Page 14 of The Havenport Collection

Cecelia

M ost days I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into.

Marketing this place was going to be a massive undertaking.

I promised Liam I would stay in Havenport and help out at the brewery for the next four months, and I intended to see it through.

But I was feeling overwhelmed and nervous that I had bitten off more than I could chew.

So I squared my shoulders, ignored the nagging thoughts about sleeping in my high school bedroom at thirty-one years old, and got to work. I had grown attached to the brewery and loved this ragtag team and wanted them to succeed.

Two weeks into the job, I was seeing more and more potential every day.

At first, these Monday team meetings were intimidating, but I was slowly getting more comfortable.

The atmosphere was jovial and fun. Everyone was laughing and trading stories and trying beers.

This was a team, a family. In addition to the brewing staff, the team included Mark, their graphic designer and packaging guru, and Shane, the account manager.

Like myself, these guys worked here part time to chase their beer dreams while holding down other gigs as well.

I hadn’t been here that long, but I really liked the beer. And I really liked Liam.

But sitting here around the table while Trent filled glasses for everyone, I was beginning to feel like I finally belonged. And there was a part of me that knew that I could help this place grow and thrive. That I could help Liam achieve his dreams.

And I was starting to think my mom and Nora might be onto something.

Maybe I had been too cautious and careful.

Maybe I hadn’t been true to myself and what I really wanted.

I looked at Liam, going over graphs and data related to brewing schedules, and smiled.

He was so handsome and confident. He was good at this and he knew it.

It made the vulnerability he’d shown me even more precious.

We’d become friends, and he had really opened up to me about his struggles and anxieties about this place.

All of it made me more resolute to help him as much as I could.

The more time I spent at the brewery, the more ideas started flying around my brain.

I felt a shiver of possibility run down my spine and creativity flow through my veins every time I walked through the door.

I discovered my old camera in the attic and had started taking photos for social media as well.

I found so much of the work here really inspiring.

Today I was making my first presentation to the team and I was nervous.

What if they didn’t like my ideas? What if I spent all weekend doing research for nothing?

In my previous life I had made presentations to executives and shareholders and never felt this nervous.

I was a good presenter and I came prepared.

After about an hour of technical talk, Liam finally turned to me. “And now I’m going to turn it over to Cecelia.”

I took a minute to compose myself and sync my laptop to the projector.

Mark piped up. “Sorry, I missed last week’s meeting. Are you a new brewer?”

Kyle jabbed him. “Dude, she’s clearly not a brewer.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” said Trent. “Women can be brewers.”

“Of course they can. But we already have plenty of brewers, and if she were a brewer she would probably work someplace nicer than here.” Kyle gave me a dazzling smile. He was in his early twenties, boyishly handsome, and knew it.

Liam jumped in, trying to control the conversation. “Guys, settle down. Cecelia is spearheading the new marketing initiatives and running point on upcoming events. She’ll be doing a bit of everything. Think of her as my Girl Friday.”

“Isn’t that regressive and sexist?” A few people chuckled.

“Thanks, Karl. I didn’t mean it in a regressive way. Just that she’s going to be helping out and doing a bit of everything.”

“Hey. My wife and I watch the Daily Show every night. I’m woke now.” There was a collective eye roll at Karl.

I gave him a kind smile. “Thanks, Karl.”

“Anyway. She has been brainstorming ways for us to increase revenue and exposure and help build our brand. Please be quiet and let her speak.”

Everyone quieted down and I walked them through my PowerPoint.

“I think increasing the use of the taproom for special events and broader weekend hours is an easy way to get more people through the door, especially in the fall.”

“I also think we can do some outreach to specific demographics. For example, I think we should have afternoon hours on Saturdays and Sundays and have kid-friendly activities and menu items. Have you guys ever brewed root beer or ginger ale?”

“Yes, I can brew fantastic root beer,” Karl said.

Liam seemed dubious. “But do families want to come to a brewery?”

I shot him a look. “Have you been to any of your competitors lately? Go to Cambridge or Somerville or Portsmouth right now. Breweries are packed with families on weekends.”

“That’s a good point. People with small kids need all the alcohol they can get.” I didn’t know whether Shane had kids, but he had a general air of exhaustion that made me suspect he might.

“Exactly,” I said excitedly.

“But won’t we have to serve food and other stuff too?”

“Yes. Thank you, Trent. I have a plan for that. Havenport and the surrounding area has a robust food truck scene. We can coordinate with some food trucks to park in the parking lot on weekends. We can negotiate a percentage of their sales and then people will stick around longer and order more drinks if there is also food available.”

“Okay, but are the food trucks willing to do that?”

I flipped to the next slide of my PowerPoint.

“Here is a list of the fifteen most popular food trucks in the greater Havenport region and their contact info. If you guys are on board, I plan on reaching out ASAP to start scheduling them for weekend shifts. We will promote them on our social platforms, and they will agree to do the same. Given the market research I did, I think we can ask for fifteen percent of their sales in exchange for parking in our lot and promotion. I am going to make some calls and see what I can negotiate.”

I walked them through my other ideas—upgrading the patio seating, a dog friendly area, senior night, and pursuing more events like weddings. Everyone got excited about my ideas and pretty soon everyone was brainstorming ideas around the table.

The only person not contributing was Liam. If anything, he looked angry. My research was sound and my ideas were good. I knew that. What was his problem?

He waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking up.

“This is great, Cece, but most of what you are proposing sounds expensive. I would love to upgrade the outdoor area to accommodate more seating and be a fun space, but that is going to cost a ton. And weddings? You need some really jaw-dropping visuals to get wedding business.”

“I don’t disagree, but I also think many small changes can be inexpensive and still yield big results.

” I flipped to the next slide where I laid out some ideas for upgrades and cost ranges.

The brewery was an incredible space, and my suggestions were just a few small things to create more opportunities for people to love it.

“Yeah,” Mark piped up. He seemed like a thoughtful, quiet type. In his late forties with close-cropped salt and pepper hair, he gave off a very mellow dad energy. “My wife is an interior designer. She is able to get all kinds of things wholesale. She would love to get her hands on this place.”

“Awesome.” I leaned over and high-fived Mark, who looked sheepish. “I think we could do a lot of this cheaply and really spruce the place up.”

Kyle jumped in. “My aunt Gail owns the garden center.”

“Gail who is married to Mayor Liza?”

“Yup. They are my aunts. They are super invested in the town. I bet we could get trees and shrubs and stuff from her at a discount.”

“Kyle, that is amazing.” I was beaming and feeling so elated. I really was part of the team. They were embracing me and my ideas. Liam was going to be harder to win over, but for the first time in a long time, I felt up for the challenge.