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Locavores’ Charcuterie: Building a Better Board InTheBurg

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Whether you’re searching for the perfect wine and accoutrements for a date night in, or you’re a cocktail- and cheese-lover looking to nibble your evening away bar-side, InTheBurg is bringing you all things CHARCUTERIE. Don’t let the fancy boards and spreads intimidate you; building a better board is simple with local ingredients and these tasty tips.

Start with the Basics

Charcuterie is a French term that traditionally refers to cold, prepared meats, such as salami, prosciutto, and pâté. But in a broader sense, charcuterie has come to be known for fanciful arrangements of multiple, bite-size treats.

So, let’s start with the basics when building a shopping list– a variety of cheeses and meats, pickled accompaniments, fresh produce, dry goods (such as nuts, chocolates, and crackers,) bread or crackers, and a variety of spreads and jams to pair with each bite (such as local honey, mustards, and pepper jelly.) We’ll cover a variety of local markets to shop, specialty treats for extra “flair,” and additional tips for creating your charcuterie boards at home.

One Stop Shops

  • Blue Moon Specialty Foods (130 South Church St): You may know Blue Moon for their variety of custom seasonings and sauces, or perhaps their frozen meal selections and daily restaurant counter menu, but have you explored their retail shelves? In addition to house-made Cheese Crispies, Rosemary Candied Pecans, pickles okra and onions, a variety of Pimento Cheeses, and Giddy-Up Party Mix, Blue Moon also carries additional retail brands of jams and preserves (such as Sallie’s Greatest and Adam’s Apple,) a variety of wines, and local ceramics and woodworking.

  • The Deli Korner (1445 Fernwood Glendale Rd): Charcuterie is nothing without its cured meats and fine cheeses! This market and restaurant combo has been serving up traditional German, Swiss, and American plates since 1981, and their deli counter is a must-visit for fresh meats and cheeses, such as Sopressata and Genoa salami, Havarti, and Jarlesburg cheese. Check the specialty market shelves for traditional crackers and sauces to pair with your deli goods.
  • European Market: This regional market offers goods from 25+ different countries, and has three different locations to shop in Spartanburg alone: 5545 Hwy-9, Inman; 38 1st St, Inman; and 8047 Warren H. Abernathy Hwy, Spartanburg. (Coming soon: 8275 Asheville Hwy, Boiling Springs.) Get creative while assembling your boards, with unique crackers, chocolates, candies, cheeses, and pickled items.
  • Hub City Farmers Market (498 Howard St): There’s no better place to find local produce than your local farmers market, and the HCFM is one of the longest running market seasons in South Carolina! Shop local honey, greens, baked goods, olive oils, and of course, seasonal produce. In addition to their regular season (Saturdays 8am-12pm, April through December,) Hub City hosts a Winter Market once a month, January through March. Upcoming markets are February 20th and March 20th, 11am-2pm, and are outdoors at the Harvest Park to accommodate social distancing.
  • Stone Soup Market & Cafe (1522 East Rutherford St, Landrum): In addition to their fresh, Blue Ridge menu and frozen casserole options, Stone Soup’s market shelves are stocked full of delicious preserves, cured meats, local honey, cheeses, olives, and crackers and crisps.

A Little Local Something Extra

Want to elevate your charcuterie board an extra step? Here’s a few special destinations to stock your playful palate options:

  • Dottie’s Toffee (505 East Main St): This local confectionary will add a sweet compliment to any board; in additional to seasonal offerings, Dottie’s offers both milk and dark chocolate toffee year-round.
  • Gerald’s Candy & Nut Shoppe (212 East Daniel Morgan Ave): Buy in bulk; enjoy more charcuterie boards! Gerald’s offers a variety of nuts, jams, butters, and brittles year-round, in addition to their popular cheese straws. Opt for seasonal ingredients such as specialty candy and nut trail mixes or Apple Butter, for a themed spread.
  • Little River Coffee Bar (188 West Main St): In addition to their locally-roasted coffee, Little River Roasting now offers fresh-baked loaves of bread– Rosemary, Multigrain, and Camp-style– with complimentary local delivery or pick-up with online pre-orders.
  • Olive & Then Some (124 Magnolia St, Spartanburg; 221 East Rutherford St, Landrum): You won’t know the difference in specialty olive oil until you experience it for yourself, and with dozens of gourmet oils, balsamic vinegars, and suggested pairings, Olive & Then Some has you covered. Shop their two locations for complimentary samples and additional ceramics, spices, and spreads, or browse online.
  • Those Pickle Ladies: These family-recipe pickles are famous far beyond the Spartanburg County line, and can be found on a variety of grocery shelves, including Blue Moon Specialty Foods (see above.) Their “fire & ice” small-batch pickles come in a variety of heat levels, such as “Texan Granny” and “Pickles of the Dead.”
  • Don’t forget the wine! Shop local from the finest global wine selections, at Bond Street Wines (145 West Main St,) Carriage House Wines (196 West Main St,) Keg & Cellar: Vino & Hops (5844 Reidville Rd, Moore,) and The Wine Gallery (220 South Main St, Woodruff.)Keg & Cellar is both a taproom and market, offering a variety of specialty crackers, olives, and additional dried goods to pair with your wines. Click here to read more on Keg & Cellar, from their grand-opening.

Now, Add a Little Spice

Okay, so now that your pantries and fridges are full of delicious items to nibble, let’s get to building! Charcuterie boards can seem daunting, but in the end, it all comes down to quality ingredients and a little creativity.

  • First things first, you’ll need a board or platter, large enough to accommodate cheese knives and bowls for spreads. Traditional materials are cured wood slabs, slate, or marble, but really anything you have on hand would work. You can even go the extra local step, with a ceramic platter from a local artisan.
  • When choosing multiple varieties of ingredients, consider both flavor and texture. For example, cheeses can include firm/hard varieties, blue cheeses, semisoft, and flavor-infused (such as red wine or harissa.) Nuts can provide an additional layer of flavor and texture to the board, such as smoked almonds, freshly shelled pistachios, or candied pecans.
  • Fresh produce and sweet items combat creamy cheeses, fatty charcuterie meats, and other “heavy” palate items. Add in cherry tomatoes, blackberries, bits of chocolate, grapes, dried apricots, etc.
  • Have plenty of bread or crackers on hand. Lightly toasting fresh bread or baguette slices adds an extra “oomph” to your flavor, and helps sop up all the delicious mustards, oils, preserves, and soft cheeses.
  • Don’t forget the utensils! Make sure to have any spoons for jams, cheese knives (especially for brie and other soft cheeses,) or toothpicks. Toothpicks are also great for arranging rolled meats.
  • Want to dive more into curated boards and recommended pairings? Check out On Boards by Lisa Dawn Bolton. You can order a copy locally from Hub City Bookshop (186 West Main St.)

“Hmmm,… This seems like more work than I expected.”

After reading this article, you might be a little hungry. (We know we are!) Satisfy those charcuterie cravings sooner rather than later, with these local dine-in boards:

Dray: Bar + Grill (1800 Drayton Rd): Served with aged meats, a variety of cheeses and pickled sides, toasted bread, and Lusty Monk mustard, Dray’s charcuterie spread packs a punch, with two size options. (Smaller board pictured.) Pair your board with a side of Pimento Cheese Bites and honey sriracha for more cheesy goodness. Best yet: Dray’s specialty cocktails (“Draytails”) donate $1 to the Spartanburg Humane Society per drink, AND wine bottles are half-priced every Wednesday.

Bond Street Wines (145 West Main St): Enjoy a glass of fine wine and spread of European goodies in the heart of Downtown Spartanburg, at Bond Street Wines. Bond Street offers intimate indoor table seating, as well as outdoor tables on both Wall Street and Morgan Square. (Keep an eye out for the return of their specialty tasting flights and pairings events.) Then, take home a bottle (or two!) to try your hand at our charcuterie tips.

A Trip to the Bijou Gallery

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When it comes to downtown shopping and dining, there’s more than meets the eye at the Bijou Gallery. This interior mini-mall (147 East Main St) holds plants and home goods, artisan treats and sandwiches with vegan and gluten-free accommodations, a multi-service salon, and a boutique! Escape for a few hours in Bijou’s small shops– all owned by female business owners!

The Bijou Gallery has a unique history, once operating as a silent movie theatre. Today, it has 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail, with apartments above. Bijou has two separate entrances to the main hallway– one on East Main Street and one on East Broad Street. Parking is convenient for both sides, with parallel parking along both streets, small parking lots across the street from each entrance, and (best of all) the Dunbar Street Garage (178 Dunbar St) a one minute walk away from the East Main Street side!

Follow along: We’ll take you on a full Bijou Gallery walk-through, starting at the Broad Street entrance and Downtown Deli & Donuts….

Whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or just a sweet to fill a craving, there’s hundreds of delicious items to choose from at Downtown Deli & Donuts. In addition to classic items like reubens and benedicts, Downtown Deli offers daily meal specials, including a different grilled cheese, soup, and quiche each day. Some cozy favorites include the Tuscan Chicken Skillet Mac & Cheese, Mediterranean hummus and quinoa tabbouleh plate, and 20+ sandwiches on their regular lunch menu.

And of course, as their name implies, you need to finish your meal with a treat. Choose from small batch artisan donuts, such as chocolate peanut butter, samoa cookie, and blackberry cream cheese, or perhaps a chocolate croissant or slice of fresh-baked cake.

Best of all, Downtown Deli & Donuts is one of Spartanburg’s most diet-accommodating restaurants! In addition to numerous vegetarian and vegan plates, most every lunch/ brunch sandwich can be made with your bread of choice, including keto “waffles” and gluten-free wraps. You can’t forget the sweets! Daily pastry case selections include a minimum offering of gluten-free cakes, vegan doughnuts, and more.

Okay, you’ve eaten your fill of doughnuts and brunch. How about a new outfit?

Who knows trendy high school and college fashion better than a small business owner still in school herself? Gracie of Gracie’s Boutique is just 18 years old, with not one but two boutique locations. Now don’t get us wrong; these clothes are for style-lovers of all ages! Find cozy sweaters, holiday dresses, fashion boots, jewelry, bags, gifts, and more in the boutique.

Shop Gracie’s fashions in the Bijou Gallery, at the original Inman location (22 Mill St,) or online.

Speaking of gifts, plants make wonderful holiday and house-warming presents!

The Urban Planter offers far more than just green goods, although there are plenty of succulents, ferns, fiddle leaf figs, and air plants to choose from. This unique gift shop also holds terrarium and fairy garden creations, witty kitchen goods, greeting cards, wall art, jewelry, crystals, and ceramic planters.

Love plants, but don’t have a green thumb? The Urban Planter also offers pre-planted custom arrangements, training workshops, and even design consultation and maintenance services, with weekly watering and pruning on-location at your home or business.

Next up: a full spa experience….

Bare Beauty Loft is the combination of two former Bijou salons– Vanity: A Facial Bar and The Lash Studio. Their new location within Bijou Gallery fronts East Main Street, (previously home to Hub City Scoops before their move across the street.)

They offer everything from facial masks and skincare advice, to custom nail designs. You can even order “The Mini,” a facial for kids that’s perfect for mommy-daughter dates. Popular treatments go beyond your face too, with hot stone back facials and spray tans.

Or, try a high-tech facial! Bare Beauty Loft offers LED Light Therapy, by mask or LED wand. Each different wavelength color targets a different skin factor: blue for fighting acne, green for pigmentation and overall skin tone, red for collagen production, and yellow for skin texture and reducing wrinkles.

And while you’re treating your skin to facials and massages, why not go the extra mile? Bare Beauty also specializes in both eyelash extensions and brow shaping, including lash lifts, lash tints, and henna brows. Want your eyes to *pop* above your face mask? These stylists have got you covered; throw out your mascara now!

Please contact the Bijou leasing office at (864)590-9098 if interested in more details on available retail or office space.

The Upstate Coffee: New Community Hub in Downtown Inman

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There’s a brand-new coffeeshop in Downtown Inman, and InTheBurg is bringing you the espresso scoop. Meet The Upstate Coffee, their cozy menu, baristas, and their newly-renovated shop space.

The Upstate Coffee’s location in historic downtown is convenient to City of Inman’s Main Street, at 14 Mill Street, and is surrounded by plentiful, free street parking. The 100-year-old building was in rough shape pre-renovation, but now features a fresh look inside and outside, as well as a large, paved patio with outdoor seating.

Owners Mariia “Mary” Kolpakova, Lana Divinets, and their husbands are originally from the West Coast, and moved to Inman in search of warmer and dryer weather roughly two years ago. Both Mary and Lana are new to the coffee and service industry business, but wanted to bring a glimpse of their traveling experience to Inman. “We wanted to create a cozy space with good vibes for people to hang out. Plus, living in Europe gave us ideas of how we can introduce coffee to this area,” Kolpakova said.

The faces you see behind the bar joined the TUC crew from all levels of experience, but all have a passion for coffee and serving the community.

The open, airy shop is both cozy and industrial, featuring original brick walls, wooden tables and bar-tops, metal detailing, and a large garage door in the center of the main cafe wall. For seating, choose from barstools lining the windows, two-top tables and bench seating, a tall community table for groups, and two couches and armchairs in the upper mezzanine-level nook.

One of the coziest spaces in the shop is family-friendly, with two armchairs, a children’s table, and multiple books and games, surrounding a stone electric fireplace.

Okay, so now that you’ve seen the space, we know you’re really reading to hear about the drinks. And boy, does The Upstate Coffee have some delicious ones to choose from!

The large menu has a multitude of hot and cold drinks, with both your traditional coffeeshop menu items such as lattes, americanos, and iced coffee, and unique non-coffee offerings such as “Italian Lemonade” and “The Peach Panther,” a fruity energy drink with Red Bull. Drinks are available in 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz varieties, with customizable flavor options.

We tried a variety of delicious offerings while “chilling” at The Upstate Coffee writing this here article, including an 8oz latte, 12oz house drip, two macaroons, butter croissant, and 12oz caramel iced latte, (not pictured.)

Autumnal drink specials include the Cinnamon Caramel Latte, and a Halloween drink inspired by The Inman Theatre Inc.’s production of “Inman Shop of Horrors,” “The Audrey 2,” an iced matcha latte with green apple and strawberry drizzle.

TUC brews Coava Coffee, a Portland-based roasting company. You can order a variety of single-origin roasts or coffee blends on The Upstate Coffee’s menu, including 12oz pourover coffees. For the house drip, you can sip the S.O. Blend, a rich and chocolatey medium roast of East African origins, with notes of honeycrisp apple, dark caramel, and chocolate-covered fruits. Like what you taste? Take a bag of Coava Coffee beans home to brew.

As the only coffeeshop in the area, The Upstate Coffee both fills a community need and provides an example to other potential small business owners. “We are hoping that after our experience more people will see that small towns have a lot of potential for opening a new business,” Kolpakova said. “We hope to be a good example to others to not be afraid to start something new.”

The community enthusiasm so far as been wonderful to see. The Upstate Coffee held their official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, October 30th, with live music and drink specials. Prior to opening, the business’ doors were open to community members to familiarize themselves with the new shop, with complementary drinks while baristas practiced preparing the new menu items, until roughly a week before the official opening.

When InTheBurg visited the cozy spot, a steady line of customers streamed in for their afternoon caffeination. College students on laptops, mom groups meeting after school pickup, young families, and teens doing homework all gathered in the shop– both sipping from counters and couches, and ordering multiple drinks to-go for friends.

Visit The Upstate Coffee at 14 Mill Street, and let us know what you think! The shop is open seven days a week:

Monday – Friday: 6am – 8pm

Saturday: 7am – 8pm

Sunday: 12pm – 8pm

Follow The Upstate Coffee on Facebook and on Instagram (@theupstatecoffee) for upcoming featured drinks, events, barista bios, and behind-the-scenes looks at daily business.

Cheers!

Creating A New Life For Mayfair Mill

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Mayfair Mill No. 1 is the latest former-textile mill to be revitalized in Spartanburg County.

Before it’s closure in 2001, the mill ran three shifts, employed 600 people, made cotton cloth, and later produced blended polyesters. Now known as Mayfair Art Studios, the industrial space was converted into two floors of studios and creative workspaces– for both resident artists and shared spaces for rent.

The 20,000–square–foot facility opened in March of 2020, located at 1885 Hayne St. in Spartanburg. The space features an upper floor of twelve private studios for resident artists that were completely rented out, with a waitlist, upon opening. On the main floor, find a ceramics studio with hourly wheel rentals, two dance and movement studios, multi-media 2-D and 3-D studios for glass and metalworking, photo/video and co-create studios, and more.

Meet Mayfair’s twelve resident creatives. Resident creatives are required to work a minimum of 10 hours a week in their studios with their doors open and to participate in the majority of Mayfair’s public events.

In addition to the daily studio use, Mayfair Art Studios presents First Fridays at the mill— a drop-in event every first friday of the month to meet the resident artists, see their current work projects, and tour the studio spaces. The next First Friday event is November 6th, from 5pm-7pm.

Want to try your hand at the pottery wheel? Try an Intro to Wheel-Throwing class with professional artist Haley Swanson. (View upcoming class dates.) Learn all the basics of shaping, throwing, and sculpting clay while you create a unique ceramic vessel, then use your new skills for solo wheel-throwing whenever you’d like at Mayfair.

“The hard work of mill workers is the bedrock of Spartanburg’s rich manufacturing heritage,” said Jennifer Evins, CEO and president of the Chapman Cultural Center. “It is always people that make a place special and now filling it with artists and creative enterprises that are working to create a future for themselves and their families is critical to the economic viability of our county, just like the textile workers of 100 years.”

Georgia developer Pace Burt partnered with the Chapman Cultural Center to receive tax credits to convert the former mill into art studios. The $1.2 million project included a naming gift of $500,000 to dedicate the space to the mill workers.

Want to live nearby? Arcadia Mills No.1 and No.2 are both loft apartments now– as Arcadia Station Lofts (1875 Hayne St. next to Mayfair Art Studios,) and Mayfair lofts (100 West Cleveland St. across the train tracks,) respectively.

Read more at GoUpstate.com; Article published October 8th, by Samantha Swann

Photos via GoUpstate.com, by Tim Kimzey

Resident Artists pictured above, in order of appearance: Ceramicist Leanne Flowers, Jocelyn Jones of Ladibugg Photography, Chris Kelly of KB Photography, Ryan Ridgeway of Ridgeway Studios

RJ Rockers Is Brewing Up Sustainability

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Guest column for Spartanburg Herald-Journal, written by RJ Rockers’ founder, Mark Johnsen
Originally published on GoUpstate.com, September 19th, 2020

At RJ Rockers, beer is an art.

When I decided to bring craft brewing to South Carolina after serving active military duty in Germany, it took twelve long months of craftsmanship and ingenuity to open our doors and become Spartanburg’s first original brewery in 1997.

For the next five and a half years, our brewpub became the soul of downtown nightlife and served as a catalyst for the revitalization of Morgan Square.

Like with any up-and-coming business, we made the decision in 2002 to expand to a production brewery where over the next six years, and with a lot of help from the Sons of The Fermentation, we were able to supply RJ Rockers’ brews throughout South Carolina, and eventually at favorite watering holes and stores everywhere.

But we couldn’t stay away from downtown Spartanburg forever. With the opening of RJ Rockers’ restaurant in 2017, we are happy to now be an anchor in the Grain District, as it is aptly called today.

With the brewery’s long history in the Upstate, it might be obvious that we take pride in being engrained in South Carolina and are grateful to call this state home for the last 23 years. We rely on local resources, and of course, the people, to operate at capacity with over 12,000 barrels. That is why we haven’t stopped bringing innovation to our craft — to not only brew better handcrafted beer, but to support the future of the industry and the environment that provides us with the ingredients to succeed.

Some might have noticed that there are solar panels at the top of our brewery. The system produces enough output to heat 600-gallons of water from about 56 degrees to between 120 and 140 degrees. This water makes up 60 percent of what we use in production, as well as flows to the restaurants’ restrooms. In total, it provides the equivalent of 400,000 BTUs – the unit used to measure heat energy per day – and is estimated to save 300 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over its 30-year life span. We’re sustaining delicious beer and our environment at the same time.

From an economic perspective, solar energy systems like ours are supposed to pay for themselves in about five years. But it is not about our brewery alone. By using solar power, we are supporting the clean energy industry that brings more than 46,000 jobs to South Carolina.

Since the coronavirus caused financial hardships across the state, it is crucial that our communities, businesses and leaders support clean energy workers so we can rebuild our economy post-pandemic without sacrificing our commitment to drive down carbon emissions for a sustainable future.

But we don’t stop at solar power. During our peak season, we generate about 10 tons of spent grain per week, which is hauled away by an Upstate cattle farmer and used as feed. Light sensors are installed throughout the brewery and the tap room lighting is on motion sensors. We actively participate in cardboard recycling, with all corrugated waste from Cribbs Kitchen and our facility baled up and hauled away by a recycling company. In 2019, we switched entirely from glass to aluminum since the community cancelled the recycling of glass.

Today, our efforts to implement eco-friendly practices not only drive down operations costs but help support the surrounding environment that our business feeds on.

We are deeply appreciative of elected officials in South Carolina who support clean energy policies at the local, state and federal level. Gov. Henry McMaster has even issued a proclamation in observation of National Clean Energy Week (Sept. 21–25) offering a sign of support for an industry that millions rely on, even if they don’t know it.

It is our hope that more leaders will open their mind to the good that clean energy eco-friendly practices brings to small businesses and the revenues that the industry provides to the state, helping support infrastructure, schools, emergency services and more.

We don’t just brew beer at RJ Rockers, we provide people with an experience. When they take a sip, they are home. And we look forward towards many more opportunities to protect and sustain our home.

Mark Johnsen is the founder of Spartanburg’s RJ Rockers Brewing Company.

Something New Is Brewing In Lyman, SC

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Something’s growing in Lyman, and it’s not just the small business community! Botanical Brew is a brand-new plant store and coffeeshop combo that opened at 40B Groce Rd, Lyman on October 1st, 2020, and you’re getting the [coffee] scoop here first!

Botanical Brew features a full menu of caffeinated drinks available by curbside or in-shop pick-up; plants of all sizes, styles, and environments; and the coziest vintage seating nestled in a photogenic setting.

Picture: Velvet sofas, mismatched armchairs, rattan and wicker chairs, and local art– all nestled between a jungle of plants that you can take home. (Very inspiring for planning your personal home decor.)

Botanical Brew offers a traditional coffeeshop menu of drip coffee, iced coffee, hot and iced espresso drinks (think lattes, cappuccinos, and americanos,) as well as a few unique specials. The shop brews locally-roasted beans from Junto Coffee, (232 Mill St, Taylors.)

Customize your drink order with milk alternatives (oat or almond,) or a variety of flavor syrups, such as lavender, white mocha, butterscotch, vanilla, and pumpkin spice. Seasonal drinks include Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Spiced Caramel Apple Lattes.

Maybe you’re not the biggest fan of coffee… Try a Botanical Soda, which are like bubbly “mocktails.” Caffeine-free varieties include Monstera Mint Mojito, Palm Tree Colada, and Blood Orange Spritz. The Blue Lagoon (pictured above) is both pretty and packs an energy punch, made with a berry medley and natural caffeine from green coffee. Even more flavor specials are coming to the menu soon…

Order your coffee in-person at Botanical Brew, or mobile-order and pick-up curbside with Odeko App.

After your coffee, search for a new plant– or two, or three. Botanical Brew has large, statement plants such as Monsteras and ferns, hanging vines such as Pothos, cacti of all sizes and varieties, whimsical plants such as “String of Dolphins,” and more. Are there any Fiddle Leaf Fig fans reading? Find figs of all heights and fullness, including both tree and bush varieties of FLF.

In addition, local art and stationary lines the walls and shelves. Make a friend’s day with the perfect housewarming card and plant!

After their first week of customers, the coffee and plant store expanded their hours. Sip and shop 12PM-6PM Mondays, 6AM-6PM Tuesdays through Fridays, and 8AM-12PM Saturdays. Find Botanical Brew on Facebook and Instagram, (@botanicalbrewsc.)

Botanical Brew is right on the edge of the Town of Lyman’s downtown, comfortably between a local artist’s studio and Trading Pages Bookstore (new and used books.) So, find a new book and plant baby, then snuggle up in your statement chair of choice with a latte. Cheers!

Keg & Cellar: Vino & Hops

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A new tasting room and store is now open in Moore, with a diverse craft pour line-up, wine lists from around the globe, and leadership from Spartanburg business veterans.

Keg & Cellar (5844 Reidville Rd, STE 4, Moore) opened Saturday, September 19th, with 40 beers on tap, wine by the glass, and hundreds of bottles and cans to take home when you’re done.

They plan to offer meat and cheese boards and desserts for customers enjoying a pour in-house. The retail counter includes pastas, olives, crackers, tonics, and serving equipment, for the full dining experience from home.

Pull up a seat at their bar, one of the long community tables, or outside at a picnic bench patio.

Draft pours range from $5-$7. Don’t forget to give them a shoutout on Untappd!

Keg & Cellar is open seven days a week, for both drinking and stocking your personal pantry:

Monday – Thursday: 9AM – 9PM , Friday – Saturday: 9AM – 11PM , Sunday: 12PM – 9PM

(Photo: General Manager Jon Richards, Owner Raj Patel, and Wine Buyer/ Consultant Jeff House; via GoUpstate.)

Owner Raj Patel is no stranger to the bar business, as owner of Main Street Pub and co-owner of Cribbs Kitchen, both in Downtown Spartanburg. [On Moore] “We feel like this is an under-served market of Spartanburg and it’s been overlooked for years,” Patel said. “People have been clamoring for a place where they can go and drink and have a beer on the premises and be able to just hang out and watch football.”

Patel is joined by Jeff House, owner of Bond Street Wines, as a wine buyer and consultant for Keg & Cellar, periodically on-hand to assist with buying and events.

In addition to their draft pours and wine by the glass, Keg & Cellar plans to offer tasting events, such as curated wine tastings for $10. Walk-in participation is welcome, although event reservations are preferred. Follow Keg & Cellar (Vino & Hops) on Facebook to see upcoming event announcements.

Read the full story from GoUpstate here. Originally published September 22, 2020.

View additional photo gallery of Keg & Cellar’s opening weekend from GoUpstate here.

 

Designing The BURG

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Here at InTheBurg, we’re all about all things Spartanburg and small business. So, it should come as no surprise that InTheBurg is a big fan of the original BURG-branding aficionados, Arrowhead Design Company!

Arrowhead Design Co. started small, with web and graphic design for local businesses and screen-printing their own Spartanburg-centric designs in-house.

In the early years, Arrowhead owners, Lanie Whitaker and Jamie Woodruff, made their name and brand known through pop-up events, festival booths, and printing-on-location, perfect for their brand’s organic and fast-paced vibes.

Today, Arrowhead Design Co. is the umbrella over several local operations, and a new national brand. In August 2020, Arrowhead moved operations from their original space on East Kennedy Street, to a new office and retail location at 870 East Main St.

You can’t miss their colorful new building; find whimsical murals by local artist Maggie MacDonald, whose studio fronts East Main St. Then, follow the parking directions behind the building to Arrowhead’s two new entities: the design headquarters office and BURG Apparel’s storefront and screen-printing studio.

Meet Lanie Whitaker, Arrowhead Design Co. President. Lanie founded Arrowhead in May 2016, and today leads a design team of seven young professionals in their 20’s.

Arrowhead Design Co. was recently awarded the James B. Thompson Small Business of the Year 2020 award at OneSpartanburg, Inc.’s Annual Celebration on September 1st.

In addition to Lanie, find numerous in-house specialists at the Arrowhead offices, including Director of Media Production Ima Ortega, Creative Director Slade Mullinax, Graphic Designer Kris Bridgeforth, Director of Business Development Heath Shaver, and Junior Content Creator Jared Draney.

Meet the squad and their numerous awards and design accolades here.

With new staffing specializations, Arrowhead Design Co. has expanded their business offerings to include dynamic web and graphic design, social media management, full-scale branding, marketing and advertising, and custom video services for their clients.

Located right beside the Arrowhead Design Co. offices, find BURG Apparel, the interactive shopping experience and storefront for all things “BURG” branding.

Browse custom shirt designs, printed in-house by hand, by owner Jamie Woodruff. More than just Spartanburg t-shirts, BURG Apparel has stitched hats, pet bandanas, stickers, pendants, waterbottles and mugs, postcards, and more to shop.

BURG Apparel may have started in Spartanburg, but Jamie has her eyes set on wider goals. With 70+ “Burgs” across the United States, the brand plans to market on the national level while printing locally. Shop new designs and gifts at BURGapparel.com.

“What ‘BURG’ are you from?”

Happy shopping, and congratulations to Arrowhead Design Co. on their Small Business of the Year recognition!

Cuts, Not Bruises

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From uppercuts to haircuts, former-MMA fighter Ashley Rushing is making a big impression at Bareknuckle Barbershop‘s new location, now open in Drayton Mills’ Marketplace, (1800 Drayton Rd, suite 305.) The specialty shop offers cuts, shaves, facials, wax and color services, all with a complimentary drink to sip. Book Here.

Bareknuckle Barbershop is o-owned by Tyler Maupin– Rushing’s former client and current business partner, who works on the business side of the shop and created the name as a nod to Rushing’s MMA career.

Once known as “Doll Face” in the MMA world, Rushing fought for a little more than a decade, starting with an amateur career at a North Carolina gym. She began her professional career when she moved to South Carolina and fought in two professional fights with Invicta Fighting Championships, a women’s MMA organization.

But she’s always had a passion for cosmetology, too, and has worked as a cosmetologist for about 15 years. When Rushing broke a lower vertebrae ending her fighting career, she decided to focus on hair full time which led to the opening of Bareknuckle Barbershop.

Rushing found she prefers doing men’s cuts and women’s pixie cuts over a traditional women’s color and highlights that can take hours at a salon. “I didn’t like standing behind someone’s head for four hours,” Rushing said.

There’s no specific demographic that comes into the shop, co-owner Maupin said, mostly men of all ages, races and ethnicities come to Bareknuckle Barbershop.

Excerpts from Cuts, not bruises: Former MMA fighter opens barber shop in Spartanburg, written by Genna Contino, published by GoUpstate.com on August 14th. (Click here to read the full article.)

Photos of Ashley Rushing and Tyler Maupin by Tim Kinzey via GoUpstate

Barbershop photos via Bareknuckle Barbershop