WE’s on Meeting is going by a different name these days, but the bar — which is, to the Chronicle’s knowledge, the first pride bar to open in West Columbia — isn’t changing its values.

Former owner Walking Eagle has passed the torch as she heads toward retirement on her houseboat. The business, which is now in the hands of Bill Kinsey, is still a pride bar aimed at being welcoming to all.

The sign outside the business at 735 Meeting St. remains the same for now, but will soon be changed to reflect the new name — Meeting Street Bar.

Kinsey said they may lower the membership fee after some time, but because of West Columbia zoning regulations, a membership fee is necessary.

“Nothing is changing. It’s all staying the same. It’s not going to change,” said Kinsey. “It’s going to be a comfortable community bar for everyone.”

Kinsey said he wants to honor what Walking Eagle started, adding, “I made that promise and I will keep that promise.”

Walking Eagle confirmed to the Chronicle that she handed off the bar with the wish that it remain the safe place she dreamed of creating when she first opened it. She continues to check in and help out as needed.

“It’s a lot of work and tough to find a manager to keep it running,” she said. “I was mentally and physically getting to a point where I needed to step it back.”

Walking Eagle’s dream of one day retiring to a houseboat has been tied into the bar’s story since it opened in March 2022. WE’s incorporated the houseboat image into its branding — employee shirts had a houseboat on the back, and a signature drink was named the Houseboat.

“I saved up enough money for a houseboat and then I saw a building for rent and really wanted to open up a pride bar for the community,”  Walking Eagle said. “My main focus was to have a place for all to get along. I did that and I took a gamble and took my houseboat money I was saving up for and put it into the bar.”

Gay and pride bars have been a rarity on the Lexington County side of the Congaree River. While PT’s 1109 and The Capital Club, South Carolina’s oldest gay bar, have operated in downtown Columbia for some time, Vice, a gay bar in West Columbia neighbor Cayce, opened a few years ago and has since closed.