By MATT LINDSEY

CANTON – The taproom at the St. Lawrence Brewing Company will move to the Parkview, above the Blackbird Café, in an effort to appeal to a broader community.

The plan is rebrand the Parkview as The Taproom on Main Street, with an opening date of May 30 planned, owner Ken Hebb says.

Hebb says part of the reason for the move is the “weird location” of the taproom now. It is located at 19 Commerce Lane, where the St. Lawrence County Brewing Company makes beer.

By moving to a more central location, 107 Main St., it will allow the taproom to be in the “heart of downtown,” Hebb said.

“First off, the Parkview, which is a much loved location for live music, is great, people love it, he said. “But I think we can see more benefit, as a community, from that space. So we will be re-branding that to try and make it a more exciting and independent place.”

The Parkview hosts musicians several times a week and will hold a trivia night as well.

Music will remain the focus of The Taproom on Main Street.

“We have built up a set of local bands…we hold two or three shows a week, will offer karaoke and a trivia night,” he said.

Less time will be devoted to private events, he said.

Another complaint Hebb said he hears from customers about the taproom was the lack of food. The taproom will now serve food, with some coming from the Blackbird Café and some being made at the onsite kitchen.

Patrons who stop to listen to live music at the taproom after May 30, will be able to purchase food, beer, hard cider and wine.

The food menu was “under development” and Hebb was not able to disclose too much information about what will be offered.

He thought that the Parkview was “maybe too fancy” and the change will “answer what customers are looking for.”

Another change Hebb mentioned was staffing, “in order to keep both businesses running successfully, I need to have strong staff that I can rely on.”

"So as we replace staff that turn over, I am going to be looking for more responsible and more professional staff, even if it costs more,” he said. “The team has got to be the priority.”

The brewery will continue to offer tours, sell merchandise, fill growlers and sell packs of beer, he said. They will not sell alcohol at night following the transition; only offering alcohol from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.