Common Ground Coffeehouse, a popular local coffee shop hangout in downtown Beaufort at the waterfront park is closing this week.
In an announcement on Sunday, owner Ramona Fantini said that the popular spot will be closing on April 1st, but it will actually close down on Thursday, March 31st at 430pm.
“I’m here to tell you on April 1 we will be closing our doors and turning the keys over to the next lucky people to occupy this space,” Fantini said in a video she posted to social media. (below)
Common Ground was opened back in 1998 by local business owner Lantz Price, according to its website. Price also owns Plums Restaurant just next door to Common Ground.
With a full service coffee shop carrying everything you can imagine, along with a bakery and ice cream bar, Common Ground became a very popular hang out spot in downtown Beaufort with many locals and tourists alike visiting on a daily basis; and it was also a hub for local creatives to hang out, do their work, and meet other creatives, too.
After opening in 1998, the coffee shop changed hands in 2000, and was operated until 2013 by Jeff Nash, along with his wife, Liza.
In 2013, Jeff and Liza moved to the Bahamas, where Liza could pursue her career in teaching, and the business was sold to Scott and Deidra Kaylor.
The Kaylors relocated to Beaufort in 2013 after owning a few popular restaurants in Charlotesville, Virginia…and one of them, Miller’s Bar Downtown, was where popular singer and musician Dave Matthews got his start, first as their bartender, then as their house band.
The Kaylors ended up leaving Beaufort after a little over a year, and Common Ground was purchased by Fantini in 2014. She then went on to expand the shop’s offerings to include Pino Gelato and a variety of other goodies.
We have been told that the shop will be closed by the new owners for 3 to 4 weeks, and then will reopen around the first of May.
Having been patrons of Common Ground for nearly 20 years ourselves, we’re excited to see what the new owners are going to do with the place.
