The Brewhouse Gallery Turns 2
“The Brewhouse Gallery has always been an art gallery first and that is truly the core of our model,” explains AJ Brockman. “Last year we were able to expand and along with that came a lot more cold-storage in which we were able to increase our craft beer offerings, bottle selection, craft sodas, vintage arcade games, community-style picnic seating and Diner Dogs Inc., an in-house food vendor.” Brockman, an artist and co-owner of the Brewhouse Gallery and The Kelsey Theater had a vision for reinventing the “art gallery” experience.
The Brewhouse Gallery in Lake Park is now closing on its second year and its rapid growth has been due to the diligence of its staff, the support of the community, and the clientele – who have welcomed the quirky fusion of art, music, coffee, and beer. With a large number of craft beers on tap and a continuous showing of artists on their walls, Brockman prides the arrangement as more beneficial than a traditional art gallery setting with zero-commission on artwork sales and an estimated ten times more foot traffic which leads to sales.
The craft approach is in full effect too. As he puts it, “performing artists have a true listening room where patrons come to hear the music not just have it as background noise. Our audience is very engaged and we pride ourselves on limited distractions such as loud TVs and poor sound quality.” Such high placement of focus on the art and artists is also evident in their taps. Boasting one of the larger rosters of craft brews, their selections reflect local love with international appreciation.
The Brewhouse Gallery
Since last year’s one-year anniversary party – which took the Brewhouse by surprise and grew into a huge block party – the crew has, since this past October, assumed full proprietorship of the plaza in which they are situated. “With that came the opportunity to resurrect the rundown movie theater into what is now The Kelsey Theater,” he says. “The potential of the venue is huge and we are hoping that this is the ‘fuel’ to the fire we have already started to create in revitalizing Lake Park as a whole. We will be working hand-in-hand with programming, after parties, and special events to truly create a downtown vibe and further the success of our art district.”
The Kelsey Theater
The Kelsey Theater, a nod to Lake Park’s former existence as Kelsey City, can be a game-changer for Palm Beach and a draw for touring acts as well as locals looking to expand their tri-county fan base. But Brockman retains the spirit and attitude of the Brewhouse flowing into this venue, “not only are we a music venue but we are also a true performing arts hub. We are capable of hosting anything from indie film showings, ballet, stage shows, comedians, you name it.”
He goes on to describe the infrastructure of the Kelsey as suitable for event rentals as well like expos, weddings, conventions, and corporate retreats among others – all in hopes of reinforcing the burgeoning arts community while bolstering the tourism trade by creating a destination. Work has begun on creating the programming that will make it such a compelling enterprise that will honor the history of the establishment while giving it an updated and refined contemporary vibe.
A big plus will undoubtedly be the symbiotic relationship between the two ventures. “[This] allows for some really great synergy. Instead of two businesses competing with each other, we are focusing on a flow of foot traffic between the two. Brewhouse will be the official after party for pretty much every event at Kelsey and always have complementary programming that does not compete with the events scheduled.”
For the two-year anniversary, they’re looking to go bigger and better. A full day of music is planned between the two venues with 20 bands, rare beer tappings every hour, live painting, vintage goods and the tandem grand openings of few more businesses in the plaza like a tattoo parlor, hair salon, and a dance studio among others. For a local spot that grew out of “brewing,” stemming more from ideology than from beer and/or coffee, the Brewhouse Gallery and now the Kelsey Theater have gotten big fast.
Brockman expects more challenges in the future, “good problems to have” as he puts it, like more dedicated parking, additional housing in the immediate area, etc… Promising what is pretty much “the official birth of the Lake Park Art District. One giant block party to commemorate our local art scene with music, fine art, food and craft beer,” he adds a quote from a Spielberg classic: “We are going to need a bigger boat.”
KELSEY STAGE
The Inverted – 12:00pm-12:45
Micah Scott – 1:15pm-2:00pm
Rogue Theory Band – 2:30pm-3:15pm
Pathos, Pathos – 3:45pm-4:30pm
The Ellameno Beat – 5:00pm-5:45pm
The Helmsmen – 6:16pm-7:00pm
Jangle Leg – 7:30pm-8:15pm
Sweet Bronco – 8:45pm-9:30pm
Gravel Kings – 10:00pm-10:45pm
Raggy Monster – 11:15pm-12:15pm
BREWHOUSE STAGE
33 Years – 12:45pm-1:15pm
SloFunkPump – 2:00pm-2:30pm
Ella Herrera – 3:15pm-3:45pm
Brett Staska – 4:30pm-5:00pm
Deal James – 5:45pm-6:15pm
Summer Gill Music – 7:00pm-7:30pm
Kristopher James – 8:15pm-8:45pm
Garrett Fogg Music – 9:30pm-10:00pm
Benny Bassett Music – 10:45pm-11:15pm
May 14 from 12pm til 12am at The Brewhouse Gallery and The Kelsey Theater in Lake Park! Check www.brewhousegallery.com for more info! RSVP
~ Abel Folgar
