Spill The Beans

I do not drink coffee but I am going to tell you about my favorite coffee shop.

In the spirit of the name, let me spill the beans about my life. I do not have a “real job”. I am a somewhat unemployed college graduate and experienced professional that works for at least five part time employers six or seven days a week. Every other week my son lives with his Mom and I spend those weeks working for a kitchen and bath remodeler, a moving company and the best restaurant in Anderson, SC. When Ivan is with me, I take him to school and find the most profitable use of my time possible before I pick him up at 2:30 with the rest of the soccer moms and stay-at-home parents that have the freedom to be as involved with our children our schedule allows. Some of those days are spent moving stuff, submitting quotes for construction work, or meeting with potential customers. I fill the remaining time hanging out at Spill The Beans borrowing their wireless internet connection sending out my resume or blogging.

That said, this post is not about my hectic, desperate attempt at making ends meet; it is about a great coffee shop and an unlikely hangout for a guy like me.

When I first stumbled upon Spill The Beans I felt a bit guilty. I do not drink coffee and eight o’ clock in the morning is too early to take advantage of their amazingly tasty ice cream, cakes or cookies. I was just there for the internet connection and place to set up camp. On my first visit there I walked in and shamefully bought a bottle of water. To my surprise, I was welcomed with open arms into the coffee shop culture.  They did not even look down on my distaste for coffee and actually endorsed Coca-Cola as an acceptable substitute for a sleepy man craving caffeine in a huge way. 

Spill The Beans is a huge venue with a lot of windows that overlooks Falls Park in downtown Greenville and the environment inspires creativity. Sitting at my little corner of the business, I have a fly-on-the-wall view to a surprising amount of Greenville goings-on. I have had a front row seat to business deals, job interviews, meetings of old friends, and even planning discussions for motion pictures. All of this makes my “work” feel like it is an important and necessary part in the backbone of our local economy. 

Every minute of this goes on while I sit in front of this computer and wonder how my son is doing in first grade less than a mile away.

The result of it all is that I see the inner workings of Greenville while I try to figure out my own life. Spill The Beans is special in that I have not found any other business in Downtown Greenville that allows me the same freedom and perspective. 

Falls Park

One day I went to another popular coffee shop that gave me a password for the internet and a time limit on how long I could use it before my purchase of a canned soda wore out its welcome.  The library, which is open to everybody able to fit through the door, does not open until 9 am and requires a payment for the privilege of parking out back (it is also populated by a surprising amount of homeless folks which is a little less appealing backdrop than Falls Park). A few major coffee and fast food chains offer free internet access but the corporate structure, traffic and atmosphere suffocate the motivation for being there in the first place.

Spill The Beans is where it is at.

If you want a good place to access the Interweb, Spill The Beans has comfortable seating and a solid internet connection. If you want delicious gourmet ice cream, they will take great care of you. If you want cookies or cake that will make your inner six-your-old’s eyes light up, they definitely have you covered. If you need a quiet corner to sit in an armchair and a have serious discussion with a personal or professional partner, well… I promise to act like I am not even there and will type as quietly as I am able. 

If you want coffee, I honestly cannot speak to that but I can at least say wife loves it. Every so often Chris has the luxury of accompanying me on my downtown Greenville adventures and she always enjoys a fresh brew and a great view in the big comfortable chairs while we discuss personal business or our next super awesome and informative blog post.  

The Beans

Maybe one day I will see you there. I look forward to sitting down with you while you drink your coffee, I sip my Coke and we discuss our plans for world domination… or the weather. Either way, Spill The Beans is the perfect place for it.