Don’t bother looking for businessmen Shawn Sease (bearded fellow) and Billy York (in the Nathan’s Tattoo T-shirt) in the recession crybaby crib.
However, you will find them in the recession attack ring where, for the last few months, they’ve crunched numbers and knocked around ideas until they finally hit upon what they believe will be winners:
• Join forces and beat the sagging economy.
• Develop a line of flagship, “rotating” beers, especially for the Downtown Eatery & Libations.
• Serve North Star Craft Brewery beer made on the premises inside the Downtown Eatery & Libations, making it possibly the only establishment north of the Bay Area to sell hand-pulled, cask-conditioned (sans additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure), self-fermented beer.
That’s huge.
Tuesday morning 38-year-old Sease of North Star Craft Brewery and 36-year-old Billy York of Downtown Eatery shared the big picture of their upcoming collaboration/partnership/synergistic enterprise/commercial adventure.
They said that for now, North Star Craft Brewery – Shasta County’s only microbrewery – will carry on with its bottling and manufacturing business, as well as live music events and food service at its industrial park location in Shasta Lake City.
Likewise, the Downtown Eatery will maintain its new hours (sad to report it quit lunch service last month) of Monday through Saturday, 4 p.m. “until late” – where it will offer food, drinks, pint nights, ArtHop activity, live entertainment and other events.
When asked if the Downtown Eatery had room for a functioning brewery, Sease and York practically answered in unison in the affirmative.
“It doesn’t take up as much room as you’d think!” (Oh yeah, remember the old “Mafia” basement in the Eatery’s old Shervan Square building? Perfect for beer barrels.)
Tuesday’s conversation was the appetizer, and Sease and York promised to update us with specifics when they’re ready to unveil the entire menu.
Until then, they’ll brainstorm about how to blend the best of both their businesses and make use of each of their strengths. For example, they’ll take advantage of the Downtown Eatery’s ideal placement in the heart of Redding, while they’ll capitalize on North Star’s beer-making expertise.
Plus, they’ll borrow ideas from other successful brew pubs that offer such customer perks as mug clubs; memberships that bring exclusive benefits and discounts. They’re even tossing around the concept of a co-op brew pub, with the potential for participating members to actually partake in some profits.
They’ll do everything in their power to cultivate and grow a “big city” urban feel to downtown Redding. They’ll make it a priority to provide a welcoming venue for live music events, and to promote a healthy, active downtown night life.
And most of all, they’ll turn a deaf ear to the “north state naysayers” – those who grouse and complain that financial success is all but impossible to achieve in Redding.
“I refuse to buy into what so many businesses do when they point a finger at the economy for their failures,” Sease said.
York agreed.
“I’d rather point the finger at myself,” he said. “We’d rather be bold change-makers and bold initiative-takers. I’m not interested in just being in survival mode, because that’s like being curled up in a cave.”
Double smiles. Double laughs.
“We’ve got to have fun, too,” York said, still grinning.
“If we aren’t having fun, then what the hell are we doing?”
Downtown Eatery & Libations, 1344 Market St., Redding, CA, 96001, telephone 243.4731. For more information visit thedowntowneatery.com.
North Star Craft Brewery, 3501 Iron Court, Shasta Lake, CA, 96019, telephone 275.2739. For more information visit northstarbrew.com.
