After two years of testing the market by operating pop-ups in a vacant Sparks Street storefront, the owner of Kichesippi Beer Co. is moving in permanently with a new drink-and-snack concept called The Commons.
“When you go to a restaurant and say, ‘We’re just gonna have drinks,’ and the server rolls their eyes — that’s my customer,” Paul Meek told OBJ. “It’s where you stop in for a quick beer and a sandwich after work.”
Over the past few years, Meek said he’s been looking for a way to bring his brewery into the downtown core, something customers have been asking for since its location moved to Bells Corners in 2019.
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In 2023, he tested a pop-up store at 187 Sparks St., an 1,100-square-foot space in a building with historic detail. The pop-up allowed the brewery to capitalize on holiday spending, offering Kichesippi brews alongside beer and wine from other Ontario producers.
After that initial success, Meek decided to continue operating in the space, trying different versions of the pop-up. In the two years since, he said he’s been able to gauge local interest in a new model that he believes fills a gap in the neighbourhood.
“We did numerous pop-ups and talked to people, whether it’s tourists or people who work or live in the area,” he said. “By just bringing beer, we weren’t really addressing the needs of customers and decided to expand the overall vision for our location.”
The Commons, he said, will be a drinks-first venue offering Kichesippi products as well as beer and wine from other local and Ontario producers, along with a selection of local snacks. Part of the expanded vision includes a coffee program with roasts supplied by Happy Goat Coffee Co.
“The pop-ups really allowed us to engage with the customer and learn about the demographic and not just say that we know what’s best. It’s really been a great study, listening to our potential customers in terms of what they want.”
There will also be a grab-and-go bottle shop, an idea that also came from customers.
“As crazy as it sounds, there’s no liquor store in the area,” he said. “There’s nothing close by, so the big thing we got from customers is, ‘Please tell me you’re going to have some takeaway options for beer and wine. There’s nowhere for us to shop.’”
In recent years, and especially since the pandemic, Sparks Street has been an area that has struggled with empty storefronts and a lack of foot traffic.
But Meek said the area has started to see a resurgence that he hopes will continue.
“Yes, we’re taking a risk and, yes, we’re spending a lot of money on this. But this is a really great, smaller location with a really tight focus,” he said.
“We feel that Sparks Street is only going to get better. The pandemic was sort of a reset for Sparks Street and the Downtown BIA is very active and very focused. We really do feel there’s a great balance of people who work and live in the area and tourists as well. I was just there this weekend and the amount of people coming by, even before we opened, is very encouraging.”
