Tag: Decision-Making

Duh duh duh… COVID-19 Strikes!

Posted on by Ryan Tipton

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.

What’s in a Name?

Posted on by Ryan Tipton

The most logical place to start is with the name, Bell Tower Brewing Co. After several years of researching, touring buildings, looking at properties all around Kent, and dreaming up what we felt was ideal, a unique opportunity fell into our lap.

A conversation was sparked (with the help of friends and family) along with a tour of the old R.W. Martin building on Park Avenue with the owner, Shawn Martin. After a wonderful encounter, the reality of making this beautiful old historic building the home of Bell Tower Brewing Co. sunk in we quickly got to work. The original part of the building was built in 1858 and went through several additions until 1910. The bell in the still-working bell tower was forged and installed in 1867.

The building has seen many different uses over its past life. It was first built by the First Congregational Church and was dedicated on November 30th, 1858. The land and brick for the building were donated by Marvin Kent, who the city was named after in 1864. Marvin’s mother Pamelia, his brother Charles H., and his nephew Charles B. all were members of the church.

  • The Bell in the Bell Tower: Forged and hung in 1867
  • The Bell Tower with the steeple.
  • West side of Kent in 1868
  • The Bell Tower Today

In 1955 the church had stopped using the building (still trying to learn why it stopped being used as a church) and it went through several unique uses including local housing and a carwash. Eventually, it was abandoned and for several years it fell into deep disrepair. Fortunately, Mr. Martin (Shawn’s father) bought the building in 1969 from the city and saved it from being demolished. The R. W. Martin Company used the building as its corporate headquarters until the end of 2019.

Throughout all those many uses and over 160 years of existence, the bell tower and still-functioning bell are in excellent working order. The building itself inspired the name for the brewery and with such historic roots how could we not name the brewery after one of the most unique features, the bell tower. The bell rings daily throughout the historic West River Neighborhood in Kent from 9 am until 6 pm reminding us all of the yesteryears when church bells had many uses and meanings in everyday life (more to come on this in a future post).