Elgin Area Taproom moving out after settling lawsuit with landlord
The owner of the Elgin Area Taproom and his landlord said they are happy to have settled an eviction lawsuit, and the establishment is planning to move into another spot in downtown Elgin.
Landlord Kevin Echevarria and Taproom owner Tyrrell Tomlin wouldn't disclose the terms of their agreement. The Taproom will move out of Dream Hall, 51 S. Grove Ave., on Dec. 2, they said.
"The out-of-court settlement has resolved all of our business differences and we no longer hold any business claims over each other," Echevarria said.
"Everything is good," Tomlin said. "I wish (Echevarria) well."
Tomlin said he is moving the business into a 4,000-square-foot space at 77 S. Riverside Drive. He hopes to open in January after doing some interior work and getting a liquor license, he said.
Echevarria filed the lawsuit in September alleging Tomlin had not paid rent since the Taproom opened in May. Tomlin responded that Echevarria owed him money and was not adhering to the terms of his lease.
The deteriorating relationship between the two resulted in a run-in Oct. 20 during Nightmare on Chicago Street.
Police had been investigating a threat that Echevarria said Tomlin made that night and decided to charge Tomlin last week with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct in connection with a July 16 altercation he had with Echevarria, Elgin Police Cmdr. Colin Fleury said. Tomlin is due in court Dec. 13.
When asked for comment, Tomlin said, "I don't know about that."
Police also had been investigating Echevarria pulling a fire alarm Oct. 20 at Dream Hall, and cited Echevarria under city ordinance with reckless conduct and disorderly conduct, Fleury said. Echevarria is due in court Dec. 7.
Echevarria said he pulled the fire alarm because he believed the situation in the building was unsafe with the crowd at capacity. He might fight the citations, he said. "I definitely don't feel like I did anything wrong," he said.
Echevarria said he is looking forward to changes at Dream Hall, including Cafe Revive, currently on the mezzanine, moving into the Taproom's spot on the first floor. Dream Hall has a pending liquor license application with the city. The plan is for the mezzanine level to serve alcohol to complement food operations in the building and for private events, he said.
Tomlin's new landlord, Andrew Cuming, said he's looking forward to having the Taproom in the building that also holds Escapade 360.
Cuming said he's "peripherally" aware of the problems between Tomlin and Echevarria and believes much of that stemmed from unusual profit-sharing and "shared space" terms of their lease.
Cuming said the Taproom's lease will be straightforward.
"It's 'here is the space, here is the rent,'" Cuming said. "So long as you're following city code and ordinances and not breaking your lease - which will be a nice, standard lease - we're good."