The Grain District

[Spartan]

A grassroots proposal to market the western portion of downtown as "The Grain District" has been sent to the City. It appears to be more or less the area along Daniel Morgan Ave between Henry St and Church Street and along West Main and Ezell St between the railroad tracks and the Square. The Grain District would highlight the history of grain refinement in that part of town (ie: the large grain silos) to the current production of beer at the RJ Rockers microbrewery.

I think its a good concept. If it is successful it would be a uniquely Spartanburg district. The people proposing the district are comparing it to The Vista in Columbia or Asheville's River Arts District- albeit a little smaller.

The fact that this effort is not being led by the City gives me hope that it will actually happen.

Here is the proposed logo:

HJ Article

[spartanburgh]

This Grain District should be a go!!! A meeting of the stakeholders is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19th at the Hub-Bub showroom. It will be interesting to see what is actually planned or envisioned by the group. I know the mixed use building behind Hub-Bub is still a go and an organic food market is in the works for the empty space beside Hub-Bub.

[Sparkleman]

This Grain District should be a go!!! A meeting of the stakeholders is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19th at the Hub-Bub showroom. It will be interesting to see what is actually planned or envisioned by the group. I know the mixed use building behind Hub-Bub is still a go and an organic food market is in the works for the empty space beside Hub-Bub.

Does anyone know what went down at that meeting?

[travey]

Does anyone know what went down at that meeting?

I know this. THe only building left in the former row on Ezell St. (behind Tap room) was sold twice in the past few months. First to a Rick Cobden LLC called Ezell Properties and shortly after to QS-1. They plan to

raze it to complete there much anticipated parking lot.

R.I.P old warehouse building circa 1919.

[Spartan]

Great. I had hopes for that street. More parking is exactly what downtown doesnt need... well, not surface parking. if it's in decks with retail on the ground floor then i can live with it.

[spartanburgh]

Some of the things covered in the Grain Dist. meeting were to promote the brand by 1-placing Grain district logo stickers on doors, car bumpers, store windows etc.(Stickers currently available for $13 ea) 2-A new flag on top of the silos with the grain district logo 3- painting one of the silos to match the logo 4-W. Henry St. billboard will promote the area 5-Lamposts banners by the City in the district 6- Logo the side of a building like Durham NC has done 7-Make the area more pedestrian friendly by added crosswalks, lighting, better sidewalks, more parking (herald journal's unused lot on Daniel Morgan and paving the lot accross from Rockers etc.) 8- Grain district flags available for businesses in the area (now available for $165 ea).

The next meeting will be with City officials on January 28th to push forward.

[Spartan]

Thanks for the update. Those are some good ideas, though it sounds like its mostly marketing at this point. I hope the City buys into the idea and that an actual "district" that is distinct from the Morgan Square area can begin to develop. Very exciting stuff!

[Sparkleman]

What there currently is of the Grain District was rocking pretty hard this past Saturday with Hub Bub, the Tap Room, Main St Pub, & the Brasserie all having pretty good crowds. I did hear from a buddy of mine that this past Saturday was the last night that the Brasserie would have this name. Apparently they are going with a new name "Braveheart" and a toned down menu of less upscale dining and more burger options. There is obviously not enough of a crowd to support all the high end options here. I guess the good part is that at least they are not closing.

[hub-city]

I'm glad Braissereis not closing, and I'm kind of glad about the name change. I like the food, but always stopped short of inviting friends to meet me there, because i could never pronounce the name.

[goodbye]

"Braveheart" coincides with the chef's Scottish roots, but seems to lack even a small amount of originality, in my opinion. Hopefully the logo design and atmosphere will compensate for the name. Personally, I think The Beacon should be renamed "The Braveheart Grease Pit" to honor the bravery of those who willingly plunge into the onslaught of artery-clogging grease.

[Sparkleman]

Below is the latest on Bravehearts. I received this via email from Brasserie so there is no link.

HUGE news, Spartanburg!!!

After 2.5 years in town, Brasserie Ecosse is closing it's doors on April 4th after Easter Sunday Brunch service.

Don't worry...Chef Steve isn't going ANYWHERE!

When the doors reopen on Wednesday April 7th, a new vision will be unleashed: The Grain Districts most inviting new restaurant & pub.......BRAVEHEARTS !

"Bravehearts Restaurant & Pub was created because we believe that there is a market in Spartanburg for a Chef-driven restaurant that serves American & Scottish cuisine made from super-high quality ingredients offered at modest prices." says the man behind this exciting new launch, Chef Steve Leitch. "Our home-made menu includes appetizers, salads, soups, burgers, fun desserts and also features traditional Scottish dishes SUCH AS....Shepherds Pie, Scotch eggs, Fish n Chips, We have an extensive list of beers from around the world, an extremely popular wine list, cocktails, cordials and a tasty, yet inexpensive Kids Menu."

Bravehearts Restaurant & Pub can be described as "Come-As-You-Are Casual Dining". The atmosphere will be comfortable & illuminating, but also suitable for special occasions. Our restaurant will feature an open kitchen, tartan stage & walls, a lounge atmosphere with comfortable booths and other warm elements reminiscent of a new Scottish public house.

Chef Steve's vision in creating this new jewel in the heart of Spartanburg is to provide comforting, creative Scottish-American food, patron-friendly entertainment & out-of-this-world service, one meal and one patron at a time. Based upon what he and his staff have been able to do at Brasserie Ecosse, we have no doubt this NEXT project will be a major success!

COME SEE US ON EASTER SUNDAY FOR.... a yummy brunch that will satisfy your family and friends.

CHEERS N LOVE

[Spartan]

The Grain District keeps taking steps forward. The Art Mart will expand to use most of the block between the Hub Bub building and the Hub City Art Park. Artists from across the Carolinas will come to Spartanburg. This should be a good event. Hopefully it will set the stage for many other events that promote the Grain District.

HJ Article

[westsider28]

Apparently, some (all?) of the grain silos at the former Spartan Grain Mill will be demolished. It's rumored that they're being taken down to make way for the first stage of a redevelopment plan on South Daniel Morgan Ave.

I just read about this on the Spartanburg Spark website. This is news to me. I wonder what this "redevelopment" involves.

Spartanburg Spark article

[Spartan]

Well this is unexpected to say the least. Of all the sites in Downtown that was one that I thought would be the last to be redeveloped. Maybe they can keep the silos. They preserved some old silos for a project here in Charlotte and had plans to incorporate it into the development.

[Spartan]

Well, this sure came around fast. They will preserve the concrete silos, a warehouse, and paint the grain district logo on the silos. This will be a substantial improvement for the area, though it's pretty obvious the owner is selling the metal stuff for scraps to make some quick cash. Hopefully this leads to bigger and better things for the Spartan Grain site.

I'll post some pictures of a similar project in Charlotte later on.

HJ Article

[westsider28]

I was driving through downtown today and saw a construction crew doing some work on Ezell Street behind RJ Rockers. It looks like they're adding a sidewalk (probably for the new parking lot back there). That seems like a good idea, since that section of street currently has no sidewalk.

On a related note, I've noticed that section of Ezell Street has cobblestones under the pavement. Since that road gets very little traffic, I've always thought they should scrape up the pavement and reveal the cobblestones. It would add some unique character to the area.

[Spartan]

^ I agree. I think the whole street still has the brick/cobblestone under there. I think it would be a great aesthetic improvement if the city could do what you suggest, westsider28. Here are some pictures of Ezell St from a few years ago:

[Jael]

I agree. I think the whole street still has the brick/cobblestone under there. I think it would be a great aesthetic improvement if the city could do what you suggest, westsider28.

Looks like an opportunity for a broken ankle to me.

[Spartan]

Charleston gets by with real cobblestone all over the place. I'm sure Spartanburg can handle it too.

[westsider28]

Yesterday, I took some pictures of the new sidewalk being put in on Ezell Street behind RJ Rockers.

The first picture is looking toward W. Main Street.

The second is coming around the bend toward Daniel Morgan Ave.

The third is looking back on where I just came from in picture 2.

There looks to be at least one new, small parking lot going in back there. Also, between two landscaping-block walls (as seen in the background of picture 2) looks to be another entrance to the existing, large lot at the corner of Daniel Morgan and St. John, across from QS/1.

[Spartan]

I'm still not happy about the removal of those buildings for a PARKING LOT. It's not like we don't have plenty of parking lots.

Anyway, it looks like they're going to plant some trees in there, and adding curb on the opposite side. IMO, this looks like they are going to resurface with asphalt like the upper part of Ezell St.

[drexel]

I'm still not happy about the removal of those buildings for a PARKING LOT. It's not like we don't have plenty of parking lots.

Anyway, it looks like they're going to plant some trees in there, and adding curb on the opposite side. IMO, this looks like they are going to resurface with asphalt like the upper part of Ezell St.

Maybe they are planning for the future to add another building. That would make up for it.

[Spartan]

I suppose that is a possibility.

It depends on who owns the lot. If it's QS/1 then I think they would be more likely to build on the corner across from their current building.

[roads-scholar]

Visited the Hub City Bookstore for the first time last night. I arrived at 6:50pm just before closing time and didn't have much time to browse. However, its a nice shop that should do better once the coffee shop and bakery gets up and running.

This is NOT a Barnes & Noble though. Its a small, independent bookseller with limited selections. The key to it's success or failure, like any business, are patrons willing to SPEND money. It could potentially be a retail anchor to the Grain District.

Edited July 7, 2010 by roads-scholar

[westsider28]

I went to the grand opening of the Hub City Bookshop, Little River Coffee Bar, and Cakehead Bakery on Friday. There were several hundred people in attendance when I was there (and I've heard 1,000 people total). The community response to these new businesses was great. I hope that the momentum continues in the future. Here are some pictures I took:

These are extremely high quality establishments, and they have a great synergy together that I think will benefit all three. A few thoughts:

Hub City Bookshop - As mentioned above, certainly less selection than a B&N, but has many current bestsellers. You won't have trouble finding something you like. Many of the used books are popular titles and a great value ($3-5)! I especially like the good selection of local books about Spartanburg and the area, and books by local authors, which is the point of a local bookshop anyway. Also, nonprofit = no sales tax.

Little River Coffee Bar - I don't really drink coffee very often, but the iced coffee I had was quite tasty. I didn't really need to add anything to it. The peach tea is also good.

Cakehead Bakeshop - Had a chocolate cupcake w/chocolate icing. Very good, especially the icing. Very creamy, not too sweet.