Downtown Myrtle Beach is getting a trendy new dining concept next year. What to know.
Myrtle Beach is adding a wine bar concept to its emerging arts and innovation district, with city leaders recently approving a long-term lease agreement for space inside a 9th Avenue North building.
The Tasting Room on 9th is slated to open in the spring at 505 9th Avene N., adding to the area’s growing number of locally owned art galleries and businesses and just a short distance from a planned multimillion performing arts center.
A pair of well-known names are behind the project. Jamie Daskalis, co-owner of Johnny D’s Waffles, is pairing up with area sommelier Lisa Lee, who runs the Traveling Uncorked website and is certified through the Wine and Education Spirit Trust.
“Myrtle Beach has brought me so much love and happiness. To be participating in the redevelopment of the downtown area is not something I take lightly,” Daskalis said in a Facebook post Aug. 18 announcing the venture.
According to terms of the lease agreement approved by the city council on Aug. 8, The Tasting Room will occupy its space rent free for the first three months, then pay $800 for months four through six and $1,200 a month for the remainder of its five-year deal.
Meanwhile, the city will pay up to $178,000 to upfit the building and prepare it for commercial use.
In a press release announcing The Tasting Bar, Daskalis and Lee said it will feature bar and lounge seating, an outdoor patio and private dining room. Rotating wine lists will be complimented by seasonal cocktails and a food menu to include curated pairings.
The Tasting Room will also have a neighbor, as city leaders approved a similar lease deal with Dolly Llama.
The custom waffle and ice cream boutique, also opening in the 505 9th Avenue space, will pay slightly higher rents after its three-month grace period while getting up to $100,000 in city-backed upfits.
According to city budget documents, more than a dozen projects planned for the arts and innovation district could be financed through more than $370 million in long term debt through 2028, although the figure may come down significantly as grants and private sector partnerships develop.
In the 2023-24 fiscal year that starts July 1, $17.4 million worth of activity is slated within the district — most notably redevelopment of the Main Street Mates store and two other connected buildings to open a 300-seat theater run in collaboration with Coastal Carolina University. Historic tax credits will cover some of the costs, but it has $12.7 million price tag.
