A new entertainment center is the next business venture in store for a former silk mill in Weissport.

Located at 500 Bridge St., The Hofford Mill has been home to many different businesses.

But, for a long time, it has been vacant, according to The Hofford Mill project manager Kathryn McEvilly.

“So we are looking to redevelop it and kind of bring new life to it,” McEvilly said.

Present use

McEvilly said the front of the building has been occupied for quite a few years with her parents’ business, Tommy’s Restaurant Equipment.

“We sell all around the country,” she said. “Our location, we’ve been pretty comfortable here.”

Her father, Tom McEvilly, said he purchased the building in 1996, and has owned it since 2003.

“It’s a building that we’ve spent many years renovating,” Tom McEvilly said. “This area in the county is growing, and I think Weissport is going to be the next gem of the county.”

McEvilly said the back of the building has mostly been storage for quite a few years.

“We’ve had tenants come and go, but the space itself has been a little bit dead,” she said. “So we’re kind of looking to give new life to the space.”

McEvilly said Tommy’s will continue to exist as of now, but will slowly be phased out once The Hofford Mill grows and needs additional space for expansion.

Financial backing

McEvilly said the vision for the new business venture began in January 2018.

“We started to put together this project to bring in different entities to complement each other, but also attract tourists, but attract the locals here that feel that there isn’t a lot to do in the area,” she said. “So we’re kind of hoping that we can appeal to everybody.”

They began construction last month.

McEvilly said Mauch Chunk Trust Company has been “kind enough to help us finance our project.”

“From my initial meeting with MCT, they were very interested in our project and have been helpful throughout the process,” she said. “MCT is responsible for providing the commercial loan making the renovation possible.”

Anthony Postupack, commercial loan officer for Mauch Chunk Trust Company, said this represents a great opportunity for Weissport.

“We were really impressed with her vision for the project, her ambition throughout the whole project,” Postupack said. “Tourism is huge in Carbon County.”

What to expect

Once completed, McEvilly said The Hofford Mill will include a coffee shop, a limited menu food service operation, several private event rooms, three ax throwing cages, and “room for events, room for people to congregate and just to give that open communal vibe.”

McEvilly said there will also be a hostel.

“We think that people coming on the D & L Trail, people that are coming from the outside that kind of want to stop along the way have something that’s economical for the night, it’s a perfect stop for them,” she said. “They can store their bikes inside, and they can get a beer, they can get something to eat and continue along the way.”

McEvilly said it will also include a brewery tap room, and a 25-by-80-foot deck with a walkway to a 45-by-60-foot deck.

“We’re really looking to capitalize on the summer months, but also again create a space that’s year-round where people can go do something,” she said. “The idea is good clean fun, and a place where everybody feels comfortable and everybody feels like they belong.”

McEvilly said the plan is to have The Hofford Mill open by July.

Follow the project at www.thehoffordmill.com, The Hofford Mill on Facebook, @hoffordmill on Instagram or @HoffordMill on Twitter.