Carolina Coffee Shop opens new café, 1922, next door

1922 by Carolina Coffee Shop, a new grab-and-go style café located beside the original restaurant, had a soft opening to the public on Feb. 5 with condensed hours. The café will operate on its full schedule starting Monday.

There has been no official grand opening for the café, but Zachary Brown, café manager, said this may occur at a later date.

Brown said that 1922 is a café, while Carolina Coffee Shop is more restaurant-style. He said the focus of the café is on coffee, tea and pastries, rather than having a host seat you and tend to your table.

He said 1922 will serve as a place where students can hang out and do school work.

“It’s a little calmer, more relaxed and comfortable environment," Brown said. "The focus is on the coffee and tea.”

The name 1922 is a reference to the year Carolina Coffee Shop opened. The opening of the café comes as a part of Carolina Coffee Shop's centennial celebration.

In the summer of 2017, Carolina Coffee Shop came under the ownership of a group of UNC graduate investors, including U.S. soccer Olympian Heather O'Reilly.

When interviewed at the time, O'Reilly said the new owners would have a celebration in store for that event — something that has come to fruition this year.

“We wanted to do something special for our centennial and the community who come and support us, and part of that is opening our brand new café,” Brown said.

He said one of the things that make 1922 unique is its support of other businesses in the community and surrounding areas.

The coffee sold at the café is locally sourced from Carrboro Coffee Roasters, and pastries sold at the shop are provided by Ninth Street Bakery in Durham. Some tea infusions are from Jasper and Gold, and there is food provided by Chapel Hill business The Purple Bowl.

Evan Elder, shift supervisor at 1922, said that in addition to its convenient location and connections to the historic restaurant, the attachments to local businesses are an appealing factor.

Elder said that the café is continuing to adapt and add new options during these opening stages, such as making its own syrups.

“The concept is still kind of fresh, which gives us a lot of room to play with it a little bit,” he said. “It'll be exciting to see what it turns into after that's kind of tapped into and expanded on.”

Brown said that one of the goals of 1922 is to serve the community of Chapel Hill. 1922 plans to do this is by promoting local artwork in the storefront, adding a bulletin board where artists can promote shows and performances and introducing a plant adoption program for customers.

Caroline Prendiville, a sophomore student at UNC, said that when she went to the new café, the atmosphere was welcoming and niche to Chapel Hill.

“1922 is different than a chain because it has such a unique energy,” she said. “I love supporting local businesses because they add to the charm of Chapel Hill and make it the town it is.”

Prendiville said that as a college student, she appreciates the fast service of 1922.

“I love Carolina Coffee Shop’s coffee, but it is more formal and I would rather have a quick in-and-out option,” she said. “I still feel like I get the experience of being at Carolina Coffee Shop, just in a different way.”

Brown said that he wants 1922 to be a place where the Chapel Hill community can come together.

“We want this to be a comfortable place that people can come back to again and again," he said.

Editor's Note: Caroline Prendiville is a former staff writer at The Daily Tar Heel.

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