Table Talk: Drip's Sean McCrossin reflects on 12 years at his Five Points coffee shop

Food Writer

Editor's Note: In this occasional series, a local food and beverage worker recommends a favorite restaurant and shares a meal with Free Times.

Each day in his cozy coffee shop nestled in the bustling college nightlife district Five Points, Sean McCrossin greets Drip customers with a smile, a "Hey, how's it going?" and a stamp of their punch cards as college students and couples on dates shuffle in.

In the day-to-day, McCrossin is present, but when it comes to reflecting on the time he's spent at his coffee shop — coming up on 12 years in mid-June — he's often at a loss.

"It doesn't feel any different than it felt to do it for one year ... I'm not really one to reflect too often," McCrossin said, as he sipped on a black coffee at Spotted Salamander on Main Street. "I'm not really wanting to do that too often. I'm constantly just trying to be in the moment."

Over a bare lunch — he sipped on just a coffee while I enjoyed a Spotted Wrap — he raved about his recently graduated daughter, who will soon move to New York City to pursue acting, and pondered whether AI technology will be this generation's scary new advancement.

As we sat in the Spotted Salamander space, which used to house the Main Street location of his well-known coffee shop that McCrossin closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in February of last year, he noted how weird it feels to sit in a space that he once worked in.

"It's hard not to just appreciate it for what it is. I'm happy that the space is filled, and that it's being occupied by a local business... but it's just, I guess, a reminder of how things used to be," McCrossin said.

Despite this, he said he's glad to be able to focus on only one location. As we talked, McCrossin told me about the upcoming changes to the Five Points Drip.

"When you have two shops, there's obviously pluses and negatives, but one of the hard things about that was maintaining that equal amongst (the two), but having one shop it's easier to just focus in and focus on 'Are we doing what we should be doing?,'" McCrossin said.

As the coffee shop nears 12 years in its Five Points home, McCrossin said he's got plans to improve the space and expand offerings, including a new pick-up area for to-go and mobile ordering that'll be located in the Scoopy Doo next door that connects inside and expanded room in the coffee shop for those waiting in line.

McCrossin doesn't know what the future holds for either him or for the coffee shop — he came to Columbia nearly 15 years ago, after migrating from Maryland across the Southeast over a number of years. He, alongside his ex-wife, raised his only daughter in Columbia.

"I love it here. I don't know how long I'll live here, my daughter just graduated, she's going to New York... I imagine I'll be spending a lot of time up there, but I love this city," McCrossin said.

Sporting a band t-shirt from a friend with a long-sleeved purple shirt underneath and bright blue sneakers, of which McCrossin has many different colors, he said, you wouldn't guess the coffee shop owner is nearing 60. His youthful energy and drive is reflected in his opinions, too.

"It's easy to turn the news on these days... and just feel depleted and hopelessness, but then to see my daughter graduate and to see her friends and the way they interact or react with each other and the support systems that they give each other... it's a really uplifting age bracket," McCrossin said.

On June 7, the coffee shop will celebrate its 12th birthday. Following suit with previous years, Drip will offer one free coffee or espresso drink per customer all day to celebrate.

Food Writer

Hannah Wade is the food writer for the Free Times. Before joining Free Times, Hannah worked as a reporting and photojournalism intern with The Greenville News. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2021.

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