I have lived in mostly large cities all my life—Detroit, New York, Atlanta.  But the Upstate of South Carolina is by far and away the best.  It has the best of big cities with the ease and convenience that defines the Area.  I call it my home now and I will never leave.  The combination of beauty, nature, business, culture, friendliness, charity is like nowhere else I’ve ever been.

I love showing off Greenville to my out-of-town friends.  Atlantans, New Yorkers, Oregonians.  They cannot believe how much there is to do here - art, theater, restaurants, shopping and the great outdoors.  Oh and there is NO traffic!

Less than a year ago, my wife and I were living in Cincinnati when she received a job offer from a company in Spartanburg.  Our immediate reaction, ‘Umm… Where?’ Fortunately, we both had opportunities to check out the area before we made our decision to move, and we’re both absolutely ecstatic that we did.  The Upstate of South Carolina has exceeded every expectation that we had of it: Beautiful scenery, affordable living costs, excellent food, an abundance of art and culture, friendly people — I could wax on for a while, but to really understand, you’d have to come and visit.  Otherwise, you’ll think that all of us are exaggerating.

I am a native Greenvillian, and a proud one. During the planning of the River Place project, especially the destruction of the Camperdown Bridge, I could not foresee what the planners could see. I was and am still blown away every time I visit Falls Park. I am so very proud of those planners and their foresight into what could be. I am especially proud of the them when Greenville hosts special events such as Artisphere, Art in the Park and Fall for Greenville. People from all over the US come here for these events and I have heard so many complimentary comments from them about our downtown. Kudos to all those planners.

I came here for a job in a local firm about 2 years ago.  Six months earlier we had relocated from Florida to Charlotte.  An anticipated job there fell through after we relocated.  I was in dire need of employment and I applied here without even knowing what Greenville looked like.  I got the intereview and we drove over here for the first time.

I was blown away by Main Street and by Falls Park.  This is what a downtown is supposed to look like.  Tree-lined sidewalks.  Lively festivals.  Attention to historic preservation.  And lighting up the trees on Main at night time brings a sense of “belonging”  to the soul.  We belong here!  This is where I want to live the rest of my life.  I can’t tell you how many people have visited us and have been stunned at how pretty this little city is. 

And the other thing I was blow away by is how progressive the city planners have been.  I have been finding articles about how run-down Greenville was in the not too distant past.  Too embark on such a bold and courageous plan is truly something to be proud of.

We discovered Greenville “by accident”, but once we’d visited, we couldn’t get the place out of our minds.  For years as we traveled about on vacations, we would write down features we liked in each locale, gradually developing our “wish list” for what we wanted when we relocated to our dream location.  Greenville fulfilled all our requirements - it had about 95% of everything we were looking for - mild weather, colleges, sports, theater, an international community, continuing educational events, water, forests, close to airports, excellent restaurants….  We bought a place right downtown and can hardly wait to move into it.  Now we just need jobs!

In January 2008 my mother and I decided to start our own cake company, Cake Squared Inc.. We wasted no time getting started. With much respect and love for our community and downtown area we had a great desire to be a part of the “Main Street” elite. However, the more we researched,  the more we were drawn to the West Greenville area.

The process of looking at buildings and determining them up-to-code was gruelling, but with help (cheerful attitudes, willingness to meet us anywhere, helpful opinions, knowledge of community, codes, laws and area history) from Greenville’s licensing/ building/ health etc. departments we soon found ourselves in our own building! .

We couldn’t have done it without them -at least not as quickly, efficiently, or affectively.

They were very encouraging about helping us create a successful business in the Greenville area.

We have been open for 5 months and want to thank everyone and Greenville for their support.

Coffee to a Tea by Cake Squared Inc
54 Lois Avenue
West Greenville, SC 29611
864.373.9836
Pendleton Street Arts District

I moved to Cowpens last year and I am still blown away every single day! The beautiful sunsets over the pasture and pond is only part of it’s breath taking beauty.  Historic Downtown Cowpens is so wonderful.  Often I find myself just walking around admiring the old buildings or taking a walk around the depot.  It’s also always fun to take a trip to the Cowpens battlefield to the reinactments. Those cannons literally blow me away.  The interesting history is not the only aspect of this wonderful southern town that I love so much.  In Cowpens you never meet a stranger.  Everyone is so friendly. There’s always a BBQ or street dance going on! It’s a bunch of great people having fun, welcoming everyone and treating a person they’ve only just met like family. Also, I must say my favorite time in Cowpens is summertime. The Mighty Moo Festival is a site to be seen.  You haven’t lived until you’ve been to the Mighty Moo festival. The rides and parades are great!  Then, there’s nothing like cooling off from a hot day of fishing a skeet shooting by jumping in the Sherwood pool! Then heading to one of the great restaraunts for some awesome food! Ok, well I hate to rush off but I’ve got to get back to the Cowpens fun!  Hope to see y’all soon in historic Cowpens!