MetroNOME Brewery, founded on mission to support young artists, struggling to keep the lights on

Down a short flight of stairs in Lowertown, St. Paul, there's a room that surprises people the moment they walk in.

"Definitely a wow factor, and you can literally see it on people's faces when they come in," said Matt Engstrom, co-founder of MetroNOME Brewery.

It's called Fingal's Cave — the lower-level music space inside MetroNOME Brewery. An intimate room with brick walls, warm acoustics and a purpose that goes beyond beer.

MetroNOME began as a hobby between friends Matt Engstrom and Bill Eddins who bonded over home brewing, music, and youth baseball.

"Take this love of brewing that we have and the love of music that we both have, put the two of them together, and try and do it in a way that would benefit the local community," said Engstrom.

A mission built right into the name.

"Nome is capitalized, it means Nurturing Outstanding Music Education," explained Engstrom.

Through a connected nonprofit, MetroNOME funnels support to local schools and music educators, funding lessons, instruments, and just as importantly live performance opportunities. 

On many nights, the stage belongs to younger musicians.

"High school band groups playing upstairs and downstairs. We've had collegiate level musicians playing upstairs and downstairs," said Engstrom.

When those students perform, the business steps aside.

"100% of those cover charges for those younger artists goes to the band. We don't take the normal business slice of those cover charges," said Engstrom. 

The biggest reward, he says, is seeing the young musicians play for customers.

"The interactions during and after that performance that the kids get to have with the audience members, with our staff, it's a really, really cool thing," said Engstrom.

One of the most memorable nights here came when nine-time Grammy winner Wynton Marsalis hit the stage with a group of students.

"Wynton came in, showed up, and he's unzipping his trumpet cases, and he starts immediately talking to these three kids, what songs do you know? They're going back and forth with each other, building up a set list they had never played with each other before, and within about 20 or 30 minutes downstairs of them playing with each other, they sounded like they had known each other for years," said Engstrom.

But now, MetroNOME is struggling to keep the lights and the music on.

"There's been a rash of brewery closings. The Lowertown business community has been a little bit of a struggle the last couple of years," said Engstrom.

To get through it, MetroNOME is trying to raise $25,000, a bridge to spring.

"It lets us focus our mental energies on improving and growing the business instead of trying to survive," said Engstrom.

If the brewery were to close, there would be a direct impact on local students.

"A lot of kids that we've been able to help would lose that aspect of things," he said.

Engstrom comes back to a phrase he repeats often: "The mission sells the beer."

And if that mission survives, so does the music.

So far, the GoFundMe for MetroNOME Brewery has raised just over half of its $25,000 goal.