The buzzy Bivouac Adventure Lodge–a glamping-themed general store, coffee shop, and cider bar–opened its doors on Friday, March 1. It’s the latest venture by Bivouac founder Lara Worm, who’s continuing to bet it all on cider, despite being in the heart of craft beer country.
When the two dance studios next to Bivouac Ciderworks became available, “I couldn’t pass it up,” explains Worm. Using upscale grocery store and café chain Dean & DeLuca’s multi-concept approach as inspiration, she knew she, too, would need multiple concepts to make the space profitable.
The Adventure Lodge is a low-key, lounge-like space where people can grab coffee, shop at a general store, pop some bottles, or peruse the tap list at the cider bar. Architect Kristi Beyers centered the space around a skylight so that it feels like a yurt, while interior designer Rachel Larraine Crawford at Tiger Veil incorporated art by local talents like Stefani Bales, Holly DeCecco, and Heidi Hawkinson of H2 Finishes.
Eventually, a lucky few will also get to enter the space’s speakeasy, dubbed Salon D’Eau de Vie. It’ll feature Worm’s other beverage obsession: brandy. “Everyone in San Diego has a speakeasy,” she says, but hers will be as exclusive as they get, with no photography allowed, entry strictly limited, and only 12 seats.
But for as many directions as the space explores, the primary focus is still cider. “Cider is as approachable as beer and as refined as wine,” Worm says. “I really want everyone to find their place here.”
