Couple transforming old auto repair shop into craft brewery

We wrote this tongue-in-cheek lead in the “Ohio contractor invests in brewery he helps construct” post the other day:

Craft breweries are honestly popping up on every street corner in America. Seriously, go outside, walk to the nearest corner, pop inside and order a beer. Even if it looks like a house or a dentist’s office, chances are it is now or is shortly about to become a brewery.

We wrote it because we think we are funny, but also because it seems kind of true. The latest example comes from Brooksville, Fla., where a couple is transforming a former auto repair shop into Marker 48 Brewing, which would be that county’s first full production brewery.

From Bay News 9:

“We thought that our community would love it as much as we do,” said Maurice. When the couple first walked in to the place, it was a mess.

“I don’t think it had been cleaned or touched for 20 something years, so it was full of grease and transmission fluid and you name it,” Tina said.

With vision, hard work and about 75 gallons of degreaser, the craft brewery is almost ready to open for business.

Repurposing old buildings as craft breweries is a pretty awesome trend, not just because it can contribute to a brewery’s story or ingrain it in particular way within a neighborhood, but because adaptive reuse of older buildings is better for the environment. The practice isn’t all that common in other industries, so it’s another bright feather in the trucker cap of the craft brewing industry. Just remember to be careful when going this route, as Donna Truex pointed out in “Re-purposing real estate: How that abandoned building could be your next brewery“:

With benefits there are also risks to consider such as zoning regulations that restrict the use of properties. The zone district that these properties are located in, such as industrial, may allow brewing and manufacturing, but may not allow retail or restaurant/tasting room uses. If such uses are not allowed as a matter of right, expansion may require zoning relief. Also, the use will need to comply with applicable dimensional requirements or qualify for grandfathering (provided the prior use had not been ceased for more than two years). Beyond the zoning considerations, older structures have historic, environmental and title issues that may pose barriers to their redevelopment and repurposing.

Does your brewery have a cool adaptive reuse story? Do you have any advice you’d like to share from your experience? Drop us a line at [email protected].