When Jerry O’Grady opened Village Brewz on the corner of Second Street and Willis Avenue, he knew of its history. The corner has called a beverage store home since the 1950s. For O’Grady, it was familiar ground both in the profession and in Mineola.
“When the opportunity came up to [open Village Brewz], I took it on and never looked back,” O’Grady said. “I’ve had roots in Mineola for a while.”
O’Grady’s path to a beer connoisseur is rather unique. He emigrated from County Kerry, Ireland in 1985 before landing a stock broking job at Connecticut-based Greenwich Capital Markets, which was acquired by the National Westminster Bank before being purchased by the Royal Bank of Scotland. He’s a former co-owner of O’Carroll’s Recovery Room at Station Plaza North in Mineola and thought a freestanding store just stones throw from the downtown would compliment the rise of the area.
“I had a 25-year run and everybody likes to, I think, have more than one career,” O’Grady said. “I thought I’d try something different. I’ve always had an interest in beer,” O’Grady said. “I enjoy dealing with people. With all the change going on in the downtown, people will like a spot to go buy beer.”
O’Grady’s hoping that foot traffic from Mineola Boulevard makes its way to Willis Avenue.
“It’s a great location,” O’Grady said. “There is no other beer distributor [near the train station]. I think there is a demand for a store that has a large selection of craft beers.”
With more than 100 beer and soda selections, Village Brewz is adapting to the rising demand of craft beer, featuring Blue Point, Great South Bay, Founders, Delierum Tremens, Two Roads, Castaway IPA, Lagunitas and Dogfish Head.
“It’s a massive movement,” O’Grady said of the craft beer craze. “There’s a whole group that’s dedicated to this. Our goal is to start off with the better known names and when we get a following, we can expand.”
—Village Brewz is at 144 2nd St. in Mineola and open seven days per week. The phone number is 516-307-8809.
