If you were excited about the microbrewery and restaurant coming to the Simon Silk Mill, you’ll love this news.
Sole Artisan Ales plans to move its brewing operations from Pittston, Pa., to the old mill being reborn in Easton. The beer that people travel from West Virginia and New England to buy batches that sell out within hours of their release will be sold from the new Easton headquarters.
By the end of the summer, Sole will join Boeser Geist Brewing Co., the microbrewery revealed along with seven other businesses at an Easton planning commission meeting last June.
“There’s plenty of parking. It’s so centrally located. We have so many followers from Philadelphia and New York City and being in the Lehigh Valley makes us more accessible to our customers,” said Laura Fay, who owns Sole Artisan Ales with her husband, Joe Percoco.
Sole was leasing space in northeast Pennsylvania for more than two years but now will have its own brewery where it can experiment with “sours and barrel aging,” Fay said.
A drones view of the old Simon Silk Mill plant in Easton
The brewer is known for its flavorful, unique concoctions. Separately, work is nearly complete on Bar + Bottle, a taproom Sole plans to open in April at 101 Northampton St., near the free bridge. The tasting room will serve beer with light fare and maintain a “European cafe feel.”
“Modern, not pubby,” Fay said.
The brewery in the silk mill will have a retail space that serves brews but not food.
To eat, silk mill patrons will need to go to Boeser Geist. Owner Erik Thomasik hopes to open by July. He plans to serve about six to 10 in-house brews at any given time. He’s already started working on a chocolate stout, which will age several months and hopefully be ready in time for the opening.
He also plans to brew “juicy” India pale ales not unlike what you’d find at Sole. Boeser Geist is partnering with local distilleries and wineries to serve their beverages with lunch and dinner. They’ll specialize in “upscale” but affordable pub food.
“There will be meat and cheese plates, gourmet burgers, sandwiches, duck fat fries,” Thomasik said. “We want people to be able to sit and enjoy the beer and still have something great to eat.”
After 10 years of planning, the redevelopment of the abandoned mill is finally coming together. Silk mill developer Mark Mulligan said that along with Sole and the original eight businesses, he has a party balloon business and art gallery signed on.
He said he is in negotiations with an all-male hair salon and is negotiating with three other possible tenants he declined to name.
“If all the people sign, all the commercial space in first phase will be full,” Mulligan said.
The multi-million-dollar project includes about 150 apartments. The first ones should be available to rent by March, Mulligan said.
The rise, fall and rebirth of Easton’s silk mill (TIMELINE)
Other businesses coming to the mill include:
BalloonWorks: Owner Karen Ford, of Palmer Township, plans to have her balloon decor business moved in to the mill by March.
Her elaborate balloon displays have won nationwide accolades. One appeared at President Obama’s Halloween party last year in the White House. Ford’s balloons fell at both the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
She’s the only certified balloon artist in the Valley and one of only 3,000 in the world.
Brick + Mortar gallery: Art gallery owners Tom D’Angelo and Chaz Hampton plan to open their new space by May. The duo create booths for trade shows and interiors for restaurants as well as traditional art.
“This new location is ideal for us. Our space is approximately 3,000 square feet, which allows us to accommodate our growing design studio business while maintaining a generously sized gallery/showroom,” they said in an email.
They’re leaving their Easton Centre Square site after two years.
American Male: Owner Tom McCormack is negotiating his lease with Mulligan. If all goes well he hopes to be in by late summer. Like his salon in Bethlehem, the one at the silk mill would offer men haircuts, conditioning, coloring, mini facials, hot towels and scalp massages.
“We’re a full service salon that caters to men,” he said.
Already established at the mill are Trinity Fitness, Elaine Zelker photography, Zeke Zelker’s videography studio, Exemplum medical devices, Salon at the Silk, Alisha Nycole Makeup Artistry and KLO Events.
Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
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