![]() There were a lot of vacancies on State Street, and now it’s full.” “There wasn’t much going on downtown, just five years ago. “We didn’t think it would be as big a driver as it was,” Koch says. And Prairie Street Brewhouse provided it. The city had been trying for years to develop and grow that area of town, and it was slowly coming back to life.īut it needed a kick. It was a bit of a risk, opening a brewery and restaurant in downtown Rockford. The brewery became part of the first floor, while the second floor was dedicated to office space and the third through sixth floors were set aside for residential. “We couldn’t help but think this building needs a brewery to go back in, so we said, ‘let’s do this!’” “It was cool to have all three of us working on this construction project together,” Koch says. That’s when Koch and Sjostrom – who both went to Eisenhower Middle School and Guilford High School – decided along with Manuel, who grew up across the street from Koch, to put a brewery back in the building. “That was kind of the motivation to develop the whole building, having seen how successful the events part was going,” Koch says. Manuel was managing the building before the main construction began, and he had already started the events side of the business along with the banquet area. Reed’s family, who owns Sjostrom & Sons Construction, became the main contractor for the job, and Chris was also a contractor on the job.” “Then, she got out of the marina business and it sat here for awhile until my family, along with architect Gary Anderson, decided to just develop the whole building. And my sister started Rockford Marina and installed all the docks, and that went on for about five years. So, my parents had been talking about it for a long time and decided to go for it, and they bought it in 2000. ![]() “Fast forward to 1999, and my sister suggested we buy it and develop it into a marina. “They looked at this big old building and thought it was really cool and had a lot of potential, but was underutilized. ![]() “My dad used to own a marina next door about 45 years ago,” Koch says. It was Koch’s parents who saw the potential in the building, which began as the Peacock Brewery in 1849. “I think we all knew this was going to be something big and special, but none of us thought it would be as big and crazy as it is,” Sjostrom says. They’ve since added more popular events including Dockside Live, the Elevate Palate Trip Series and Ale Yeah Yoga, and expanded the availability of their handcrafted beer to such venues as Rockford City Market, Anderson Japanese Gardens, Nicholas Conservatory, and area bars and stores. Then, in 2016, they won the bid to open Owly Oop, a sports pub in the new UW Health Sports Factory. Taking advantage of their location on the Rock River, the owners introduced Dinner on the Dock, which has become a popular Thursday-night staple that prompts traffic jams to form along Prairie Street. But the quick success of the brewery/restaurant, housed in a former warehouse, allowed them to branch off into multiple ventures. The childhood friends had modest dreams when they brought Prairie Street Brewhouse to life at 200 Prairie St., Rockford, in 2014. When told they seem to have the Midas touch in business, Chris Manuel, Reed Sjostrom and Dustin Koch let out a hearty laugh. The friends have known each other since childhood. Reed Sjostrom, Dustin Koch and Chris Manuel co-own Prairie Street Brewing Company. Downtown Rockford got the boost it needed when three friends opened a restaurant and brewery on the riverfront in 2014.
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