Scott and Sandy Plemmons explore beer in retirement

be BOLD Learning a New CRAFT

BY » Lara Tumer | PHOTOGRAPHY BY » Lisa Crates

Retirement brings a foray into beer for Scott and Sandy Plemmons

fter retirement from a long career in corporate retail at Lowe’s, Scott Plemmons wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do with the rest of life. He played it safe at first, dabbling in home improvement consulting with a handful of fellow retirees. While their business grew, he knew in his heart that it wasn’t the path he wanted to follow.

While neither Scott nor his wife Sandy Plemmons had ever really considered entrepreneurship, it was the opening of Sandy’s Troutman yoga studio in 2018 that ignited their fire. “The yoga studio was a low-threshold investment that allowed us to overcome some of the fear associated with being an entrepreneur and get our toes wet,” he says.

Their beer brewing business is a classic tale of a hobby turned into something much bigger. After receiving a home brewing kit from his wife, Scott made his first (admittedly terrible) batch of beer. Feeling a bit defeated, he packed up the kit, put it in storage, and didn’t think twice about it again until he was visiting some friends a few years later and tried his hand at brewing a second time. This attempt was much improved and

Scott Plemmons created a small brewery in his home.

re-energized Scott. Over time, he upgraded his equipment, switched from brewing kits to all-grain brewing, and even built a small brewery on his property.

After securing his Brewer’s Notice, Scott had the go-ahead to begin knocking on some doors hoping to sell his beer. Ironically, Sandy was Scott’s first customer. Looking to serve a variety of beverages like coffee, tea, kombucha, wine, and of course beer, in the community room at her yoga studio, she began carrying her husband’s beer. Things took off quickly after that and Scott’s small batch brews circulated in local tap rooms and bottle shops, which led to a sizeable following.

Repeat customers quickly became fans and began asking for a tap room. Sandy and Scott decided then that it was a “now or never” type of situation and went for it. Being at a place in their life where they could really devote their full attention to this business made it the perfect time to dive fully into entrepreneurship and open Hoptown Brewing Company.

Scott and Sandy give full credit to the team behind their business. They have 17 partners and investors, two of whom are their own children. They also have enlisted the help of professionals to help with branding and design, understanding that they can’t be the experts on everything. They clearly define their own roles and responsibilities as a husband and wife team, leading with mutual respect and understanding for what the other brings to the table.

“I had a view into retirement, and I wasn’t happy with what I saw,” Scott says. “Everyone needs something to get them out of bed every day, and at our age if you look back and see something you didn’t accomplish, now is the time.”

Hoptown Brewing Company

has plans to open in Mooresville at the end of 2020. Visit ? www.hoptownbrewingco.com for more information.

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