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Emmaus bike shop-cafe wins approval to add taproom

By the end of summer, bicyclists will be able to enjoy a cold beer at the end of a long ride.On Monday, Emmaus council members gave approval to South Mountain Cycle & Cafe to expand its use from a bike shop and cafe to include a taproom.Owner Chad Balliet will work with Mountain View Vineyards near Stroudsburg to open a tasting room with wine, beer and spirits. Balliet plans to start with a tap in the cafe, maintained by Linda and Randy Rice, Mountain View Vineyards owners.More change is in South Mountain’s future. After installing the tap, Balliet plans to incorporate into the restaurant portion of the shop. He will also add an outside dining space.“This whole process will evolve,” Balliet said.With this addition, owner Balliet hopes South Mountain will become a gathering spot where community members can relax after a bike ride.Chad Balliet owner of South Mountain Cycle & Café stands in his new shop Friday, June 14, 2019 as his shop in Emmaus. South Mountain Cycle & Café recently moved to a new location in Emmaus and will go before Emmaus council Monday to ask to open a tasting room and possibly a brewpub. (Rick Kintzel/)“You’re giving people a reason to stay and creating an environment people want to be in,” Balliet said. “It becomes more of a social transaction than coming in for a purpose or having a repair.”Councilman John Hart, noting the past success of the shop, asked if similar ventures into this realm of business have been successful.“I would suggest your business is unique already and successful” Hart said. “This is intriguing.”Balliet assured Hart that other cafes like this have been successful in Europe, Seattle and Portland.The one-stop-shop for cycle enthusiasts and coffee lovers has been energizing riders since 2004. Earlier this year, the business more than doubled in size as it moved from 337 Chestnut St. to its third location at 318 Main St. in Emmaus. It was originally housed at 303 Main St.South Mountain’s current spot is 12,000 square feet to allow for more dining, showroom, and work space. Initially, Chad and co-owner Heather Balliet only used the top floor of the former Emmaus Veterans of Foreign Wars Post building but planned to expand into the structure’s lower level down the road. Currently, the basement is listed as storage.Morning Call reporter Michelle Merlin contributed to this story. Morning Call reporter Ashley Stalnecker can be reached at 610-820-6647 or astalnecker@mcall.com.
Source: Morningcall

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