Off of West Main Street, less than a mile from Winthrop’s campus, lies the newest addition to Rock Hill’s growing food community: Common Market, a combination of a bar, deli, and convenience store.
“We are a funky kind of bodega place. It’s hard to pin down what exactly we are. I think of the Common Market as a two-hearted beast. The first heart is our ‘slammin’ sammies.’ The second is that we are a really good craft and draft beer bar,” Bou Baker, general manager of Common Market, said.
Common Market has breakfast and lunch options with plans for a dinner menu currently in the works. They also have twelve beers on draft and a plethora of merchandise.
They offer a variety of food options. “One of our bestseller sandwiches is the ‘Dillworth Scandal.’ [It has] roast turkey, brown sugar bacon, and this really good firecracker sauce,” Jordan Zaino, employee at Common Market, said.
The restaurant offers hot sandwiches called “thrillas from the grilla’” and cold sandwiches, otherwise called “snappin’ sammies.”
Other popular sandwiches include the “Sinatra” which is their take on an Italian sandwich and the “Pimpin D” which, Baker explained, is “our play on a grilled cheese sandwich but with pimento cheese, bacon and tomato.”
Aside from their deli and bar, Common Market shares a space with the ice cream and coffee store, Two Scoops.
“Coffee has always been a big part of Common Market, and that’s why we partnered with Two Scoops, since Rock Hill loves their ice cream, and they don’t have another indoor ice cream spot with this caliber,” Baker said.
Two Scoops serves Enderly coffee, which is provided by Common Market and brewed in the local Charlotte area.
The new local restaurant also makes it a point to give back to the community. Every month, they pick a different local charity to contribute to as their way of saying thank you to the local area.
Common Market and its employees have big plans for their role in the Rock Hill area.
“We hope to be at the epicenter of growth on this side and be a home base, a hang-out spot, a place where people can come together and share ideas or get work done,” Baker said.
The one-stop shop is currently open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“It’s a good place to chill and hangout that’s more eclectic and for the people who don’t have a place in the community to call home. And we’re glad that Rock Hill is welcoming us with open arms,” Ivey Wright, employee at Common Market, said.
