Jake Mills knows how to brew beer. He brewed at home for a decade, then worked at the legendary Upper Hand Brewery in Escanaba. But his own town, Gladstone, wasn’t getting to enjoy any of his beer, so he launched a downtown brewpub so he could share with his community. He also wanted to support his hometown, which was launching downtown revitalization efforts.
Saunders Point Brewing is in the previous Rialto Theatre with all its wonderful décor. The stage and ornate features are right where you’d expect them, and they’re proving very useful. Musicians, dancers and even athletes perform at Saunders Point Brewing (away games for the Gladstone Braves football team are shown on the big screen).
Jake, who works full time as an electrician at a paper mill, assembled a beer-loving team and created five full-time jobs. He got a loan from First Bank to pay for improvements to the brewery, but he wasn’t aware of Northern Initiatives at the start of the startup and he took out a couple fast-cash loans. Once he came on board with NI, securing an SBA CA loan, the other loans were paid off and he was able to start buying equipment to fill that beautiful theater, specifically canning equipment. With Gladstone’s downtown revitalization in full swing, more customers wanted to walk around with their Saunders Point beer and Jake was more than happy to have them out in the world.
Saunders Point Brewing has also become a bit of a gathering spot – for all ages. There’s always root beer on tap, yoga for all levels, crafting workshops, Pasty and Pint Night, and all sorts of other celebrations as warranted. He’s also keen on “transforming the taproom” into an event space, where everyone can “Tap Into Gladstone.”
