A staple in downtown Greenwood has closed, but city officials hope that recent improvements to the building and others downtown will help attract a new business.
Blind Pig owner Zachary Kyle confirmed that the sports bar and grill at 147 S. Madison Ave. had closed but declined to answer questions about why the business was shutting its doors after 17 years.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have to say this, but The Pig has made its last call,” according to the Blind Pig’s Facebook page. “We will never be able to thank you all enough for the love and support over the years. We have made countless friends and memories and for that we thank you!”
In 2016, the business got a $107,000 grant from the city to make repairs to the exterior brick wall, new windows, doors and awnings, as well as masonry repairs. The business put in about $21,000 for the work, Greenwood project manager John Shell said.
That work was completed in March. Before renovations began, Kyle said he hoped the facade work would bring more restaurants and shops downtown. Last year, the bar made the decision to voluntarily go smoke-free with the goal of attracting more people into the bar.
Earlier this year, a $1.7 million project to restore the facades of 21 downtown Greenwood properties finished. The city portion of the bill, paid out of tax increment financing, or TIF, districts is $1.1 million. A $400,000 state grant and $186,000 from the businesses covered the remainder of the project.
Despite the closing of the Blind Pig, taxpayers’ investment into downtown Greenwood will pay off by helping to attract businesses to the properties that line Greenwood’s key downtown corridors, council member Ezra Hill said.
