At the beginning of 2020 things were looking bright for Bell Tower Brewing Co. Our team was set to open in the Summer or early Fall. Plans were moving quickly along in January and February and then March hit. It felt like the whole country, heck the whole world, got sucker-punched by COVID-19.
Little did we know then that direct and indirect effects of COVID will likely delay our start by almost a year! The only thing that felt in our control was deciding to continue on with our dream of opening a brewery or stopping right there and put that dream to bed. The tricky thing about dreams though is that if you don’t at least try to pursue them they tend to come back to haunt you later in life as regret! The bigger the dream the bigger the regret! So we pressed on into the unknown hoping for the best.
Starting a business is not for the faint of heart in the best of times, and we were jumping in feet first in the worst of times…The list of things that felt out of our control included:
- Financing
- Real Estate
- Permits
- The future of the hospitality industry
Financing: Banks were panicking, investors were panicking even more it seemed, and everyone’s financial future felt in limbo. The last thing a bank wanted to do was provide funds to allow a hospitality-based venture to get off the ground.
Real Estate: While we had found the perfect building (new post about this coming soon) the turmoil in the market and with bank financing was intense. We weren’t sure if we would even be able to purchase the building for several months and experienced many ups and downs that were not for the faint of heart.
Permits: Early to mid-2020 we began hearing rumors that the Ohio Division of Liquor control was experiencing significant permit processing delays. We validated with one brewery that it took them 5 months just for their paperwork to begin the process with several more to follow to complete it and receive their liquor permit. Talk about YIKES! This caused us to quickly apply for our permit knowing that it could take more than half a year to receive it. For reference, the pre-COVID processing times were more in the ballpark of 2 to 4 months.
Hospitality Industry: As bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues like the one we were seeking to establish emptied, we saw an entire industry hollowed out to squelch a virus. As creative entrepreneurs looked for ways to create safety and distance for both staff & clientele, the whole industry was shifting…..many questions about it’s future still remain unknown and unanswered. What does the fate of the hospitality industry look like? Will we ever be able to go to a restaurant with friends and family and feel safe and comfortable like we did pre-COVID? How many businesses and jobs will survive the pandemic? Will masks become a permanent part of society? There are so many questions and so few answers still about what the future may hold. The best we can do is be smart with the knowledge we are given, continue to strive to stay safe, be respectful of everyone’s individual circumstances, and press on together towards a brighter future.
Not unlike this virus, Covid could kill the dream, or make our resolve in seeing it through stronger. These challenges have tested us and strengthened our passion, business plan, ….One of the silver linings is that significant delays have led to much better planning, especially when it comes to the safety of our future guests and staff. Our building is significant in size coming in at almost 10,000 sq. ft. inside. Most of our prolonged decisions allowed us to study Ohio’s safety restrictions for COVID and apply those to the general layout and functionality of our space inside and out.
Thankfully, we have ample room inside including several private dining spaces, larger private reservable dining/event spaces, and an interior mezzanine. Booth seating is sprinkled about providing extra physical distance between guests along with a large open floor space for ease of movement with social distancing in mind. Even our patio has been expanded much larger than originally planned to provide ample room for outdoor seating when Ohio’s weather cooperates.
Let’s hope 2021 and beyond only improves with the hope of vaccines and science to guide our way.