Three Bridges distillery expands with craft brews, event space and bigger dreams

Three Bridges Distillery and Taproom opened in March 2022 with just three offerings on the menu: gin, rye, and vodka. Now, three short years later, the house offers 21 bottled spirits, wine under their label from Chateau Chantal in Traverse City, and 12 craft beers rotated seasonally.

Jamie Daws, co-owner and lead brewer, says, “We brew it all here. We like to do a mix of traditional styles and weird stuff you might not expect.” Some examples include a Nerds candy sour beer, a cucumber “pickle” beer, and one made with Creation Coffee. “It would be nice to have people know we’re also a brewery [in addition to a distillery],” he says.

Three Bridges will be expanding into the former Grape Beginnings space next door with a soft opening targeted for late summer. Co-owner  Derek Evans, who is leading the remodeling efforts, says, “We’re going to have an event space for weddings, graduation parties,” and the like. 

Evans says he will do most of the construction with a buddy helping out. “We’d like to do as much as we can ourselves.” It saves money, and we can evolve in our decision-making as the situation presents itself. “We’ll see what we can and can’t do.”

In the meantime, Three Bridges has expanded its outdoor seating capacity from 55 to 130 and is open on Sundays for the summer months. Other expansion goals are to have more than one storefront and to distribute beyond the current regional radius. Co-owner John Levy says their current location at 240 E. Main Street is the only one, and they would like to add another if the opportunity presents itself.

Levy also says their bottling demands will change if they go statewide, another one of their goals. “Currently, we sell our stuff in about 10 different locations, doing the distribution ourselves. Without the additional space [next door], we could not do larger-scale distribution and bottling; self-distribution can be done up to a certain point, but the game changes when you branch out.” Three Bridges’ spirits are also served in several Great Lakes Bay area bars and restaurants.

Levy says he’s had a laundry list of things going through his head in terms of expansion. “What could we afford? Where is a good location that is available? This [former Grape Beginnings space] checked all of the boxes for us.”

One of the most important ‘boxes’ was space...space for a lounge area, for bottling, for storage and aging, and a rentable event space. In addition, he says, “There are more restrooms, enough room for a kitchen perhaps down the road, and a door connecting the two spaces.” 
 
With regards to hiring, Evans says, “We will probably end up having a couple of additional employees, but more likely if the new space takes off and does well, we’ll be able to keep people on through the winter with more hours.” Three Bridges currently has 14 full and part-time employees plus the four owners.

Levy says he, Evans, Daws, and co-owner Kevin Thorow are having a lot of fun. “It’s a very sharing, open, creative industry.” For now, they will not only be busy getting their new space ready, but will also be in the middle of Three Bridges’ busiest time of year. 

Levy invites people to come down on a Friday night. “It’s an amazing vibe. People come here for dates, with groups, and it’s neat that they chose us.” Cocktails, craft beer, and wine are the headliners for Three Bridges, while food-wise, they partner with Pizza Baker next door and offer in-house charcuterie and snacks. They also purchased 20 cases of Grape Beginnings wines when they were closing out to serve in addition to their own. 

Many things like flooring, paint colors, etc., have yet to be chosen to create the environment the partners want in the future events space. Evans says they’ll go a little lighter than their current location, “A little more modern.” 

They do not know what the final seating capacity will be until everything is done and inspected. Evans says Three Rivers will do a code review and give them an idea about occupancy. 

Being several months out, many decisions have yet to be made. However, Daws says you can be sure, “There will be some surprises in store.”