Pertinacious Coffee is leaving the cart behind for a storefront of its own. The local specialty coffee brand plans to open its first standalone cafe at 1700 Abbey Pl. in Montford, inside the new Centro Montford development near Park Road Shopping Center, with an opening targeted for mid-January 2027.
The cafe will occupy roughly 700 square feet with indoor tables and an outdoor patio, according to Axios. Tentative hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. The menu will lean on specialty coffees, including the brand's blueberry vanilla latte, which founder Emma Layman says has sold more than 6,000. Grab-and-go options will include overnight oats, chia seed pudding, toast and artisan-style sandwiches, alongside pastries from Whisk + Wood and Wheatberry.
Layman, 23, is the founder and owner of Pertinacious Coffee, which began as a mobile coffee cart she started in 2024. The brand describes its own origin story as starting out of a home in Charlotte's Plaza Midwood neighborhood, according to Pertinacious Coffee Co., before a mobile version of the business was born. From there, the company expanded into a coffee bar at The Club, a fitness and coworking space in South End.
From a Home Kitchen to a Growing Storefront Business
The Club describes Pertinacious as a local, woman-owned coffee concept now occupying a full coffee bar setup on-site, per The Club. That arrangement isn't going away — the company will continue operating its cafe inside The Club even after the Montford storefront opens, giving Layman two active locations rather than a straight relocation.
The financials behind the expansion paint a picture of fast growth. Layman told the outlet in September that Pertinacious' monthly sales rose from $8,363 to $29,156 in a year. She got there in part with a $10,000 loan used to buy a $6,000 coffee cart, and the brand still sources its beans from Giddy Goat.
Layman Wanted a Space of Her Own
Layman has been searching for a storefront of her own. She credited her time at The Club with laying the groundwork, saying being there made everything possible and that she's excited to create something uniquely theirs.
Layman hopes Pertinacious becomes a neighborhood gathering spot, including for students at nearby Myers Park High School. The Montford corridor already draws a steady crowd of its own: the neighborhood includes the Michelin-recommended tasting restaurant L'Ostrica and the Moosehead Grill and karaoke bar Jeff's Bucket Shop, while Bittersweet is taking over the former Good Food on Montford space. Centro Montford itself is a new apartment development in the area.
