If you spent any time at the original 1320 South Monroe brewpub, you already know the kind of conversations that happened across the bar. Some were about beer, sure. But a lot of them were about spaces—why this corner worked, what that layout did to the flow of a Friday night, how a lease clause nobody caught almost tanked a friend’s café before it opened.
I’m still having those conversations. They just take a different shape now.
Whether you’re scouting your first location, trying to make sense of a commercial lease, or wondering why a space that looked perfect on paper isn’t performing the way you expected—I’d like to hear about it. I read every message, and while I can’t always respond immediately, I do my best to get back to everyone who reaches out with a real question or story.
You can contact me directly at:
If you’re working on something—a restaurant, a bakery, a specialty coffee bar, whatever it is—tell me about the space. What’s working, what isn’t, and what you wish you’d known six months ago. Those details are the stuff that actually matters, and they’re the reason this site exists.
For press inquiries, guest contributions, or if you have a commercial real estate topic you think deserves a deeper look, use the same email. I’ll route it accordingly.
A few things worth knowing before you write:
- I don’t sell real estate. I’m not an agent, and I don’t take commissions. My only interest is helping food and beverage operators understand the market well enough to make informed decisions.
- I don’t publish sponsored content. If a product, service, or firm appears in an article, it’s because I believe it’s genuinely useful—not because someone paid for placement.
- Confidentiality matters. If you share specifics about a deal you’re working on or a situation you’re navigating, I treat that as private unless you explicitly tell me otherwise.
I also want to acknowledge something directly: the physical brewpub at 1320 South Monroe closed when our lease ended and the building sold. That chapter ended, but the thinking it sparked didn’t. This site is where that thinking lives now, and I’m glad you found your way here.
— Mara Cole