The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Brew pub to open in Lambert Kay site
Winsted Edge Works welcomes first tenant
WINSTED — Just steps away from the Mad River, and in keeping with its role in the early history of the town’s industry, a new era is about to begin for the longabandoned factory building that once housed the Winsted Edge Tool Works company at 32 Lake St.
With gold-painted shovels in hand, the first confirmed tenants of the building celebrated the groundbreaking on Tuesday of what’s now called Winsted Edge Works. The co-owners of Little Red Barn Brewers, along with Brian Lyman, the managing broker with Parker Benjamin Real Estate Services, posed for photos at the ceremony. The brew pub is the first business to sign a lease for space in the former Lambert Kay building.
Brewers Matthew and Nathan Day and Nils Johnson plan to open their business in late summer. “These events are huge milestones in our journey to open a brewery in town,”
“We’re repurposing the building for manufacturing, shops, galleries, offices and beer.”
Managing broker Brian Lyman
Johnson wrote in a news release. “We get a chance to chase our dream while helping the community, how awesome is that?” he asked.
“We’re repurposing the building for manufacturing, shops, galleries, offices and beer,” said Lyman at the ground-breaking. He thanked the owners of Little Red Barn Brewers
for their entreprenearual spirit, ingenuity and craftsmanship. “They make great beer,” Lyman added.
“This is a huge step forward,” said Winsted Mayor Candy Perez. “We are in the middle of a rebirth, this gets us up and over the hill.”
Perez pointed out that the renovated building will be very visible and called the nearby river “one of our greatest assests.”
Other proposed tenants are Mad River Market and Scene Art Bar. The brew pub will lease 5,500 square feet of the 21,354 square feet of available space on the first floor of the building. The second floor offers another 10,000 square feet of office space.
Perez said site cleanup and interior stripping of the factory building were nearly complete. Within 60 days, she said, a new roof and windows will be installed. The town bought
the property 17 years ago, she said, for $1 from Lambert Kay. “It’s been moving in fits and starts since then,” Perez noted.
Parker Benjamin bought the property last July for $1,000.
“This will beautify the waterfront,” Perez said. Supporters believe the renovated factory building on the river’s edge will once again contribute to the town’s tax base and become a vibrant destination location.