RACINE — Littleport Brewing Company is open for business in Downtown Racine, attempting to make a comeback after being closed for months.
Located just off of Main Street, at Wisconsin Avenue and Third Street, the brewery was a place for community.
Watch: Owners thankful for community support as Littleport Brewing Company reopens
"It was always like family here. Everybody felt that," Chris Flynn, co-owner of the brewery, said.
Now Chris and Mark Flynn, who run the brewery together, are beginning to see that feeling return.
"People have been coming in, and it's really encouraging," Chris Flynn said.
Littleport has faced obstacles since it first opened in April of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Occupancy limits were still in place.
The brewery intended to operate with a business model focused on production and external sales; however, the bars they intended to sell their beer to were also dealing with the impacts of COVID and limited patrons.
Then, investors backed out.
The Flynns filed for bankruptcy and were told they had to sell the building.
When the trustee struggled to sell it, they were presented with another chance.
"She abandoned it from the procedure, and we got it back," Mark Flynn said.
It was an unexpected turn of events, a positive one.
"We've never been more stunned," Chris Flynn said.
Mark Flynn said it was an easy choice to reopen. They were making money when they closed, and he loves to brew beer.
The choice is also about Racine.
"It's got huge potential, a lot of which is untapped for a number of reasons. And we want to do whatever we can to change that," Chris Flynn said.
And the Racine community is already showing its support for the Flynn's in their next iteration of Littleport Brewing Company.
A GoFundMe launched a week ago was just shy of halfway to its $10,000 goal on Tuesday.
"It makes me want to cry a little," Chris Flynn said. "It's really encouraging."
Money raised from the GoFundMe will allow the Flynns to rebuild the brewery's interior, buy equipment, and pay bills.
In the meantime, they're gradually increasing their hours of operation, and Mark Flynn said he thinks he'll be back to brewing as soon as next week.
The Flynns said this round, the brewery will focus on in-house operations, including brewing smaller batches of beer, which will allow the menu to be more varied.
They're also finding more ways to harness community support, including offering festive ghost tours about the haunted history of the brewery's building and D.P. Wigley next door, and auctioning off a Giannis Antetokounmpo jersey.
They said the support is a reminder that they're on the right track.
"We have a lot of friends who really, really want to see us succeed and come back, even better than before," Chris Flynn said.
While there are still challenges in sight for Littleport, Mark and Chris Flynn recognize, with thankfulness, the surprise of getting to try again.
"We never dreamed we'd get it back," Chris Flynn said. "And we love it."
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