Alex Benbassat
Event Flyer
Dogs, drinks and live music are coming together for the first Old Town Beer, Wine and Dog Festival. The event will feature locally-sourced craft beer, wine and food and live music in a pet-friendly area. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue will bring adoptable dogs to the event.
The festival is Saturday, Aug. 17 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
“Our goal is to provide an alternative to the typical adoption procedure by combining food, drinks, and dogs in a social environment. Whether you are adopting a dog or not, come help socialize the community’s sheltered and fostered dogs that are looking for a future home!” Benbassat said.
The festival is actually a trial balloon, of sorts, for a new business called Brewski's Barkhaus. Benbassat and his business partner, Justin LeGore, are working with investors to open Barkhaus, which will combine the best elements of a dog park and tap room, while encouraging people to adopt homeless dogs. The concept includes both indoor and outdoor spaces for dogs and their humans. Several investors are backing the business.
Benbassat and LeGore were roommates during college at Virginia Tech. Benbassat majored in architecture, LeGore majored in business management with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. After graduation, they ended up starting their careers in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Every day after work, they would take Alex’s dog to a local dog park and bar. After several years of gaining experience in their respective fields (with LeGore moving to Washington state for a while), LeGore decided he was ready to begin writing a business plan for his own dog park and tap house in the Washington, D.C. area.
According to them: “Justin called Alex to tell him the news of his return to the East Coast, only to find out that Alex had already moved to Alexandria to finish his five-year architecture degree. More importantly, Alex had already decided to create his own thesis program that included their original idea of a dog bar and park but with a twist to the present-day animal shelter. His goal was to use architecture to better the relationships between dogs and humans through a dog bar, park and shelter.”
Barkhaus could open by the fall of 2020. Benbassat and LeGore are looking for additional investors.
Tickets to the Aug. 17 festival are $5 in advance and can be purchased online through Eventbrite here. Ticket prices will increase to $10 on Aug. 1. Proceeds from the event will benefit Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.
More information about the festival is available at www.oldtownbeerwineanddog.com.
