Café opens in former Kings Mountain bank
What do bartending, cosmetology and coffee have in common?
Taylor Caldera.
The former California girl who was making her way in Los Angeles doing hair and bartending recently shifted gears and now owns and operates a coffee shop and café in Kings Mountain.
Royal T Cafe opened a month ago on the first floor of the former Fidelity Bank building at 405 S. Battleground Ave.
While the grand opening celebration was held this week, Caldera described the actual one a little more than a month ago as a “super soft opening.”
She said she wanted to get a good idea of what customers wanted and to see what needed to be tweaked before making a lot of fanfare.
Like many entrepreneurs who had big plans in the works, the one to open the coffee shop and café was delayed by COVID-19.
According to Caldera, her family purchased the building a couple of years ago. The preliminary plan included office space on the second floor and a potential sports bar on the first.
Those plans were put on hold due to the pandemic and family illness, then evolved over time. While everything wasn’t necessarily smooth sailing, those tough times brought together what had been a spread out family to the Kings Mountain area.
Caldera has jumped into business ownership full throttle.
She’s currently the sole employee at Royal T Cafe working seven days a week, with occasional help from her mom and other family members.
“I just figured if I am going to work in hospitality, I might as well work for myself,” she said.
The café includes a small kitchen and a lounge.
In addition to a variety of coffees, Caldera makes teas, protein shakes, supplement beverages, breakfast sandwiches, charcuterie boards, cheese board and other munchies.
So far Caldera has been trying to spread the word about the new business. She held a grand opening with the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce, but she’s also reached out to the faith community.
This month, Caldera has been asking people to vote for a church in the community that will receive 5% of Sunday proceeds. There’s a sheet at the café to nominate a church and at the end of the month the one with the most votes wins.
Caldera said it’s a way to make a kind gesture while also bringing in new business. And she's already thinking about what's next.
The future of the café could include a multitude of things, she said.
The upstairs will be renovated to potentially be used for office space. Caldera said she would like to host live music and eventually stay open later.
The outside has possibilities for outdoor seating, bike racks, cornhole and a dog-friendly space.
“I have lots of room so the ideas are endless,” she said. “I would like it to be a place for networking more so than anything.”
Royal T Cafe is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Café opens in former Kings Mountain bank
