**Tumbling Creek Cider Finds a New Home in Abingdon Commons**
Abingdon, Va. – Tumbling Creek Cider Company has officially opened its doors in a new location at The Abingdon Commons, bringing a fresh wave of excitement to the heart of Main Street. After a year of anticipation, co-owners Jerry Bresowar, Justen Kelly Dick, Tom McMullen, and Mark Finney are thrilled to have a space they can truly call their own.
“It is exciting and nerve-wracking,” said Bresowar. “It’s nice to, for the first time, have our own space where we have total control over the aesthetic and the environment.”
Sitting on the second floor of the historic Abingdon Motor Hall Co. building, the new cidery location boasts a unique blend of indoor and outdoor seating, offering patrons a comfortable and welcoming environment. According to Bresowar, the layout is akin to a mix between a “loft and a tree house.”
Jacob Herndon, Taproom Manager and community events planner at Tumbling Creek Cider Co., emphasized his enthusiasm about the expanded space and the new amenities they can now offer customers. “I’m excited over boring stuff like having a closet, so I can backstock stuff and not have to come every like third day to buy more sodas or whatever,” he said. “We’re also going to have like a full walk-in cooler with a glycol chilling system for our cider.”
This new chapter for Tumbling Creek is marked by significant upgrades and improvements. For instance, they are set to have a bar window that can roll down to serve patrons directly on the porch, making it easier and more enjoyable for customers to get their favorite ciders.
This move marks the company’s third significant relocation since its inception in 2018. Tumbling Creek started its journey in a shared space in 2019 before moving into their first taproom at the Springhouse building in 2020. “This is our third retail location that we have moved to,” Bresowar noted, reflecting on the growth and adaptability of the business.
One of the exciting aspects of the new location is the increase in the number of taps available. The cidery has grown from offering 12 taps at their previous location near the Abingdon Farmers Market to 16 in the new space. “Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to have 16 things on, especially right when we move in, but hopefully, we will be able to fill as many of those as possible,” said Herndon.
Alongside the new tap options, Tumbling Creek Cider Co. plans to continue its popular pub quiz every Thursday and introduce a variety of new events. These will include a cloth dyeing workshop, a poetry night, and a flower arrangement class, ensuring there will always be something for everyone to enjoy.
Herndon has a couple of cider recommendations for first-time visitors. “I usually recommend people start with our Moonshot. It’s just our flagship semi-dry standard cider,” he said. His personal favorite is the Farmhouse cider, which he describes as a more acquired taste. “However, it’s a really funky, weird one that is like 50/50. You either love it, or you hate it.”
The timing of the move to Abingdon Commons is also serendipitous, coinciding with the growth of the company’s own apple orchard at Kelly Ridge Farms in Meadowview. This year, they will harvest their first sizable crop, which means their offerings will soon include more unique and seasonal ciders. “We’re getting our first sizable crop of our own apples this year; our orchards are coming in,” said Bresowar. “We have 60 varieties of heirloom apple cider trees, and so as that production kicks in, we’ll be coming out with more single varieties or blend varieties of our own.”
The new Tumbling Creek Cidery Co. will keep its regular hours but plan to coordinate a day off with Delta Blues once they open downstairs. As they settle into their new space, they invite the community to join them and experience the enhanced ambiance, expanded offerings, and a wide range of upcoming events.
Email: jmancera@bristolnews.com
