After 10 years on the market, a quirky Laporte Avenue landmark is getting new life as a neighborhood brewery.

Earlier this summer, Fort Collins residents Tyler Olpin and Natalie Yoder purchased the Friendly Fire property — a 1.3-acre plot at 1802 and 1804 Laporte Ave. that was the longtime home of Bill Eckert's Friendly Fire fireplace business.

They plan to develop the site into Stodgy Brewing Co,, repurposing an existing 6,000-square-foot commercial building into a brewery and taproom while using one existing home on the property for an office and razing another to make way for parking, according to project development plan application submitted to the city of Fort Collins.

Olpin said they plan to begin construction in late January, with a planned opening date toward the end of summer 2020.

The sale was closed in June for $870,300, according to Larimer County property records.

Dave Werner, the broker owner of SmartList Real Estate, had the Laporte Avenue listing for 10 years — the longest listing in his 20-year career, "by far," he said.

When he took it, its original listing price with him was $1 million, he added.

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"What made it unique, I suppose, was the history of it," Werner said. Over the years, the property had been home to The Montessori School of Fort Collins. When Eckert purchased it in the early 1970s, "it didn’t look anything like it does today."

Eckert built extensive additions on the property and, in the early 1990s, built a log cabin-style home on its east side.

For years, Eckert operated Friendly Fire out of the property, fixing and selling Northern Colorado's fireplaces.

"If you lived in Fort Collins in the '70s, '80s, '90s or early 2000s and needed a fireplace or needed it fixed, you knew Bill Eckert," Werner said.

Werner said Eckert decided to sell it so he could move and retire. The Coloradoan was not able to reach Eckert before the publication of this piece.

After taking the listing 10 years ago, Werner said it was a challenge to find comparable properties to nail down a good price. There aren't many 1.3-acre plots with three houses on it, Werner said.

"We knew from the beginning it would take a unique buyer with a vision. They were going to have to change the use to something else or raze everything and start over," Werner said, adding that there were several offers on the property over the years. It was under contract twice, but both sales fell through, he said.

With 25 breweries operating in Fort Collins, Olpin said he and Yoder wanted the perfect location for the forthcoming Stodgy Brewing.

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"We really wanted a location in northwest Fort Collins, not only because we live in northwest Fort Collins, but because there are currently no breweries, bars or even coffee shops in (that part of town)," Olpin wrote in an email to the Coloradoan. "Our dream was to open a neighborhood-focused brewery that would be easily accessible by foot or bike to as many people in the northwest as possible."

The duo also wanted a location that could fit a big outdoor patio, which the Laporte Avenue property can.

"Our goal is to have one of the best patios in Fort Collins," Olpin said.

Yoder has a background in horticulture while Olpin has previously worked in the food and beverage industry, he added.

It took roughly a year from when Olpin and Yoder first toured the property to when they closed on it, Werner estimated.

It was a long time coming. After 10 years, people in town would hear Werner's name and say, "Hey! I saw your name out in front of Friendly Fire!" he said.

His sons, who were three and seven years old when he took the listing, are teenagers now. Over that time, Werner said he and Eckert also became friends.

"When you’re dealing with a client for 10 years, you know, you’re ready to make the deal happen," he added.

So, will he stop by the Laporte Avenue land when it's officially Stodgy Brewing Co.?

"Absolutely," he said. "I told Natalie, she owes me beer free for life."

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