Refinery 507 closes restaurant, redefines space

“When we first bought this building, the intention was never to run a restaurant,” Sarah Kay Hoffman, co-owner of Refinery 507 and Thyme on Main, said. 

 

While running a restaurant wasn’t a part of their original plan, Hoffman and her business partner Makayla Selvik ran restaurant and cocktail bar Refinery 507 at 100 State Street North for four years before they decided to make a change. 

 

The Refinery’s last day as a public restaurant will be Friday, June 27. Starting June 28, the Refinery will exclusively be a private event venue available to book seven days a week. The change also includes having the Refinery cater for events.

 

“This was just the public facing space where you could come and eat and drink. But the way we’re transitioning it now is that it will no longer be the Refinery 507 as a public restaurant. It is a space like every other one of our spaces,” Hoffman said. 

 

The transition came from two influences: the growing use of the Refinery as an event space and the women’s families.

 

According to Hoffman, the space has seen a growth in private events, including business holiday parties and celebration of life milestones. This meant closing the restaurant at times inconvenient to the community. 

 

“One kind of event that we’ve been doing a lot more in here, which is really interesting, is celebration of life. Or like, after the funeral. I know it sounds morbid, but it’s so beautiful. Family and friends can gather here. They can do drinks, they can do food,” Hoffman said.

 

She mentions that, thanks to the installation of a ramp, the space has become even more versatile and accessible as Thyme on Main, now for sale, has no handicap access.

 

But a major factor leading to the transition was the two women’s family circumstances. 

 

According to Selvik, the decision was incredibly hard. She said she feels blessed to be a part of the community, the experiences, the family built around the establishment. But at the end of the day, she said she was still missing time with her kids. 

 

“After four years of missing repeated birthdays, hockey tournaments, get-togethers and simple Saturday nights, the time finally feels right to shift gears,” Selvik said.

 

Hoffman added that one of Selvik’s children has spent his last four birthdays in the Refinery, saying their kids are there all the time.

 

“They’re like, ‘Why can’t you go do X, Y, Z on Friday night? Why can’t you be at my sport on Saturday?’” Hoffman said. 

 

After a while, the two women realized there was not equal excitement anymore. Hoffman said she is looking forward to the predictability of events while Selvik said she is ecstatic to get back one of the most precious gifts — time. 

 

“The Refinery 507 was never failing or falling short. We shifted gears to adjust to the lifestyle we envision ourselves having. Shifting to events allows us a bit more predictability, not to mention less overhead,” Selvik said. 

 

Mentioning they are fully aware there is already a successful event venue in town, the two say their new business model will be something of a complement to The Mill rather than any form of competition. Hoffman mentions Refinery 507 has a maximum capacity of 40, compared to The Mill’s 500 or so.

 

In fact, she continues, they have already had customers who used the facilities in both spaces for their respective strengths–Refinery 507 for smaller gatherings such as the groom’s dinner, for the photography studio, or the air bed and breakfast rooms for out-of-town visitors, and then The Mill for the large-scale celebration and dance.

 

The pair is sad to say goodbye to the “uber-fans” that came to the Refinery; they say they are especially disheartened to have to let their staff go, but they feel the bittersweet move is a step in the right direction. 

 

“We have grown a little family who we will miss seeing on the regular, there are no doubts about that. I will always shout out to the customers who were so loyal to our little family at the 507. We have built so many amazing relationships,” Selvik said.

 

Hoffman added that while that is the hard part, “We’ve thought about the community for the last four years and we’ve kind of failed to remember ourselves and our families.”

 

Looking forward, their goal is to continue having and creating fun events and celebrating with the community and those who come in from out of town, even with the Thyme on Main now being for sale. 

 

“As with every change, we have faith and continue to follow our hearts. There is always excitement on the horizon! We can’t wait to see what this next chapter brings,” Selvik said. 

 

To book an event space or Airbnb with Thyme on Main or Refinery 507, visit their website at https://members.thymeonmain.com/