Brewing is set to return to a familiar stretch of Lorain Avenue, as family-run Laughing Bomb Brewery lines up a new home in Cleveland's Kamm's Corners neighborhood.
Owners Zech and Brittney Laughbaum plan to turn the former Working Class Brewery space at 17448 Lorain Avenue into a production hub paired with a fully immersive taproom and restaurant. The move would put fermenters back on site after the previous tenant closed earlier this year.
According to Cleveland.com, Laughing Bomb will use the building to brew beer, cider and seltzers while operating the taproom and restaurant under the same roof. The outlet reports that the company has not yet announced an opening date for the Cleveland location.
Laughing Bomb currently operates out of John Christ Winery in Avon Lake, which the Laughbaums purchased and reopened in 2023. There, the business blends house wines and craft beers with a steady lineup of events like trivia nights and live music, according to the brewery's site. The John Christ property at 32421 Walker Road promotes weekly entertainment and sample menus that mirror the sort of programming Laughing Bomb says it plans to bring to Kamm's Corners, with an emphasis on community-focused events and inclusive hiring highlighted on the company's About page.
Working Class Brewery opened in Kamm's Corners in 2017 and shut down earlier this year after what it described as declining taproom revenue and other economic pressures. "After 8.5 years in business we have made the difficult decision to close our doors," owner Richard Skains wrote in a closure statement, according to Cleveland Scene. That decision left the Lorain Avenue building sitting vacant until Laughing Bomb stepped in.
What's Planned at the New Taproom
The Laughbaums say the Cleveland taproom will feature trivia nights, live music and game-day specials alongside the brewing and dining operations, aiming to create the kind of regular programming that keeps customers coming back. Those plans, detailed in the Cleveland.com report, line up closely with the entertainment slate Laughing Bomb already runs in Avon Lake.
For now the focus is on renovations, permitting and buildout work inside the former Working Class space. The owners have not set a firm opening date and say they will share more details as the project moves through construction and approvals.
Neighborhood Impact and Next Steps
The brewery's arrival restores production brewing to a visible corner of Kamm's Corners and could nudge more evening foot traffic toward nearby shops and restaurants if the taproom draws steady crowds. Local coverage of recent brewery closures has underscored the economic headwinds facing small taprooms that surfaced when Working Class announced its shutdown.
Laughing Bomb's website lists its Avon Lake address and contact information but does not yet include a timeline for the Cleveland buildout. For now, Kamm's Corners residents will have to keep an eye on the papered-over windows on Lorain and wait for the lights to click back on.
