LYNCHBURG, Va. – Starr Hill Brewery is expanding to Lynchburg and set to open in early 2020 as Starr Hill on Main.
"It's something that I think Lynchburg has been wanting, and we've spoken to people in Lynchburg, and they've been really excited about the opportunity," said Josh Cromwell, finance manager.
Cromwell said the 20-year-old craft brewing company will move into the building that once housed Grassroots Local Market on 13th and Main Street.
Despite the two-year-long construction on Main Street, Ashley Kreshner with Downtown Lynchburg Association said businesses will continue to pop up.
"They actually see the construction as a positive because on the other side of this, we're going to have strong utilities, which is important. But also we're going to have really beautiful streets and sidewalks," Kershner said.
Starr Hill and city leaders have been working together for a while to get the project going.
Leaders said the effort is a part of revitalizing downtown as Third Street Brewing from Farmville is expected to open in Downtown next year, too.
"We want to have a cluster of breweries so people can do a brewery tour," Kershner said.
Starr Hill on Main will include a lounge area, bar and outside seating, a tap room, and they'll brew on-site with a five-barrel brewing system.
"That's going to be some real volume. We're going to be brewing beers for Lynchburg specifically that will stay at our tap room in Lynchburg, which is really exciting," Cromwell said.
A lot more craft beer shops are popping up across Virginia, while others are shutting down.
It's a change Starr Hill say it's aware of, but staying in business means expansion is required to connect with more Virginians.
"We want to make sure that we're taking advantage of the opportunity to touch more people in Virginia and our home state, and get them aware of who we are," Cromwell said.
Starr Hill is looking to hire local employees. Go to their website for job postings. https://starrhill.com/contact/jobs/.
Read below a statement from Deputy City Manager, Reid Wodicka about Starr Hill Brewery's expansion:
"The City of Lynchburg is so pleased that Starr Hill Brewery will be joining the Lynchburg community. This new addition will invite even more people to visit and enjoy downtown Lynchburg and will benefit the entire Lynchburg area by serving as yet another important attraction for our community. The City’s Economic Development and Tourism staff have been working hand-in-hand with Starr Hill to make this investment a reality in the Hill City. Welcome to Lynchburg!"