Inside the Canvas Coffee + Art House in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. All images courtesy of Canvas Coffee + Art House.
Offering quality and creativity in equal strokes, Canvas Coffee + Art House recently opened its doors just north of downtown Greenville, South Carolina.
Coffees prepared with pointillist precision are served over a white marble bar fronted with thin slats of light-colored natural wood inside the new cafe on W. Stone Ave. Abundant natural light streaming through two floor-to-ceiling windows glints upon clear glass manual pourover brewing equipment next to a white La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine.
Apart from a few potted plants and creative mugs, the clean white of the shop’s tables, chairs and walls is interrupted only by the shop’s works of art, both visual and drinkable.
The cafe doubles as a gallery space, hosting quarterly shows featuring local artists arranged by Canvas Coffee + Art House Co-Founder Genavieve Gilbert, a painter whose works also appear on the company’s whole bean retail packaging.
The coffee bags will eventually showcase works by guest artists as Canvas rolls out a seasonal rotation of coffees. Co-founder Arin Gilbert transforms the shop’s coffees from green to brown inside a 600-square-foot offsite facility with a Diedrich IR-2.5 roaster.
“Genavieve and I collaborate on each coffee bag’s artwork. The goal is for each design to reflect the coffee it represents, adding depth to the experience,” Arin Gilbert told Daily Coffee News. “We aim for designs that highlight flavors, evoke emotions, and tell a story that I believe corresponds with the coffee. Some pieces are digital art of mine, but we plan to primarily feature Genavieve’s work and plan to incorporate other artists.”
After 15 years of working tech sector jobs for companies such as Apple and T-Mobile, Arin Gilbert followed his personal passion into the specialty coffee industry by selling cold brew, pourovers and cocktails at pop-ups around Austin, Texas, under the name Violet Crown Coffee.
Today Gilbert turns to importers such as Royal New York and Genuine Origin for green coffees that are both approachable and exciting, dialing in classic, chocolatey profiles alongside brighter, more acidic options. The gallery of coffees served in the cafe is rounded out with offerings from guest roasters, currently including California-based Feast Coffee and fellow Greenville company Wimp Decaf.
“Every selection reflects our commitment to quality, versatility, and storytelling through coffee,” Gilbert said. “We value the creativity of the coffee community and plan to continue featuring select roasters. These partnerships allow us to showcase a variety of expressions in specialty coffee while sharing stories of excellence.”
In the shop and in Canvas’s web store, coffees share shelf space with prints of original works by Genavieve Gilbert. Snacks to accompany the coffees at the cafe include locally baked goods from Blue Ridge Bake Shop, vegan and gluten-free treats from Sunrise Bakes and, as a Friday special, burritos from Daylight Burrito.
Outside of regular operating hours, the Gilberts plan to host community events such as classes, artist meet-ups, and coffee brewing and latte art classes.
“We’re building an artist community to foster creativity while expanding our roasting operation to make Canvas known for excellence in specialty coffee,” Arin Gilbert said. “Our latte art classes are already sold out for the next month, and we’re planning to add professional and home barista skills workshops. Ultimately, we want Canvas to be a hub for connection, creativity, and outstanding coffee, making a meaningful impact in Greenville and beyond.”
Canvas Coffee & Art House is located at 109 W. Stone Ave. in Greenville. Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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