Strawberry Street Market is adding draft beer to its menu. Photos by Michael Thompson.
A popular Fan market is getting a sudsy upgrade.
Strawberry Street Market owner Mike Cheema said he is adding 24 taps to the store for thirsty shoppers looking to buy draft beer to go.
Cheema said the new taps will be installed in the store at 415 Strawberry St. by April 24. They will add to the store’s established offerings of nearly 500 bottled and canned beers.
“It’s 2015 – everyone is looking for fresh beer,” Cheema said. “People are really into fresher beer.”
Cheema said he’ll spend about $40,000 to install the taps, add monitors to display the draft list and do renovations. He’s financed it himself.
The market expects to start selling draft beer by the end of the month.
The store’s drafts will include beers from local breweries such as Hardywood, Ardent Craft Ales and Isley Brewing Co., as well as harder-to-find, seasonal brews from around the globe.
Frugal beer enthusiasts take note: Cheema said for the first 30 days after the taps have been installed, all fills of 64-ounce containers, commonly called growlers, will cost $10. Then the average price will run $10 to $13, Cheema said. And one day each week, the shop will sell draft beer without a markup.
Growlers have been making a rumble around Richmond lately. Growlers To Go opened last year on the Boulevard and added a Short Pump location three months later. Restaurants like Mekong, Mellow Mushroom and Postbellum also offer growler fills. That’s in addition the slew of local breweries that fill growlers.
And more neighborhood markets are stocking their shelves with craft beer, including a neighboring shop in the Fan. Earlier this year, a market called Buy the Way opened on the same block as the Strawberry Street Market. Both have extensive selections of bottled and canned beer.
Cheema, who said he has owned the Fan market since 2008 when he bought it from the owners of the Strawberry Street Cafe next door, said he isn’t worried about the competition.
“People have been pretty loyal to us,” Cheema said. “I just want to keep my neighbors and customers happy.”
Strawberry Street Market is adding draft beer to its menu. Photos by Michael Thompson.
A popular Fan market is getting a sudsy upgrade.
Strawberry Street Market owner Mike Cheema said he is adding 24 taps to the store for thirsty shoppers looking to buy draft beer to go.
Cheema said the new taps will be installed in the store at 415 Strawberry St. by April 24. They will add to the store’s established offerings of nearly 500 bottled and canned beers.
“It’s 2015 – everyone is looking for fresh beer,” Cheema said. “People are really into fresher beer.”
Cheema said he’ll spend about $40,000 to install the taps, add monitors to display the draft list and do renovations. He’s financed it himself.
The market expects to start selling draft beer by the end of the month.
The store’s drafts will include beers from local breweries such as Hardywood, Ardent Craft Ales and Isley Brewing Co., as well as harder-to-find, seasonal brews from around the globe.
Frugal beer enthusiasts take note: Cheema said for the first 30 days after the taps have been installed, all fills of 64-ounce containers, commonly called growlers, will cost $10. Then the average price will run $10 to $13, Cheema said. And one day each week, the shop will sell draft beer without a markup.
Growlers have been making a rumble around Richmond lately. Growlers To Go opened last year on the Boulevard and added a Short Pump location three months later. Restaurants like Mekong, Mellow Mushroom and Postbellum also offer growler fills. That’s in addition the slew of local breweries that fill growlers.
And more neighborhood markets are stocking their shelves with craft beer, including a neighboring shop in the Fan. Earlier this year, a market called Buy the Way opened on the same block as the Strawberry Street Market. Both have extensive selections of bottled and canned beer.
Cheema, who said he has owned the Fan market since 2008 when he bought it from the owners of the Strawberry Street Cafe next door, said he isn’t worried about the competition.
“People have been pretty loyal to us,” Cheema said. “I just want to keep my neighbors and customers happy.”