By Kevin de l’Aigle
The morning of Monday, Sept. 28, brought grim news for the “demi monde” of Beaufort County. Hemingway’s Bistro on Bay Street would be closing forever, after serving as lunchtime-through-after hours, go-to dive bar for over 32 amazing years.
“Into the Groove” by Madonna played over the sound system outside as if it were 1994 again, and longtime patrons began to gather on the outside patio at noon today to raise one (or two!) last glasses to the end of an era for Beaufort’s premier “never-closed” dive extraordinare.
Luckily for the hospitality crowd, the “last dance” for Hemingway’s occurred on a Monday, when most Food and Beverage teams are off. One young friend named Britney told me she met her best friend Savannah there, and they both took the afternoon off for the send off.
After meeting my husband at Plum’s just down Bay Street in the fall of 2022, we hopped over to Hemingway’s for a drink and took our first photo on the wooden steps. More than a few drinking buddies took the afternoon off to raise a last glass and enjoy the best muffaletta in town until they were all gone.
How many other connections made there is beyond imagination …
How many other classic southern dive bars could claim a spectacular view of the Beaufort River tucked under an antebellum portico of white columns?
The coolest air conditioning in town chilled the postage-stamp-sized bar with its walls and ceiling plastered with the dollar bills pasted up over many a “bottoms up.” Hemingway’s made its reputation for being the only place in town open through hurricanes and high water. Never closed was the appellation through hurricane after hurricane, when guests would slosh through high water in waders to belly up to the bar in community. A welcoming spot for outsiders and insiders alike, Hemingway’s made a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, as equally as the high class crowd and hillbillies at last call.
When asked about the closing today, one of the owners told me that she was just glad that I was here today. No regrets about yesterday or tomorrow, Hemingway’s was just about enjoying the present and raising a glass with fellow locals and travelers.
On Thanksgiving and Christmas Days, nobody found the doors locked, and community and cheer was always on tap – no matter the date or time.
The owners wrote, “For some Hemingway’s was just a stop downtown. For some, it was home.
That’s the part that hurts.”
Hemingway’s will still exist anytime anyone says, “Remember that night at Hemingway’s?!”
What is remembered is always a blessing. What isn’t … stays at Hemingway’s.
Kevin de l’Aigle is a local hospitality executive and certified yoga teacher. He sings in the choir at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and enjoys life in downtown Beaufort with his family and three rescue dogs.