Crow & Clover Cafè, a coffee shop that features smoothies and juices, operates out of a strip mall near Main Street and Emerson Avenue in Greenwood. Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
A newly re-branded Greenwood coffee shop brings a unique twist to the market — juices and smoothies.
Crow & Clover Café is a coffee shop that features coffee, juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, food and more. It is located in the Vista Run strip mall near Main Street and Emerson Avenue, operating a space once occupied by Root to Rise.
When the spot became available last year, cafe owner Elissa McKee decided to use the opportunity to bring some of her favorite aspects of 1823 Bakehouse in downtown Franklin — which she also owns — to Greenwood. She also brought along Mallory Franklin, a former shift lead at 1823 Bakehouse, to manage the new cafe.
“This spot was juice and smoothies,” McKee said. “So we kept the juices, the smoothies and the açai bowls. We just brought more of the coffee shop vibe to the space.”
The cafe operated under the previous business’ name throughout 2023. After a brief closure, the coffee shop became Crow & Clover Café in January, she said.
Crow & Clover is one of McKee’s latest ventures, but not the newest. 1823 Bakehouse announced the opening of Brighthouse Cafe in Bloomington on Feb. 2. Brighthouse is owned by 1823 Bakehouse co-owners McKee and Thomas Moore, Bloomington restaurateur Abe Carney and John Moore.
As for Crow & Clover, McKee and Franklin were trying to incorporate “Greenwood” with its new name. They were thinking of organic, earthy and green-related names when Franklin came up with “clover,” they said.
“Crow” came from the birds, which are known for their intelligence and ability to solve problems. The birds symbolize wisdom, intelligence and adaptability, McKee said.
“I feel like to serve a community in any small business, but in a restaurant in my case, you take what you already know and have learned, and you listen to what the needs are and you pivot accordingly. All virtues of a crow,” she said.
A lot of the cafe’s items use real fruits and vegetables compared to concentrates or powders used by other restaurants. An example of this is their numerous smoothies, McKee said.
Crow & Clover offers a variety of items. Beverages include coffee, tea and smoothies, such as Strawberry Sunrise — made up of strawberry, banana and agave. They also offer açai bowls and smoothie bowls, which feature a smoothie base with pieces of granola, chopped fruits or another item on top.
The cafe serves all locally-roasted coffees, particularly Brick House. One drink they make is called a Bourbon Caramel, made from Brick House’s Triple B roast and caramel syrup, McKee said.
They also offer lunch items, like sandwiches, soups, breakfast burritos, snacks and more, Franklin said. Like 1823 Bakehouse, Crow & Clover offers gluten-free options, McKee said.
Customers at Crow & Clover should expect the food to be tasty and good quality, McKee said. They are trying their best to have locally sourced scratch-made products, she said.
There has been a great response from the community since the shop opened, McKee said.
“I saw a lot of new faces through the door. People are generally pretty happy,” she said.
McKee also credited Franklin’s demeanor in particular for the cafè’s atmosphere. Franklin has worked at three coffee shops, and customers have followed her up to Greenwood because they liked her customer service, McKee said.
This demeanor applies not only to Crow & Clover but also to 1823 Bakehouse, McKee said. Customers could make coffee at home, but they choose to go to a coffee shop because it makes them “feel good” by walking to a place with a good vibe where people are friendly, she said.
The cafe is a great place to meet people, McKee said. Because it has a larger space than typical cafès, they are also able to accommodate some group meetings. Even with this, it is still able to be a quiet and calm space, she said.
“This is a place where you’re gonna expect top-notch customer service. That’s what differentiates us,” McKee said.
Crow & Clover is still new and further growth is expected, McKee said.
“We’re not exactly yet where it’s going to be in a couple of years. It’s gonna be bigger,” she said. “But this is where we’re starting, so the more support that we get, the easier it’ll be to grow into something bigger.”
For example, a part of the cafe will soon be partitioned off with a wall so a tattoo studio run by some friends of McKee can operate out of part of the space, she said.
“It’s not technically gonna be part of our business but we will be partnering in a lot of aspects,” McKee said.
An official grand opening for Crow & Clover is set for noon on March 13. Officials from the city of Greenwood and Aspire Johnson County, the county-wide chamber of commerce, are expected to attend.
AT A GLANCE
Crow & Clover Café
Where: 916 E. Main St., Suite #112, Greenwood (inside the Vista Run strip mall)
Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays
Website: crowandclovercafe.com
