Being a short-term landlord wasn’t on the checklist at the start of the business plan, but for Collin Castore, it does seem to be a natural progression for the co-owner of Seventh Son Brewing.
Looking to give someone a new way to experience the brewery, either through the Seventh Son brand or its sister brewery, Antiques on High, was something that mattered as the brewery now runs two AirBnB locations with one near each brewery location in the Columbus, Ohio area.
“With both, we wanted to create some fun and immersive experiences for our fans, and at the same time we have tried to make the places enjoyable whether you are familiar with our breweries or just need a cool place to stay and enjoy Columbus,” Castore explained.
Antiques on High Townhouse is located in the German Village area of Columbus and is available now while the Italian Village location for Seventh Son is about to be available.
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The German Village location will also serve as an extension of the brewery, providing a location for future events and experiences such as cocktail classes, beer tastings, and more.
“We have been watching the growing popularity of Airbnb’s and a couple of places that were adjacent to our taprooms became available so we thought it was worth a try,” Castore said. One of the places is a rental and the other is a real estate purchase and full rehab done by the brewery. They created a real estate company to manage the property along with filing taxes and other things needed for that side of the business.
“I think every situation will have its own nuances and in our case, it made sense to do it this way,” Castore said. “Columbus does have some licensing red tape with short-term rentals that was at times difficult to navigate; but not impossible.”
Making the places relevant to the breweries was the fun part, he added.
The vintage townhome near AoH is furnished with a curated selection of retro décor and offers two bedrooms, one bath, a dedicated workspace, a full kitchen stocked with Seventh Son beer, and indoor and outdoor dining spaces. Guests can enjoy the ping-pong table, a record player with vintage records, an electric fireplace, and city skyline views. The townhouse is pet friendly.
“We love to create environments,” Castore said. “For the Seventh Son property, we are using a lot of the old posters we have saved over the years as well as glassware to create a sense of the place.
“For Antiques on High, we chose to furnish and paint with a nod to the vintage style that Antiques embraces. We wanted them to be more than just Ikea and gray/beige — we wanted them to share our taproom’s personality.”
As the company enters its second decade in business Castore said they are thinking a lot about hospitality, and this is a new extension of that.
“How do we make people feel appreciated and create unique experiences,” he asked. “This feels like a natural extension of that philosophy.”
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