By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Just after celebrating its first anniversary, The Beer Junction is getting ready to move to a new location.
Though Year 1 has seen “faster than expected” growth, according to owner Morgan Herzog, that’s not why his store is moving.
It’s in one of the buildings that will be torn down for construction of the Conner Homes California/Alaska/42nd project – considered likely to start next year.
His lease wasn’t ending immediately, but Morgan says he was “excited to jump” at the chance when the perfect new location opened up:
That new location: The Junction’s former Electric Train Shop, which just moved to Burien, and part of the state liquor store (file photo at left), which is moving to a new Junction location in Capco Plaza (41st/Alaska).
The Liquor Control Board has told WSB they’re moving the store at the end of August. So after that, Morgan gets to start working on moving in; “We’re probably looking at taking over [starting work on] the space sometime in September.” You’ll be able to enter from the rear parking lot, like the liquor store, as well as the California storefront.
It’s larger than his current space on 42nd SW, so he’s expecting to “probably expand our inventory and be able to carry more beer.”
(Keep in mind, his current inventory is more than 1,000 types of beer – up from 600+ when The Beer Junction opened last year.)
Plus, he expects to have room to “probably expand our hard-cider selection” and carry more “beer-related accessories – (including) more beer shirts.” Also on the wish list: A tasting room, since The Beer Junction has been hosting weekly “consistently popular and well-attended” tastings since shortly after it opened last summer. Sometimes more – three days in a row on West Seattle Summer Fest weekend, which also entailed The Beer Junction’s anniversary celebration, and “eight events over the course of 11 days for Seattle Beer Week.”
Tastings are usually on Thursdays – Snoqualmie Brewing is coming in this week, Alpenfire Cider next week, says Morgan. And this summer he’s also reminding customers that “if anybody needs a keg, we can get those” – 1,000 options. Gift shopping? “Mix-and-match beer gift back, gift certificate, 80 types of glassware.”
As Morgan told us when we first reported on his then-store-to-be last year, it’s his first retail endeavor, but clearly, one for which, in West Seattle, the time was right: “I think the people have spoken – they like their craft beer.”
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