A new cafe blossoms in the heart of Flowertown.
By Eboni Johnson
Photography by Bianka Lamb
Café de Fleur is a brand new coffee shop/café pleasantly located on West Richardson Avenue, right in the heart of downtown Summerville. Upon entry, customers are welcomed with vibrant artwork, and stunning natural lighting that eloquently shine against the white walls. Locally sourced flowers serve as decadent accessories to each table. With a subtle French theme, this café features modern-vintage decor. The greenery and ornate lighting immediately draw you in and capture your attention, while the gold accents add an elevated touch. This café has several smooth marble tables paired with textured contemporary farmhouse-style seating. It is spacious, yet homey. It all comes together to create an open, welcoming, and breathable atmosphere. Café de Fleur is ideal for reuniting with old friends, reconnecting with new friends, or simply catching up on those missed deadlines.
Hannah and Harley Edwards, both born into a long line of entrepreneurs, are in the business of coffee-centric, high quality service. Hannah’s professional experience traverses multiple industries, having written and sang commercial jingles, owned a trucking company, illustrated children’s novels, worked as a barista, and much more. Harley began working in the construction business as a teenager, and currently owns his own electrical company and teaches electrical courses at Trident Technical College. Hannah’s barista expertise paired with Harley’s nostalgic ventures with coffee shops in the past gave birth to this refreshing new brasserie just a few doors down from City Hall.
What was once half of the Crazy Beautiful Bella Pazza beauty salon has been transformed into Café de Fleur. Harley had always wanted to open a coffee shop, but just was not sure where. When, Trish, the salon owner, offered Harley the opportunity to convert half of the salon space into the new home of Café de Fleur, they decided to take the leap.
Notably, this café was crafted quite literally with the owners’ bare hands. A little over one month after receiving confirmation, Harley began building. He utilized his construction and electric knowledge and skills to contrive the wall separating the salon from the café, along with the cabinetry, french doors, and windows. Meanwhile, Hannah used her artistic education and background to craft Café de Fleur’s beautiful interior design. When discussing this couple’s motivation behind opening this coffee shop, Harley says “Doing electrical work as a contractor is not easy. It’s insanely stressful… and dangerous work,” but with Café de Fleur, Hannah and Harley are able to combine their knowledge and expertise to create something beautifully inspiriting for the community. Harley remarks, “I might as well have fun with it.” This husband and wife team prioritizes hospitality over big business. They say, “This has become a labor of love… it’s a passion project.”
Café de Fleur’s easy-to-read menu features the ingredients of every drink, locally sourced pastries, high quality New York City bagels, mouth watering croissants, flavorful desserts, and it even accommodates various dietary needs. This brasserie itself is a niche in the coffee industry. From lattes and cappuccinos, to teas and bottle drinks, Café de Fleur has it all and more. Hannah and Harley are always looking for ways to spice up the menu, and combine interesting flavors to create a refreshingly innovative drink. From taste testing many different flavors of coffee beans to studying the specifics of grind size and pressure time, Hannah and Harley are dedicated to providing top notch products to their guests. In fact, they can even pinpoint the exact farm that harvests their signature Brazilian Yellow Catuai.
These café owners believe that the community of Summerville is uniquely suited to build this type of connection. What better location for a “flower café” than the Flowertown?
Stop by Café de Fleur at 100 W Richardson Avenue and see for yourself why every person who peeks through the café window ends up waltzing inside. AM
