By: James Kennedy | Roar | EastLeeNews.com
A long-vacant building along State Road 80 is getting a new lease on life, and with it, Alva is preparing to welcome a new locally owned business. Anarchy Aleworks is preparing to open at 21450 Palm Beach Boulevard, in a building that owner John Ford admits “used to look much different” than it does today. The space, once divided into multiple businesses, has since been remodeled and reconfigured into a brewery and taproom.
Ford, who has spent his career as a pharmacist, said brewing has been a long-time passion. “I’ve been home brewing just for a hobby for about 30-something years,” he said. After selling the specialty pharmacy and infusion business he and his wife built in Fort Myers, Ford said he was ready for a new chapter. “I wanted something to do and felt too young just to sit around, be retired,” he said. “I thought, well, we’ll start a brewery… I could get paid for it.”
Ford said he initially debated whether to buy or lease, eventually choosing to rent to avoid bank loans and investors. “For me to buy property, I’d have had to go to the bank and get a loan. And I didn’t wanna do all that,” he said. The opportunity came through a personal connection made at a beer festival in Gainesville, which led him to the Alva property owner.
While Alva initially felt “kind of out of the way,” Ford said traffic counts and nearby growth helped change his mind. “There are 23,000 cars a day that go past this place,” he said, pointing to surrounding communities such as Babcock Ranch, Portico, River Hall, and Verandah. “You’ve got a lot of people that are out here that haven’t really had anything to do. They had to go into Fort Myers to do it.”
The brewery’s name, Anarchy Aleworks, is one Ford has held onto for years. “I’ve had that name registered with the state… since ’09, I think,” he said. While acknowledging that the word “anarchy” can raise concerns, Ford said it reflects a personal philosophy rather than chaos. “A lot of people think it means chaos and disorder, but it just means no government. That’s all it means,” he said. “I’m not changing the name. I’ve had it for 17 years now.”
Ford said the brewery’s goal is simple. “Just to be a place that people wanna spend time at,” he said. Rather than operating a full restaurant, Anarchy Aleworks will host food trucks. “I didn’t wanna run a restaurant because a restaurant’s a hard business to be in,” he said. Live music is also part of the plan. Business manager Tia Ford said she is booking local musicians for the weekly schedule, with performances primarily planned for weekends. Music will be staged on the outdoor patio when possible, with flexibility to move inside if weather requires. “We’re trying to support local as much as possible,” she said.
The space is designed to be welcoming to families. “I wanna make this place where it’s dog-friendly, kid-friendly,” Ford said. “We’ll have games for the kids… I wanna make it a place where people come and hang out and feel like this is better than sitting at home.”
Anarchy Aleworks will feature 22 taps, with Ford planning to open with 14 house-brewed beers, along with guest taps, cider, and other options. Wine will be served using preservation dispensers. “We wanted to do dispensers just because of the quality,” Ford said. “Once you open that bottle of wine, it’s gonna be good until it’s gone.”
Much of the build-out has been hands-on. “We built this bar,” Ford said. “Blake and I built that. We finished the whole bar.” He emphasized that the business has no investors and no bank loans. “I just need to be profitable. That’s it.”
While an exact opening date has not yet been announced, the family said renovations are nearing completion, with initial plans calling for a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule and hours that may adjust as demand becomes clearer.
