When you walk into the Daniel Building lobby at 301 N. Main St. now, you'll pass a piano that used to sit in a wine bar on Haywood Road. That's what the Greenville Journal found when it stopped by Coffee by Wine House on Oct. 1. Across from the doors are two golden archways lined with shelves and mercury glass mirrors. The seasonal drink on the menu was a salted maple latte.
The piano made the trip with Wine House when it moved downtown. Most of what's new in downtown Greenville this fall worked the same way. The new names went into rooms that already existed: a taco shop's old storefront on South Main, a closed sports pub on West Washington, the top floor of a Riverplace building, and an office lobby. At least one of these businesses has said why it chose downtown. It wanted people walking past the front door.
Wine House Gave Up a Following for Foot Traffic
Wine House's owners are Nathan Luginbill and Nolan Merritt. They closed their Haywood Road bar on Sept. 26 after the lease ran out. By then they had already committed to two new spaces. They told the Greenville Journal that the Haywood bar grew by word of mouth. It didn't get the foot traffic they needed to grow, so it worked as a destination. People came on purpose or not at all. When the lease ended, they decided to put everything into the new locations.
Leaving was still hard. Luginbill talked about the guests who had been coming since the first year:
"A lot of those people – to this day and the last day – were still there and still came back."
The owners kept their core staff through the move. The new spaces opened in three steps:
- Wine House at Hartness opened Sept. 1 at 3000 Society St. inside The Village at Hartness. It keeps the casual feel of the Haywood bar, with a wine wall, local art and a retail section. The Greenville News covered the opening on Sept. 3.
- Coffee by Wine House opened Sept. 21 in the Daniel Building lobby at 301 N. Main St.
- Wine House on Main opened Oct. 7 in the same lobby.
The plan was public well before the Haywood bar closed. The Greenville News reported on Aug. 19 that Haywood would close and the two new locations would open.
Coffee Was Part of the Main Street Lease
The coffee bar wasn't originally the owners' idea. The Greenville Journal reports that Coffee by Wine House started as a requirement in the Daniel Building lease. Luginbill and Merritt liked coffee but didn't know the business. So they hired Arin Gilbert of Canvas Coffee + Art House to consult and roast for them. He worked with them from July through September.
That detail says something about where the building's owners expect business to come from. A lobby on North Main gets people passing through in the morning long before anyone wants a glass of wine. The coffee requirement means the space is open and busy during those hours too. A wine-only bar would sit quiet until evening, which is the same problem Wine House was trying to leave behind on Haywood. The Greenville News ran a preview of the coffee menu the morning it opened.
On South Main, an Empty Storefront Lasted 15 Weeks
Wine House chose downtown. Farther down Main Street, a storefront that had gone empty got filled again. White Duck Taco announced on June 11 that it would close its downtown location two days later, on June 13, according to the Upstate Business Journal. By early September the Upstate Business Journal reported that Tipsy Taco was taking over the space at 20 S. Main St. It opened Sept. 28.
From closing day to opening day was about 15 weeks, which means the storefront sat empty for most of the summer.
Tipsy Taco wasn't new to the area either. It's a locally owned Mexican restaurant with locations on Pelham and Woodruff roads and in Simpsonville, Travelers Rest, Duncan, Clemson, Hendersonville and Brevard. Main Street is a new address for a business people across the Upstate already know.
Here are this fall's downtown openings and the spaces they moved into:
| Address | Previous use | New business | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 S. Main St. | White Duck Taco, closed June 13, 2026 | Tipsy Taco | Sept. 28, 2026 |
| 15 W. Washington St. | Charleston Sports Pub, closed 2024 | Gauchinho Brazilian Steakhouse | Now open |
| 301 N. Main St. | Daniel Building lobby | Coffee by Wine House, then Wine House on Main | Sept. 21 and Oct. 7, 2026 |
| 180 Riverplace | Top floor of The Lazy Goat building | Enlō | Sept. 22, 2026 |
West Washington Took Longer
The sports pub space on West Washington had a slower turnaround. Charleston Sports Pub closed at 15 W. Washington St. in 2024. A real estate investment firm bought the property in 2025. Gauchinho Brazilian Steakhouse is open there now, the Post and Courier reports.
This is Gauchinho's third restaurant. The first two opened in 2022 in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Asheville. Partner Lauri Balbinot told the Post and Courier that Greenville customers who had eaten at those locations encouraged him to open one in the Upstate. Wine House came downtown hoping to meet new people. Gauchinho arrived with a following that had already been driving out of state to eat there.
It's an all-you-can-eat churrascaria with a salad bar and 15 meats, from pork ribs to lamb chops to linguiça. Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Upstairs on Riverplace, Dinner Starts at $125
Enlō is the most expensive of the fall openings. It opened Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 180 Riverplace on the top floor of The Lazy Goat building, the Greenville News reports. The Post and Courier says the menu is prix fixe only. You choose five courses for $125 or eight for $175, and you can watch the chefs cook in the open kitchen in the middle of the dining room.
Executive Chef Nico Abello told the Post and Courier he wants Enlō to be a place people come back to, not just somewhere for special occasions:
"If you want to lick the plate because you like the sauce, lick the plate."
That makes Enlō the reverse of the old Wine House model. The price and format make it a place you plan for. Its owners still chose a spot on the Reedy River, where plenty of people pass by on foot.
The Next One Is Already Lined Up on North Main
There's at least one more opening coming. Emily Fournier opened her grab-and-go market, Emily's Pantry, in fall 2025. Her restaurant, Emily's Table, is planned for 110 N. Main St. in late 2026. The Greenville Journal describes it as fine dining built around fresh ingredients and easy allergy accommodations. As of the Journal's Oct. 13 report, there was no opening date yet. The restaurant's Instagram said one would be announced soon.
The Holiday Calendar Brings Even More Walkers
Downtown's new spots will get their first holiday season soon, and two dates are already set.
- Nov. 15, 1 to 5 p.m. The Augusta Road Business Association is holding its Holiday Open House along Augusta Street. The Upstate Business Journal lists Santa photos, carriage rides, seasonal treats, raffles, sales and gift shopping.
- Dec. 5, 6 p.m. The Poinsettia Christmas Parade comes down Main Street.
The parade runs on Main Street, the same street where Coffee by Wine House and Tipsy Taco opened this fall. Dec. 5 will be the first parade night either one has been open on Main Street.
If you have questions about how downtown is changing, or if your own plans are starting to shift, Patrick Toates and The Toates Team are happy to talk it through over a latte at the Daniel Building. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll pick a time.
