Not long before Jessica Beeby and her husband, Brian Beaucher, the owners of the newly opened
Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids on Ionia Avenue, bid adieu to their home on the East Coast to return to Michigan, they were wondering what they were going to do for work once they were back in the Mitten State.
Both beer enthusiasts -- or, really, beer geeks, as they call themselves -- the couple knew they’d love to work together and merge their career experiences: Beaucher had been a small business owner and Beeby’s background is in administrative support. So, they took their business know-how and turned to their love of brews.
“We’d known the owners of the
Craft Beer Cellar flagship store in Massachusetts for a long time, and our beer knowledge had expanded exponentially because of them, so we approached them about opening a franchise in Grand Rapids,” says Beeby, who was born and raised in Kalamazoo. “We spent a couple months training with them before we moved to Michigan. We moved here and found a space we loved.”
That space is at 404 Ionia Ave. SW, in the
Klingman Lofts Building that's just across from the
Downtown Market, where Beeby and Beaucher are celebrating the bottle store’s grand opening this Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18.
“When we were first thinking of moving to Grand Rapids, one of the first places we visited was the Downtown Market, and we immediately fell in love with it,” Beeby says. "We love that part of the city, and we’re so excited to be down here.”
The store, which employs eight full- and part-time employees, has been open to the public throughout this week, giving Beeby and Beaucher a chance to get feedback before the big debut at the end of the week. This week, they’ll mark the grand opening with
a ribbon cutting and craft beer tastings from such spots as Speciation Ales and Vander Mill on Friday, and more craft beer tastings -- from Brewery Vivant, Saugatuck Brewing and others -- donuts from the Grand Rapids-based
Doughrunts, raffles, and WGRD broadcasting live
on Saturday.
And, of course, beer drinkers will get a chance to explore the shop, where there’s a seating area in which to drink and eat (there are locally-made snacks in house, and patrons are invited to bring in food from the Downtown Market or other nearby shops). Plus, a section of the store features a walk-in cooler (you can buy a bottle or can from there and drink it in the store), as well as rows upon rows of craft beer. At the bar, there are 20 rotating draft lines from around the globe -- and from our own backyard.
“The draft lines allow us to bring in breweries that are not canning or bottling yet,” Beeby says. “We can feature people who are pretty new and not in full distribution yet. That helps them because they can test out beers they’re making and gauge how well the public is reacting to them so hopefully one day they can do bottling or canning.”
In addition to being able to support local and independent brewers, Beeby and Beaucher say they’re thrilled to contribute to the city’s growing beer community.
“It’s really exciting,” Beeby says of the opening. “The beer industry is amazing, especially here in Grand Rapids. Everyone is so collaborative. It’s so exciting to see people want to work together and truly live up to the ‘Beer City’ name.”
Craft Beer Cellar Grand Rapids (404 Ionia Ave. SW) will celebrate its grand opening from 12pm to 8pm on Friday, March 17 and the same time on Saturday, March 18. Normal business hours will be 10am to 10pm Monday through Saturday and 11am to 7pm Sunday. For more information, you can check out the shop’s Facebook page.
Photos courtesy of Steph Harding
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.