“This entire corner will quite literally define the entrance to downtown,” City Manager Jonathan Westendorf said.
It’s a next big step for the city of Franklin in its effort to turn its downtown into a destination location.
When completed, the 8,000-square-foot brewery and restaurant will offer a 15 barrel brewing system, a tap room, seating for about 150 customers, and 4,000-square-foot patio.
Slipcast is an estimated $3.5 million to $5 million investment into the downtown area, and is expected to create up to 35 full- and part-time jobs by its fifth year.
More than that, the hope is Slipcast will be a magnet to draw people from Franklin and beyond to a town that has watched Miamisburg to the north and Springboro to the east develop into thriving spots for people looking for a place to spend a night out.
“We would be the reason you would come downtown on Fridays,” said Slipcast CEO and co-founder Brian Willett.
Willett and Westendorf began talks about locating a brewery in downtown Franklin in 2023.
An engineer by trade, Willett had experience running a brewing operation. He and three partners opened Westside Brewery in Cincinnati in 2017.
After relocating to the Springboro area, Willett was interested in starting another venture.
“I looked up breweries near me and looked where there wasn’t a dot,” he said. Franklin fit the bill.
In 2021, Westendorf was named Franklin City Manager after almost 21 years of serving as its fire chief, and launched his campaign to revitalize the downtown.
Slipcast initially targeted 2025 for opening, but appraisal issues and other hurdles got in the way.
The delays may prove beneficial in the long run.
While Willett and his team finalized the details on Slipcast, the City of Franklin completed a $13 million overhaul to Main Street, including underground infrastructure work, making the street two-way for traffic, new sidewalks and landscaping features, and additional parking.
A public lot under construction adjacent to Slipcast’s site will provide the restaurant with about 90 spaces.
Willett said more is needed to make Franklin a true destination - including his restaurant - and he feels the city is headed in the right direction.
“They’re doing a lot of great stuff, but having a new parking lot and a new street doesn’t drive people downtown,” he said.
In addition to Slipcast and the Main Street refurbishing, the City of Franklin in the last two years annexed Dial Park and Camp Chautauqua to add to its portfolio of amenities.
Future plans include closing River Street along the Great Miami River and converting it to a park, and working with the Warren County Park District and other organizations to link Franklin’s to the area’s vast network of bike trails.
“There’s a lot coming,” Westendorf said.
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