INMAN — New owners of an old coffee shop in northwest Spartanburg County updated the space into a more full-scale shop and are now ready to open to the public.
The Pardo Café is set to open on June 19 on Mill Street in downtown Inman, replacing Upstate Coffee, which opened in late 2020.
The drink menu includes pour-over, espresso, cold brew coffee, beer and wine. It will also serve breakfast, lunch and evening appetizers like salads, sandwiches, other light bites and desserts.
The Pardo Café is one of the new ideas owned and operated by Crafted Community Concepts, a local development group co-founded by developer Bryan Beal and restauranteur Nate Tomforde, who separately owns Southernside Brewing Co. and Double Stamp Brewery.
The duo forms food, beverage and entertainment concepts to bring to communities throughout the Upstate with others already planned for Fountain Inn, Greer and Spartanburg.
“We are going to continue that coffee shop for the town of Inman, but we’re also adding more of a food element so that it will be a full cafe,” Tomforde said in an interview with The Post and Courier.
The pair are currently restoring and revitalizing the former Ellison Flour Mill in downtown Fountain Inn into a brewery and food hall and the old Wild Wing Cafe in downtown Spartanburg into a barbecue restaurant with help from a famous pit master.
The mill project should be done by the end of the year or the first part of 2024 while the new barbecue restaurant should open this summer.
SPARTANBURG — When Olivia Skelton opened Purple Sunrise Spa, she didn’t know what to expect being a first-time business owner.
The Cowpens resident had worked for a spa in Greenville and in retail. By the time she turned 24, she decided to pursue her dreams and open her own business catering to women’s health and wellbeing. In July 2021, Purple Sunrise Spa opened at 210 Westgate Mall Drive.
“I just didn’t want to work any corporate jobs anymore,” she said. “I just wanted to do something more. I started with no clients and now have over 1,000. I love the people we get here. We created a place where women feel safe, confident and beautiful here.”
Skelton’s family relocated to South Carolina from Michigan when she was 12 after her dad got a job in the state. She’s grown to love the city but still misses the snowy winters in Michigan.
Her focus is centered on expanding her business, which now has three employees. She spent six months prior to opening renovating the building when it had no power. She built a following during the process by promoting her endeavor on social media.
It paid off with her business fully booked with appointments during the first few months.
“The business is still growing, and I hope to have my own building eventually,” Skelton said. “We are looking to hire two more employees.”
When she opened, Skelton said she wasn’t sure about herself. However, her confidence has grown with support from her clients.
Kara Lee of Spartanburg is a Purple Sunrise Spa client and supports the owner’s business.
“Olivia is a huge inspiration to everyone around her and the environment she has created for her clients,” Lee said. “This spa is like no others. Olivia makes every single human feel welcomed, relaxed and it’s so different than any other spas I’ve been to.”
Nicole Gantz is among the massage therapists who work at the spa. She has been a massage therapist for two years. Each of the massage rooms are decorated with different themes.
SPARTANBURG — Robots are coming to BMW’s Spartanburg manufacturing plant, but not at the cost of any human jobs.
California-based AI robotics company Figure announced Jan. 18 that it signed a commercial agreement with BMW Manufacturing to “deploy general purpose robots in automotive manufacturing environments.”
BMW spokesman Steve Wilson said in an email Friday that there is no timetable for when the robots will be deployed. He added that no job losses will occur because of the robots and that there will be no changes for BMW’s associates.
“Companies that invest in innovation such as this are more sustainable, become more productive, and have a competitive advantage,” Wilson said. “Innovation, digitalization, and sustainability are key success factors for our future.
BMW and Figure will pursue a “milestone-based approach.” After the initial phase where Figure will identify use cases to apply the robots in automotive production, the robots will begin staged deployment at the BMW manufacturing site in Greer.
At its 8-million-square-foot Spartanburg County campus, BMW Manufacturing employs 11,000 workers. It is the largest U.S. automotive exporter by value with a total export value of almost $9.6 billion, and more than 1,500 vehicles are assembled at the plant daily.
Figure founder and CEO Brett Adcock said the potential of general purpose robotics is untapped.
“Figure’s robots will enable companies to increase productivity, reduce costs, and create a safer and more consistent environment,” Adcock said.
The companies will also jointly explore other topics in advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, robot integration, robot control and manufacturing virtualization.
BMW CEO Robert Engelhorn said the use of “general purpose robot solutions” has the potential to make productivity more efficient.
Wilson said that the carmaker is investigating several tasks across the plant to help improve safety and ergonomics.