13 Jul Upstate Headlines: Downtown hotel market turning consumers’ way
A collection of the top Upstate headlines for the week of July 11, 2016
Downtown hotel market turning consumers’ way
The law of supply and demand has begun to work on behalf of the consumer when it comes to the downtown Greenville hotel market. The average daily rate for the six hotels along Main Street was $177.31 during the first five months of this year. That’s up two percent from the same period last year, but it’s a much slower growth rate than 2015, when the average daily rate rose 8.6 percent, and 2014, when it shot up 10.5 percent.
Spartanburg and Greenville Counties could benefit from sports events this weekend
Spartanburg and Greenville Counties could benefit from two youth sports events being held in Spartanburg this weekend. USA Track & Field will have its Junior Olympic Region Four Championship at Spartanburg High School. The event, which runs Thursday through Sunday, will feature 3,000 athletes. Tyger River Park in Reidville will host the Hot Time Showcase Classic softball tournament Wednesday through Sunday. The event will feature 45 teams from eight states and more than 600 players.
Bargain chain picks Greenville, Easley for its first SC outlets
Bargain Hunt, based in La Vergne, Tennessee, near Nashville, buys goods by the truckload from major retailers such as Amazon.com and Target and re-sells them at a discount. The chain is scheduled to open its 51st store — and first in South Carolina — on July 20 at 30 Orchard Park Drive in Greenville. It plans to launch another store in the Easley Village Shopping Center along U.S. 123 sometime during the fourth quarter.
Coffee by day, beer by night at Grateful Brew 
A new concept that includes two of Greenvillians’ favorite things — coffee and local beer — has opened on the south side of town. Grateful Brew offers guests high-end coffee beverages “crafted one at a time by trained baristas,” as well as local craft beer, said co-founder Bob Linn. Linn, whose background lays in project management and business operations, came up with the idea with a silent partner who lives outside of the state.
With strong Greenville County roots, the Farr family leads Greenco Beverage into its next 100 years
His business card identifies him as a “Slinger of Suds.” That’s important, according to Russell Farr, president of Greenco Beverage Company, because it more appropriately represents his company’s portfolio. His craft beer manager is known as “The Hawker of Hops.” Established 100 years ago, family-owned Greenco is one of the area’s largest beverage distributors. It is building a state-of-the-art 120,000-square-foot distribution center on Poinsett Highway in Greenville to replace the company’s outdated facility on Commerce Road.
