That an old automotive garage is now a craft brewery taproom — having been a market for organic and natural products — tells you much about the social and economic transformation of Provincetown. The building was constructed around 1935. I originally believed that it had been built for Joseph Duarte’s Chevrolet and Oldsmobile dealership, Duarte Motors, which occupied the garage for more than a decade. But a fascinating palimpsest emerged in 2018: the words “Days Garage” in enormous letters centered over the main entrance. That seems to indicate that the garage was constructed by the Days family, which used to own this property as well as the abutting 143 Bradford Street.
After Duarte Motors moved across the street, to 132 Bradford Street, Vannoy Motors did business here. Lembas Health Foods, established by Barbara Edwards and Donald Edwards, moved here from 3 Standish. In 2006, it became B Natural, the Bradford Natural Market, under Rodney “R. J.” Johnson and Jim Sheehan. Beginning in 2011, it was the 141 Bradford Natural Market, owned by Joe Freitas and Chris Getman. (A small branch, 141 To Go, was briefly at 148 Commercial Street.)
In its days (and nights) as the Bradford Natural Market. Dunlap, 2011.
The “Days Garage” palimpsest at 141 Bradford Street in 2018. Photo by David W. Dunlap.
After it was constructed in the front yard of 141 Bradford Street, the garage received the 141 designation, and the house behind it became 143A Bradford Street. Map by David W. Dunlap.
In September 2019, the Provincetown Brewery Company opened its taproom, brewery, and kitchen here. The company (formally Ptown Beer L.L.C.) was founded in 2018 for the “manufacturing of alcoholic beverages” by Christopher Hartley of Andover. “When Chris Hartley first visited Provincetown seven years ago, he was amazed to find that it was without its own craft brewery,” Ptownie wrote. “He felt that a place with such a rich history and unique culture deserves a craft brewery of its own, created in its image. Seven years later, Hartley and his business partner Erik Borg, along with a team of close friends, opened Provincetown Brewing Company.”¹
“Upon entering the taproom, visitors are greeted with vaulted ceilings and natural light. A 16-seat wooden bar sits at the back of the room in front of a large three-barrel brewing system that will regularly turn out unique craft brews only available in the tap room.
“The space is accentuated with an eclectic mix of art, casual seating areas, and a gorgeous cherry pool table. Hanging from the rafters is a stunning 16-foot canoe painted by local artist Mark Adams in the style of Tiepolo’s celestial Venetian ceilings. The canoe previously hung at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum for Adams’s retrospective several years ago.”
The company “has committed to always giving 15 percent of profits back to partner nonprofits and charities it believes in,” Ptownie said. At this writing, they include Athlete Ally, the Center for Coastal Studies, Family Equality, the Generations Project, the Provincetown Commons, the Provincetown Conservation Trust, the Rainbow Railroad, the Summer of Sass, and the Transgender Emergency Fund.
Left: Advertisement from the Provincetown Advocate, 20 April 1950. Provincetown Online: The Advocate Live! Right: Logo of the Provincetown Brewing Company.
For most of the 2010s, it was the 141 Bradford Natural Market.
¶ Last updated in 15 October 2020.
141 Bradford Street on the Town Map.
Thumbnail image: Photo, 2009, by David W. Dunlap.
¹ “Provincetown Brewing Company Has a Mission,” Ptownie, undated.