Early on a sunny Sunday morning in mid-April, a steady stream of dog walkers, couples pushing strollers and groups of three and four walk purposefully down both sides of Haywood Road in West Asheville. They’re all heading to the same destination: Rowan Coffee’s second location, which opened April 4.
Inside the refurbished corner brick building — originally an auto garage — sunlight streams through the banks of multipaned windows, and greenery thrives on ledges. More than a dozen people are in line to order a coffee drink, a vegan muffin or toast. Earlier arrivals have claimed leather-upholstered booths, a stool at the bar or the banquette against one wall. A covered, pup-friendly patio out front seats about 25.
As warmly as the residential neighborhood has welcomed the newest business in a wave of young West Asheville entrepreneurship (Character Study, Garden Party, Potential New Boyfriend, Bebop Bottle Shop and Haywood Famous have launched on Haywood in recent months), no one is happier than founder and owner Bow Smith. For him, it is literally a dream come true.
“I moved to Asheville in 2019 and live on State Street,” he says. “The building was vacant at the time, and I always kind of pined for it. But I wasn’t ready then to open a brick-and-mortar.”
Instead, he started Rowan Coffee as a pop-up espresso cart. In September 2021, he and his then-business partner opened Rowan Coffee at 66 Broadway, across the street from Center for Craft. The Rowan roastery was in Candler.
“I always wanted to have a café and roastery under one roof, but there wasn’t room in the downtown shop,” Smith says. “When the Haywood building was listed for lease and I toured it, I saw the entire back room and knew I could move roasting here.”
He took possession in February 2024 and turned the design over to his wife, Jessi Lee Cord. “This is entirely her vision — the layout, the design, the furnishings and finishes. Everything you see is her.”
Tropical Storm Helene delayed the opening by a few months, but he was buoyed by the business community around him. “I go to all of their places, we support each other. I probably would have failed my application for a wine and beer license if I hadn’t gotten advice from Disco [owner of Potential New Boyfriend].”
Open 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., beer and wine are indeed on the beverage menu, along with hot and cold coffee drinks, tea and chai. Baked goods are sourced from Recess in Black Mountain, French Broad Pantry, West End Bakery and Back Porch Baking Co.; bread comes from Mother. Snacks are available all day, and a small kitchen will allow more substantial dishes as Smith staffs up.
“I started the pop-ups in this neighborhood,” Smith says. “We live here and love being in this building, in this close community, and seeing friends. It’s just serendipitous the way it all worked out.”
Rowan Coffee is at 785 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/epq.
