On March 25, 2019, a devastating fire tore through Common Roots Brewing Company in South Glens Falls, New York. The blaze was not considered suspicious, but the damage was real. Not only did the father and son team of Bert and Christian Weber lose a business that they had long sought to build (and was just beginning to see gain traction), but their 20 employees in the brewery and taproom were out of work.
Within a day, a page appeared on GoFundMe, the popular crowd-funding site, seeking donations to help the brewery, which had quickly become a community favorite, keep employees paid and insured while the business rebuilt.
“We didn’t have a minute to feel bad about the fire. We were dumbfounded by the huge support that happened so quickly,” says Christian. “It was so humbling. The page was started by current and former staff. So many people were looking for an avenue to help. It became the infrastructure for people to do what they wanted. I wish there were a term bigger than ‘thank you.’”