Outdoor LED Installation Provides Dynamic Visual Experience for New Hospitality Concept
Located in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, Market on Main is a new restaurant, artisan market, bar and outdoor venue all wrapped into one. Part of a downtown revitalization of Main Street, the new concept aims to connect with a range of demographics by offering something for everyone, whether it’s breakfast, gourmet food shopping, a quick snack, drinks or entertainment.
Co-founder Josh Willoughby said the idea behind Market on Main is to bring a premier city offering to a mid-level metro area. “We wanted Market on Main to be unlike anything else you could find in Columbia,” he said. “Our vision was to create an experience comparable to what could be found in a big market like New York City.”
This line of thinking helped guide Willoughby and Co-Founding Partner and Executive Chef Howard Stephens in designing Market on Main’s outdoor space. After seeing display technologies installed in outdoor rooftop venues of cities like Dallas and New York City, Willoughby became interested in the potential draw that an outdoor video wall could have in downtown Columbia.
Following a consultation process with Adam Dox, president of Advanced Video Group, which included a visit to the InfoComm tradeshow to evaluate visual technologies, the partners selected an outdoor LED video wall solution from Planar.
Creating a versatile outdoor venue
Market on Main’s outdoor venue—built after the indoor space was completed—includes an outdoor kitchen, shaded patio, self-serve beer wall with 18 taps, raised stage andnearly 24-foot-long, 8-foot-high Planar® VVR Series LED video wall with a 3.9mm pixel pitch (VVRO3.9) in a 12x7 configuration. Installed by Advanced Video Group, the video wall supports a range of events and diverse uses.
“We can show live sports of all kinds during the day or at night, whether it’s football, soccer, golf or horseracing,” Willoughby said. “We can also have concerts on the stage and live stream the performance on the video wall above.”
The venue and LED video wall can be reserved for private parties, such as weddings, and Willoughby plans on featuring the video wall for movie nights, karaoke, trivia or watch parties for big games. “It’s a stunning installation and gives us many different, creative options,” he said.
According to Adam Dox, the Planar VVR Series met all of his conditions for a successful, large-scale installation. “The Planar solution is built to withstand the elements and has high brightness to overcome direct sun and ambient light,” he said. “The video wall is also reliable, and because it’s a fixed device that’s constantly visible, it met our requirement of being aesthetically appealing. Upon seeing the video wall in their venue with content displayed on the screen, the client was blown away with the quality of the image. It’s a rare visual technology for the hospitality space.”
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
