New Brewery/Coffee Shop Opens In Marlborough

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Downtown Marlborough has a new brewery and coffee spot, and its making a point to honor the city's history in its aesthetic and name. The Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Company opened Saturday and pays homage to Marlborough's history as a shoe manufacturing center. The brewery, which includes a taproom, was 18 months in the making.

On opening day, Saturday, owners JP and Melynda Gallagher said they saw about 1,000 customers throughout the day. The idea to open their own business had been brewing for quite some time, JP said. "We had been talking about opening a brewery since 2012, but once we got into coffee roasting a few years ago we knew we had something unique."

Located at 19 Weed St., Lost Shoe is in the heart of downtown Marlborough. "Marlborough was always going to be where we wanted to do something like this, and we couldn't be happier to have landed right in downtown," JP said.

The brewery was approved for entertainment and alcohol licenses earlier in the year. The company said it plans to host live entertainment; no events have been listed yet.

"Excited to bring live music and other entertainment to downtown Marlborough," the company wrote on Instagram.

Lost Shoe only sells beverages but does allow customers to bring their own food to enjoy alongside a beer or cup of coffee. Patrons under 21 must be with a parent or guardian to be in the taproom. The brewery says it's family-friendly.

Grab-and-go coffee will be available at the front counter but customers will have to wait for to-go beers. Lost Shoe's website says beer cans could be arriving in the coming months.

Lost Shoe opens at 8 a.m. every day and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and at 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Coffee is served all hours and beers begin at 11 a.m.

The coffee menu includes blends from Kenya, Colombia and Guatemala as well as cold brews and espressos. The beer list features light and dark ales and a unique concoction that includes a cold brew.

Bits of Marlborough's shoemaking history can be seen around the brewery and right in the logo, which includes an image of shoe mold. The Gallaghers are both from Marlborough and said it was important to them to highlight the city's history. "Representing the community we're from and a part of was important to us," JP said, "It's cool to hear people tell us stories about their parents or grandparents working in the shoe industry." Marlborough rose to economic power through the shoe industry, with the help of Samuel Boyd, known as the “father of the city." Boyd opened the city’s first shoe manufacturing business in 1836.

By 1890 Marlborough was a major shoe manufacturing center, producing footwear for Union soldiers and local citizens, and continued that way into the 1970’s with the founding of Frye Boot Company and The Rockport Company.