On South Main Street in downtown Fountain Inn, Gio's is a small shop that works as three things at once: part bakery, part coffee counter, part Italian market. It is family run, and on a given day you might find owner Maria Natale, her mother, or a family friend behind the counter. Natale takes real pride in her Italian heritage and built the shop to feel like home, both for her own family and for anyone who walks in missing that food, and she serves as president of Fountain Inn's Italian American Heritage Festival held each April.
For its size, the case runs deep. Breads come out warm through the day, ciabatta and rosemary and olive among them, and the pastry side reaches from cannoli and sfogliatelle to bomboloni, lobster tails, and Neapolitans. The shelves hold the rest of an Italian pantry, meats, cheeses, pasta, sauces, and imported goods, along with sandwiches, pre-made soups, and coffee to sit with or take out. Gluten-free and dairy-free versions show up on request.
The cannoli are what people drive in for, filled to order and known to sell out early enough that locals call ahead, and the tiramisu earns the same loyalty. With a case that broad and a lineup that shifts with the season and the holidays, most people need a few visits before they settle on the order they keep coming back for.