A new Travelers Rest mixed-use redevelopment project will bring The Community Tap’s third location, Coldwell Banker Caine’s multi-use real estate gallery and event space, and a soon-to-be-announced restaurant to the Swamp Rabbit Trail this fall.
The restaurant will occupy the former Hare and Field at 327 S. Main St. that closed at the end of 2020, and The Community Tap and Coldwell Banker Caine will split the current 3,000-square-foot Creative Displays retail and warehouse space at 321 S. Main St., according to a news release.
An all-weather, common green space will join the two buildings and replace the current parking lot, while a covered outdoor space will include seating, bike racks, room for live music and the ability to be used year-round. A shipping container-housed vendor facing the green space is also tentatively in the works.
Site work has begun, and construction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.
“Over the years, the owners of Community Tap and I have become close friends, and when the opportunity to create a real gathering place in the growing area of TR presented itself, I knew who our partners should be,” Stephen Edgerton, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Caine, said in the news release. “With their ability to cultivate true hospitality and our goal of providing both our clients and team members with a unique place to plan their futures, sharing physical space was an obvious next step for both of our organizations.”
Community Tap co-owners Ed Buffington and Mike Okupinski didn’t plan on expanding beyond their second location, which opened in 2019 at The Commons, so soon after navigating the challenges of 2020. Until Edgerton approached them with the location.
“It immediately made sense,” Buffington said in the release. “Not only have so many of CB Caine’s real estate transactions kicked off in our taprooms, but we all happen to love Travelers Rest. After being spectators of the rejuvenation it’s experienced over the last few years, we are really excited about being part of it.”
The Community Tap in Travelers Rest will operate on a smaller scale than their two current bottle shops and taprooms, but with a similar atmosphere as their original Stone’s Point location.
“We’re very excited to bring what we’ve learned over the last 12 years to another new location,” Okupinski said in the release. “We’ve become better friends and more of a family and have a clearer vision of what we want our operations to look and feel like.
