Barista Alley Permission
The view of Barista Alley with its terrace view scheduled to open in 2022.
Barista Alley Facebook
The spacious elegant inside view of Barista Alley.
Andrew Carter is the youthful visionary of Barista Alley.
A Greer city treasure, Barista Alley opened at its new location today at 101 Trade Street, virtually across the street from its original location opened four years ago.
Owner Andrew Carter wanted to contribute to growth in the city of Greer while also building a place where the community could gather. The new location will be the focal point for the business district.
Barista Alley started out with the basics; coffee, smoothies and pastries. But within a year, the popular store added a crepe bar, and a stage for entertainment and music.
“About two years ago, I walked into it (the new Barista Alley location) and said, if you ever want to sell this building, let me know. It’s probably one of the most recognizable buildings, one of the most historical buildings.”
The landmark location has a majestic appearance inside.
The building, established circa 1923, originally opened as Planters Savings Bank, but in recent years is known as the B.A. Bennett & Company. The building itself is Neoclassical in design , with arched windows and keystone detailing. The building was purchased by the D&D Opportunity Zone Fund LLC in May of 2019, which is when the plans were submitted to the Board of Architectural Review for construction of a rooftop terrace.
Carter doesn’t own the building, but is excited about the potential it offered for the expansion of Barista Alley. The new building provides more seating, an expanded kitchen, which in turn may expand the menu. The location, already beautiful in its own respect, will soon have a view of the CenterG project, a partially complete streetscape with a scenic view from a rooftop terrace, which is expected to open for the summer of 2022.
Though he is excited for the move, Carter does have some feeling for the soon to be closed location. “I definitely have attachments to the building. That was my very first business,” Carter said. “There’s tons and tons of memories in that space.”
Carter recognized Barista Alley’s customers for the successful move. “I remind my employees this every time we have a meeting – without your customers you don’t have a business,” said Carter.
Barista Alley is open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday noon – 5 p.m.