Proprietors of a new Jim Thorpe brewery are hopeful they can have beer on the market later this year.

Alex Franko, a Thorpe native, is planning to open Bright Path Brewing at the former Fairview Beverage and state liquor store property in the 1200 block of North Street.

Joining Franko in the venture are his father, Guy; business partner Dillon Smith; and Dillon’s father, Todd.

“We’re very excited to be undertaking this project in our hometown,” Franko said. “Jim Thorpe continues to boom from a tourism perspective, and this is just a great opportunity. I’ve been working for regional breweries for a number of years, and to bring that experience back here is something I’m looking forward to. I think the local crowd, in addition to those here for tourism, will really enjoy it.”

Jim Thorpe’s Native American name, Wa-Tho-Huk, translates to mean Bright Path, leading to the brewery’s name. Franko said the construction phase is still ongoing and the inside of the property will be remodeled, but the goal is to have beer available in 2021.

“We’re leasing the building, but we’re on track to brew beer and open a tasting room this year,” Franko said. “We figure the tasting room could seat around 75-80 people, and the other half of the building will be dedicated to the production end of the operation.”

Franko is no stranger to brewing beer. His background includes time at Dogfish Head Brewery, Lone Eagle Brewing, Other Half Brewing Company and Sly Fox Brewing Company.

Bright Path will focus on lager and low-ABV session beers, Franko said, with most of its equipment fabricated to fit that style of brewing.

“Our focus will definitely be on production, but we would like to partner with food trucks and some other local businesses to do some stuff here on weekends,” he said.

Fairview Beverage closed at the end of 2015. Franko said the location, on the east side of town, is becoming increasingly more desirable.

“With the Route 903 turnpike exit, you’re going to have a lot of traffic coming through this side of town, even if they’re going downtown to shop or for an event. So I think this is a good spot and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see more businesses take the opportunity to be on the east side.”

Franko said he and his business partners did look at several properties on both sides of town, but the location they chose was already zoned commercial, is easily accessible and comes with parking, which made it attractive.

“We didn’t want to be restricted in how much room we had to work with and we do think there will be some opportunity for growth here,” he said.

While the group had hoped to be open earlier, COVID-19 put about a 6-8 month delay on the project. Nonetheless, customers can expect to get their first taste before you know it.

“By late fall or early winter,” Franko said, “we’d like to be distributing to local businesses and have the tasting room open.”