The Town of Hampton is losing a local taproom at the end of the month, but one co-owner won’t be out of business for long.
Luke MacGregor co-owns both The Gridiron Brewery and The Porch Taproom.
He said as The Porch prepares to close on March 31, Gridiron will return to its former home on Main Street.
“It’s disappointing that it didn’t work out, but we are pretty optimistic that things will move forward to move onward with the Gridiron,” he said.
The Porch was a partnership that combined MacGregor’s Gridiron Brewery and Hampton’s Ole Foggy distillery, owned by Christina Campbell-Murray and her late husband, Aaron Murray, in one location.
As part of the partnership, Gridiron moved from its former space at 1051 Main St. to 370 Main St., where Ole Foggy is currently located.
The establishment offered Gridiron’s craft beer menu along with Ole Foggy’s spirits and cocktails, plus an assortment of activities such as trivia night, open mic, karaoke, among others.
MacGregor and the Murrays opened the business last summer, and during the process Campbell-Murray’s husband, who was battling cancer, passed away on July 18.
After Murray’s passing, Campbell-Murray took over Ole Foggy, MacGregor explained.
He said the closing of The Porch stems from Campbell-Murray’s decision to step away from the business and close Ole Foggy, which was announced last week in a social media post.
MacGregor added that things weren’t the same after Murray’s passing.
“I think [she] just sort of lost the desire to be part of it with Aaron’s passing,” he said.
However, MacGregor said there are no grudges against Campbell-Murray, and he added he is excited for the next chapter.
MacGregor said The Porch will continue to operate until its closing date, when it will host a farewell party.
In the meantime, MacGregor is focusing on reopening Gridiron, now as a fully solo venture.
Before the opening of The Porch, Gridiron operated alongside craft BBQ restaurant Beer Daddy BBQ, which now has a new home in Sussex.
MacGregor said the reopening of Gridiron will come with several new additions, such as its own take on pub food and an original cocktail menu.
MacGregor estimates Gridiron won’t be open until June, but despite the disappointment from the closure of The Porch, the Hampton community has been extremely supportive of his decision to move back to 1051 Main St.
“We have had a lot of very good response,” he said. “People, I think, are quite excited to see sort of the Gridiron return to it’s roots.”
MacGregor added that several patrons have already reached out to offer help, as he expects the summer will be quite busy with the move.
He said the kitchen project may take some time, so in the meantime he will obtain permits for food trucks.
According to Realtor.com, the former Porch/Ole Foggy space was listed for sale last week, with an asking price of $625,000.
Acadia Broadcasting reached out to Campbell-Murray for comment but did not receive a response.
