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Business partners Scott Schultz and Vincent Lambert are seeking special land use approval from the city Planning Commission on May 14 for plans to open a two-story brewery in the old DeKorne Furniture storefront at 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE.

(Garret Ellison | MLive)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A Grand Rapids accountant and a former brewer at Founders are teaming up to open a microbrewery in the Creston Business District.

Business partners Scott Schultz and Vincent Lambert are seeking special land use approval from the city Planning Commission on May 14 for plans to open a two-story brewery in the old DeKorne Furniture storefront at 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE.

Plans for the building include construction of a microbrewery and restaurant with a banquet hall, outdoor seating and live entertainment.

"Vince and I are all about community revitalization," said Schultz, a brewer and musician who plays in local indie-soul band Vox Vidorra. "We feel it could be an anchor establishment for the people in Creston."

Interior of 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE, which was the DeKorne Furniture Co.'s original location until the property was sold in 1995.

Schultz and Lambert are finalizing funding, leasing and other details for the yet-to-be-named brewery project, on which they hope to begin construction this summer.

The building was the original location for Ethan Allen brand owner DeKorne Furniture Co., a well-respected furniture retailer that operated a showroom, re-upholstery shop and warehouse on Plainfield Avenue NE for 77 years.

The DeKornes sold the building to Optical Supply Co. owner Gerald Pitcher in 1995. The property, kitty-corner to the Red Ball Jet Cafe at Plainfield and Quimby Street NE, has been vacant for nearly a decade, Schultz said.

"It's a gorgeous building," he said. "There's a lot of Grand Rapids history to it. We're going to give it a good, long second life."

Schultz worked as a brewer at the Hideout Brewing Co. from 2007 to 2009 and at Founders Brewing Co. from 2010 to 2014, he said. His partner, Lambert, is finance manager at the Kent County Land Bank Authority.

Theirs is one of several new local craft brewery projects under development.

In Grand Rapids, Harmony Hall and New Holland Brewing are opening this year on Bridge Street. Brewer Nate Walser plans to open Grey Line Brewing Co. this year at 1727 Alpine Ave. NW and local homebrewer Dave Petroelje is working on locating his City Built Brewing Co. in a North Monroe district building.

In Wyoming, Rommie Bailey is building-out Kitzingen Brewing Co. at 1760 44th St. SW; and in Allendale, Gary Evans is opening Trail Point Brewing Co. at 6035 Lake Michigan Drive this summer.

Garret Ellison covers business, government and environment for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram