Get ready to 'go with the flow' at BearWaters' Warehouse in Waynesville
May 17—It's a "life's come full circle" moment for BearWaters, the microbrewery that tapped its first keg 11 years ago in Waynesville, in a nondescript metal warehouse behind Sagebrush Steakhouse.
In the intervening years, BearWaters relocated to Canton and opened a second location in Maggie Valley. Now, BearWaters returns to the town where it all began, opening a third venue in West Waynesville.
The new venture, coming to life in an old warehouse formerly used by the now-defunct Dayco plant, is fittingly called the Warehouse.
Like the brewery's other spots — BearWaters Riverside on the banks of the Pigeon River and BearWaters Creekside overlooking Jonathan Creek — the Warehouse also sits alongside a body of water, as Allens Creek flows nearby. Or, as co-owner Kevin Sandefur puts it, "All three locations are in the flood plain."
Rather than continuing the aquatic-themed name for the latest spot — BearWaters Streamside or BearWaters Brookside? — Sandefur is paying homage to the building's past, even commissioning a local artist to paint a large mural depicting its Dayco days.
It's been quite the journey for Sandefur and company, who launched the craft beer company initially known as Headwaters in May 2012 thanks to an $8,000 grant as the winner of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce's Business Start-up Competition.
Less than a year later, Headwaters was forced to change its name after receiving a cease-and-desist order from Victory Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania, which had trademarked a brew called "Headwaters Pale Ale." Rather than spend tons of money to defend the name "Headwaters," a nod to the fact that all of the water flowing in Haywood originates within county lines, Sandefur opted to change the business name.
While the bad news was the brewery would have to reprint pint glasses, T-shirts, coasters and signage, the good news was that it had to swap out only two letters — changing the "H" to a "B" and the "R" to a "D." And its original logo featuring a bear and a wave of water was actually even a closer fit with the new name.
Fast forward to 2017, when Sandefur learned he would have to leave the space that housed his brewery to make room for a new Publix. Once again, the inconvenience included a bit of serendipity, as he relocated to Canton just downriver from Pisgah High School, whose mascot is the Bears. Suddenly, the name BearWaters just seemed more right than ever.
The venue thrived and became a cornerstone of what some labeled "the Canton comeback," in spite of a kerfuffle over parking with the owner of a next-door apartment building and the historic flooding that devastated downtown Canton in 2021. The Maggie Valley location opened in 2020, and is currently undergoing renovations expected to be completed by the end of May.
Which brings us back to the new location.
The Warehouse is a two-story building, with 10,000 square feet per floor. The main floor includes a tap room, kitchen, 2,000 square feet of arcades and games, a large expanse called "the field" with six lanes for cornhole, and four axe-throwing rooms. While I have questioned the wisdom of combining beer and axes, I'm anxious to give it a try.
Unlike the other locations, the emphasis at the Warehouse will not be on craft beer, but on family-fun entertainment, Sandefur said.
"I have lived here a long time and heard the same old mantra over and over again: There's nothing to do here," he said. "I decided that, if I'm going to do one more project in this county, I want to have a place where families can come and hang out, a place for date night for teens."
While the Warehouse has a kitchen, Sandefur said plans also call for hosting a food truck court.
"It will be a hybrid," he said. "We'll have our kitchen, but we also want to give smaller enterprises a place to come, park and open their businesses. This will provide more variety of food for people."
Long-range plans call for a high-end bourbon bar in the downstairs space and a rooftop bar. The Warehouse is set for a soft opening Tuesday, May 23.
"We want to work out the kinks and see how the space flows," Sandefur said.
With a BearWaters location in three of Haywood's four municipalities, is Clyde next? After all, the town board recently lifted restrictions on microbreweries there. Sandefur says no, that three is enough.
But don't give up hope just yet. I think "Bear on the Square" has a good ring to it.
Bill Studenc, who began his career in journalism and communications at The Mountaineer in 1983, retired in January 2021 as chief communications officer at Western Carolina University. He now writes about life in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
