Let's Get To Know
Each Other, Shall We?
Founders Cameron Neal & Greer Gilchrist were friends long before Harbinger was even a sparkle in their eye. Working side by side at a cafe, and bonding over eating heaps of cookie dough, the two dreamt up their own version of a cafe.
On a rainy Wednesday in the winter of 2015 they sat down and said, “Let’s do it.”
Several Wednesdays later, in the summer of 2017, The Harbinger Cafe & Bakery opened in downtown Charleston. In 2019, they found a home in the French Quarter for baby sister, Harken Cafe, on Queen Street.
Our Team
Take a step into our bright green building and you’ll find the team at The Harbinger is a close-knit bunch who believes in dedication, positivity + teamwork.
To us, creating a special space that feels like home for our patrons starts with our staff. We work to create an environment marked by mutual respect where each member is inspired, engaged and empowered.
If we get this right, we hope to break the revolving-door stigma shadowing food + bev and equip you with life skills, new friends and a genuine respect for food and those who make it, and may even lay the groundwork for a rewarding culinary career.
Sound like something you want to be a part of? Inquire today about job opportunities with Harbinger and our sister-shop, Harken Cafe.
Our Community
Outside our address, Harbinger is all about showing up for and giving back to our beloved Charleston community, namely our underserved neighbors.
Here are just a few of the projects and organizations near and dear to Harbinger’s heart...
Every month, we donate proceeds from the "Spice Girls" sales to the Eliminating Racism Program at the YWCA. During the month of June each year (PRIDE month!) the proceeds from our "Love is Love" cookie go to We Are Family. For the month of July, in response to the Roe vs. Wade reversal, we are donating to ARC-Southeast and the Carolina Abortion Fund. And in the winter, we direct profits from the sale of our housemade candles to SC Women’s Rights & Empowerment Network (SC WREN).
Each quarter, the bakeries volunteer as a team. To date, we've had the pleasure of rolling up our sleeves and working with: The Green Heart Project, GrowFood Carolina, HEART, Joseph Floyd Manor, Amor Healing Kitchen, One80 Place, Enough Pie + Friends of The Lowcountry Lowline
Harbinger also hosts an annual drive for Charleston Hope + Lowcountry Food Bank along with donating meals to our lovely neighbors at Joseph Floyd Manor each and every week.
To learn more about our community service collaborations or get a cause on our radar, connect with us today.
