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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — When the founders of Quarter Celtic Brewpub were looking for a place to plant roots in Albuquerque, they had a list of criteria.

They required a large space — at least 5,000 square feet. They needed ample parking. They wanted a presence along a major thoroughfare.

They found all of that at the northeast corner of Lomas and San Mateo NE.

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What they didn’t find in their chosen shopping center location were many neighbors. The long-standing center, once home to numerous upscale merchants, has mostly cleared out in recent years, losing Pendleton, Lorenco’s, Mama’s Minerals, Wright’s Indian Art and more. While the center’s signage still lists many of those names, the property actually has just a handful of current tenants: ACE Hardware, MVD Now and a boutique fitness business called Studio Sway.

Ror McKeown, Quarter Celtic’s co-owner, said he had some trepidation about setting up amid a sea of empty storefronts. But he and his partners — who have decades of experience in the local brewing scene — have confidence in the choice.

“Breweries are more destination locations. We’ve been in other remote areas and made it work, so we figure this one isn’t too hidden (and) we could get some people over here,” said McKeown, who previously managed Canteen Brewhouse, which is located in a mostly industrial section of Albuquerque. (Two of his partners, brother Brady McKeown and David Facey, also worked for Canteen.)

In fact, Quarter Celtic’s owners believe their arrival may help kickstart a larger revitalization at the center, now called Shops @ Ace Courtyard. In the six months since they started remodeling their space — a prominent downstairs location that once housed Restaurant André — they report an obvious increase in the number of people touring the center, peering into empty suites and jotting down numbers from the for-lease signs. There are plenty of those.

Shops @ Ace Courtyard has 13 available units, according to Glenn Wright of SVN/Walt Arnold Commercial Brokerage, who recently took over the center’s leasing with wife, Kris. But he said they’re already working on potential deals with a salon, cosmetics store and mattress retailer and called early response to their marketing “fantastic” — something he attributes in part to the center’s prominence and unusual design.

“We’re putting a lot of money (in) to clean it up and get a good image back again,” he said.

McKeown’s group has been working on its own space since late summer. Quarter Celtic is designed to seat about 100 people inside — including some around a custom-built, clover-shaped bar — and about 100 more on its patio. It will offer a full food menu, including some Celtic dishes and a variety of American pub fare, and will brew its beer for all to see on equipment located behind only a window.

McKeown, whose other partners include his father, Bob, and Lee Wilson, said the crew is taking its role as the center’s lower-level anchor “seriously.”

“We think that can only help fill this mall up,” he said. “If we can get some people down here, they may say ‘Hey, I want to open this little boutique or shop here,’ just because they see there’s a nice little flow of traffic down here.”