By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

During the time The Creamery of Kennett Square was first reimagined by Square Roots Collective Initiative founder Mike Bontrager in 2016, it was an abandoned and derelict property along Birch Street, but as many local stakeholders know, when Mike Bontrager conceives of an idea, it eventually becomes a reality.

Over the past several years, thanks to the Square Roots Collective (SRC) team, elected officials and countless volunteers and community support, The Creamery has been transformed into a community asset, where families visit with their children, where live music is heard, and where festivals and public events generously dot its calendar. Its popularity has helped spearhead a reinvestment along Birch Street that has led to the popularity of Braeloch Brewing — a local microbrewery and restaurant - and the 2024 opening of Artelo, a transformed motel that highlights local artists with original artwork in each room, and the start of the Birch Street Restoration Project.

Recently, The Creamery became the recipient of a $1 million state economic development award from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to stabilize the historic structure and expand its ability to serve the needs of the community.

Known as the Main Street Matters Grant, the funding will address structural deficiencies on a vacant portion of the popular beer garden and restaurant. In turn, the infrastructure improvements will likely generate additional revenue to better allow Square Roots Community Initiative – who owns the venue – to fulfill the cornerstone of its mission: to reinvest in the local community through charitable grants and donations.

The intent of the Main Street Matters program, which is administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development, is to support downtown areas and surrounding neighborhoods with tools to create healthy, vibrant, and welcoming communities.

The funding round saw more than 200 applications, requesting more than $43 million in funding. Approximately $20 million was invested statewide to revitalize downtown areas, help businesses grow, and improve community infrastructure.

“The Creamery project is a great fit for the Main Street Matters program,” State Rep. Christina Sappey said. “This funding will help restore the structural integrity of a historic building and foster economic development in the greater Kennett Square community and the Birch Street corridor. We value our history very much here, so doing the work to restore a structure that will invite visitors from far and wide to Kennett to learn, experience and enjoy is a very worthwhile endeavor.”

“The Creamery is a community asset that allows for unique collaboration and cultural pursuits while creating jobs,” State Sen. John Kane said. “I am thrilled to help our community’s history become accessible in such a creative way and support the vibrancy of local downtowns and surrounding core areas.”

“I could not be happier about this grant and the support from Senator Kane, Representative Sappey, and the Commonwealth,” Bontrager said. “This initiative will help elevate our community’s efforts to reinvest in Birch Street for the benefit our entire community.”

While The Creamery has enjoyed tremendous success, about 19,000 square feet of space in the building has yet to be renovated and restored to productive use. Once stabilized, parts of the space will be renovated to provide new spaces for events and feature Star & Lantern, a cocktail bar and restaurant that will be an homage to the Underground Railroad movement, which will be a collaborative project with Voices Underground, a nonprofit dedicated to racial healing through storytelling.

“The last nine years have shown us how much the community values The Creamery and the good it can do,” said SRCI President Stephanie Almanza. “We have been planning on this expansion to highlight this critical part of our region’s rich history, offer new cultural amenities, and generate more economic and charitable growth.”