A well-established family is behind a new craft brewery in Leamington, they have a plan but they don't have a name.
The proposed site on Mill St. near Talbot St. W. houses a 1,500 sq-ft building named after Colonel William T. Gregory that was built in 1911 — he brought the tobacco industry to town from North Carolina, choosing Leamington for its desirable soil type and long frost-free seasons.
Bradt's Butcher Block has sat across the street for 25 years and the the owners have stared at the vacant space thinking it could be more for a long time — Lisa Bradt says they now get to transform the heritage building into the town's first craft brewery.
"The place looks rather dishevelled, it has insulation on the floors, the walls are taken down to the studs, there's knob and tube wiring hanging from the ceiling," she says.
The town sent out a request for proposal and selected Bradt and her husband to convert the vacant property into a bistro.
They later proposed a craft brewery, which Bradt says the town supports.
"Now we have the opportunity to bring it back to life, it is extremely exciting as well as overwhelming and intimidating but we been there before and we've succeeded," says Bradt.
As for the name, that's where Bradt hopes the public can help.
"The name is extremely important. We are looking for creativity and uniqueness and something that would help us recognize the heritage of the property, the landmark of Leamington so people can recognize where we are from," added Bradt, who goes on to say the public can follow them on Instagram or their Facebook page and post what they think the brewery should be named.
Renovation and addition on an adjacent property are estimated to cost upwards of $800,000.
— with files from CTV Windsor's Stefanie Masotti.