USA, IL: Dog's Paw Brewing opens in Elgin on July 9

Dog's Paw Brewing located on 74 S. Grove Ave. in downtown Elgin, IL ended up opening to the public earlier than anticipated, Chicago Daily Herald reported on July 9.

"Word got out and people started showing up, and all of a sudden we got slammed," said owner Iran Garcia.

His wife Charlotte Hornbeak Garcia said about 50 people were expected, but at least 200 showed up.

On July 9, the bar and restaurant was open to the public.

"We want to be the Mecca for craft beers in the suburbs," Garcia said. "We're going to carry a lot of craft beer that a lot of places don't carry, or don't want to carry. The small breweries that are brewing need a chance to put their beers next to the big guys."

"We're taking it one day at a time," Garcia said, adding that he expects to have a grand opening in a couple of weeks or so.

Garcia has been working on the enterprise for about a year and a half, after he and former partner Tyrrell Tomlin signed a lease for the space and parted ways earlier this year.

Feedback from customers on the first night was good, Garcia said. "We're here, and now it's just a matter of perfecting our concept and making sure our employees are trained. We want to make sure we're there for a long period of time."

"People will appreciate the effort. People are going to love the place the way I remodelled it," Garcia said. "They're going to see all the hard work and sweat."

15 July, 2015