When Katie Hagglund and her brother, Kelly Katoski, took over the Last Chance Liquor store in Duluth two years ago, it wasn’t because they had a burning desire to own and operate a liquor store.

Rather, the two inherited the longtime family business after their father, Dave Katoski, passed away.

“For us, that wasn’t necessarily our primary interest,” Hagglund said, though the two have worked at the East Hillside store for 10 years.

But then Kwik Trip became interested in the store property on Fourth Street near Sixth Avenue East, as well as the former Auto Lube site next door.

The properties are owned by the siblings’ grandmother. With a sale brewing to make way for a Kwik Trip store, Hagglund and Katoski seized an opportunity.

“We thought it was a good time to do something along our own interests,” Hagglund said.

Seeing a niche to fill, the two plan to open Duluth Homebrew Supply at Fitger’s Brewery Complex in June and plan to close Last Chance Liquor this fall.

Last Chance has been one of the few places in the Duluth area offering home-brewing supplies. Without it, the store’s beer-brewing customers say they may have to go to the Twin Cities to get some needed items.

The area’s other options include Wine Creations in Hermantown which sells home wine- and beer-

making supplies.

Both Hagglund and Katoski, who are in their 20s, are into home-brewing and winemaking themselves. And with Last Chance Liquor store selling brewing equipment, they have learned even more about it.

They say their new store will offer more than other area stores. They’ll have a full line of equipment and ingredients for making beer, wine and pop at home as well as offering classes.

“There’s really nothing like it in the area to compare with it,” Hagglund said. “It will be a fun new adventure here in Duluth, and we’re really excited.”

Even though Kwik Trip has since told city officials it no longer plans to build a store at the Last Chance site, the store’s lease is up in early 2016, and Hagglund and her brother are sticking with their plans.

“It will have no impact on our plans,” Hagglund said last week. “We will still close this fall.”

A good fit

Duluth Homebrew Supply will be a good addition to Fitger’s, mall manager Tami Tanski Sherman said.

“It’s a perfect fit,” she said. “I know people are really looking forward to having a home-brew store here. People will come from around the area to pick up home-brewing supplies. They go to Minneapolis for that; now they’ll have a store in Duluth.”

Its opening in long-vacated space on the mall’s first floor will bring the sprawling complex to a good place - all its retail spaces will be filled.

That’s not stopping the mall from squeezing in one more, though. Cookie Temptations, a gourmet cookie business, will open a coffee shop, featuring its artful cookies, in the hallway lounge area near Trailfitters.

Build-out for both the coffee shop and the homebrewing store is to begin May 1; both businesses aim to open in June. Cookie Temptations will continue to have a store and bakery at 4025 Woodland Ave.

The 1,400-square-foot space that will become Duluth Homebrew Supply will first undergo extensive remodeling. It will get new flooring and wall treatments. A staircase will be built to connect it to a lower level, and a classroom will be added.

A grain wall will be built so people don’t have to buy grain in big bulk bags for beer-making. With a wide variety of grains, the wall will be similar to the coffee wall at grocery stores.

The store will offer beer- and wine-making classes for adults and classes on making root beer, ginger ale, cream soda or sarsaparilla (the original soda pop) for families and groups of children.

“Kids can make the pop, design their labels and bottle it up,” Hagglund said. “It’s something new to do with your kids in town.”

They also hope to build partnerships with local craft breweries to offer clone kits for select beers that home-brewers make themselves. So far, Fitger’s Beer has agreed to the collaboration.

“It will be something unique to the Duluth area and will pull in all the different breweries we have in town,” Hagglund said.

Filling a need

With all the interest in craft beer in the Twin Ports, Hagglund said Duluth needs such a store.

“It’s shocking we don’t already have a store here,” she said. “Duluth has untapped potential in their home-brewers. We have the best water in the world, which allows for the best beer and wine.”

Fittingly, the store will be across the hall from the Fitger’s Brewhouse Cellar, with its brewery setup open for viewing by passersby.

“The Brewhouse is really excited about having them come in,” Sherman said. “They have people who come through on brewery tours, and these people will be able to see the brewery and then go across the hall and pick up home-brew supplies.”

There will be a few months of overlap when both Last Chance Liquor and Duluth Homebrew Supply will be operating.

“It’s going to be a long summer for us, between the two businesses,” Hagglund said. “But we have a wonderful staff at Last Chance. They’re prepared to take over the day-to-day stuff, so we can focus on the new store.”