By Helen Mitternight

The two say they have seen big changes on busy King Street, and they say that, despite their lovely Irish accents, they didn’t open an Irish bar.

Jim McCourt and James Walsh are owners of downtown Charleston’sProhibition.Their establishment is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, and that is quite an accomplishment in these days of bars that trend and fade. The two say they have seen big changes on busy King Street, and they say that, despite their lovely Irish accents, they didn’t open an Irish bar.

Jim’s and James’ takes:

In my refrigerator (three things)

Jim: milk, eggs, mayonnaise

In my pantry (three things)

James: pasta, cereal, canned soup

Comfort food         

Jim: chocolate or any kind of dessert

Favorite smell

James: Barbecue

Favorite drink

Jim: That’s tough: I rarely drink the same drink twice. But I guess…a Manhattan.

Customer pet peeve

James: When people put their hands up and wave for attention, especially when we’re busy.

Best advice a mentor gave you

Jim: It was the first guy I worked for in New York. He would say to always keep your head up because if you keep your head down, you don’t see opportunities.

James: It was several mentors, but the theme was the same and it was that any failures are steps to success and learning.

What’s next

James: We’re working on a location next door. It will be a whole new concept from Prohibition, it will be modern Irish. And we’re opening in Columbia as well.

To hear more from McCourt and Walsh, tune in to the latestCharleston Grit episode of the Hidden F&B podcast now.Hungry for more? Uncover who's hiding beyond the Holy City on the podcast'snational episodes here.