Port Royal’s Pluff Mudd Coffee Company opens

Just inside the historic building off Paris Avenue, signs of Nick Gregoire’s initial business idea dot his new coffee shop.

A bicycle is part of the Pluff Mudd Coffee Company logo, helmets hang on the wall inside the door and various bike trinkets decorate the new coffee shop.

Pluff Mudd opened Friday and will hold a grand opening April 16 during Port Royal’s Soft Shell Crab Festival. Gregoire will continue to offer bike rentals — he previously operated the business from his home — as well as coffee.

In addition to drip coffee and espresso, a tap behind the bar pours a cold-brew coffee made by Savannah roaster PERC. The nitrogen-powered tap creates a head of foam, much like a Guinness beer, Gregoire said.

The shop’s hours will be 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. to start.

On the door is a map with the quickest path by bike to the Spanish Moss Trail — cross Ribaut Road from Paris Avenue and hang a couple of lefts. Gregoire originally hoped to open a storefront along the trail at Depot Road and eyed a warehouse on Robert Smalls Parkway along the trail owned by a like-minded business owner.

Gregoire points out that the trail is a short ride from his location and that it should only get better.

“What we’re trying to do is draw people here and let them know the trail is still accessible from Port Royal,” he said. “Once the trail is done and the (Port of Port Royal property) is done, this place is going to be golden.”

Elsewhere in northern Beaufort County:

▪ Parc at Broad River apartments in Port Royal are accepting residents this month, according to the complex’s phone recording. The complex is off Savannah Highway and S.C. near the base of the Broad River Bridge.

The apartments are touted as luxury level and feature open-concept kitchens, granite countertops, crown molding, and screened and unscreened porches with views of the Broad River, project managers said. A one-bedroom apartment will be about 800 square feet, a two-bedroom will be about 1,200 square feet and a three-bedroom unit will be about 1,350 square feet.

There are about 250 apartments in the complex, and the project was slated to cost about $30 million, developers said last year.

▪ The activity at Richmond Avenue and Ribaut Road in Port Royal is picking up. A new Dollar General at the intersection is opening soon, with inventory going in this week. Site prep crews are preparing to break ground on what will be an assisted-living facility on Richmond across from the Wardle Family YMCA.

▪ A new Great Clips will be opening in late May in Cross Creek Plaza off Robert Smalls Parkway. Owners John and Ronni Reaves also operate a location in Hardeeville near New River Auto Mall and Walmart. The hair-cutting chain has more than 3,700 locations throughout the country.

▪ Wayback Burgers on Boundary Street in Beaufort will open on April 15, owner David McElhaney said.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Port Royal’s Pluff Mudd Coffee Company opens."