Chris and Jody Howard took over the brew shop in 2006 and have decided to move it from its present location on Wyatt Crescent to the corner of Walker Avenue and north Central Street.
“We’ve been in business for about five years,” Howard said. “The business itself has been going on since 1986.”
Construction of the new brew shop is underway and the services offered now will continue in the new building.
“It’s an expanded facility for the same thing that we do now,” said Chris. “It’s going to be a 4,000-square-foot building” including a basement.
The Howards decided to rebrand the operation changing the name from the Home Brew Shoppe to White Oak Cellars.
He said they just wanted to give the business a fresh look and put their own stamp on the operation.
The business sells wine and beer kits and equipment as well as offers an on-premises facility where people can come in and have their kits made in-store.
The business was working well at the downtown location but had outgrown its space.
“We just figured if we were ever going to do it, now would be a good time while we’re young and really didn’t have any competition in town,” he said. “We wanted to get a jump on it.”
Howard said the facility they had just wasn’t big enough.
“Business is picking up all of the time and there are more and more people getting into it,” he said. “We were completely out of space at the location where we’re at now. We’re just very, very crammed in I didn’t have any room for stock or overhead. We needed more space that was the biggest reason.”
They hope to have the new location open in January.
