Crafty Dudes taps financing to pour growth

Crafty Dudes LLC, a corporation formed by local entrepreneur Howard Schnabel, purchased a franchise called The Casual Pint and set up its operations at 3550 Executive Parkway in Toledo.

Each Casual Pint franchise is independently owned and operated and serves as a craft beer market engaging in the retail sale of alcohol for on-premises and off-premises consumption, in accordance with applicable State regulations. The franchise headquarters is based in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Casual Pint – Toledo, owned and operated by Schnabel, is one of 54 franchises nationwide. There are 28 different locations currently open, with the Toledo location being the 27th. According to Schnabel, the Toledo location, celebrating its first full year on April 20th, is ranked in the top five of the 28 open in producing revenue.

In Toledo, there are 35 craft beers on tap, about 290 different beer selections in cans and bottles, a full-service kitchen, and different events such as trivia night on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well as Singo night, a musical spin on the traditional game of Bingo, on Saturdays.

“The Casual Pint offers a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere much like a coffee shop, with a focus on craft beer. Our expert ‘beer-tenders’ can serve up craft beer by the pint from our tap wall, by the can, or by the bottle to enjoy in our location. You can grab your beer to go with growler fills, mix-a-six packs out of our bottle and can cooler, or packaged beer off the dry shelves. Kegs are also available for special occasions as well,” noted Schnabel.

According to Schnabel, before opening the location, Crafty Dudes LLC took a loan from State Bank to help fund the build-out of the location.

“The financing from State Bank was very important to our business and we are grateful for that. They helped provide financing to do a build-out of this building. Before the work was done, it was a computer store made of two buildings. In total, we had to demo walls to make it all one store, cut up concrete, put down new floors, redo the plumbing and water lines, and really redid everything. Everything is brand new inside,” said Schnabel.

Schnabel noted that he was very lucky to have a local partner like State Bank as it was very helpful along the way. He noted that State Bank helped with the financing, building credit, and provided various resources he could count on.

When speaking of advice he would give to other small businesses looking to acquire financing, Schnabel said, “A big thing is to think of all of your options. With State Bank, they provide resources and tools, answer any questions, and really just made the whole thing run smoothly for me. State Bank, along with the Small Business Administration, has tools and resources that will assist you in getting everything you need and filled out correctly.”

According to Schnabel, based off the success of the Toledo location, he has been thinking of opening a second location. He’s not exactly sure yet where the location will be, but he’s expecting it to have a larger footprint in an area experiencing growth. He cited Perrysburg as a potential option.