A Five Points coffee shop is months away from settling down after more than a year of hopping around the entertainment district as a pop-up operation.

Co-owners Roger Caughman and Kailey Cunningham founded Godspeed in the summer of 2024. The couple previously worked together at Drip, another Five Points coffee shop, just a few doors down. 

“I am so excited for this and y’all!!!” Hannah Norman commented on Godspeed’s Instagram account.

The new location happens to be the same place Godspeed started: the old Starbucks location in Five Points, which was previously home to The Joyful Alternative, a newsstand and tie-dyed clothing shop, for decades. The Starbucks shut down in April 2023. 

Papa Jazz Record Shoppe temporarily relocated there when it was renovating its floors. Godspeed served coffee out of a mobile cart within the record store. After Papa Jazz moved back home, the next extended pop-up was inside the Boyd Innovation Center, also on Saluda Avenue.

Caughman and Cunningham are now reworking the Starbucks space to become their first permanent, brick-and-mortar location. While a pop up has its perks, a permanent storefront was always their goal.

There is no set opening date, but Caughman expects the store to open around December or January, he said. 

The menu and vibe will not be too different, Cunningham said. But permanence will benefit the coffee shop and its customers, 

One of the best things about the permanent store will be its longer hours, Cunningham said.

The owners predict hours between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. for Wednesday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday’s hours would be 9 a.m to 4 p.m. 

“It’ll be really nice to be on a normal schedule and be here all the time, and not just two hours for one day a week,” Cunningham said.

Wait times for drinks will be improved by hiring more staff and acquiring better equipment. The owners already bought a new espresso machine that can pour two shots at once, Caughman said.

Godspeed also will be connected to the building’s plumbing, unlike at its pop-up locations. And the store will have its own glassware and mugs, instead of just disposable cups. 

The new location is in the heart of Five Points, next door to Saluda’s and CJ’s. 

“It’s right across from the fountain, which is awesome,” Cunningham said. “You can look out the window and see it. There’s a lot of foot traffic here. So even if people have no idea we exist, just walking down the hill from campus and into Five Points, you have no choice but to kind of pass by us.”

And to the owners’ surprise, many people still think there’s a Starbucks there. That works in the shop’s favor, Cunningham said. 

The patio space outside the storefront belongs to Godspeed, too. The coffee shop could potentially seat 60 to 80 customers at a time with both indoor and outdoor seating, Caughman said.

The shop will have Wi-Fi, but the number of electric outlets will be limited, Caughman said. Godspeed will tread the fine line between providing a place to work while also keeping a social atmosphere, he said.

“It is a space to come and study and to hang out,” Caughman said. “You can hang out the entire time we’re open. But it also is a space that we’re encouraging people to mingle and party.”