Crystal Ridge Distillery, housed in a remodeled
historic building, had just opened its doors to the public
in December of 2019 and celebrated a Chamber of
Commerce ribbon cutting in March of 2020 when virus
fears crashed the party. With the restaurant and bar full
and the calendar booked for events, early 2020 looked
promising. Being forced to close mid-March, the
Bradley family’s business future looked bleak. Quickly,
the growing need for another product became apparent
and was a game changer. “We were granted permits
from the government to produce and sell hand sanitizer
using our food-grade alcohol,” Danny says. “We were
able to sell large and small quantities off of our back
28 LIFE & HOME
porch in April and May, which helped us pay our bills
and stay in business.” Online sales in bulk quantities to
schools, hospitals, and event venues, in addition to
sales in their retail store, has helped the Distillery stay
open and keep employees. Choosing not to apply in
the government loan program, the business is now
looking to the future and is thankful for the community
support it is garnering. “We have opened our retail
store and have started giving small tours. We get calls
daily about our restaurant, which we have not opened
back up yet.” Crystal Ridge Distillery continues to communicate
with customers by listening to feedback and
strengthening its bond with the community.