By Adam Orr
Spartanburg Herald-Journal 

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster dropped by Spartanburg Friday night to take in the finer things and honor an Upstate business leader with a prestigious state award.

McMaster spoke to a packed room at the Drayton Mills Marketplace Friday night. He noted the importance the arts play in driving South Carolina’s economy forward in between ballet performances from some of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities most talented performers.

“Sometimes we need to slow down, stop, think and appreciate,” McMaster said. “And that’s what the arts can do for us.”

He also urged South Carolinians, and the students of the Governor’s School in particular, to make the most of the advantages living in the Palmetto State offers.

“We’re different, and we’re taking advantages of opportunities now that we recognize,” McMaster said. “These other people are coming here from around the world because they recognize and they know this is a place to grow, thrive and prosper. We have a window of opportunity that is not going to stay open long.”

He recognized Tara Sherbert, managing principal of TMS Development and owner of Drayton Mills, with a 2018 Honor Award for her work in preserving and revitalizing one of Spartanburg’s historic properties.

“TMS Development is honored to receive this award from Governor McMaster at Drayton Mills,” Sherbert said. “For the past five years, our team has worked hard to treat this former mill with the care it deserves, while simultaneously spurring economic investment to an area of town that had been largely stagnant for years.”

But the biggest draw of the night may have been the Holliday Brewing booth tucked in one corner of the room.

McMaster was offered a sneak peek taste test of some of the brews that will soon call Spartanburg home, thanks to a new nano-brewery set to open next month, according to Sherbert.

The operation is the brainchild of brothers Jim and John Holliday, who grew up in San Diego. The pair announced their Drayton Mills plans in July.

When it gets off the ground, the brewery is expected to feature more than 25 different beers. It’ll occupy more than 2,400 square feet of Suite 125, and plans call for a roughly 1,900-square-foot tasting room, comfy seating, large TVs and an outdoor, dog-friendly biergarten.