But rather than let the old structure — known by many as the Ripley Grain and Feed Mill — fall for good, a Chautauqua County native took on the daunting process of bringing the building back to life with a new purpose.

Adam Chambers purchased the property next to the railroad tracks at State and Boswell streets, just across from the Ripley firehall for $16,000 when it was on the verge of being condemned. Chambers renovated the building himself over the past five years to transform it into a brewery and restaurant.

The Brew Chamber at the Mill, located at 12 Boswell St., opened for business Oct. 28 after five years of construction, mostly done by Chambers himself.

“I think it will be worth it,” Chambers said.

The Brew Chamber at the Mill, located at 12 Boswell Street in Ripley, is shown after Adam Chambers restored the historic building to transform it into a bar and restaurant.

Current hours of operation are Thursday to Saturday from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m., with a limited menu each day of both food and drinks. Both the hours of operation and the menu are expected to increase once the business has been functional for a few months. As of now, Chambers and his fiancee, Samantha, operate the bar and kitchen themselves.

“I wanted to start slow,” Chambers said. “I think a lot of people advertise a ton, they hire a big staff, and then the Cinderella story wears off.”

The goal of owning his own bar was something Chambers dreamed of for many years. Chambers recalls driving a shuttle bus with a group of tourists from Pittsburgh around Chautauqua County on a wine tour. When they asked Chambers for a recommendation of the local bars that had both food and drinks, Chambers couldn’t give them an answer. That put the idea in his mind to get the ball rolling on the brewery.

A native of Sherman, Chambers has a long history throughout his family of concrete and construction work. Chambers graduated from Sherman High School in 2005 and claims he helped build his first house at 14 years old.

“I didn’t want to pound nails for $20 an hour for the rest of my life. I was trying to build my way out of that,” Chambers said.

Historic artifacts from the town of Ripley decorate the brewery.

The Chambers family built and formerly owned and operated the Cooler Cafe in Sherman. That experience — along with his history of brewing beer and cider — gave Chambers the blueprint to build The Brew Chamber at the Mill.

Chambers, along with his fiancee, had a hand one way or another in all the work done to restore the building to what it is now. Chambers not only did most of the contracting work and built his own brewing system for beer and cider, he also even made some of the light fixtures at the bar. Chambers believes some of the cement blocks from the original structure that are still standing in the restored building are some of the earliest cement blocks ever used in construction.

“I really want to show people the history down here and what it has to offer,” said Chambers.

Recalling the daunting task he took on restoring the historic building in disrepair, Chambers said, “I remember sitting in the basement of this place, looking up through all three stories and thinking ‘What the hell am I doing here?'”

But he never gave up, despite more than five years spent on the project. Chambers always believed it was just a matter of time before the building was restored to glory.

“It wasn’t unbelievable for me because I had been manifesting it for five years, but it was definitely stress relieving,” Chambers said of finally opening the doors. “Even though I have a new business – where for most people this would be the most daunting time of starting a business — it was more of just a relief.”

Now that it’s time to run the business, Chambers is turning his focus toward the day-to-day operations. But for Chambers, the restoration of the building was a finish line in itself.

“If this doesn’t work out, I’m going to have an awesome living room,” Chambers joked.