BRÜ, the coffee pop-up that built a following around draft lattes and oat milk drinks, opened its first permanent storefront on Tuesday at The Alley at Latta Arcade in Uptown Charlotte. The new shop sits at 320 S Tryon St., Suite 116, taking over a space with a recent history of turnover in the city's food scene.
The storefront debuted Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the Charlotte Observer, marking BRÜ's transition from a mobile coffee operation to a brick-and-mortar shop. The space previously housed Knowledge Perk Coffee Company, and before that, Dank Bowls, which closed in October, the outlet reports.
Founder Kareem Warren announced the permanent location on Instagram ahead of the opening. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., per the storefront's posted hours.
From Farmers Market Tent to Storefront Lines
BRÜ's path to a permanent address started at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, where Warren launched the mobile coffee business the previous October, according to Axios Charlotte. Within three months and roughly 20 pop-ups, the outlet reported that BRÜ regularly drew lines of more than 100 people.
That early momentum came from a menu built around draft lattes with what the Charlotte Observer describes as elevated yet approachable flavors. The same outlet notes BRÜ built a loyal local following well before it had a permanent door to walk through.
Brü is a new Black-owned coffee pop-up drawing massive crowds, with customers lining up to try its draft lattes and matcha. — Threads @axioscharlotte
What's on the Menu at the New Shop
The storefront serves BRÜ's signature iced oat milk lattes alongside traditional coffee and espresso drinks, cold brews, flat whites, single-cup pour overs, chai lattes and matcha whisked to order, the Charlotte Observer reports. Warren told the outlet the shop makes its syrups and cream tops in-house.
Two drinks anchor the menu. No Notes is a brown sugar latte topped with banana pudding cream, while The Last Crumb is an oat milk latte made with red velvet syrup and finished with cheesecake cream on top. Warren said The Last Crumb's thoughtful but approachable flavors have made it popular with customers.
A Seat to Stay a While
Unlike the pop-up setup that built BRÜ's reputation, the new storefront gives customers a place to linger. Warren said the space includes bench seating near the windows, the Charlotte Observer reports.
BRÜ also runs a monthly Shared Grounds Series, according to Axios Charlotte, centering each installment on a different culture with a featured drink and, when possible, a baked good tied to a holiday or tradition. The format fits into what Axios Charlotte has called the city's broader pop-up scene, which the outlet describes as a gateway to niche and global flavors often served in limited doses.
