All three are under the umbrella of Sellers' parent company BarFly Ventures, based in Grand Rapids. For Sellers, this meant good craft beer, comfort food, no smoking at a time when other bars still allowed it, and a laid-back atmosphere for employees.Īfter being recognized locally and nationally for the Grand Rapids HopCat, Sellers started a second establishment, Stella's Lounge, and then a third: Grand Rapids Brewing Co. He opened HopCat as a place more for himself than for anyone else. By late 2007, Sellers had done well enough to walk away from the financial world and move back to Grand Rapids.Īfter living in Chicago, 'Grand Rapids was pretty boring,' Sellers says, and the idea for HopCat was born. In fact, when Sellers first opened the Grand Rapids HopCat, he thought he was entering into 'early semi-retirement.' Sellers studied business at Michigan State University, and after working as a stock analyst for mutual fund research firm Morningstar in Chicago, he left to start his own investment fund. 'This really just started out as a hobby,' Sellers tells a crowd who gathered recently at the Detroit location to hear about his company's growth and management.

Five years later, the place known for their famous 'crack fries' and their craft beers opened a second location in East Lansing, and the Detroit HopCat followed suit a few years after that, in December 2014.īy the end of this year, there will be a dozen HopCats scattered throughout the Midwest-and even more is on the way.

HopCat's first location was established in Sellers' hometown of Grand Rapids in 2008. But beer has hops, so it became 'HopCat,'' says Sellers, HopCat's founder and CEO. 'In jazz, if you’re a cool cat, you’re a hepcat. Walloon Lake, MI – The Easter Bunny is making an appearance in the Village of Walloon Lake on Saturday, April 9, from 11 AM – 2 PM.Mark Sellers' love of music, specifically jazz, is where the name of the craft beer bar and restaurant 'HopCat' originates.

Celebrate Easter Saturday with Barrel Back Restaurant Saturday April 9, 2022.

Cecilia Music Center brings world-class Chamber Music … Read More ► Cecilia Music Center has celebrated 10 season of partnership with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center GRAND RAPIDS, MI (March 14, 2022) – St. Cecilia Music Center Presents the Final Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Concert of the Season on Thursday, Maentitled The Jazz Effect featuring music by composers Wynton Marsalis, George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel and Darius Milhaud After spending the past two years celebrating virtually and … Read More ► The highly anticipated return of Bell’s Oberon Ale is almost here, officially kicking off its 2022 season on Monday, March 21.

Reach for the sun: Bell’s Oberon returns.

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