Hidden Gems

Opportunity Everywhere

Sandy and I are out riding various Rails to Trails in the midwest. There are so many abandoned railroad lines that have been turned into bike trails, we enjoy riding them, but even more discovering our wonderful country and all the swell small towns these trails go through.

I’ve been an entrepreneur so long, I can’t see an empty building and not think of what business would work there. The midwest is chock-a-block full of really cool old brick buildings of all sizes, just sitting empty. Sandy is sick of me saying”I could put a brewery there”, but it’s true. I always see opportunity everywhere.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned the size of Ridgway, Colorado where I live. Even with the real estate boom going on we still have less than 1,000 folks. When we opened in 2008 (Colorado Boy Brewing) there were about 800. That building was built in 1915. The Montrose Colorado Boy building had been a cafe and it was built in 1908. The brewery I built in Salida, Colorado (IL Vicino) back in 1994, had been a mortuary from 1888 until we took it over. And the brewery we built in downtown Colorado Springs in 1996 (also an IL Vicino), had been a Singer Sewing Machine store from 1921. Cool buildings are everywhere.

Here’s my point. After Covid, people are hungry for a place where the community can gather. Every town in my opinion needs a coffeehouse, and a pub, where neighbors can get together to talk about local things. However, even though there are so many more breweries than there were even five years ago, still, so many towns do not have one.

These small abandoned cafe’s and garages make a perfect small brewery, where a person can make a good living if they are willing to work it. The key is of course not to spend too much money getting in, have really good business systems to help you run your shop, and a good understanding of the Oyster, or vibe, which I have mentioned in previous newsletters.

A nice simple three to seven barrel direct fired brewing system withused dairy tanks when possible and put the walk-in cooler behind the bar so your taps come right out of the wall. A sweet outdoor beer garden would fit the bill for the busy summer months as well.

Look around where you live (especially if you are rural) and see the possibilities. A cafe or restaurant building will be cheaper than a garage, but in small towns you know all the right people to make it happen on the cheap. Just something to think about.