New restaurant location aims to open January 2013
New businesses keep trickling into Columbia’s Main Street city center, and Drip Coffee is set to be the newest tenant in the neighborhood.
The locally owned restaurant franchise, which opened its first location in Five Points during the summer of 2011, has a second location in the works. The new shop, at 1441 Main St., will be within walking distance of the Nickelodeon Theatre, the Columbia Museum of Art, the Statehouse and several other downtown restaurants and businesses. Construction on the Main Street building began Thursday, and Drip has already created buzz about the location by creating a “Drip on Main” Facebook page complete with Instagram photos of the work in progress.
Drip owner Sean McCrossin said he never intended to expand his business and that Drip on Main is a result of customer and community support.
“I didn’t seek out a second location,” he said. “It kind of came to me.”
The Five Points location was started with some government assistance through the stimulus program, and McCrossin said a second location is proof of how far that money could go.
“People don’t realize the effect,” he said. “This is the effect.”
Even though Drip just announced plans for the second location, McCrossin said customers can’t wait for the new restaurant to open.
“So far, everybody’s been super supportive and very excited,” he said.
Personally, the shop owner said he’s looking forward to being a part of the action downtown as the city continues to grow and evolve.
“I feel like exciting things are happening on Main Street,” McCrossin said. “It’s good to be a part of helping to shape our town.”
While the Saluda Avenue Drip location is a hot spot for students and Five Points residents, McCrossin thinks the Main Street location will attract “more of the 9-to-5-ers,” from state legislatures to young professionals, as well as residents of Elmwood Park, Cottontown, Bellevue and other downtown neighborhoods. McCrossin expects the student clientele to increase in the near future, though, as the proposed new downtown apartments and dorms are in close proximity to Drip on Main. The growth of Main Street nightlife will likely influence Drip on Main’s core customer focus, too, he said.
With a new location comes new menu options, including the introduction of siphon coffee, a method involving a vacuum pot that has gained popularity in recent years, and a variety of new sandwiches. But McCrossin said customer favorites like granola, panini-style sandwiches and turkey and brie will be served at both locations.
Drip on Main will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. McCrossin would like to add Sunday brunch as the business expands.
McCrossin wants Drip on Main to be open at the start of 2013.
“We’re shooting for Jan. 15,” he said.
To learn more about Drip on Main, visit the business’s Facebook page. Drip’s Five Points location is at 729 Saluda St. and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.