CHARLOTTE — Club West Brewing, the South End brewery formerly known as Sycamore Brewing, has changed ownership as it prepares for a major overhaul of its operations.
The sale closed Sept. 30, and new owner Kevin Hadall confirmed to the Charlotte Observer on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hadall, a Texas-based entrepreneur, said he became interested in the business after learning it was for sale through professional connections.
A previous potential buyer, Brad Bergman, ultimately decided to pursue a different path, and Hadall stepped in with an offer.
“I fell in love with the staff,” Hadall said.
Hadall, 57, lives north of Dallas but travels to Charlotte every couple of weeks to oversee the project. He began managing operations at Club West several months before finalizing the purchase.
“I think there’s tremendous potential to get this thing back up and running,” he said. “I just want to turn it into something great.”
The ownership change comes after a difficult year for the brewery. Sycamore Brewing was once one of Charlotte’s largest breweries, with two taprooms, distribution in seven states, and more than 100 employees.
The company closed in January after co-founder Justin Tawse Brigham was arrested on child rape charges in December. He was indicted in March. The charges and case remain allegations unless proven in court. The backlash led customers to stop visiting the South End taproom and distributors to pull Sycamore products from shelves.
Co-founder Sarah Taylor closed the brewery Jan. 5. The South End location at 2151 Hawkins St. reopened in March as Club West Brewing, with Taylor announcing a sale to Bergman.
Hadall is now taking the business in a different direction, with plans to reduce production and move operations into a much smaller facility.
“We’re not producing as much as they produced in the past,” Hadall said. “We need to cut costs, move to a smaller scale, and start again. We’re taking it down to the studs.”
The brewery’s former, larger building sold Tuesday to commercial real estate firm Browder Brown for more than $6.6 million, according to Mecklenburg County property records.
Hadall’s team negotiated a lease-back agreement with the new property owner to keep operations going while the smaller facility is built out. Hadall expects production at the new site to begin in December.
Hadall is an accountant with more than 30 years of experience in the service industry. He said he owned his first bar and restaurant in 2011 and has worked with several food and beverage businesses since then.
He praised Club West employees for helping manage the transition and said he wants to provide a stable foundation as the brewery moves forward.
“I’ve been able to sleep at night knowing these people are at the wheel,” Hadall said. “Having met the folks that work there, I’m so impressed. I’m super excited to grow this thing back.”