There’s something poetic about a good walk downtown leading to a good idea.
That’s exactly how Marie Stitt and Edward Crouse discovered the future home of Babas on Wentworth — their third location of the popular Babas café concept — tucked quietly along a mostly residential stretch of Harleston Village.
According to Post & Courier, the husband-and-wife team noticed the two-story brick building, dating back to around 1910, while walking downtown last year. Just days later, the former Grace Church Cathedral office space appeared in a Redfin listing. The timing felt right. The building felt right. The neighborhood, even more so.
After purchasing the property and receiving approval from the Harleston Village Association, Babas on Wentworth officially opened its doors on Dec. 16 — marking the café’s latest chapter in Charleston’s evolving food scene.
“We love being downtown,” Stitt told Post & Courier. “This part of Harleston Village is just so pretty.”
Familiar flavors, new setting
Located at 115 Wentworth St., the new café delivers everything patrons expect from Babas — house-baked pastries, craft coffee, salads, sandwiches, wine, and cocktails — wrapped in the same European-inspired, all-day café format that’s helped define the brand since its original Cannon Street opening in 2018.
The goal, Stitt said, is simple but ambitious: to make every bite and sip “the most delicious example of that particular item” — a philosophy that has quietly turned Babas into a Charleston staple, Post & Courier reported.
That all-day model, while demanding, is intentional.
“It is a difficult model in some ways,” Stitt said, Post & Courier noted. “But it really does let us maximize the space for as many hours as we can.”
A space that works — upstairs and down
One of the standout features of Babas on Wentworth is its flexibility. Beyond the welcoming ground-floor café, the building includes an upstairs private rental space complete with a bar and seating — ideal for gatherings that feel intimate without being insular.
It’s a thoughtful use of a historic structure in Harleston Village, balancing preservation with purpose.
Hours, neighborhood rhythm
Babas on Wentworth is open:
Tuesday–Thursday: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
Sunday: 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
The café sits just a few blocks from Merci and feels designed to fit naturally into the neighborhood’s daily rhythm — morning coffee runs, afternoon meetings, evening wine.
In a city that values both history and hospitality, Babas on Wentworth manages to honor both — proving once again that sometimes, the best new ideas start with a simple walk.
This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you’d like to read that article.
