GAYLORD — "We are a firm believer in good and bad karma. We feel like good karma has gotten us to this point," said Samm Hamina who with her husband, Eric, have opened Karma Taproom at 138 W. Main St. in downtown Gaylord.

Karma Taproom has been open since early August in the space formerly occupied by Taproom 32. It features over 20 beers — mostly craft — on tap plus a selection of craft liquors.

"We are trying to stay very Michigan focused in what we serve and we like to support local businesses," said Eric.

Karma Taproom also features craft cocktails like the "ginup girl." It's a drink that features Iron Fish gin, which is made in Thompsonville in Northern Michigan.

"We have house cocktails that we have crafted and those will be changing with the seasons along with our beers," said Samm.

The Haminas bring a restaurant/bar background to the business. Samm was a bartender at the nearby Snowbelt Brewery while Eric managed the local Applebee's. He also worked at his parents' restaurant in the Higgins Lake area.

Having their own business "is a way for us to be able to put the time and effort for ourselves and to have something to leave for our kids," Eric said.

"I loved it at Snowbelt but it's great to work for ourselves," added Samm.

There is no food at Karma but patrons are encouraged to bring their own.

"We are just a bar right now but we do encourage everyone to bring food or have it delivered here. They can feel free to leave behind a little mess and we will clean it up," said Eric.

More:Food trucks establish a presence in Gaylord as downtown may beckon

The Haminas are also promoting ordering food from the downtown's existing restaurants.

"We have had a lot of orders from CRAVE," Eric said of the neighboring restaurant. "We want to bring business to our neighbors and we have been welcomed by the downtown community."

The Haminas said Karma is helping to fill a void in the downtown nightlife scene.

"We are filling that niche that has been missing — a comfortable place to have a drink and socialize," Eric said. "I think with Covid that kind of fell by the wayside. We didn't have a place for people to come together and have a casual conversation. I think this is what downtown has been missing since Mary's (Tavern) transformed into a restaurant."

Karma's hours are from 4 p.m. until midnight Monday through Thursday. On Friday it is open from 4 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 2 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. Right now it is closed on Sunday but that will change when the football season kicks into high gear.

"We will have several televisions and most of the games," added Eric.

The Haminas did some minor remodeling to the space.

"We made it a taproom with a sports bar feel to it," said Eric.

The Haminas said they feel comfortable in Gaylord.

"There is a lot to like about Gaylord. Look at how everyone banded together after the tornado," Eric said.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Good karma leads to opening of downtown Gaylord taproom