A neat business idea from Pennsylvania for recession hit folks- the Professor
Written by Tim Stuhldreher for centralpennbusiness,com
The midstate’s first “craft beer bottle shop and flatbread pizza café” will open at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Lancaster.
Located at 534 N. Mulberry St., near the Lancaster Arts Hotel, The Fridge will offer the region’s largest selection of craft beers and microbrews, as well as hand-crafted artisan flatbread pizzas, according to its website.
Co-owner James Futty said he and his partner, Kevin Brown, have long shared an interest in craft beers. They began planning The Fridge in earnest about a year ago, after losing their jobs in the recession, he said.
“It’s been a lot of work,” Futty said, adding that the venue has more than 1,400 Facebook followers awaiting Tuesday’s opening.
The Fridge adds to the growing number of craft beer offerings in Lancaster and the midstate in general. Spring House Brewing Co. debuted The Taproom in Lancaster in February, York’s first brewpub opened in July and Troegs Brewing Co. is moving from Harrisburg into larger quarters in Derry Township.
The midstate’s craft beer movement “has really taken off, and we’re excited to be a part of it,” Futty said.
The Fridge bolsters Lancaster’s emerging Harrisburg Avenue mix of shops and eateries and helps connect that area to downtown, said Marshall Snively, vice president of Lancaster’s James Street Improvement District community nonprofit.
“It’s a welcome addition,” he said.