They started out as customers. Then this Minnesota couple reopened the Waconia Brewing Company

For Kelly and Aaron Vanderwall, taking over Waconia Brewing Company is both an exciting new venture and a return to a place that has long felt like home.

The couple spent years as regular customers at the brewery, building friendships and becoming part of the community. Now, they've gone from longtime patrons to proprietors, with a goal of bringing the popular gathering place back to life by reopening on Thursday.

When they learned the brewery was closing, the Vanderwalls didn't hesitate to explore an opportunity to buy it.

"Aaron and I looked at each other and we were like 'oh ok, let's do this,'" Kelly Vanderwall said. "It's one of those opportunities that doesn't come more than once in a lifetime. So we knew we had to do it."

For the Vanderwalls, the brewery had become more than just a place to grab a drink. It was a place to spend time together and connect with others. They have been bringing their daughter to the brewery for years. In many ways it was a home away from home.

"This became that place that we felt the most at home, where people were welcoming, and just where we started to get to know the community quite a bit," Aaron Vanderwall said.

Aaron and Kelly Vanderwall said reopening the business was driven by their personal connection to the space.

"It is kind of almost a passion and a love project more so than it is, just a business to us," Aaron Vanderwall said.

That connection appears to be shared by the wider Waconia community. Since announcing their plans to reopen, the couple said they've been encouraged by the response from customers eager to see the brewery thriving again.

"It's all 'thank you so much for opening it back up, we're super excited, we really want this to work out and be good for you,'" Aaron Vanderwall said. "The excitement around town has been pretty palpable and pretty exciting to see all the people that want this to come back and be thriving again like it was before."

Looking ahead, customers can expect a mix of familiar offerings and new additions to the menu.

The couple said they want Waconia Brewing Company to remain a welcoming space where people can relax, meet friends and build new connections.

Their hope is to create a place where everyone who walks through the door feels at home.

"Be that place where you can come and just everybody knows your name and enjoy the space that we're making for the town of Waconia and anybody else that walks in the door." Aaron Vanderwall said.