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Millworks owner finalizes deal for Camp Hill tasting room
Listen to this articleJosh Kesler, owner of the Harrisburg-based brewery, has wrapped up a deal to buy the former Creative Elegance Boutique property at 2129 Market St. in Camp Hill. He’s had the property under contract since June.
The building is located next to the popular Cornerstone Coffeehouse.
The plan, Kesler said, is to open a tasting room that would operate under an extension of the Millworks brewery license. Kesler is hoping to be open by May or June 2019.
But before that happens, the building will undergo some changes. Planned renovations include expanding the building’s wraparound porch and relocating a side parking lot to the rear to create more outdoor seating.
Including the purchase and renovations, Kesler said he is investing about $1 million.
The Market Street property, which includes a carriage house converted into an apartment, was built in 1830. It was a private residence and a Civil War-era tavern, where the owners hid horses in the kitchen to keep them safe from thieves. Kesler plans to preserve the architectural distinctiveness of the historic building.
“This fits the model of what we’re doing in Midtown,” Kesler said.
The three-story Millworks in Harrisburg opened in 2015 as a farm-to-table restaurant. The building also is home to about two dozen artist studios and gallery space, as well as a brewery and rooftop biergarten. The brewery opened in early 2016.
The design of the Harrisburg Millworks includes many original building materials. For example, repurposed lumber was used to make tables, bar tops, door assemblies and other features.
In addition to beer, the new tasting room also will serve wine and spirits made in Pennsylvania along with a limited food menu.
The Kesler family lived in Camp Hill for almost 10 years, so expanding the East Shore business to the West Shore is like a homecoming, Kesler said. He sees the Camp Hill location being comparable to Midtown Harrisburg for its walkability and connection to the community.
Greg and Garrett Rothman of RSR Realtors co-listed the Camp Hill property.
