Brick Store Pub has become a neighborhood fixture for food and drink since partners Dave Blanchard, Tom Moore and Mike Gallagher opened it on Decatur Square in 1997.
Celebrated as one of the best beer bars in the world, Brick Store has expanded in several directions through the years. Soon after passage of the 2004 law that made higher alcohol beers legal in Georgia, the partners added an upstairs space known as the Belgian Bar. And in 2021 a cozy mezzanine that served as a secluded dining area was reimagined as the Cask Bar, serving cask-conditioned beer on draft.
Credit: Oliver Eddy
Credit: Oliver Eddy
The latest addition came last month with the opening of Ramspeck, a high-end event space adjacent to Brick Store that can hold up to 60 guests. The building was home to breakfast and lunch spot Sweet Melissa’s for more than 30 years before owners Glen and Liz Gurevitch retired in 2022.
“We had all kinds of ideas about what could or should go there,” Blanchard said, leading a tour around the recently finished addition. “What we did know is the number of weekly and monthly people wanting to rent the Brick Store for events. The answer was always no, because we didn’t have the space to accommodate big groups.”
Credit: Oliver Eddy
Credit: Oliver Eddy
Ramspeck has its own bar, with wine, beer and cocktails curated by advanced cicerone Neil Callaghan and wine and cocktail specialist Connor Meents. Food menus are developed by private event chef Chris Morrison, whose dishes combine New American, Southern and French cuisines.
“It’s a great kitchen, a great bar with eight taps, and most of the cocktails we do are on draft,” Blanchard said. “We can pick through the cocktails we already have, or if they want something special, we can do that and name it, too.”
Looking ahead, Blanchard envisions more Brick Store-related events.
Longtime wedding planner and Decatur resident Kecia Wilson is Ramspeck’s sales manager.
“To me, this was a dream come true when this opportunity came about,” Wilson said. “It’s all of the things I love to do in the heart of my own neighborhood with beautiful, wonderful people.”
Credit: Oliver Eddy
Credit: Oliver Eddy
Chelsea Grey, Ramspeck’s events manager, said the community reaction has been very positive.
“A lot of folks walk by, and it means a lot as the third iteration of the Brick Store and its legacy,” Grey said.
Blanchard’s research shows there’s a historic connection between Brick Store and the Ramspeck building. He found a photo at the Atlanta History Center that showed that the building was home to Ramspeck’s, a general store owned by brothers George and Theo Ramspeck that later burned down. An alleyway next to Ramspeck’s was referred to by Decatur residents as the Brick Store, which is how the bar got its name.
“Ramspeck’s was the Brick Store,” Blanchard said. “So, now, we have a sign outside that has that picture.”
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