Chris Murphy

Post-pitch story

When Chris Murphy brought Brewella's to the show, it was a cozy Lakewood, Ohio, spot serving coffee, crepes and collectibles out of a room that seated about twenty people. It had opened in August 2018 and had already built a loyal neighborhood following. The pitch was about growth, and growth is exactly what happened. In 2024, Murphy and co-owner Joe Keppler signed a lease on a much bigger space at 16426 Madison Avenue. The original shop closed its doors on February 28, 2026, and the new Brewella's opened just two weeks later, on March 14. The new home more than doubles the seating, from 20 to 50, and the menu grew with it: empanadas, quiches and signature black-and-white cookies now sit alongside the crepes. The coffee changed too, with the shop now pouring beans from Heartwood Roastery. Through all of it, Murphy is still behind the counter as owner, operator and self-styled "Chief Brewista." Brewella's is a reminder that not every success story on the show is about venture rounds and exits. Sometimes the win is a beloved local business that outgrows its first room, keeps its personality, and gives its regulars a bigger place to sit. Seven years after opening, Brewella's is bigger, busier, and very much still brewing.