A local coffee shop is set to expand, taking over a spot occupied by another local spot in a neighboring town.

Chapin-based Bart’s Crazy Good Coffee Shop announced via Facebook that it is taking over Tribal Coffee Co’s home in a shopping center at 7949 Broad River Rd. in Irmo.

“From the cool “vibe” of their beautiful coffee shop, to their focus on community, Tribal Coffee has developed a great following of devoted customers since they opened in 2020,” Bart’s posted. “When Gabriel Penfield, the founder and owner of Tribal Coffee, began to think about finding someone to take Tribal to the next level[,] a chance encounter with Bart at Waffle House lead to discussions and finally an agreement for Bart’s Coffee to acquire Tribal Coffee’s shop in Irmo.”

The Irmo shop is set to transition to become the second Bart’s location in August. Bart’s neighbors in its new shopping center home will include Alabaster Salon & Boutique, Tavern on Broad, CubeSmart Self Storage and Brooklyn Express Pizza & Pasta.

“It is with great excitement that we announce that beginning in August we will have a new name and a fresh leadership team serving the Town of Irmo Crazy Good Coffee,” Tribal posted to Facebook.

Per the Chapin shop’s website, owner Bart Baldwin “started roasting his first bag of green coffee beans back in 2018,” starting out serving from a truck in 2019 and opening the brick-and-mortar on Columbia Avenue in 2020.

“Bart really likes coffee, but that wasn’t always the case,” the website recounts. “Some coffees were too bitter and left a stale taste in his mouth. Bart hated that, as I am sure some of you can agree. So he started on his quest to find that perfect cup of morning joy.”

Bart’s Facebook post notes that more info on the Irmo operation will come as it gets closer to taking over the shop.

Tribal opened in 2021 and uses beans from the Roastery at Columbia’s Oliver Gospel Mission.

In explaining what the shop was intended to be about, the shop’s website says, “We’re big on community,” explaining this is why the name Tribal was chosen.

That community focus has shown through in frequent events, including yoga, drawing cosplay, paint-and-sips, book signings, markets and more.

In its post about the coming Bart’s transition, Tribal explains that the shop was initially intended to serve as “an extension of our Wealth Management Business that would house our University of South Carolina internship program.”

“With the contributions of 32 students, our wealth management team and many close friends from our church communities, we began to assemble something unique,” the shop posted. “Many early members of our Tribal Coffee Co community recall peeking through the windows to see the cubicle village that occupied the back rooms.

“We had more setbacks than I can count but we found an ally in Oliver Gospel that stepped in to keep up with the increasing demand. Professionally, I have evolved from a sole proprietor with a single business into a quasi-entrepreneur who continues to fail forward. With many projects going on simultaneously I came to the realization that I cannot be the one to take this enterprise to the level it deserves. After a chance encounter, it became obvious that Bart's Crazy Good Coffee Shop of Chapin SC was the operator that could take the reins.”

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.