WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — This weekend, a new development is coming to downtown Willoughby.
Years after abruptly shutting down, the former Willoughby Brewing Company finally has a new tenant.
The Tricky Tortoise Brewing Company officially opens to the public on Friday.
The highly anticipated space is ready for customers.
Residents have been watching and waiting for this moment for months.
While the old Willoughby Brewing Company shut down back in 2020, The Tricky Tortoise Brewing Company is hoping to bring the same great tastes of craft beer and foods but with a new energy to this community.
The owner promises this location is a place for everyone to enjoy.
"We wanna get folks in here smiling and having a good time," Bobby Ehasz, Owner of The Tricky Tortoise Brewing Company, said.
The beloved model train is finally back on the tracks overhead, and things are up and running at the site of the former Willoughby Brewing Company.
"We wanna be a community center for this whole area, and we've designed the space to suit that and make that work," Ehasz said.
The 120-year-old rail car repair depot in the heart of Willoughby will soon be filled with patrons and staff.
Ehasz is spearheading this new era of operation.
"I said—hey! I've got to be a part of bringing this back and making it whole again," Ehasz said.
Ehasz says he fell in love with the 20,000-square-foot property after he was in the area for his son's middle school baseball game.
He purchased a truck at a nearby dealership and was encouraged to check it out.
Without hesitation—he says he was in and The Tricky Tortoise Brewing Company was born.
The name of the establishment is close to his heart.
"I had turtles, tortoises, raised them as a kid. I have an uncle that does some conservation work with turtles. It's kind of been a family thing," Ehasz said.
Ehasz and his team overhauled the Erie Street Staple, which had been abandoned for more than three years.
They worked to maintain the integrity and nostalgia of the property—like the exposed brick and Brazilian Cherry wood floors.
"Floor guy found in a barn in Indiana—they found a couple boxes of this flooring. And the next morning—I drove four and a half hours to Indiana," Ehasz said.
They updated the once worn, old bar.
"We actually extended the bar five or six inches toward you," Ehasz said.
And then built a second one inside.
"We added a whole brand new bar to the other end of the building to expand and pull people to use the entire space instead of being jammed up at the one end," Ehasz said.
They also updated the performance space.
"The stage, the sound, the lighting around the stage. We put front lighting, back lighting. We spent a lot of money upgrading the sound throughout the whole facility," Ehasz said.
Ehasz admits—he has big shoes to fill after the abrupt beloved closure of Willoughby Brewing back in 2020.
News 5 told you the previous owners got locked out when they stopped paying rent.
RELATED: Willoughby Brewing Company reopens after vendor license was revoked over sales taxes
It resulted in a court battle.
Ehasz hopes the Tricky Tortoise Brewing Company re-energizes the community and he can incorporate some of his favorite beverages from the nano-brewery he co-owns in Bainbridge called Pompatus Brewing Company.
"We put in an entirely new distribution system. Everything is chilled and so, if anybody had an issue or didn't like maybe the one bar's beer—we've solved all the issues," Ehasz said.
Ehasz says food is a big part of the project, with a fresh menu.
The kitchen has been gutted and those huge historic brew kettles are focal points once again.
"I just want people to know the food and the beer is the best it will ever be," Ehasz said.
As for the new menu—hamburgers, wings, fries and all the bar foods customers have loved over the years are back.
There is also the outdoor patio and room for more expansion and upgrades with a banquet room and other amenities in the works.
The space is expected to bring 50-60 new jobs.
For ways to apply, menu options and more—click here.
