Need coffee? Here's a place we like in Columbia

With a name like The Local Buzz, the coffee had better be first-rate – and it is.

Columbia’s Turtle Creek artisan micro-roasts coffee using Grade 1 beans or higher. Patrons can grab a regular cup of coffee or choose from a variety of specialty drinks, including blanca, a white chocolate mocha, or nitro, a cold-brewed coffee steeped in cold water for 24 hours, infused with nitrogen and poured like a draft stout – the purest form of coffee, according to owner Stephanie Griggs Bridgers.

Coffee is served all day, every day. There is also hot cocoa, hot teas and chai tea latte for non-coffee drinkers.

Breakfast, dessert or afternoon pick-me-ups include bagels, toast, assorted baked-from-scratch muffins from Silver Spoon Bake shop, oatmeal, and locally made Double Trouble Doughnuts. Smoothies – both regular and Mexican sodas, made with real cane sugar; hand-churned ice cream by local Sweet Cream Company; and housemade cookies and cupcakes also are available.

All items are made from scratch; some are gluten-free and/or vegan.

Lunchtime provides a variety of healthy salads and sandwiches, like the Cali: turkey, avocado, cucumber, Muenster cheese, sprouts, tomato and spicy mustard, served on whole-grain bread.

For the simpler palettes, there are regular PB&Js or gourmet PB&Js – with flaxseed peanut butter – and grilled cheese variations. Soup is made fresh daily.

How did The Local Buzz get its start?

Owner Bridgers said she wanted a place where one could walk in and immediately feel at home.

Prior to opening last fall, Bridgers was involved in an organization for parents of children with special needs, and she started a group called The Breakfast Club that caters to teens and young adults in the community.

“Two of my (four) boys are autistic. I started The Breakfast Club as a social group for higher-functioning kids (with special needs) to have a social outlet,” she said.

She sought a higher education, thinking she would teach, but decided instead to transition The Breakfast Club into the opening of a cafe where teens and adults from all walks of life would feel welcome and comfortable.

Experience in the restaurant industry helped her launch The Local Buzz, and all her children and her husband assist when necessary.

With a heart for encouraging children with particular challenges, Bridgers also provides on-the-job training for a few special education students from Dreher High School.

What does the place look like?

Eclectic vintage is the decor for this friendly spot in the corner of a small L-shaped strip on Rosewood Drive. Found objects, ranging from a 1960s dressed mannequin to a tin farmhouse tray, decorate the space.

There is a large half-circle sofa for lounging, as well as other intimate spots.

A postcard calendar board announces groups that meet there weekly, as well as upcoming events. There is a free library shelf on one wall, as well as various board games. A “wake up and smell the coffee” message made from odd-sized letters painted different colors greets customers.

One whole wall is for miscellaneous coffee mugs; Bridgers explains these are not just for decoration but are, in fact, owned by regulars who grab them off the wall and receive a fill up before finding a seat.

Who eats here?

Since opening last fall, The Local Buzz is quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite for Rosewood, Shandon and downtown dwellers. Students and educators from high schools and University of South Carolina are making The Local Buzz their hang out, as are church youth groups, book clubs and other organizations.

Plus, just as Bridgers hoped, teens gather for birthdays, game nights, homework – and just because.

Deena C. Bouknight, Special to Go Columbia

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Need coffee? Here's a place we like in Columbia."