Flying Fox Coffee is putting down roots in downtown Woodruff, leasing a two-story building at 132 S. Main St. for its third Upstate storefront in a city that has become one of South Carolina's biggest population boomtowns. Construction is already underway inside the space, with completion expected in November, and the coffee brand will join Greer and Greenville locations already open under its name.
A Historic Storefront Gets New Life
According to The Post and Courier, Flying Fox Coffee will offer its usual lineup of pour-overs, cortados and lattes once the Woodruff shop opens. The building itself spans 3,920 square feet along a Main Street corridor that sees an average of 14,300 vehicles a day, according to SVN Palmetto. The listing describes the historic structure as having been renovated in 2016. Brett Mitchell, a representative of Reedy River Retail at SVN Palmetto who helped close the lease, said the shop will contribute to downtown Woodruff's growth and revitalization, per the Post and Courier's reporting.
Flying Fox Coffee began as a mobile espresso cart. The company opened its first permanent storefront in June 2022 inside Cartwright Food Hall on Trade Street in Greer before expanding into a standalone Trade Street space. A second brick-and-mortar location followed at 14 S. Main St. in downtown Greenville, operating as a Flying Fox location.
Woodruff's Population Boom Reshapes Main Street
The Woodruff expansion lands in a city undergoing rapid transformation. Woodruff's population grew from 4,311 residents in the 2020 Census to an estimated 6,237 by 2026, a 44.7% increase, according to World Population Review. The city also saw a 10.4% increase from 2023 to 2024, according to the Post and Courier. That single-year jump made Woodruff the second fastest-growing city statewide, trailing only Hardeeville in Jasper County, the Post and Courier reports. U.S. Census Bureau estimates released in May 2025 also showed South Carolina as the nation's fourth fastest-growing state, trailing only Florida, Texas and Utah, with Upstate cities including Woodruff, Mauldin, Fountain Inn and Greer leading that statewide growth, as reported by the Post and Courier.
Much of that growth traces back to BMW Group's $1.7 billion South Carolina expansion, completed in July, which includes a $700 million, 300-employee high-voltage EV battery plant in Woodruff known as Plant Woodruff. Series production there is scheduled to begin in December to supply BMW's nearby Spartanburg vehicle assembly hub, according to The EV Report, which notes that finished battery packs will travel roughly 15 miles from Woodruff to Plant Spartanburg. The industrial surge is part of the broader growth story in Spartanburg County.
A Crowded Coffee Corner
Flying Fox is not the only new caffeine option arriving downtown. The broader coffee boom includes another new independent concept, D'Cafe, opening on Main Street, plus a Dunkin' drive-thru in development and an existing Starbucks location already in town.
Flying Fox's expansion also comes as the brand builds regional visibility beyond its storefronts. The company was selected as one of more than 20 local coffee roasters and specialty shops scheduled to participate in the inaugural Greenville Coffee Fest at Judson Mill on February 6, 2027, as Hoodline reported in August. With construction on the Woodruff shop expected to wrap up in November, the brand is set to open its doors just as the city's population and commercial growth show no signs of slowing.
