It took four years, but Modern Times Drinks Inc.’s Leisuretown concept in the Anaheim Packing District is officially open for business.
A toast is in order. Dubbed “part brewery, part restaurant, part swim club, part botanical wonderland,” the 33,000-square-foot site is the largest new retail project to open in Orange County since the onset of the pandemic.
The adaptive reuse project also marks the popular San Diego brewery’s first retail spot in OC, and its largest location to date.
In addition to a brewery, it holds a kitchen serving plant-based fare, beer garden, mini-mart, swimming pool and event space made from a three-story, 1911 Craftsman cottage.
Its design is a nod to mid-century modern with a country club atmosphere in the amenities.
Modern Times CFO Chris Sarette called Leisuretown the company’s “most unique retail project.” It serves as the eighth outpost for the brand, joining locations in downtown Los Angeles, North Park and Point Loma in San Diego, Portland, Encinitas, Santa Barbara and Oakland.
Downtown Reinvention
For Costa Mesa-based developer LAB Holding LLC, Leisuretown lays another brick in the foundation of downtown Anaheim’s redevelopment following restoration of the 1925 Packard Building, 1917 The Make building and 1919 Packing House.
Leisuretown is near the intersection of Anaheim Boulevard and East Water Street, about a block south of the 42,000-square-foot Packing House food hall, which opened in 2014.
“We’re really excited about tapping into our history to create the future,” LAB founder and CEO Shaheen Sadeghi said.
The Modern Times brewery fits in with just about every project Sadeghi and the LAB concerns itself with—in which there’s high attention paid to cultural relevance infused with details from the past.
“Our goal was to do a next-generation brewery in America,” Sadeghi said.
“It’s a place of gathering for the local community. It’s taken us a few hundred years in America to figure it out, but I think we’re here.”
Shipping Containers
Stacked shipping containers created space for retail, and there’s an upper level patio and lower level beer garden in which visitors can lounge with their beers, ciders, coffee or wine.
“The idea is to bring the Sunday paper or bring your dog and have a cup of coffee and have a beer, or go swimming,” Sadeghi said.
While Leisuretown’s pool and indoor areas are closed due to the pandemic, when they reopen, they reopen to everyone, unlike a traditional country club that requires membership.
Outdoor Flourishes
That much of Leisuretown can be enjoyed outside is a win for the business given current COVID-19 operating restrictions.
“The interesting notion about this project is it was right on—not that we had predicted COVID, but the whole idea was to celebrate the outdoors,” Sadeghi said.
“Once COVID is over, obviously, you can serve inside and enjoy the inside of the [restored Craftsman] house, but much of this project was built for outdoors, so we built a mini park. That was always important because of where we are in Southern California and it really worked out to be a powerful thing for Modern Times.”
Maximizing outdoor space has been key in the pandemic and could very well remain that way even as restrictions lift thus stressing the need to get creative with open spaces, the developer pointed out.
Sadeghi has also made use of outdoor space more recently by maximizing Farmers Park—which is sandwiched between the Packing House and Packard Building—for outdoor dining.
“We haven’t utilized our parks fully in America and I don’t know why,” he said. “California in particular there’s just so many rules and regulations, but now the idea of being able to enjoy these parks is a powerful statement.
“So, we’ve done that in our park and it’s really been a savior for our project.”
