Fahey: Maywood Davis coffee shop now open in 1970s-era general store on Hilton Head Island
Alex Snyder visited dozens of independently owned coffee shops on a drive to Texas one year.
The Hilton Head Island resident tasted the coffee, took in the atmosphere, talked with the owners and got a feel for what worked (and what didn't) in the local coffeehouse industry.
"Bit by bit, I decided I wanted to do something with coffee," he said.
Snyder opened Maywood Davis two weeks ago at 612 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head. The coffee shop, between Sherwin Williams and Barnacle Bill's, resides in a building constructed in 1976. It has served as a general store, visitors center and gas station before its recent conversion.
In fact, the old general store sign remains in front of the building.
"Some people still come in and ask (about) the general store," Snyder said. He is currently working with the town to put a Maywood Davis sign out front.
The coffee shop's name pays homage to Snyder's parents: Maywood was his father's middle name and Davis was his mother's maiden name.
"My dad did a lot of building and restoring, and my mom was always making something," Snyder said. He has done most of the restoration himself inside the log cabin-style building, and he's always making something, too -- usually coffee or toffee, his original venture. (He said he spent one year making more than 100 batches of toffee to perfect the recipe.)
The building's unique style -- there aren't many log cabins on Hilton Head, after all -- and nearly 40 years of history appealed to Snyder. Starting in July, he was busy sanding the floors, painting the walls and restoring old wood furniture to use as tables and chairs.
One tabletop was made by his grandfather 60 years ago. Another table was given to him by a friend, who found it in a warehouse.
Snyder has even reused some of the original shelving from the general store to display his products. Artwork, which is for sale, by artists from Charlotte, Savannah and places in between hangs on the log walls.
Snyder, who has lived on Hilton Head for eight years, was previously a swim coach. He owned a T-shirt graphics store about 10 years ago, but Maywood Davis is his first coffeehouse venture.
"I just jumped in," he said. "I think a craft coffeehouse is needed in the area."
Snyder has partnered with Savannah-based Perc Coffee Roasters. He said he makes weekly trips to the city to ensure the coffee he serves is as fresh as possible.
He's attempting to carry that philosophy into all of his products.
"I'm trying to do as much 'craft' stuff as I can," he said. "We make our own sugar mixtures, we make our own marshmallows for the cocoa."
Right now, Snyder is restoring an old espresso machine to expand his menu. His current drink offerings include nitro coffee, pour-over coffee and hot chocolate.
He also hopes to eventually add weekend events, such as movie nights and gallery nights.
Maywood Davis is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Details: 843-368-2839
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This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Fahey: Maywood Davis coffee shop now open in 1970s-era general store on Hilton Head Island."