By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

Photo by Rachel Ravina
The Globe will close on Saturday, Nov. 30. Bryan Brushmiller, owner of Burley Oak Brewing Company and several other businesses in Berlin, purchased the building on 12 Broad Street and said he’s unsure of what will become of the space as his plans are still in the preliminary stages.

(Nov. 29, 2019) Now that Bryan Brushmiller, owner of Burley Oak Brewing Company, has purchased the Globe Theatre on 12 Broad St., he’s figuring out his plans for the space.

“We definitely plan to keep it a music venue, event space,” Brushmiller said, referring to the building’s more immediate past as the Globe restaurant and entertainment venue, which closes this Saturday.

“We know there’s going to be food there,” he continued. “We know that there’s going to be a food concept there, and we know that there’s going to be a bar concept.”

Brushmiller, who also owns Viking Tree Trading Company on Main Street and Burley Cafe on Jefferson Street, said the property owner, Kate Patton, approached him about buying the building.

Brushmiller said the process took about two months. He added that there were some potential buyers from elsewhere who expressed interest in the property, but the desire was there to keep the Globe Theatre’s legacy local.

“It’s really the epicenter of arts and entertainment in Berlin,” Brushmiller said. “So we have to figure out how to keep [it] the cultural landmark that it is.”

While his plans are still in the preliminary stages, Brushmiller said he’s working to get a liquor license for the new establishment, but he said that could take at least a couple of months. Brushmiller added that he still needs to go through the necessary permit process to operate a business in the building.

Brushmiller also said that once the doors close on Saturday, Nov. 30, his team can begin renovations on the 7,000-square-foot building, and he hopes to have the new space ready by February.

As for entertainment plans, Brushmiller said he’d like to continue the current restaurant’s tradition of hosting live entertainment.

“We love beer and music here, so it just makes sense that we keep that going over here,” Brushmiller said.

The building was erected in 1910 to store a horse and carriage, but became a movie theater in 1917 and stayed open for approximately 50 years. After a 20-year hiatus, the space was transformed Patton into a retail store and art gallery for several years. It then reopened as The Globe restaurant in 2006 under the ownership of direction of four business owners, including Jennifer Dawicki.

Dawicki became the sole proprietor a few years later. She announced earlier this month announced the plans to close after 13 years.

“Many circumstances led to the decision the close,” Dawicki said. “The universe was tugging me in a couple of different ways and it was the right time for me to make my exit.”

Meanwhile, Brushmiller is planning his entrance into the building. When asked about a name for a business, Brushmiller said he’d like to have “at the Globe Theatre at least.”

“It makes the town, you know? I couldn’t see the town being [the town] without The Globe and that marquis,” Brushmiller said.