Locally owned Social Coffee Shop opens its doors at Broadway at the Beach

A Myrtle Beach tourist attraction, Broadway at the Beach, has opened their doors to a new business known as Social Coffee Shop.

Social Coffee opened on March 13, 2020, but the next day were told they had to shut down due to COVID-19. The shop stayed open for a week, but with no business coming in they were forced to close. The business reopened on June 16.

The coffee shop is a locally owned business by Pinar Akyurek and Aras Bilgin. They are a Turkish couple who have a keen eye for quality coffee. Rather than ordering all their products from one company to keep low costs, they went to multiple roasters and shops to find their favorite house roasts, espresso, syrups, etc.

“We tried over 25 coffees to find the best one,” Akyurek said.

Along with coffee, the shop also offers baked goods, sandwiches and refrigerated beverages. Their pastries, such as muffins, danishes and bagels, are delivered fresh every morning by The Donut Man. The Donut Man is another locally owned business located off Kings Highway.

Social Coffee is not the only spot

Akyurek and Bilgin own. They have multiple kiosks at Broadway at the Beach and own a restaurant at Barefoot Landing named Café de Paris.

The café opened three years ago after Bilgin’s brother opened one in Orlando, Florida. Since then, the couple has wanted to open a coffee house. Even with owning multiple businesses, they still manage to work as baristas themselves.

“I like to make cappuccinos. I like the foam,” said Bilgin.

Local Broadway employees are also excited there is a new coffee shop. Earthbound team member, Marissa Herriot, has been working at Broadway for four years. She admits that having a Starbucks was alright, but a real coffee house is always better.

“Whenever Social pumped up, I always support small businesses, so of course I’m going to be the first one in there,” said Herriot. “And yeah, I like the original roasts flavoring. I don’t do a whole bunch of sugar. If it’s house blend, then I like the originality of it.”

Social Coffee Shop is located at 1325 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. They are currently open from 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., but come winter they will be open 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.