Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Chandler.
Hi Abby, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2009 my husband, John, and I went to Colorado to visit family. While there, we realized the variety of beer that existed. When we returned home, we were disappointed to find little to none of that variety in our area. My parents bought John a Mr. Beer kit to make beer at home that Christmas. That turned into multiple kits which evolved into stove-top brewing then the half-barrel system in the garage. In 2014 the company John worked for was doing some restructuring and John opted for a layoff in order to get started on opening our own brewery. It would be the first in our area. Then in 2015, after we had purchased the building, renovated it from a karate dojo into a brewery, and our equipment was finally showing up, John started to experience continuous headaches. Scans in June showed what we never imagined, a baseball-sized stage 4 cancerous tumor in his sinus cavities. The Cleveland Clinic performed a 15-hour surgery to remove the tumor, John’s right eye, and his sense of smell in July. A week later, we were finally home and set our grand opening for less than a month after his surgery. This way, we would be up and running before chemo began. Eight years later Paladin is still going strong, and the doctors didn’t just say John is in remission; they actually said he is cured.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We definitely experienced growing pains. After four years, our bar manager, my father, got married and decided to retire. Staffing has been a struggle for most companies, and we are no exception. We currently have an excellent, dependable, supportive staff but that wasn’t always the case. We have also experienced loss along the way; we have hosted three funerals on-site. Our regular customers have become family, and they leave a hole when they are gone.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Personally, I am the creative end of Paladin. My husband crafts all the beer from recipes to sourcing and production to packaging. I handle all the social aspects of the company. My stepfather, Mike Tarantino of The IM Agency, and I design all the beer labels and merchandise. I also plan all events as well as the advertising for them, including social media and the newsletter.
I am very proud of our medieval theme, and we work very hard to stick to it. Each beer is named with dragons, knights, warriors, and fairies in mind. Then, the artwork is created to match the name. That artwork is then used to create the labels and merchandise. This keeps everything cohesive, and customers really seem to enjoy the magical aspect.
How do you think about luck?
We took down a full wall of mirrors from the building while renovating. John broke one and joked that the 7 years bad luck are what caused his cancer and his loss of smell. We are not really believers in luck or fate but more in biblical terms “God works all things for the good of those who love Him”. Yes, it sucked that not only did John have cancer, but our then 7-year-old broke his arm before John’s chemo started, and our 4-year-old broke his femur before chemo was complete. It was a rough year, but we don’t really believe luck had anything to do with it. We know that our story has inspired so many people, and we are just so thankful to be healthy!
Pricing:
- Flight of 4 beers $8
- Glass of beer $5 to $8
- 6 packs starting at $10
- Snacks, dinner and pizzas $5 to $15
Contact Info:
- Website: Paladinbrewing.com
- Facebook: Facebook.com/paladinbrewing
Image Credits
CWC Productions
