Unity Park in Bristol
Opening in November 2021, Pivotal Brewing Company was an early adopter at Unity Park. The brewery’s space features soaring windows, four-story ceilings, and enough tank space to store and age copious amounts of beer. With the easily recognizable and now merely decorative smokestack, plus plenty of parking, Pivotal quickly became something of an anchor attraction for what was to come.
Perhaps without realizing it, Pivotal Brewing Company set a trend. Making a product by hand and inviting consumers to come enjoy it on site might be the norm for a craft brewery, but it came to be that other businesses in Unity Park are doing the same.
One can visit the distillery O’Brien & Brough for an expertly made craft cocktail in its niche bar, where everything from the spirits to the syrups are made on site. Handcrafted and handsomely bottled spirits from co-founders Adam and Natalie O’Brien are available for purchase as well, including Lime Rock Gin, Absinthe Supérieure No. 1, Cherrystone Rye, plus malt whiskeys and barrel-aged bourbon.
Next door, house-made pastries and fresh-roasted coffee are available at Borealis Coffee Company during the morning; later on, Thursday through Saturday, the art-filled space becomes a relaxing, stylish place to enjoy a cocktail or a refreshing alcohol-free beverage.
Across the way, Fieldstone Kombucha founder Emily Mellgard is making innovative fermented kombucha with ingredients sourced from nearby farms. Next to that is the brick-and-mortar location of what owners Lyslie and Mathiew Medeiros started as a plant-based food truck business. Award-winning Basil & Bunny now serves creative plant-based comfort food (vegan burgers and fries, creative bowls, cakes and cupcakes) in what all Unity Park businesses can boast—a unique and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere.
“We make our dough, sauces, and ricotta fresh each day,” says Brick Pizza Chef Andy McWilliams with pride. From the menu to the surroundings, everything has a feeling of freshness and revival. The once-defunct structure that houses Brick is now an attractive space with abundant natural light, a separate hall for private functions, and a staff that is welcoming and professional.
“I love this place,” gushes bartender/server Hailey Androezzi as she shows us some of the many historic photographs and objects recovered during the renovation.
With such an engaging staff and inviting surroundings, it is easy to imagine spending time—not just at Brick but at any of the food and beverage businesses that have taken root at Unity Park.
If there is one common thread, it is the business owners’ commitment to sourcing as many local ingredients as possible.
For their popular absinthe, Adam O’Brien gets wormwood and other rare plant flavorings from Hawk and Handsaw Farm in Middletown. Emily Mellgard has worked with local farmers from the beginning with her kombucha business. Basil & Bunny features different offerings according to what’s in season, and while the beans aren’t local per se, Borealis roasts their own coffee at their roastery in Pawtucket for use and for sale in their Bristol café (with another location in Riverside).
“I love working with Chef Andy at Brick,” says Amy Smith of the Local Patch, a small farm in Middletown. “I have been growing things for him, and by request, for years.”
There is a positive ripple effect when you eat at a place that sources ingredients from local farms. It supports our local economy and small family businesses rather than sending our dollars out of the region. As visitors increase, the small businesses at Unity Park expand and grow their teams—creating more employment opportunities as well.
“The chocolate in this cookie is hand chopped, made fresh daily, and the focus for this product is quality—not profit,” says Courtney Staiano, operations manager at Borealis Coffee. “We want to find the balance between affordability and profit so that our products will be accessible to the community around us.”
Whether the busy weekend nights at Pivotal, O’Brien & Brough and Brick Pizza or the lunchtime crowd at Basil & Bunny, there is always something happening at Unity Park. The early-morning crowd for Saturday donuts at Borealis is often followed by an evening of live music and local art. All the while, Emily Mellgard and her crew quietly continue to produce fresh heavenly kombucha flavors for over 100 stores in five states right there in Unity Park.
William Tuthill is a writer who attended Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Ithaca, NY. He lives with his family in Jamestown.
Unity Park
500 Wood St., Bristol • UnityParkBristol.com
