When Jared Adkins opened Bluebird Distilling in 2014, he spent $1 million to renovate a dilapidated warehouse with his father, a retired contractor. A decade later, he's now spending twice as much to add a Neapolitan pizzeria and update the tasting room and coffee bar in the Phoenixville staple.
"By us investing this money now, it's securing our future in my mind for the next 10 or 15 years of where I want to go with the business and to continue elevating our brand," Adkins said. "So, we want to continue growing."
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Bluebird makes whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, rum and coffee liqueurs at its Bridge Street taproom. It will remain open during construction, which is expected to be complete by early winter. When it's done, Bluebird will have a restaurant that seats 120 people, a new bar in the tasting room for up to 30 people, an expanded bottle shop and upgrades to coffee shop Char & Steve, its sister brand.
As a distiller of multiple kinds of alcohol, Bluebird does a lot of grain fermentation. So, dough felt like a natural next step, Adkins said, which is why he opted to add a pizzeria when he decided to move into food. The restaurant also will serve house-baked breads, seasonal sandwiches and salads. Adkins said he plans to focus on local ingredients for produce and cheese.
For the last 10 years, Bluebird only has served drinks, and while Adkins wanted to expand his customer base by adding food, he also wanted to keep up the casual environment of the watering hole. The new bar and tall tables are designed to maintain that casual energy, allowing customers to move around easily, he said. The restaurant will be in a separate room for people that want something quieter.
"That's really going to elevate us here, because we'll really be able to pull in a lot more business throughout the week in different areas and provide more of an all-encompassing experience instead of having drinks or cocktails, and then leaving and coming back," Adkins said.
Provided Image/Michael Gruber
The upcoming renovation for Bluebird Distilling includes a communal bar.
Provided Image/Michael Gruber
A rendering of the new restaurant at Bluebird Distilling.
Provided Image/Michael Gruber
The new pizzeria, rendered above, will feature seating for 120.
Adkins said Phoenixville has changed a lot since Bluebird opened, noting new development along the commercial corridor, new housing and greater attention to Phoenixville — which the distillery helped facilitate. But he said Bluebird's expansion will fill a hole in the scene and help Phoenixville continue to grow.
"We're the only distillery in town, we've been that staple," Adkins said. "It's a shining light coming into there, but also, we've gotten this national notoriety of awards and recognition, and that all comes back to Phoenixville. … So, yeah, I think we've been very instrumental, even more so than probably what we get credit for."
