Vanessa Luis Harris

While everything is moving smoothly without a hitch, Vanessa is often behind the scenes at The Charleston Pour House, dealing with insurance, management issues, scheduling, licensing, and more. But even though her role has changed through the years, her mission hasn’t.

“The Charleston Pour House serves as a community center of sorts for like-minded individuals. We always want to make sure we maintain the vibe and intention we started with. We want to make people feel safe, included, and part of our community from the first visit; all while having a great time enjoying art and music.” 

On top of connecting with the people she serves, the relationships she’s made along the way have rippled to impact others. “Our yoga instructor is Kate, and we quickly became friends before I convinced her to try doing yoga on the deck. She sets an intention for each class…in turn, she’s affected thousands of lives with that experience.”

And making people feel like family has always been part of Vanessa's life — “I grew up in a big, Cuban household in Miami. Hosting parties or meals…it’s second nature.” Her desire for the venue is to create a space that allows people to gather, share, and lean into one another. “The human condition wants to feel like it belongs to something bigger that feeds your soul. I think we are all looking for our people.”

For the other Hispanics in South Carolina, Vanessa says to “dream big. Be delusional and become the person who receives the dream they want.” Her advice is to move every day toward your goals, no matter how small. After all, “everything takes time and effort.”