Sycamore Out; Cotswold Taproom Space Seeks Family-Friendly Food-Focused Tenant

A high-profile plan for a family-friendly taproom and beer garden in Cotswold unraveled after legal troubles at Sycamore Brewing, leaving a 7,000-square-foot shell and a 10,000-square-foot patio up for grabs. The vacant space, at the former VisionWorks site, is being marketed by Thrift Commercial Real Estate Services and is being pitched to operators with strong food programs rather than concepts that focus only on beer.

Community interest in the venue was strong when Sycamore first announced the project, but the brewery’s plans changed after co-founder Justin Brigham was arrested on child sex charges in December 2025. The chain reaction was swift: Sycamore closed and cleared out its South End taproom on January 5 after many customers stopped supporting the business. The lease for the under-construction Cotswold taproom and beer garden has now been terminated.

The available site is sizable for the neighborhood, offering room for a substantial kitchen and outdoor programming that would appeal to families and evening crowds. Construction at the old VisionWorks site is continuing and is expected to be completed in April, but brokers caution that signing a new tenant may take longer given permitting, buildout of food service infrastructure, and matching the right operator to a mixed-use village environment.

For restaurateurs, brewpub operators, and food trucks looking to expand, the space presents an opportunity to pair a beer-forward beverage program with a serious food menu and year-round patio activation. Thrift Commercial Real Estate Services is explicitly seeking a tenant that will put food front and center rather than “somebody that just does beer,” creating room for concepts such as a family-oriented gastropub, a chef-driven brewery-restaurant hybrid, or a fast-casual kitchen with rotating local tap collaborations.

Meanwhile, the future of Sycamore Brewing is unclear. The company has filed paperwork to change its LLC name to Club West Brewing, and a teaser site at clubwestbrewing.com hints at a possible rebrand or new venture. Sycamore has not issued an official statement confirming plans tied to that filing.

Practical next steps for the local beer community: watch leasing announcements and site tours this spring, and expect a competitive selection process for a tenant capable of building a robust kitchen and year-round patio programming. For families and craft beer fans in Cotswold Village, the outcome will determine whether the site becomes the casual, food-forward hangout residents were promised or morphs into a different hospitality concept.