MUSKEGON, Mich. — A lot is happening at Muskegon's Pigeon Hill Brewing Company. For one, the brewery's taproom inside the Noble Building on Western Avenue recently closed. The taproom is being replaced by a "Brewers Lounge" at the brewery's production facility on Shoreline Drive.
The new site includes a kitchen where customers can order food, something the former taproom didn't offer.
As that move from Western Avenue is completed, brewery owners are planning a project that, once completed, will give Pigeon Hill a presence in the center of downtown. Work has begun transforming Pigeon Hill's former production facility at 441 W Western Avenue into an entertainment complex that will serve beer and offer arcade games, duckpin bowling, dart boards and a restaurant.
Designs for the exterior and interior of the former bowling alley are not yet final. Work on the building's façade and roof will be the first priority.
"We'll have elements of the design out on the sidewalk that interact with our social district in downtown," said Pigeon Hill co-owner Joel Kamp. "We'll be able to serve beer right out on the sidewalk. The city just announced that they're going to widen the sidewalks on Western Avenue and that will help add some outdoor seating for us."
Kamp says work transforming the former bowling alley into a new entertainment complex could be a $650,000 investment.
"We saw the growth from when we started on Western Avenue seven years ago. We see the convention center and the housing market booming down here. A lot more people are coming to Muskegon," said Kamp. "People are flocking to Muskegon and I think it's going to get used."
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