Made With Love
Words by Paige Townley
The best neighborhood cafés are usually the ones that are thoughtful and warm, never pretentious, a little quirky, and always friendly and authentic. That’s the vibe of The Harbinger Café and Bakery, and it easily describes its owners too.
Nestled on Charleston, South Carolina’s renowned King Street, The Harbinger was established seven years ago by friends-turned-business partners Greer Gilchrist and Cameron Neal. The two met years earlier while living in Washington, D.C. By complete chance, they ended up working in the same café. “Different life circumstances brought us to D.C. and working in the same café, and we became friends,” Greer explains. “We worked together all day, and after our shift we would hang out. We were in our 20s, and we always talked about how we could do things better.”
Then one day, the opportunity to do things better presented itself. Cameron came home from a trip to New York and knew it was time they opened up their own café. “I feel like people say stuff all the time, but Cam is a very convicted person,” Greer adds. “I knew in that moment, when I told her yes, that I had committed and we were going to do it.”
A lot was still up in the air regarding the newfound business decision, but what was certain was their vision for what a café and bakery should be. “Our goal was to create a space that felt like your grandma’s—where you could stay all day, meet friends, eat, and drink,” Greer says. “So many cafés and bakeries are sterile and not cozy. A lot of them never really serve food—or at least good food—and a lot of bakeries miss the spot on creating a cozy environment because they’re focused on production. We wanted to create a space that exists for its community, and one you can’t find just anywhere else.”
With the mission in place, attention had to be turned to the café’s location. Both tired of D.C., they knew they wanted a change. It was during a trip to Charleston to celebrate Cameron’s birthday that the Holy City struck them as the ideal location for the café’s debut. They began seeking out spaces, and while Cameron was taking care of the structural details, Greer worked on putting together its menu. Soon thereafter, The Harbinger Café and Bakery was born. “The Harbinger is the culmination of my whole life—everything I’ve eaten and what I care about,” Greer says. “It’s like a brick-and-mortar me. I spent my whole working career, which started at the age of 14 at an apple orchard, in food. So, every detail about the food was incredibly personal to me. I cared deeply about it, and I think when you have a lot of heart behind what you do and it has a meaning behind it, it’s reflected in what you’re serving.”
Though Greer’s menu didn’t include time-tested recipes, it did feature items she loved—meals that she would turn to time and again herself. That means hearty and wholesome dishes that are served up fresh each and every day, from freshly made pastries and breads to salads that feature produce that was just delivered and prepped that morning. “There’s an obvious obsession with care and quality at Harbinger,” Greer adds. “That’s something the community knows they can expect from us.”
The community, especially locals, did take to The Harbinger’s menu relatively quickly. So quickly that just three months after opening its doors, the friends were approached to open up another location. True to form—Cameron and Greer created Harbinger to be a special spot so they didn’t want to try to replicate it elsewhere—they chose to create a completely new café that’s reminiscent of Harbinger but still all its own: Harken Café & Bakery. “We always say they are sisters,” Greer says. “You can tell they are related. If you walk into one, you’re probably going to be reminded of the other. But just like sisters, they are different.”
Situated on Queen Street, just a couple of miles down from Harbinger, Harken offers a menu that’s a little less playful and focuses more on classic dishes with a Greer twist. That means items such as biscuits, though not the typical southern-style concoction. Rather, they’re inspired by the biscuits Greer’s mom made when she was growing up—though still available with classic Southern pairings such as pimento, bacon, and pepper jelly, and even unique options such as dried currants, Brie, and grape. “For us, every ingredient has a meaning,” Greer says. “Every ingredient we use has a place and a meaning. I have thought through and worked on everything we serve for years and years. I stand behind it all, and if I didn’t feel like I identified with it on a personal level, it wouldn’t be on the menu. I love everything we serve so much.”
Both Greer and Cameron love their community, and that means showing up for it however they can, whether it be through donating food or their time. Thus far, they’ve helped plant garden beds and taught students about growing food through The Green Heart Project, prepped care packages for children for Lowcountry Orphan Relief, helped clean up creeks with Charleston Surfrider, and helped gather food donations for local homeless shelters—and that’s just to name a few. Just like the delicious food and welcoming and friendly environment of Harbinger and Harken, the work Cameron and Greer hope to do within their community continues on. “We created Harbinger and Harken to be serious about food and take care of our people, and that includes the communities that we exist in,” Greer says. “Honesty in your actions is a value of ours, and we want our words to match our actions. Community is important to both of us in a lot of ways, and it’s because of their support we are able to exist. They show up for us every day, and we will continue to do the same for them.”