Meet Patrick Garlock | Water person and business owner.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patrick Garlock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patrick, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had been an ocean lifeguard, served in the military, and been a firefighter for 15 years. I had always felt a call to serve in some capacity and I think that shelf life is different for everyone in those careers. I had checked a lot of the boxes I wanted to checked. I was ready for a change.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am currently the founder and co-owner of Dead Low Cafe. My business partner, Gavin McCutcheon, and I opened Dead Low Coffee Company in May 2022. Dead Low initially started as an idea I had in 2011 on a surf/road trip in California. My friend and I went on a month long trip traveling from Oregon through central California as a last hoorah before I shipped off to boot camp. I got the idea from a coffee trailer in Santa Cruz. It was the first I had ever seen and the brilliance of the idea hit me so hard I began writing a business plan on the trip. I told my friend I needed to get it on paper because it would be the perfect job after retiring from the military. Fast forward to 2022 and almost 2 decades working in the military and as a first responder I was ready for a change. Every time I went to Folly to surf I would always say “this place needs a local coffee shop.” I wasn’t alone. In fact I heard so many other people saying it I couldn’t help but think “what if I did it?” With absolutely zero experience in the food and beverage world I knew trying to pull something off like that in a place like Charleston would be difficult. To be successful in a competitive and reputable food city like Charleston I knew I would have to be strategic. I wanted to introduce customers and fellow water people to the same feeling I had when I went to the trailer on E. Cliff Dr in Santa Cruz. I draw a lot of inspiration in my own life from the Bay Area and Santa Cruz. Music, art, style, surfing. So naturally I wanted the brand reflect me as a person and the region of California that I love so much. I needed to learn more about coffee so I left the fire department and took a job at a local roaster on King St. Over the next 6 months I learned as much as I could about production, brewing/barista skills, and coffee culture. Now that I’ve got a name, a direction for the brand, and some knowledge about coffee I needed someone to help me run it. I reached out to Gavin McCutcheon and pitched the idea to him over lunch. He agreed there was market potential for this type of project on Folly and was all in from the beginning. Gavin’s background as a chef is largely in fine dining working for people like Gordon Ramsey in NYC and Sean Brock here in Charleston. He is extremely creative and shared a similar affinity for West Coast inspired cuisine putting his own twist on some of our staple items. We opened the trailer in May of 2022 and hit the ground running. The surf community and locals showed us insane support from the beginning and the brand grew quickly. We were able to stimulate a demand that had us on the hunt for a brick and mortar after our first month of operations. 2 years later we are up and running at 113 E Ashley Ave on Folly in the new home of Dead Low Cafe. Together we’ve created a space filled with pieces of us on the walls and a rad patio facing the Folly Pier. It has become an incredible hangout for surfers, locals, and tourists to come enjoy excellent, healthy food options as well as specialty coffee in a unique setting. I am most excited for our expansion into the e-commerce world. We are working on a website where you will be to view the most up to date version of our menu, shop for merch, and follow the Dead Low project’s ever-evolving story.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The low country and Charleston specifically is a very unique place. We have incredible access to nature and city life that is hard to find in other coastal towns on the East Coast. As far as food goes there is no shortage of top notch places to eat. Although I don’t live on Folly I spend most of my days there so that’s where we would start. Grab a cappuccino at the shop before heading out for a surf at the pier. Re-fuel with some tacos from the infamous Chico Feo. Head up to Park Circle for a killer burrito and ceviche at our buddy Mike’s new place Sissy Bar. Spend a day at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw or the Caw-Caw nature preserve bird watching and looking for alligators. To cap it all off, catch an art show featuring some of our amazingly talented friends at Hed-Hi studio downtown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Man, there’s a lot. I’ve been fortunate in my life to not only be blessed with unwavering support from my family but numerous mentors along the way. So my family for sure. They’ve believed in every crazy decision or idea I’ve ever had and supported me through the good times and the bad. A few of the others: Mike Hudson, Matt Alexander, Andrew Grossman to name a few. d

Website: https://www.enjoydeadlow.com

Instagram: @deadlowcoffeeco

Image Credits
Justin Morris and Meredith Wiksell.