What happens when a sculptor, an engineer, and a rock enthusiast walk into a bar? Hint: the environment in said bar is about to be transformed into a tactile experience delighting the mind and fooling the eye.
And, as it turns out, all three visionary bar patrons happen to be one exceedingly talented individual: concrete artisan Aaron Cruise of Rock’n Boulder.
“I started off working for a rock climbing company, building artificial rock walls all over the country,” says Cruise, who has been to nearly every state in the US. “It was all concrete, but they always looked fake—like plastic. You could tell they weren’t real. So I started playing around with new products and really studying rocks—seeing what was missing. The company [I was with] didn’t want to be artistic. They wanted to slap it up and go. That’s when I decided to start doing my own thing.”
After years of building big, Cruise focused on small details and intimate pieces like exquisite faux-rock coffee tables with inlaid granite. After showing his work at the Greer Arts and Eats Festival and largely relying on word of mouth, awareness and appreciation of his craft quickly spread throughout the Upstate. Cruise made valuable connections with local builders and soon took his creative venture full-time—putting down roots and opening a studio in Greenville.
Aaron Cruise’s Studio
“I love being told, ‘it can’t be done,’” laughs Cruise, who custom-designed, hand-carved, and lit the dim sum basket photo-op sculpture inside SumBar, which recently opened in downtown Greenville. “I really enjoy super-challenging projects like that, where I know I’ll never have another opportunity to build anything like it. There are no blueprints . . . no instructional videos on how to create the things that I make.”
Many of Cruise’s pieces, like the textured backbar inside of Mr. Crisp, a seafood restaurant in Greenville, appear deceptively simple. What looks like stone or wood or even rough fabric is actually five or so mediums meticulously layered and sculpted, including foam carved with hot knives, fiberglass mesh, a structural coating, wood, welded steel, and plastics. Finishing touches include stamps, paint, custom LED lighting, and even waterfall or fountain features.
“I really enjoy good food, and a big portion of that is the environment that you’re in,” adds Cruise, whose newer work extends beyond coffee tables to eateries in and around the Upstate. “When I walk into a restaurant, I want to feel encapsulated, like I’m in a different world—but so many lack that transportive environment. I wanted to break that mold and spice everything up for ’em,” says Cruise, who hopes his work always brings an element of surprise or even awe to the diners.
The element of constant delight figures heavily into his more intimate residential pieces, too. “I’ve done these huge rock wall projects that take a year, and there are so many small details that are missed because it’s such a large project. I really like to take my time with those pieces, knowing that one person or their family is going to see this every day and notice and enjoy the little intentional imperfections.”
Spot his Restaurant Work
- Backbar at Mr. Crisp
- Fire pit at Urban Wren
- Dim sum basket photo op at SumBar
Favorite Upstate Eateries
- SumBar
- Halls Chophouse
- Coral Greenville
