Coffee shop opens doors downtown
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on April 1, 2015 2:03 PM
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News-Argus/ETHAN SMITH
Parker Croom, 21, will open his new coffee shop, Bad Dog Coffee Works, at 115 E. Walnut St. today. The shop will serve coffee and pastries, and host open mic nights and comedy nights.
Parker Croom's dog, Socko, has always been a bad dog.
So when Croom was searching for a name for his new coffee shop opening this week at 115 E. Walnut St., the name was a no-brainer -- Bad Dog Coffee Works.
And anyone who visits will get to see Croom's "bad dog" -- Socko's face is the business' logo, plastered on the outside window.
Work began on the shop just one month ago, transforming an empty building into a "good vibes" coffee shop for any and all types of people who want a fine cup of joe and a place to relax.
Croom, 21, is currently a private investigator in Wilmington and said he has always wanted to open up a coffee shop of his own.
"We chose Goldsboro because it's an up and coming place," Croom said. "They're doing all this work on the streets and we wanted to give Goldsboro something it didn't have."
Croom's grandmother is a caretaker at the Waynesborough House downtown, and alerted Croom of the empty property and suggested it would be a good place to open his own business.
"We saw that it was vacant, got a good price and jumped on it," he said.
Bad Dog Coffee Works will serve a variety of coffees and pastries, and will host open mic nights, comedy nights and vinyl nights, where vinyl records of old are played all night.
"We're keeping it simple," Croom said. "We want it to be a relaxed place to just come and hang out."
Croom said he is currently trying to recruit food trucks in the area to come and serve food outside his coffee shop on nights performances take place, so that those who attend will have plenty to eat and drink.
The shop's hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, although the shop will stay open as late as people frequent it.
"We put up 8 p.m. on the sign as kind of a placeholder for 'until,'" Croom said. "If people are here, we'll definitely stay open later. But if it's slow and nobody's really coming in, we'll close down at eight."
Croom said he will continue to do private investigation work, but that the coffee shop will now be his main focus.
"I'm excited to meet new people and see some new faces," Croom said. "I'm ready to get this up and running and give it a go. It'll be something new for downtown where anybody can come and hang out. We want it to be a good vibes only type of place."