Right across the 13th Street bridge in North Augusta, Cavalier’s Coffeehouse has arrived.
David Brannon, a native of the area and current student at Harvard University, decided to start the business, which is located at 336 Georgia Ave. Suite 337, in the midst of last year’s pandemic lockdown.
“I finished up my third year of college about a year ago, and I was looking into what would happen if we had virtual schooling,” Brannon said. “If we did have to learn virtually, I knew I wanted to come back home, and I was looking for a project. This kind of fell into my lap as something good for the community and was within my reach given my limited experience in the food and beverage world.”
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Brannon studies American history and political philosophy at Harvard. He said surrounding himself with people smarter and more experienced than him was his first step in this process.
“I found people who had successfully pulled this off and asked them where to start,” he said. “I was reading a lot, watching videos. I said, ‘What are the micro-economic factors that go into running a coffeeshop, a wine bar, a small business in general? And how do those numbers work for my particular situation?'”
Brannon said the support of his sister, who runs the UPS Store next to door to Cavalier’s, went a long way, both with business insight and in helping him realize he could take on this project successfully.
For a college-aged young person starting his own brick and mortar coffeeshop, Brannon said his savings were the biggest factor. He had investors who were willing to put some money toward the project as well.
“It’s unbelievable how expensive people think starting a business is,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong; it’s a big investment… but people overestimate the money aspect and it’s the knowledge deficiency that you really have to overcome.”
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The coffeehouse has all the usual coffee-related offerings you’d expect, and it also has craft beer and wine available for purchase on a rotating basis. Customers can drink on the premises or take those items home as well.
“We had a soft opening last week, and the reception was excellent,” Brannon said. “We heard suggestions on what we can do better, and now we can dial in on how to get out the best product to everyone. We couldn’t have been happier with it.”
The next step in the process is to continue working on the outdoor seating area adjacent to the building on one side, and a private events space on the other side.
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The patio area is under construction, and while the interior of Cavalier’s is on the smaller side, the outdoor area will allow more people to sit and sip as opposed to grabbing and going.
“We want to bring in food trucks and live music; let people experience what life was like back before the pandemic,” Brannon said. “I’m excited to expand the life of North Augusta up from the riverfront and into our downtown. We want to be one more factor in a burgeoning landscape for North Augusta.”
Cavalier’s will have its official grand offering in the coming weeks. More info can be found at their website here.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com.
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