for many years to come. - Carlin