Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii will be entering the Charlotte market early next year. It will open at The Keith Corporation’s adaptive-reuse project The Thread in Rock Hill, taking over a 2,581-square-foot space at the development, according to a release from The Keith Corporation. It is expected to open in March.
“Adding a coffee concept to The Thread was always at the top of our targeted list of retail offerings,” Jay Coleman, office partner at The Keith Corporation, said in the release. “After learning more about Bad Ass Coffee’s brand and the energy they bring, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to The Thread and the greater Rock Hill community.”
This location will be the first for father-and-daughter franchise team Doug and Abby Epperly, who inked a three-unit deal with Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii last year. The Epperlys decided to franchise with the brand, which launched on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1989, after Abby found the brand while in school. In an interview with What Now Charlotte last year, Doug shared that they were targeting the Rock Hill region for their first store.
“The Thread was our first choice from the beginning — it’s who we wanted to take to the dance,” Epperly said in the release. “We’ve lived in Rock Hill for years and love this community. When we found Bad Ass Coffee and learned more about the brand’s energy and values, we knew it belonged here.”
The forthcoming coffee shop will serve Hawaiian-blended coffees, espresso, teas and grab-and-go retail items such as whole bean and ground coffee. It will also feature the brand’s “Rescube” options, which include frozen coffee cubes that keep iced beverages strong as time passes.
The atmosphere and design will reflect Bad Ass Coffee’s Hawaiian-inspired brand culture and hospitality.
“We’re not just opening a coffee shop—we’re creating a destination,” Abby said in the release. “From day one, we saw The Thread as the perfect setting to bring people together through coffee, culture and connection.”
Currently, there is one other Bad Ass Coffee location open in South Carolina. There are more than 30 locations open across the country, and it is expected to enter more markets in the coming years.
