Fermental, a wine and beer shop in Ogden, is making progress toward its move to the outskirts of the Cargo District in downtown Wilmington.
 
“We’re planning to move, probably in mid-January,” Fermental co-owner Steve Gibbs said Monday. “But we’ll be open at our current location until then.”
 
The property at 7250 Market St. where Fermental and a cluster of other small businesses are located is under contract with Charlotte-based Durban Development. When the sale is complete, the buildings will be razed and replaced with a franchise of the Take 5 Oil Change chain.
 
Fermental’s new home at 600 S. 17th St. is actually also a former service station and auto repair shop, Gibbs said.
 
“When we first looked at it, back in July, it was still operating as a mechanic shop,” he said. “We have to add some plumbing and HVAC.”
 
Gibbs and his wife, Kristen, weren’t looking for downtown property when they began their search many months ago. Initially, they hoped they could stay put, but those efforts were futile.
 
“Although every attempt was made to remain at our current Ogden location, in the end, it was an impossible acquisition considering the difficulty of existing easements and county setbacks attached to the parcel itself,” Steve Gibbs said in a news release. “These obstacles eventually resulted in the property being unsuitable and uncertain for our future use.”
 
A search for new digs took them all over New Hanover County and even north to Hampstead before they learned of the auto shop’s availability. 
 
Fermental’s future home is larger and more open than its current 1940s-era bungalow, and it has an outdoor area that will serve as a beer garden and performance venue, similar to what the beer and wine shop has now, according to Steve Gibbs.

“That was the hardest thing to find, especially in the Ogden area,” he said. “Any type of outdoor space that had some character.”
 
When it relocates, Fermental will be part of a neighborhood that has attracted several other trendy establishments.
 
“600 South 17th Street sits on the corner of Castle Street near End Of Days Distillery, Alcove Beer Garden, and - coming soon - Bull City Ciderworks with several more upcoming businesses and residential spaces planned for this evolving neighborhood,” Steve Gibbs said in a Facebook post. He noted that CheeseSmith and Barzarre are in the area as well.
 
Before they pull up stakes, however, the Gibbses are planning a big party on Dec. 4 to say goodbye to the location that has served them well for nearly nine years. They are not saying goodbye to their customers, though. Many have told the couple that they’ll find their way to the new spot. And, who knows? Maybe Fermental still has a future in Ogden, Steve Gibbs said.
 
“We remain optimistic," he said, "that a second location in or around the Ogden area will become available in the future.”