Smyrna's Painted Stave Distilling set to expand

Owners of Painted Stave Distilling in Smyrna say they have finalized the purchase of the Old Smyrna Theater and plan to expand.

The distillery had been renting the first floor of the theater for the past four years, but co-owners Ron Gomes Jr. and Michael Rasmussen said that in order to meet increased demand, they plan to construct 4,800 square-foot warehouse behind the current building to allow for increased production and storage, as well as an 8,000 square-foot outdoor “Cocktail Garden” on the west side of the building.

"It had always been our hope that we would be able to purchase the theater since we started," Rasmussen said. "Our dream is to continue to make the distillery a destination where the community can come together. These additions will allow us to host movie nights, food trucks, music performances such as Smyrna at Night, farmers markets and much more.”

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Rasmussen said the renovations build upon recent improvements that have been made to the existing tasting room and gallery space inside the distillery. An expanded cocktail program, additional seating and a second tasting bar were added late in 2016 to accommodate larger groups.

He said that year-to-year growth in distribution sales in Delaware and surrounding states, as well great growth in the number of people coming to the distillery has been a catalyst in the expansion plans.

"We want to find more ways to engage the community, so the goal is to create a space that is welcoming," Rasmussen said. "The plan is to have a much nicer space to host even more community events. We already host some events, but we want to expand that as well."

Construction on the building and outdoor garden space are expected to begin in the spring and should be completed by early summer.

The team also plans to launch a crowd-funding campaign to allow Painted Stave Distilling fans an opportunity to buy into the company and contribute to its growth. In addition, Painted Stave Distilling will continue working with the Town of Smyrna to expand its operations and the overall growth of the town.

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.