A taproom owner planning to open his business downtown in March plans to offer local craft beers and ciders, in addition to wine.

"My goal is to get as many Wilmington breweries on my taps so I can help promote the local breweries," said Brian Ballard, owner of Pour Taproom Wilmington.

Ballard leased the bottom floor of the Murchison Building at 201 N. Front St. and plans to have 62 craft beers on tap, 42 downstairs and 20 upstairs in the balcony-mezzanine area, with eight wines also available for patrons in a former bank vault in the space.

A kitchen in the back of the taproom will serve panini, salads, bratwurst, hot dogs and other light fare, and customers can also order from Pender's Cafe next door, he said.

Ballard is a licensee of Pour Taproom, a business that has locations in Asheville and Greenville, South Carolina. Pour Taproom is billed as a “self-serve” taproom online, but the term “self-serve" is a bit misleading, Ballard explained, because customers are limited to 32 ounces at a time.

After 32 ounces, they have to see the beer host to be allowed to use their radio frequency identification (RFID) wristbands to pour more ounces in their glasses, Ballard said.

As the craft beer movement continues to grow in the Port City and throughout North Carolina, the Pour Taproom concept has also found success, Ballard said.

"It's a great business model and it's something that I'm very interested in," said Ballard, who moved to Wilmington from Greensboro. "I decided I wanted to stay in Wilmington. Me and my family are planning on staying here for good, and now's the time to own my own business."