When The Velvet Pony opens its doors in North Charleston later this year, owner Cat Forrester hopes visitors will find more than a neighborhood bar. She envisions a space where LGBTQ+ people can gather, build community and celebrate the generations of queer Charlestonians who came before them.
The Velvet Pony will offer cocktails, wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages and food, but Forrester said the heart of the business is community.
Forrester, a Charleston native, spent years living in San Francisco and New Orleans before returning home three years ago with her spouse and business partner, Lazer Kotowich. Before returning to South Carolina, she spent years working in restaurants while earning a master’s degree in sexuality studies, experiences she said now come together in The Velvet Pony.
Although Forrester quickly reconnected with family and longtime friends after moving back to Charleston, she said finding a place where she and Kotowich felt at home within the local LGBTQ+ community proved more difficult.
The idea for The Velvet Pony took shape in early 2024, inspired in part by The Real Rainbow Row, Charleston historian Harlan Greene’s book documenting the city’s LGBTQ+ history. Reading about generations of queer Charlestonians, including legendary drag performer Miss Africa, made Forrester wonder how younger LGBTQ+ people could experience that history beyond the pages of a book.
“I wish that queer and trans kids growing up in South Carolina could see this part of our queer history,” she said. “How can they feel or experience it?”
That question became the foundation for The Velvet Pony. Rather than creating another nightlife destination, Forrester said she hopes the venue will serve as a gathering place where people can build relationships, support one another and connect with Charleston’s LGBTQ+ history.
The venue will feature an art deco and 1980s-inspired lounge, an outdoor patio, creative cocktails, approachable wines, local beers and a selection of signature non-alcoholic drinks. Kotowich, an experienced chef, is developing a menu of elevated takes on classic TV dinners. Accessibility has also been a priority throughout the design process, with comfortable seating for patrons of different body types, an ADA-accessible section at the bar and spaces designed to encourage conversation rather than nightlife alone.
Programming will extend beyond food and drinks. Forrester hopes to host karaoke nights, craft events, art shows, nonprofit fundraisers, Know Your Rights trainings and conversations with LGBTQ+ elders that preserve Charleston’s queer history while helping build new community connections.
Forrester said those community-focused events reflect the historic role queer bars have played as places where LGBTQ+ people have gathered to organize, celebrate and support one another.
“When I think about the harm being done to queer and trans people locally and nationally, it really just galvanizes me to make sure that we have places where we can be ourselves,” she said.
The Velvet Pony is in the final stages of construction, and Forrester said she hopes to welcome patrons in time for Charleston Pride this fall. As the project nears completion, it is also wrapping up a $100,000 crowdfunding campaign to help cover remaining build-out costs, licensing and staffing. She said she looks forward to opening a space she hopes will become part of Charleston’s next chapter of LGBTQ+ history. For updates on the opening and fundraising campaign, follow The Velvet Pony on Instagram and Facebook.
This story is brought to you by Rosedale Health and Wellness and Dudley’s Place.
