BUSINESS PLANS … Micah Sensenig (right) told Archbold Rotarians that he hopes to open Hub Haus Brewing Company in downtown Archbold next spring in the building that once housed Christy Motors for decades before the dealership was sold to H & K Chevrolet. Sensenig shared his plans for what will be a million-dollar venture at Rotary’s first meeting of the new year. The program was arranged by Karla Ball.
Once H & K Chevrolet leaves its downtown Archbold location and moves into the Shopko building on the southside of town later this year, renovations to turn the one-time Christy Motors property into a brew pub will begin.
Archbold native Micah Sensenig who purchased the iconic Christy Motors property last year gave Archbold Rotarians an idea of what he has planned.
Some of those plans will borrow ideas that his older brother Jesse used when he renovated a building in Goshen, Indiana, and turned it into the Goshen Brewing Company in 2015.
However, a lot of the ideas are built around the food service training that he’s learned over the years from studying culinary arts in college and working in a variety of restaurants before returning to Archbold where he is the food service manager at The Barn Restaurant.
He told Rotarians that he hasn’t settled on a specific menu; however, he said it will feature the types of items patrons would expect to find at a brew pub along with seasonal items.
What will make this restaurant different from others in the area are the other plans that he plans to feature when the Hub Haus Brewing Company opens in the spring of 2025.
Those plans include a core menu of beers brewed onsite as well as offering special beers that will rotate throughout the year so that 10 to 12 varieties will always be on tap, including ales, IPAs and stouts.
Regardless of a beer drinker’s preference, he said, there will always be something on tap to match their taste. Along with the food and beer, Sensenig said he hopes to offer live music several times a week.
Two indoor dining areas are planned, he said. The main dining area and entrance to the restaurant will occupy what is now the car dealership’s showroom along Defiance Street. A larger, less formal dining area will be in part of what is now the service area.
Plans call for the kitchen to be located in northeast corner of the service area with the brewery in the southeast corner. He said he expects to hire a full-time brew master and a full-time chef with 20 to 25 employees eventually.
An indoor performance stage in the larger dining area is planned and during warmer weather an outdoor dining area will be located in what is now the new car lot on the south side of the building.
The used car lot will provide parking for the restaurant. Sensenig said he is both a little anxious and excited about the venture.
He noted that he’s never planned such a large project before. (Renovations are estimated at about $1 million.) But, if done right it will draw families and adults to Archbold, he said.
Archbold Rotarian and economic development coordinator Jim Wyse said that he and the village are excited about the project – not only will it keep an important anchor at the north end of the downtown open and vibrant, but he added that it will bring business to the community.
Wyse cited some visitor statistics that his office has gathered. He explained that about 90,000 people visited the village during a recent year. However, Sauder Village is just a mile or so north of town and it attracted about 130,000 visitors.
A business like a brew pub might bring a few of those 40,000 extra visitors that Sauder Village attracted into the downtown and possibly benefit other businesses.
