Community on tap: Northern California brewery overcomes obstacles to open doors

FOLSOM, Calif. (CN) — As a native of Folsom, Taryn Grows had long wanted to open a hometown brewery.

She took jobs in Folsom’s economic-development and tourism departments, hoping to better understand the local business climate.

With her father, former firefighter Charlie Grows, she started homebrewing in small batches for weddings and golf tournaments.

“He’s everybody’s favorite human,” Taryn said of her father. “Everybody calls him ‘Uncle Charlie.’”

In an interview, Taryn said she didn’t want her business anywhere but Folsom. 

Both Taryn and her father have a long history in this city outside Sacramento. Citing lower life expectancies among first responders, she said she wanted to make sure her father was involved.

The pair achieved their dream late last year, opening Uncle Charlie's Firehouse & Brew in a parking garage in historic downtown Folsom, though they’re currently using a special-event permit to serve (more on that later).

It’s been a rocky journey. The Grows faced numerous challenges, from the Covid-19 pandemic and issues with a manufacturer to licensing and California’s notorious environmental permitting process.

“There’s so much red tape,” Taryn said.

Today, the Grows’ brewery is open and serving beer — but with a twist. 

It’s not their beer. Instead, they’re currently serving beer from other local breweries as well as some national brands. Still, it’s a way to get people in the door as they prepare to do their own brewing.

“We overcame so much to get this space,” Taryn said from the 3,000-square-foot area that’s part of a parking garage in historic Folsom. And yet “now the one way we can make money, we can’t make money on.”

This parking garage in historic Folsom had long caught Taryn’s eye. Eight years ago, she submitted a bid for it.

According to Taryn, the city manager at the time told her it wasn’t feasible. He didn’t think a rezoning would work for the parking garage and feared it wasn’t a good place to brew beer.

After three years of searching for a different location, the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Local businesses were closing, taking their tax revenue with them. Taryn decided to once again approach city leaders, hoping they’d reconsider the parking-deck space for her brewery.

A nine-page proposal turned into 52 pages after a new city manager issued a request for proposals for the space. 

Around 50 businesses expressed interest, though some dropped out after realizing its difficulties, including a lack of plumbing and the floor’s support requirements. “We knew we’d have to go for rezoning,” Taryn said.

Despite steep competition, Taryn won the bid, then convinced officials to rezone it from commercial to low-impact manufacturing. 

New troubles were already brewing, though. Taryn had almost secured a lease when someone appealed the rezoning under the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA. The divisive law has long created big hurdles for development in California by creating a rigorous process for environmental review.

The complainant focused on parking spaces, arguing Uncle Charlie's Firehouse & Brew did not have the number required by law. CEQA complaints like this have been relatively common in California and are one reason state lawmakers have tried to reform the regulations.

Taryn said the law excluded her business because of its proximity to a light-rail station — and because it’s part of a parking deck. Still, it cost her $3,000 to fight the CEQA appeal, a battle that culminated in a three-hour hearing at city council. There, with around 400 residents turned out to support her, Taryn made an argument that CEQA appeals like these were why small businesses struggled to succeed.

The $3,000 wasn’t all a waste: In addition to denying the appeal and approving the rezoning, Folsom City Council also removed a clause from the lease prohibiting dancing — a holdover from generations ago.

“I couldn’t pay for this type of marketing,” Taryn said.

With the zoning battle behind her, Taryn turned to the next front: making the space workable. The floor needed stabilizing, and the building had ventilation issues.

Perhaps the lowest point in the journey came last year, when she says she learned the company making her equipment was having financial problems. Although the space wasn’t ready, she says the company told her that she had 24 hours to find a trailer and transport the massive brewing devices back to Folsom. Months later, in May, she says she discovered that around $100,000 worth of her order was missing and that even the parts she did receive were not American-made as promised.

What Taryn has faced in difficulties, she’s made up for in public support for her business.

“I’m very excited to see this space activated,” Folsom Mayor Justin Raithel told Courthouse News. “It’s been great to see the community show up for someone who’s put so much into other small businesses in town.”

Josh Kinkade, a senior planner with the city, noted that Taryn recited a series of arguments when responding to the rezoning appeal. Many applicants don’t include that level of detail during the process.

“You can throw your hands up as an applicant,” Kinkade said — but “I don’t see that in her nature.” He added: “You need that level of tenacity.”

Now, several years and thousands of dollars later, Taryn has yet to start brewing beer. Still, at the very least, her doors are open, and she is serving drinks.

The most recent challenges came just months ago. Taryn held off on applying for the licenses last year because essential equipment got hit with tariffs. She didn’t want to pay a license fee without having equipment. Then, after receiving the equipment, the shutdown hit.

“This is where we got very creative,” Taryn said. Three-day event licenses, along with a resale license, enabled her to open her business for 24 days in December. She repeated the pattern into January and has temporary permitting through mid-February. Meanwhile, her wait on permanent licensing remains pending.

A pandemic, government shutdowns, CEQA challenges and manufacturing headaches: Those are just some of the hurdles Taryn has had to surpass to open Uncle Charlie’s. But she’s finally seeing payoff, in terms of feet coming through the door and beers in hand.

“The community just wants us to win,” Taryn said. “It’s never been about the beer.” Instead, “it’s always been about building a space.”