Business & Tech

Craft Beer Cellar Opens in Winchester on Monday

Craft Beer Cellar New England Annex will open its doors to customers in Winchester on Monday, July 1.

This article, which first appeared on Winchester Patch on June 28, was posted by Mark Ouellette. It was reported and written by Mark Ouellette.
A couple of self-professed "beer geeks" will be opening their second Craft Beer Cellar New England Annex location in Massachusetts and first in Winchester on Monday, according to co-owners Suzanne Schalow and Kate Baker.

Schalow and Baker, both of Belmont, plan to open their Winchester store at 10 a.m. July 1. Craft Beer Cellar, which received town approval in April, is tucked away in Winchester Center at 18 Thompson St.

"We're totally psyched," Baker said about the upcoming opening of the store in Winchester. "Working with the town has been wonderful. This is kind of a stepping stone for us. It is also kind of a really fun way to explore having a more centralized focus on just New England beer. I think this concept will work, but nobody else has done this before so it makes me think of all the kinds of possibilities."

Setting Up Shop

Since July 2012, the duo has been wanting to open a second location, according to Baker. The pair of former restauranteurs previously opened a 1,500-square-foot Craft Beer Cellar on Leonard Street in Belmont in November 2010. However, they will be working out of a space one-third the size of the Belmont store, as the 500-square-foot Winchester location will sell roughly 400 to 500 artisanal, craft and micro beers from six states in New England, according to Schalow. 

"Craft beer is on fire," Schalow said. "There is a ton of great beer coming out of this region, particularly our home state of Massachusetts and it is about time someone stepped up to the plate and showcased what these local brewers are doing and that's really what our full intention with this store is."

Ideally, Schalow said she'd like to see five stores open in Massachusetts, with openings concentrated in the South Shore region. But as far as goals are concerned, Schalow said they only have one goal and that is to "continue living the dream because we love craft beer."

A Passion for Beer

While the Belmont store has 11 employees, the Winchester location will have six to start, according to Schalow. "Inevitably customers have questions, but fortunately we are all beer geeks here and we take it pretty seriously because we love craft beer," Schalow added.

Baker said the intent was to make the store "as sleek and streamlined as possible" and those who have seen the hardwood floors and black Ikea shelving prominently displaying hundreds of craft beers have had nothing but positive things to say about it.

Craft Beer Cellar will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12-6 p.m. on Sunday. 

For more information, call 781-369-1174 or visit the Craft Beer Cellar website.

Check out video from our recent visit to Craft Beer Cellar New England Annex in Winchester.


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