O'Connor's Home Brew Supply Store keeps things brewing with larger store, more products

A larger store in a newly renovated building is just what O'Connor's Home Brew Supply Store needs to keep things hoppin' in Grand Rapids' Midtown Neighborhood, and the store owners couldn't be happier.

Ben and Allison O'Connor opened the store 16 months ago, aiming to provide area home brewers with a supply outlet dedicated solely to the craft of home brewing. Now the shop has relocated just down the street to 619 Lyon St. NE, to a shop that doubles the retail area, plus provides a packaging and brewing workroom space in the back.

"We went from 700 square feet to over twice that," says Allison O'Connor. "We also have a finished basement to store our inventory so we can now buy in bulk to keep costs down and we can carry specialty items."

The new store has storefront windows for display, exposed brick walls and wood floors that are original to the old building. The rear of the building will eventually have a green space where the O'Connors hope to hold brewing classes and seminars.

The new store opened about three weeks ago and now offers over 70 grains from Germany, England, Belgium and other countries. There's a cooler dedicated to hops, and a variety of ingredients for brewing meads, wines and ciders, as well as hardware supplies and a number of starter kits.

"We work with the Michigan Hop Alliance and they will harvest their hops in the fall," O'Connor says. "We also have custom recipes, and if you're 21 and can show I.D., we can give you a sample of what we have brewing. We do that so people will know that home brew tastes like real beer."

Store hours: Tues. - Fri., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 11a.m. to 6 p.m.    

Source: Allison O'Connor, O'Connor's Home Brew Supply Store;
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor