In urban revival beer creates small business hubs
Associated Press
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated 6:35 am, Thursday, July 4, 2013
About 30 years ago, beer lovers wanting to create their own drinks started taking over abandoned old buildings in rundown city districts, refitted them with tanks, kettles and casks, and started churning out beer. From New England to the West Coast, new businesses bubbled up around breweries, drawing young people and creating a vibrant community where families could plant roots and small businesses could thrive. Other breweries and businesses — a pasta maker, a bike shop, a tortilla factory, as well as restaurants and bars — followed. Trendy small businesses like breweries and younger residents have been returning to downtown neighborhoods in many cities across the U.S. The biggest cities are growing faster than the suburbs around them, according to Census data. Manufacturers like brewers typically pay workers more than service businesses like restaurants or shops do. Today, Brooklyn Brewery is surrounded by modern apartment buildings, trendy bars, shops and restaurants. In the past decade, home values in the Brewery's neighborhood have more than doubled — up 145 percent, according to real estate appraiser Miller Samuel. Leases are up in 2025, and Brooklyn Brewery's co-founder and president, Steve Hindy, is already worried that the company will get kicked out of its warehouse. Small businesses struggled to stay put while developers converted factories and warehouses into lucrative lofts and swarms of wealthy new residents drove up prices, she says. The rent will rise over time, but generally, long leases provide protection from spikes that can happen when an area becomes so popular that property values skyrocket. The 21st Amendment brewery, in San Francisco, is two blocks from the Giants' baseball stadium, which opened in 2000 and, along with the bustling technology sector, transformed the city's SoMa neighborhood from abandoned warehouses to hot spot. The company has opened offices in the East Bay, and he's scouting space there for the brewery, hoping to "help anchor the revitalization" of an Oakland neighborhood. Reported by SeattlePI.com 4 hours ago.
Associated Press
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated 6:35 am, Thursday, July 4, 2013
About 30 years ago, beer lovers wanting to create their own drinks started taking over abandoned old buildings in rundown city districts, refitted them with tanks, kettles and casks, and started churning out beer. From New England to the West Coast, new businesses bubbled up around breweries, drawing young people and creating a vibrant community where families could plant roots and small businesses could thrive. Other breweries and businesses — a pasta maker, a bike shop, a tortilla factory, as well as restaurants and bars — followed. Trendy small businesses like breweries and younger residents have been returning to downtown neighborhoods in many cities across the U.S. The biggest cities are growing faster than the suburbs around them, according to Census data. Manufacturers like brewers typically pay workers more than service businesses like restaurants or shops do. Today, Brooklyn Brewery is surrounded by modern apartment buildings, trendy bars, shops and restaurants. In the past decade, home values in the Brewery's neighborhood have more than doubled — up 145 percent, according to real estate appraiser Miller Samuel. Leases are up in 2025, and Brooklyn Brewery's co-founder and president, Steve Hindy, is already worried that the company will get kicked out of its warehouse. Small businesses struggled to stay put while developers converted factories and warehouses into lucrative lofts and swarms of wealthy new residents drove up prices, she says. The rent will rise over time, but generally, long leases provide protection from spikes that can happen when an area becomes so popular that property values skyrocket. The 21st Amendment brewery, in San Francisco, is two blocks from the Giants' baseball stadium, which opened in 2000 and, along with the bustling technology sector, transformed the city's SoMa neighborhood from abandoned warehouses to hot spot. The company has opened offices in the East Bay, and he's scouting space there for the brewery, hoping to "help anchor the revitalization" of an Oakland neighborhood. Reported by SeattlePI.com 4 hours ago.