Two mainstays of Columbia’s music community are now located under one roof.
Caroline Guitar Company, a boutique guitar pedal maker, and Archer Avenue Studio now share space at 3504 River Dr., inside the newly branded River Drive Creative building.
Archer Avenue Studio is up and running in the new space, now featuring two professionally built recording rooms: Studio A, led by founder Kenny McWilliams, and Studio Z, operated by musician and producer Todd Mathis. Both rooms were designed by acclaimed studio architect Wes Lachot, known nationally for his high-performance acoustic environments.
“Almost everybody who’s walked in has said, ‘I don’t feel like I’m in Columbia anymore,’” McWilliams said. “This is the second time in my career I’ve invested more in the space than the gear — and it completely changed how I work. The sound of the room makes everything better.”
Next door, Caroline Guitar Company is still in the process of moving in. The boutique pedal brand, founded by Philippe Herndon, has been part of Columbia’s creative ecosystem since 2010, when it joined the USC Columbia Technology Incubator.
“We’ve been working on this for nearly two and a half years, and it’s finally happening,” Herndon said. “It’s pretty thrilling. Hopefully, this lets us make more stuff happen.”
The new space marks a major step forward for both operations, offering expanded creative capacity, visibility, and long-term investment in the local music community. McWilliams sees it as the foundation for the next chapter in his work — and a new wave of creative energy in Columbia. When we spoke, he was working on new music with local artist Kimberly Walsh.
Together, the two businesses aim to broaden what’s possible for musicians and makers in Columbia — sharing one purpose-built space, with sound + vision to match.
