Crafty Cranks: SoBAR and Skateboards

What do you get when you mix one part bike shop, one part skate store, and one part sober bar? A truly unique, local- ly-owned Mount Pleasant establishment known as Crafty Cranks & Board Shop— and The Board Room sober bar—the brainchild of co-owners Eric Schwartz and Gary Colangelo. The curiosity of this eclectic shop/bar will lure you in, and the chill atmosphere, vast alcohol-free beverage options, friendly folks, and the emphasis on community will keep you coming back.

Opened in January 2023, Crafty Cranks & Board Shop is lo- cated on Ben Sawyer Boulevard, conveniently on the strip be- tween Shem Creek and Sullivan’s Island. This is one-stop shop has it all: bike repairs, bike rentals, e-bike rentals, skateboards, and bike and skate accessories. Inside the store, you’ll find a hidden gem, the Board Room sober bar. The bike and skate aesthetic is prevalent throughout the bar where skateboards line the walls in a museum-like design. Here, you can pull up

a barstool to order an alcohol-free beverage and listen to some good tunes. During the day you’ll typically find regulars who come into the bar to work remotely and, most importantly, socially. In the evenings, people come together to watch a movie or sporting event or even play the board games and card games that are available behind the bar. It’s the perfect stop

for anyone coming from or going to the beach or if you’re just looking for a local community hangout with an eclectic vibe sans the next-day hangover, of course.

The owners of Crafty Cranks & Board Shop’s Board Room attribute their success to the burgeoning “sober curious” movement that has been growing in the Lowcountry—and across America—as people re-examine their relationship with alcohol. It’s a place where you can find people who are elimi-

nating alcohol from their lifestyle or merely just engaging in being more mindful of their alcohol consumption.

The Board Room isn’t just for the sober or sober curious, howev- er, but for anyone looking for a place to be a part of a community. SInce their launch, it has quickly transcended from just a bike and skate shop with a sober bar into something bigger—it’s become a gathering place where people come together and connect with other like-minded people. This was intentionally designed by the owners as they discovered that when many people give up or decrease their alcohol consumption, they still miss the social experience of a tra- ditional bar atmosphere that involves the ritual of joining others to enjoy a beverage and the socialization around it. This is the part the co-owners feel to be the most gratifying aspect of this collaboration.

The Board Room features two different non-alcoholic (NA) options on tap, as well as a large selection of NA and CBD beverages such as Rebel Rabbit, Hi Seltzer, Five Flowers, and Rip Tide Coffee. Kom- bucha and Liquid Death water are also available.

So, whether you are looking to rent a bike to peddle to the island or pick up a skateboard to ride around the streets of Old Village, or maybe even seeking to feel more connected to the community, be sure to check out the Crafty Cranks and Board Room. Merch is available, as well, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and stickers, many featuring custom logos designed specifically for the owners by Jimbo Phillips, the legendary graphic artist behind graphics and logos for Santa Cruz and other skate and surf companies, as well as posters for bands like Slightly Stoopid, Metallica, and Primus.

Crafty Cranks & Board Shop and The Board Room is located at 1405 Ben Sawyer Boulevard in Mount Pleasant and is open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.