Small Brewery Proposed For Former Fast Forward Coffee Shop Space On Cherry Street

A small brewpub has been proposed for the former Fast Forward coffee shop location at 1 Cherry Street, and the Select Board will vote Monday on whether to grant licenses for the new business.

Island resident Jack Piuggi hopes to open a “small, intimate brewpub” in the 386-square-foot structure across from the Ezia Athletic Club.

“It would be like a farmer’s brew pub where people can come in and sit down and enjoy a beer after work, come watch a game, or play a board game,” Piuggi said. “The ultimate goal is to make it a personable place for people to enjoy and have local artists come in, bring their work, and maybe have an open mic night. Things like that.”

On Monday, Piuggi will go before the Select Board seeking a new common victualler license and farmer-brewer pouring license, as well as a non-live entertainment license. The beer would be brewed on-site, Piuggi said, and the pub would feature a small seating area indoors, along with a patio area outside. The establishment would be simply named “BrewPub.”

“I’ve been in finance for 40 years, I’m semi-retired, and it's been something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time,” Piuggi said. “It’s a work in progress, and now I have the time.”

After Fast Forward closed in 2020, the small structure at 1 Cherry Street was briefly used as the “Bubble Bark” dog grooming center. In September 2024, the property was sold for $1.15 million to Ezia Athletic Club owner Isaiah Truyman, who stated at the time that he was contemplating using the lot for a teenager-focused recreational facility. Truyman told the Current on Monday that that plan was still in the works, but given the lengthy regulatory and permitting process, he wanted a tenant in the small building while the development proceeds.

"The youth center is in the works, and the plans for a new building will be presented to the HDC soon," Truyman said. "Until we obtain approvals, I can’t say too much. We have proposed a town warrant and applied to state and local funding groups for support. We are running ads on the radio and increasing the number of students currently in the program. With a plan of reaching all 600 students...We can’t build a new multi-million dollar rec center overnight; these things take time, and we have capacity for more kids in our existing clubhouse for the meantime. While things are developing, we need a tenant in the existing 1 Cherry building while we work through the myriad permitting and approval process."

As far as what will be on tap at Brew Pub - assuming the license applications are approved - Piuggi said customers can expect a departure from the typical IPA-heavy beer offerings at most breweries. Instead, Piuggi said he would focus more on lagers, ales, and pilsners.

In addition to pouring beers for sale on-site and offering bottled beers to take away, Piuggi will also be serving small, personal pizzas to patrons if the common victualler license is approved.