From The Beginning To Now
Our Story
We may specialize in all things wonderful in wine, but who are we? Why did we start up Half Full?Why call it 'Half Full' in the first place? This is the place to answer all your questions and more!
About The Owners
We, Sean and Christy Pomeroy, opened Half Full Coffee and Wine in 2012, with a vision of creating a wine/coffee bar where people can come in, enjoy a wonderful beverage and connect with other members of the community. We aren't from Newberry, SC; truth be told, we've been informed that even if our grandparents were born here we wouldn't be Newberrians. But, we have a strong sense of being welcomed into the community and we enjoy living in the city of friendly folks. After 14+ years of growth we have evolved from coffee to cafe so...Welcome to Half Full Cafe and Wine Bar!
Our Journey To Newberry: Part 1
Our journey to Newberry is an interesting, if little long, one. In 2006, we decided to move out of the Northern Virginia area in search for warmer weather and a smaller town. To start our search, we traveled to South Carolina and spent a weekend driving around checking out little towns. We wanted something quaint but not too small, that had a historic downtown which wasn't boarded up, but that still had some conveniences like Walmart and Lowes, it needed to be close to an interstate and we wanted to be close enough to do day trips to the mountains or the ocean. At lunch time on a Saturday in September, we stumbled upon Newberry and knew almost immediately it was going to be a great fit.
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Three interstate exits, a cute downtown area, many local restaurants, a nationally known Opera House, Lowes and Walmart for the 'need to haves' and not that far from Columbia or Greenville/Spartanburg for the 'would like to haves', and they have a local college with a football team. What more could we ask for?
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Our Journey to Newberry: Part 2
In 2007 we purchased some land in the country in the county of Newberry and in 2008 we built a little vacation home. We made the trek down from Northern Virginia three times and then decided that we wanted to move permanently. There is just something about being in the grocery store and a total stranger striking up a conversation in the friendliest manner. This was a community that we wanted to be in and to help grow. We fixed up our house in Virginia, sold it in a week (someone was smiling down on us), and moved to Newberry in June of 2009.
We had always dreamed of starting a local business so we started to look around Newberry and the surrounding area to see what might be a good fit for the area. We didn't want to force it and we were new to the area; so, we wanted to see what other people thought would be a good local business. We both enjoy coffee in the morning and wine in the evening so we thought it would be a great fit and the locals all agreed. In May of 2011, we purchased a building on Main Street and started to spec out the plans for the Coffee/Wine Bar. Renovation and starting a business always takes longer than expected. In February 2012 the new adventure became a reality and we were open for business. After an amazing 12 years, we realized we have evolved from coffee and wine, to cafe and wine. We expanded everything; from our drink collection all the way to our menu, we became so much more.
Come help us enjoy our life "Half Full".
Our Name
We are eternal optimists and truly believe that the glass is "half full". When we were looking at naming our beverage store, "half full" just seemed like the perfect name. No matter what size or shape of the glass, "half full" just fits. Now, we have been told that some people would prefer a "full glass". To that we say "Us Too". But, not to worry, we can top you off whenever you need it.
Our Location
1402 Main Street looks out onto Lindsay Street and the back entrance has very convenient parking.
Our building is on the National Registry for Historic Places. But, that doesn't mean as much to us as all the stories that people have about what was in our location before us.
Before it was Half Full, it was an antiques store (Red Door Antiques) but most people know it as a former barber shop. Many times when we mention which storefront on Main Street is our location, people have a story about getting their hair cut. We also know that before it was a barber shop it was a clothing store. During the renovation we found signs for 'wash & wear robes' and label for dresses in the storage area.