The name “Harold’s” has long occupied the building at 247 Congress Street. With a history dating back to 1929, the original Harold’s Cabin served Westside residents through the 1950s as a neighborhood deli.
John Schumacher, Mike Veeck, Bill Murray and Drew Childers bought the vacant building in 2014, with the latter three opening a new iteration of Harold’s Cabin in 2015. It closed in early 2024.
Now the building has taken on new life as Lillian’s Petite Market and Eatery. Owner Heather Greene aims to continue the legacy of the building by highlighting an often-overlooked piece of Harold’s story.
“I listened to an oral history of Harold and Lillian,” Greene said. “They were a Jewish family and there’s a big oral history project that was done on the Jewish families in Charleston.
“They were talking to Harold most of the time, but he would forget a few key facts or little details, and [Lillian] would just so gently and kindly pipe in and answer or remind him.”
As she listened to the interview while walking through Hampton Park, Greene was inspired by the story.
“It felt like they just had this really cool relationship. I’m sure she was a driving force and worked really hard behind the scenes … so I thought it would be cool to just give her a shout out being that I’m also a woman in the business, and give her [a] proper due.”
Respecting the legacy
Greene, who moved into a house across the street from Harold’s, felt drawn to the historic site and its legacy.
“I grew up in Atlanta and New Orleans,” she said. “I just like to respect the place that I’m in, and I think that goes back to the whole idea of what we’re doing at Lillian’s on a bigger scale. We’re trying to really respect the Lowcountry.”
The cozy, multi-story building will house several day-to-night offerings, including a cafe (featuring coffee from Second State Coffee Roasters), a local market with produce and wine, a rooftop lounge area and a restaurant and bar dubbed the Petite Eatery.
But the vision for Lillian’s multiple offerings took time to assemble.
“I broke my ankle the day I got the lease on the building,” said Greene. “I had to sit downstairs, and I sat there for basically 2 months on crutches, having to really soak it in. So it was sort of part torture, and part exactly what I needed, because it did allow me to sit in the space and really get a vision of what I thought should be there. … I think it really helped shape the future of the building.”
In collaboration with chef Todd Garrigan, pastry chef Allison Brown and mixologist Ruth Wetenhall, the Petite Eatery at Lillian’s showcases locally-sourced dishes and craft cocktails designed around a seasonal menu. Current offerings will rotate depending on the season.
“Every season will have two different menus. So, we’re on chapter two [of winter], but a few things came over from chapter one, and I would say one of them is my absolute favorite: a fried oyster stew dish,” Greene said. “[It] incorporates something from everyone: brioche that Allison makes in the pastry shop, the culinary side of it with the oysters and the stew that Todd created, and then Ruth is just amazing at pairing cocktails with every dish.”
Lillian’s is now open at 247 Congress St. and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, seven days a week. Reservations recommended.
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