Crystal and Luke Davis recently purchased a building at 625 G Ave. and are in the process of converting it into the home of South Porch Cider, a community space and cider taproom that will draw on the couple’s investment in their orchard that is maintained just outside of Wellsburg.

Last Thursday, they invited the public to a meet-and-greet with several hard ciders available for taste-testing, as well as explaining the future of what they hope South Porch Cider can become.

The building was most recently the “As You Like It” Hallmark gift shop but has served many roles in Grundy Center’s history over the last 100-plus years — so while the building was largely empty on Thursday, save for a cider tap and some assorted old seating, there was plenty of nostalgia for long-time residents to reflect on.

“We know this building has a lot of history, and we want to do right by it,” Luke Davis said.

Crystal Davis, right, answers questions from various community members and elected officials during Thursday’s meet-and-greet session at the future home of South Porch Cider in Grundy Center.

Crystal and Luke have only owned the building for a month but are planning to use the basement for fermentation purposes. The ciders on tap last week were using apples borrowed from other growers in the county and from Bluebell Orchard in Dubuque, which were pressed last year and aged to the present. However, the Davis family would like to switch to their own homegrown apples in the near future.

They said they have been looking for space in Grundy Center for over a year before recently finding their spot. Interior design plans will account for ample seating to provide space for socializing, as well as a meeting room for organizations or get-togethers.

“We want this to be a multiplier for the community,” Luke said. “There’s a lot of neat places and other businesses around here that we’d like to collaborate with and help to elevate Grundy Center as a whole.”

The business has also applied for a Main Street Iowa grant that would help fund facade upgrades.

The Davises hope to have the business ready for a soft opening by the end of 2024.

In addition to providing a boost to Main Street, Crystal and Luke hope to also introduce themselves to the broader community.

They moved to the area from Nebraska in 2015 and have since had three children — Alice, 5, Walter, 3, and Fredrick, 6 weeks.

“We’ve fallen in love with the community, the town, the culture,” Luke said. “We’d like to learn more about the history of this building to keep it alive, keep that at the forefront. And we just want to reach out and connect with the people here.”