SCVB Blog

A landmark building in the heart of Downtown Spartanburg’s Grain District has been revitalized into the home of a revolutionary independent bookstore, a coffeehouse, and a sweets bakery. In a $250,000 renovation, the ground floor of the 82-year-old Masonic Temple has become a magnet for tourists, downtown residents, hipsters, and book-lovers.

The Hub City Bookshop, which opened in July, carries new and used books of all kinds, including bestsellers, children’s titles and regional favorites. From its windows you look out on historic Morgan Square, the city clock tower, and the statue of the victorious Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan.
The 2,000-square-foot store is an outreach program of the 15-year-old Hub City Writers Project, an award-winning non-profit organization. With each book purchased in the store, customers nourish new writers and help launch authors into the literary world. That’s because all proceeds from the sale of books fund creative writing education and independent book publishing in Spartanburg. To learn more about this unique organization visit www.hubcity.org.

In August, Spartanburg’s hometown coffee roaster, Little River Roasting Co., will open The Coffee Bar in the adjacent space, along with Cakehead Bakery, run by Liz Blanchard of Hampton Heights.
The site has a long, storied past. Shortly after the courthouse village of Spartanburg was established in the early 1800s, early merchant Jesse Cleveland had his horse stables on this site. In 1880 it became the center of Spartanburg’s cultural and political life when the Opera House opened, housing Spartanburg's first public auditorium, the post office, and the first city offices.

Be sure to stop in and grab a good book, a cup of coffee and a sweet treat while you are in Spartanburg! 

You’ve heard Fayssoux McLean, even if you haven’t heard of her.  Fayssoux’s beguiling voice was an integral element in some of the finest country music recordings of our time.  Fayssoux sang harmonies all over Emmylou Harris’ legendary early recordings, “Luxury Liner,”  “Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town,”  “Elite Hotel,” and “Pieces of the Sky,” and she sang duets with Emmylou on “Spanish is a Loving Tongue” and Green Rolling Hills.”  Given that Emmylou Harris is herself the single greatest and most consequential harmony vocalist in country music history, Fayssoux’s role as Emmylou’s harmony singer of choice should tell you nearly all you need to know.

Fayssoux finally lets the world hear her stunning lead voice on her debut recording, “Early.”  After being out of the music world for many years and teaching in her home town of Spartanburg, SC, a middle school teacher named Peter Cooper called for an interview.  He was writing about the extraordinary musical history of Spartanburg, SC (Pink Anderson, The Marshall Tucker Band, Marshall Chapman, Hank Garland, etc) for his book “Hub City Music Makers”.  When she began singing with him at the book release parties, others responded as well.

Many years later, Cooper is now one of the country’s most respected music journalists, writing for Nashville’s The Tennessean newspaper.  When Fayssoux told him she was ready, he encouraged her to record in Nashville.  She called old friends Emmylou Harris and the Whites to sing harmony with her and Peter, as well as Ricky Skaggs to play mandolin.  She asked Spartanburg native David Ball to play Walter Hyatt’s bass, and sing harmony as well.  Peter brought in Nashville great Lloyd Green to contribute his rarified talents on pedal steel and dobro, as well as Johnny Cash bass player Dave Roe.  She brought heavy duty guitarist Brandon Turner with her who plays on nearly every track and holds his own with the most seasoned Nashville veterans.  

“Charm, elegance, whippoorwills and magnolia dewdrops:  these are the things that come to mind when I hear Fayssoux sing,” says Rodney Crowell, who first met Emmylou Harris in Fayssoux’s living room.

Fayssoux’s singing has drawn the admiration of collaborators like Crowell, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Buddy Miller.

You can hear some of Fayssoux’s music at www.myspace.com/FayssouxMcLean.

Listen to Fayssoux's music here

If you are new to Spartanburg and ask a local to tell you about Wade’s they will probably mention two things pretty quickly: their witty billboard campaign and their delicious home cooked meats and vegetables.  Wade's was founded in 1947 by Wade and Betty Lindsey.  Fast forward to 2010 and you will find that Wade’s has grown from its humble beginnings into a restaurant that consistently serves 15,000 - 17,000 guests every week.

Located 3 miles off of I-85 in Spartanburg at 1000 North Pine Street, Wade’s Restaurant is a quintessential “meat and three” of super size! Under one roof, Wade’s has a 200 seat waitress service dining room, a fully staffed take-out area, and a 150 seat “Express Lunch” buffet area.  Wade’s has received its share of recognition including taking first place in Southern Living’s Reader’s Choice Awards in the Family Restaurant category. The year they won, they placed ahead of Paula Dean’s restaurant in Savannah.

The menu is focused around “comfort food” like macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, pot roast, green beans, “real” mashed potatoes (about 200 lbs per day) and their famous home-made yeast rolls. The menu changes daily and will feature 7-10 meat selections and 15-17 vegetables/sides. Be sure to call their menu line at 864-598-8203 or visit their website at www.EatAtWades.com to find out if your favorite is on the menu. They are open Monday through Saturday 11:00 am to 8:30 pm and Sunday 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. We encourage you to stop by and discover what Spartanburg locals have known for 63 years: When You’re Hungry For Homemade; It's Wade’s!

What better way to cool down during these HOT summer days than with a cone of yummy ice cream! Make your way around the county and try out some of the best ice cream joints in Spartanburg.

Stop in to one of our local farms’ shops for delicious homemade peach or strawberry ice cream -- Abbott Farms, Johnson Brothers, or Strawberry Hill. Fresh, local fruit makes this ice cream the perfect treat! Be sure to check out the Dairy Dream on Heron Circle and try out one of their many flavors, including their popular lemon ice cream. After you have your chili-cheese-a-plenty at The Beacon, head over to their ice cream bar for a cone of ice cream, or if you are feeling really hungry, order their Pig’s Dinner or Banana Split.  Another must stop for ice cream is the Turtle Parfait in Downtown Woodruff. Here you can enjoy your cone and take a stroll down their quaint downtown area. Southern Sisters in the town of Reidville is another place you will want to be sure to visit. Once you enter you will feel like a kid again with their many flavors of ice cream and baskets of candy. Ice Cream and Coffee Beans is a great place to grab lunch and then treat yourself to something sweet afterwards. For those looking to choose between lots of flavors, head over to Baskin Robbins or Bruster’s.

Hot, humid days are the perfect excuse for a delicious scoop of ice cream!