Collective Coffee Co. Opens Near I'On

The latest addition to Mount Pleasant's food and beverage scene aims to become a part of your morning routine through attentive service and hand-brewed coffee. You just might recognize the storefront and the shop's staff.

Collective Coffee Co. opened Oct. 26 in the Bi-Lo shopping center off Shelmore Blvd. near the entrance to I'On.

The coffee shop fills the storefront previously occupied by Bodacious Bagels, which closed earlier this year. And Collective's staff comes from Hope and Union coffee shop, which closed its downtown Charleston location in July.

"When Hope and Union closed, things looked pretty bleak," said Adam Jurs, a Collective Coffee barista. "Then we were approached about this coffee shop opening, and it kind of took the sting off."

Four employees from the downtown coffee shop are employed at Collective Coffee. It's owned by Liz and Sinan Akhtar, who also own The Bagel Shop on George Street in Charleston.

Collective Coffee shares some similarities with Bodacious Bagel and The Bagel Shop, but Collective's focus is on coffee.

"We are a coffee shop that also has a full-service breakfast and lunch menu with bagels," said barista Austin Power. "We make each cup of coffee through a pour-over method. It allows us to have a wider selection of coffee and to make sure each cup is the freshest possible."

Collective Coffee's full-service menu features bagels, sandwiches and a signature French toast on its breakfast menu. The shop's employees hope to become a fixture in local patrons' morning routine.

"We're local, and that does really make a difference," Power said. "We want to become a part of our customers' morning ritual."