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Poplar Grove would get its first watering hole as a pair of local entrepreneurs looks to open a cidery just west of I-15.
In a recently rehabbed building at 730 W. 900 S., Thieves Cidery seeks to capitalize on its location on the 9-Line multi-use trail by opening the only cidery on the west side.
The company submitted for a conditional use permit this month. If it gets the required state and local permissions, it hopes to open this spring.
“Thieves Guild is a mysterious craft micro cidery and experience bar currently under construction somewhere in Salt Lake City,” the company says on its temporary site. “Follow our social accounts for clues to where this notorious den of thieves may be.”
The company’s founders say they’re meeting the demand for more cider bars in Utah’s capital city.
“It will be a full-service cider brewpub where people can try a variety of new and exciting ciders that we make on-site,” the pair of co-owners wrote in their application. “Thieves Guild’s cozy tavern taproom setting will serve as a gathering place for people to enjoy a range of sweet and dry ciders, food, and specialty drinks all night.”
“As Utah’s population grows, the project will scale to meet the demand for our product,” they continued. “Utah isn’t just ready for cider, it needs Thieves Guild to catch up with the national cider trend that Utah has fallen behind on.”
In fact, the company will continue a burgeoning trend in Salt Lake City with the addition of another cider bar.
Mountain West has plans to expand its location in Marmalade with a German style beer garden at 425 N. 400 W., while it continues operating its existing cidery at the same location.
More recently, Scion Cider opened in Central 9th, helping to feed the locally owned vibe from restaurants, coffee shops and bars in that neighborhood.
Thieves Guild will be distinct in that it will be located west of I-15 — welcome news for a set of neighborhoods eager for more mixed-use development. Situated toward the south end of Poplar Grove, the cider will be easily accessible to the Glendale neighborhood, as well.
More on the way?
The owner of the Thieves building — West End LLC, which is affiliated with High Boy Ventures — successfully rezoned the property from M-1 Manufacturing to Residential Mixed-Use (RMU) in 2020, with rough plans to bring multi-family housing to the area.
It included 10 parcels stretching from 900 South to Genesee Avenue a block north. It has filed preliminary paperwork since then, but hasn’t requested building permits to capitalize on the up to 75 feet tall buildings (125 feet with design review approval) it could build on its holdings.
Before any additional housing comes in, the business itself will benefit from its location at a crosswalk on the 9-Line trail, a multi-use trail that will connect the far west side with the far east. Work on the trail is passing through Central 9th with plans to extend toward the 9th & 9th business district next year.
The cidery would operate from noon to 11 pm Monday through Thursday. It would close at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 pm on Sundays.
The company would have as many as 12 employees working at a time between manufacturing, serving and ownership.
The cidery would offer a total of 144 seats between the bar, inside seating and a patio outside.
Email Taylor Anderson
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