Students and locals will soon have a new place to work, study and grab a beer.
Switchyard Brewing Company recently announced it will be moving into the old Bloomingfoods building in the Elm Heights neighborhood. Switchyard should be opening its doors this summer, but the date depends on how soon it receives its brewing equipment, co-founder Kurtis Cummings said.
“It’s your job as a business to give back to the community,” Cummings said.
Switchyard plans to combine elements of a coffee shop and a brewery in an unusual combination. It plans to open at 7 a.m. every morning and serve coffee and on-the-go breakfast items. Cummings and his co-founder, Jeff Hall, said they both want their business to be a collaborative environment where people can come and have a space to work.
The Elm Heights location will have large tables for group work and couches and cushioned chairs for a comfortable place to talk over coffee or read a book. There will be a mezzanine area that overlooks the dining room, and it will have two whiteboards for collaborative ideas and additional seating. Patrons will not have to be 21 or older to come inside and buy non-alcoholic products.
“I think Switchyard will breathe new life into the neighborhood,” said Robert Fischman, a resident of Elm Heights.
Four years ago, Cummings and Hall came up with the idea for Switchyard in a local bar. Cummings asked the bartender for a scrap of paper to write the idea down and said it felt like a movie moment. They both had been brewing beer in their garages for a while at the time.
A year ago Switchyard received $42,560 on Kickstarter from 301 backers. This was a catalyst for the business and provided the pair with a lot of marketing,
“It was cool that 301 other people were like, ‘Come on, let’s do this’,” Cummings said.
Switchyard will work with Hopscotch Coffee to create a special blend. Switchyard will serve this blend as a hot brew, cold brew and cold brew on nitrogen.
“We’ve learned a lot about being small business owners from Hopscotch,” Cummings said.
Cummings and Hall both currently work the night shift on ambulances for IU Health Bloomington. Their passion for serving others inspired making the brewery so community-friendly.
“We help people on a daily basis, and we’re still going to be doing that,” Hall said.
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