Brooke Simmons opened Chatham Rabbit in October 2018 inside the NC Arts Incubator (NCAI) in downtown Siler City. 
Chatham Rabbit is a unique coffee shop in that in addition to creating fine specialty coffee drinks, they hope to make community and people a priority. They offer coffee-based beverages, teas, and various baked goods, which are often seasonal specialties. Also, while you enjoy your beverage, you can work on a puzzle or stroll through the adjacent NCAI to enjoy the amazing art; NCAI studio and retail areas flow into the Chatham Rabbit space, drawing upon the sense of community even more.
Two coffee shops that have transitioned and reopened in the past year include Davenport’s Café Diem and Aromatic Roasters, both in Pittsboro. Davenport’s Café Diem reopened in January 2019 as a “quaint little coffee place.” The owner, Emma Lee Cabrera, reclaimed what used to be a restaurant attached to a motel, and transformed it into a new coffee shop. Café Diem offers coffee, espresso, various teas, hot chocolate, and Italian soda. They also have assorted baked goods such as bagels, muffins, biscotti, and chocolate.
Aromatic Roasters previously operated as a popular local coffee truck. Dominic 
Treadwell eventually grew tired of food truck life but wanted to remain in the coffee business. He sold coffee wholesale to local businesses and after several months of construction, was excited to open a brick and mortar shop with work space and a cozy seating area. The original head barista, Leavitt Browning-Howe, is still part of the organization and two new business partners, Erin Munson and Jon Gillis,are now on board.
Aromatic Roasters is located in Pittsboro on US 15-501. They pride themselves on quality, while sourcing and roasting single origin coffee from all over the world. The business started small and they were the only coffee roaster in Chatham County when they first opened. The Pittsboro-Siler City CVB suggested they enter the first-ever N.C. State Fair coffee competition in 2018, and they won first place. They entered the third annual competition and placed fifth; after three rounds of brewing Aromatic Roasters took the competition after three years of entering.
Coffee, hot beverages, seasonal drinks, baked goods, and a place to meet and work abound. Enjoy our local and regional spaces to fuel your day’s endeavors!
