The NoDa Company Store began with a simple idea.

Every morning, we’d walk from our house to our neighborhood coffee shop to grab a drink and say hello to our neighbors. Behind the coffee shop sat a rundown duplex that had been empty for several years after its longtime resident passed away. He was an artist—a wood sculptor, to be exact.

Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, when NoDa was still finding its footing, the neighborhood would come alive during monthly gallery crawls. He would open his home to visitors, inviting people in to browse his many sculptures and works of art. The place held a lot of memories, and you could feel that history in the walls.

Then, one day as we were leaving the coffee shop, we noticed a new RENT ME sign in the front yard.

At first, we started talking about who we knew who could turn the space into something special. Maybe a restaurant. Maybe a clothing shop. Something. Over the next day or two, we kept coming back to the same question: What would we want to see there? What would make sense for the neighborhood?

The idea that kept coming back was simple:

There needed to be a place with a great, open patio where you could walk up, grab a beer, a four-pack, a bottle of wine or champagne, maybe a few snacks, and then find a table and hang out.

No servers. No time limit. No pressure.

Just a fun neighborhood hangout where you could catch up with friends and neighbors, try a local brew, enjoy the sunshine, and never feel rushed.

That was the moment the idea for the NoDa Company Store was born.

We decided to embrace the building exactly as we found it. The scarred floors, cracked walls, and vintage character would become part of the foundation rather than something to hide. We opened up the wall dividing the two spaces, creating one welcoming room where you could feel as comfortable as you would in a friend’s house—albeit a friend’s house stocked with pretty much any kind of beverage you could ever want.

And so, on March 5, 2006, the NoDa Company Store was born.

What started as a simple idea became a neighborhood gathering place—a place built around good drinks, good people, and the belief that sometimes the best thing you can do is pull up a chair and stay awhile.