DRINK
Craig Wensell (second from left) and his Wilmington Brew Works team (L-R): Keith Hughes, John Fusco, Dan Yopp and Derek Berkeley.
BREWING UP BUSINESS IN WILMINGTON The city’s first brewery since 1954 opens in a neglected part of town By Kevin Noonan Photos by Joe del Tufo
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raig Wensell had a bellyful of the corporate life. He was used to being his own boss and he chafed under the structured life he was living. So, he decided, as legendary bluesman Muddy Waters once sang, to live the life he loves and love the life he lives. As a result, Wensell is the owner of the soon-to-open Wilmington Brew Works on Miller Road in north Wilmington. It joins a growing group of breweries sprouting up all over the state and the country. But Wensell’s is different because his is the first production brewery in the city since 1954, when Diamond State Brewery closed its doors, and he’s creating his business in a neglected part of town that is far from the bright lights of the Christina Riverfront and the hustle and bustle of Market Street. “That’s an old perception that we’re hoping to change,” Wensell said. “I did feasibility studies, I did my homework, and I think this is a fantastic opportunity. The building is beautiful and this area is hungry for something like this. To me, the time and place are perfect.”
Reviving those neglected areas of Wilmington has been a point of emphasis for the administration of Mayor Mike Purzycki. So, when city officials heard that Wensell was looking for a place to set up shop, they approached him about the site on Miller Road, which is owned by Ralph and Rose Pepe. The 11,000-square-foot building is a brownfield—a contaminated property that gets federal aid to clean up potential hazards so it can be redeveloped. Wensell was drawn to its unique-for-Wilmington architecture. It has a red-tile roof and Spanish flair that make it look more like a hacienda than the industrial shop it once was. It used to house the HarperThiel Electroplating Company back in the day when Gaylord’s department store and Jack Lundy’s Jewish delicatessen were the big attractions in that part of town, but the building has been vacant since Harper-Thiel left it in 2000. Wensell had hoped for a May grand opening, but weathercreated delays have pushed that projection back to June. ► JUNE 2018 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM
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