We started this thing in my basement, then moved to my kitchen, then to my garage, and then, we made the big jump to 129 Oakland Avenue. With every move we added more to our craft. Of course when we made this big jump, we poured over the plans and thought we had room for everything we wanted to do. Well, you know what they say about best-laid plans.

As soon as we opened the doors at the brewpub in Rock Hill, we realized we were out of room. We quickly made the decision to add a 1400 square foot cooler just for beer! One thing this adventure has taught us is to be flexible and see what happens. It’s kinda like making beer. You start out thinking you are going in one direction and then the water, grains, yeast, and hops might take you in another.

Since we opened, the support of the community has been overwhelming. We are so excited that people love to come out and hang with us and enjoy our beer and food. Of course there have been some growing pains- parking, having enough food ready, stuff you’ve probably heard about-and we so appreciate your continued patience and support.

Quickly realizing the need for additional parking, we began working with Roy Russell who owned the Varsity Restaurant (serving breakfast and lunch) across the street about parking at his place during the evening. Recently he told us that he wanted to retire. It seemed to us that having an extra space might help us out so we worked out an offer. That offer was accepted, and now we own the Varsity and the three lots next to it.

What this gives us is more parking, more kitchen and ultimately – more space. So, we intend to use the Varsity space for a new Company—LRB Fresh Foods. LRB Fresh Foods will do the prep work for the brewpub, as well as make products under the LRB brand for distribution elsewhere, like rubs, pimiento cheese, and the like. We might also get a to-go counter for catering. Much of this is still up in the air, so stay tuned on that.

The new building will also house our sales team and merchandise storage, and will enable us to expand our options to you. So be on the lookout for LRB in a store close to you in the future (remember that canning line we are installing?), and clear out your closet for new LRB merchandise coming soon. Oh, and when you come visit us, don’t forget you now have a big new parking lot right across the street if our lot is full.

Soon Joe, Steve, Mark and I are going over to put the LRB mark on the old building. We hope to continue to carry on the legacy of the Varsity – to give a comfortable place to hang out and making people feel at home.
See you soon at LRB!

Chad
Manager and Counsel Generale