Bryan Shimkos, co-owner of Blue Island Beer Company, took to Facebook Aug. 7, alleging his business was being pushed out of its building by a restaurant development group brought in by the city of Blue Island.
But city officials pushed back hours later, stating they support the business and said it is not closing.
The restaurant development will extend into the beer company’s event space, which hosts a variety of live bands, according to Blue Island Beer Company co-owner Alan Cromwell, who said he has been meeting with the city officials.
Cromwell said upcoming events would either be moved to the taproom or canceled.
The building, located 13355-57 S. Olde Western Ave., has been mostly unoccupied the past 18 months, according to the city’s August statement.
Blue Island City Administrator Thomas Wogan said the city bought the building that houses the beer company in 2024 from Olde Western Blue Island LLC, managed by Wesley Realty Group, because the building was in foreclosure and had back taxes owed. Wogan said the beer company notified the city about the foreclosure with concerns, and the city purchased the building in cooperation with the company. The city has also helped with a lot of clean up work, Wogan said.
Wogan said the beer company has occasionally used neighboring space for events but that space was never part of its business. A new establishment will absorb a portion of that space without affecting the operations of the beer company.
But Shimkos said the beer company is being pushed out of a building it invested heavily in, such as cleaning the drains, running the plumbing, pouring the concrete floors and reviving “a building that had been long overlooked,” according to his Facebook post.
“While we’ve been given a verbal agreement that we can continue brewing and serving in a reduced footprint — and we’re doing everything we can to stay open — the reality is that we’re being pushed aside in a building we helped build,” Shimkos wrote.
Cromwell and Wogan both said there has been collaboration between the city and beer company, which Cromwell said he looks forward to continuing.
“Ultimately we have a good relationship with the city,” Cromwell said Friday. “We are looking forward to working with the city to clarify and absolve our issues and look forward to working on the future.”
Wogan said the restaurant development could help both the beer company and the city’s economy.
The city is in discussion with a restaurant developer for the space, Wogan said, but negotiations have not been finalized. He said to expect updates in the next few weeks.
“The City is working to bring in an established restaurant owner to develop a retail property that will benefit all businesses on Olde Western Ave,” Wogan said in an email.
awright@chicagotribune.com
