COWPENS — A locally owned steakhouse is the latest business to come to downtown Cowpens where there's renewed excitement about the growing small town's future as new residents flock to the area.
The town of about 2,000 residents is just a short drive east of Spartanburg. There's already several new housing developments being constructed along Highway 29 between Spartanburg and Cowpens and there's likely more to come.
The new steakhouse gets its name from Cowpens well-known connection to history. The town was named for the Battle of Cowpens, a pivotal Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War that happened nearby. Then the name spread to The USS Cowpens, nicknamed the Mighty Moo, that was a light aircraft carrier in service from 1943 to 1947.
That moniker inspired the name for the annual Mighty Moo Festival in Cowpens, which celebrates its 48th anniversary in June. And another warship, a guided missile cruiser that was decommissioned in 2024, later carried the USS Cowpens name.
The ships' history helped inspire Kelley Norman to name his new restaurant Mighty Moo's Steakhouse.
Norman is no stranger to running a business, finding success with The Hideout bar on Cowpens Clifton Road. When the building at 5436 N. Main St., which formerly housed Dolline's on Main and Mike's Cafe, became available, he purchased it in October. Soon it will be home to Mighty Moo's Steakhouse.
Norman plans to open the restaurant by early April after final health inspections are completed.
"We are only a couple weeks out from opening in late March or early April," Norman said. "When we open it will be just for dinner to give our team enough time to train. That should not take too long to train them. After that, we plan to be open for breakfast and lunch."
Norman said customers can expect premium steaks and hamburgers. The menu will include steak, burger and grilled chicken salads. The Mighty Moo Burger will also be featured at the new restaurant. After Mighty Moo's Steakhouse opens, Norman plans to open a second location somewhere in Spartanburg.
He's just getting started.
"When I got the bar (The Hideout), I helped turn it around by selling steaks and hamburgers," Norman said. "That's when people started telling me that I needed to open a restaurant. I am still working on finalizing our menu and we are super excited about opening soon. There's been so much anticipation for our opening."
Over the past year, there's been several new businesses that have opened downtown, including Spice n Soul at 5326 S. Main St. Cowpens Coffee and Creamery has also become a downtown favorite.
Cowpens Mayor Jarred Spencer expects growth to continue.
"We are seeing growth just like everywhere else in Spartanburg County," Spencer said. "Our population has increased slightly and we are at the beginning of big growth with developers calling the town asking about properties. I think when you look around the county we are among the last areas not overgrown with new housing and development, and people have seen it go wrong in other parts of the county. We don't want that to happen here."
Spencer said he supports growth but it needs to be managed.
The prospect of hundreds of new homes in the area has left some uneasy wanting to maintain their small-town way of life. It's still a rural area with mostly single-family homes within town limits. There's not that many large subdivisions. Spencer said new developments outside town limits including on Cannons Campground Road are likely to bring new businesses to Cowpens.
"There's going to be a revival in downtown as far as businesses and development goes," Spencer said.