A storefront that sat empty for six years at the corner of Buncombe and Whitner streets in downtown Greenville finally has a tenant, and it's a bagel and coffee shop built around a mission of kindness. Kind Cafe, which got its start in Fairhope, Alabama, has signed a lease for 3,366 square feet inside Canvas Lofts, with founder Alex Pikul aiming for a mid-November opening.
The lease marks the first commercial tenant to occupy ground-floor retail space at Canvas Lofts since the building was completed in 2020, according to the Post and Courier. Commercial real estate filings reviewed by Upstate Business Journal show Kind Cafe Greenville LLC finalized the deal during the second quarter of 2026, with Rakan Draz of Trinity Partners representing the tenant and James McKay and Harris Houser representing landlord Canvas Lofts LLC. Pikul, who spoke with the Greenville Journal, said he linked up with Draz, who ultimately led him to the Buncombe Street space.
A Long-Vacant Corner Finally Fills In
Canvas Lofts is a development featuring ground-floor retail and residential apartments. The property sits at what those filings describe as a gateway connecting downtown Greenville to the Hampton Pinckney Historic District. Kind Cafe will occupy the Buncombe Street side of the surrounding Canvas Academy development, according to the same reporting.
When developers first envisioned Canvas Lofts nearly a decade ago, the Post and Courier's report notes, they had hoped to land a small grocery concept akin to Trader Joe's to anchor the ground floor. That vision never materialized, leaving the space empty even as upper-floor apartments stayed occupied. Plans for a 19-story mixed-use tower at the corner of College, Academy, and Buncombe streets were scrapped and replaced with a 175-unit, six-story multifamily complex, Upstate Business Journal reported.
From Peer Helper to Coffee Shop Founder
Pikul's path to opening a cafe traces back to high school, where he served as a peer helper 15 to 18 years ago. “Being a peer helper had a huge impact on his life,” he told the Greenville Journal, a role that shaped how he thinks about the businesses he runs today. He was living in Dallas during the COVID-19 pandemic, working primarily from coffee shops, and said he noticed a shift toward a more digital, less people-first hospitality industry during that stretch of quarantine.
That noticing led to a realization he shared with the outlet: “Somehow everything was starting to become more transactional.” Coffee and coffee shops became, in the Greenville Journal's telling, a bedrock of his life and a harbinger of community. He said he felt a pull toward Fairhope, Alabama, where he opened the original Kind Cafe in 2021, met his wife shortly after, and got the location running well before considering any expansion.
Splitting Time Between Alabama and Greenville
Pikul's wife matched for a residency at Prisma Health in Greenville in 2023, which set the couple moving back and forth between Fairhope and Greenville until he relocated full-time in October 2025. The original Fairhope storefront remains part of the business, making the Greenville project an expansion rather than a move. The original Fairhope shop operates out of the Section Place shopping plaza and donated 3% of total sales to local nonprofits in 2023, according to Fairhoper's Favorite.
Kind Cafe's menu is built around scratch-made New York-style bagels prepared fresh every morning, offered in several varieties and paired with a range of spreads. Pikul told the Greenville Journal he plans to serve bagel sandwiches, including one built around Duke's Mayonnaise as a nod to the local market, plus teas and both espresso-based and cold brew coffee. The Greenville location will pull from Birmingham-based Cala Coffee, which has three brick-and-mortar cafes in the Birmingham area, according to Bham Now. The roaster's name is a portmanteau of California and Alabama, honoring the Cosios' 2016 move between the two states, the outlet has also reported.
A Nonprofit Tie Still Taking Shape
Kind Cafe Fairhope has partnered with the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation on events, sponsorships, and donation roundups. The foundation was established in 1998 following the death of a 16-year-old student by suicide, and it works with peer helpers who support and mentor other students as part of its broader effort to combat suicide and provide mental wellness resources for children and teens. The foundation trains peer helpers who support and mentor other students as part of its broader effort to combat suicide and provide mental wellness resources for children and teens.
Retail sales figures have been reported.
Kind Cafe Greenville will have its own nonprofit tie, though Pikul told the Greenville Journal he's still working on which local connection it will be. The new location is expected to carry some touches from the Fairhope shop alongside references to the Upstate, and Pikul said it may host art markets, pop-ups, or other community-based events once open. Above all, he said his aim is for visitors to feel heard and make genuine connections, telling the outlet that “the real product is the experience.”
