A lively island gathering spot, Vashon Brewing Community Pub, is now up for sale, as the business’s owner, Cliff Goodman, has set his sights on a more leisurely lifestyle.

Goodman, 65, spoke of his decision to list the pub for sale as a kickoff to retirement — a time that will allow him and his wife to travel more frequently and spend more quality time with their growing grandchildren.

It’s not the first time Goodman has decided to change course in his life. More than a decade ago, Goodman began to sell his home-brewed beer on Vashon, which quickly gained in local popularity, spurring him to turn his longtime hobby into a professional pursuit.

That enterprise, Vashon Brewing Company — the first commercial brewery on Vashon — also quickly took off. Sales soon spread beyond Vashon, allowing Goodman to say goodbye to his accounting job in Seattle, and the ferry commute that went with it.

His products, all invariably referred to as “Cliff’s Beer” in island parlance, have included IPAs with the ever-changing flavors of available hops, porters with rich malt character and darker notes of toffee and chocolate, and light Kölscsh-style ales sweetened with Vashon honey.

Goodman opened Vashon Brewing Company Community Pub on Memorial Day of 2018 in a prime spot in Vashon Village, allowing him the chance to once again have a hyper-local focus, with a menu featuring both his own beers and those from other Northwest breweries, as well as small plates of pub fare, small bites and savory treats.

The pub became a go-to spot for open mics, trivia nights, and other community-inspired offerings that popped up.

A casual, family-friendly vibe was baked into Goodman’s approach from the start.

“We didn’t want to be a bar, we didn’t want to be a restaurant, we didn’t want to be a coffee shop, but we like aspects of each for the small plates and the variety of local beverages — a space that is family-friendly,” he told The Beachcomber, at the time of the pub’s opening.

Joining forces with his son-in-law Baynody Méndez Jiménez, Goodman added dishes from Jiménez’s native home, the Dominican Republic, and the pair announced plans to revamp the pub in early February of 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic crashed onto the shores of the United States.

The father and son-in-law team navigated ever-changing state restrictions until late September of that year, using the large outdoor space that came along with the pub, and then took several months off to wait out the winter before reopening.

Now, Goodman calls the pub’s outdoor space one of the pub’s most appealing features — a place to spread out on the expansive lawn of Vashon Village and enjoy live music and yard games, along with a pint or two.

He said he hopes to soon find the right buyers for the pub business, which includes a licensed limited commercial kitchen, a complete tap room set-up, and off-street parking, as well as comfortable seating both indoors and out.

The price for all that, at $120,000, does not include Goodman’s brewing equipment, but he said he might be willing to sell that too, to the right buyer.

He’s ready to move on.

“It’s been a labor of love, but my grandkids are growing up so fast,” Goodman said. “And I’m not getting any younger.”

Contact Jim Marsh, of John L Scott Real Estate, at 206-641-5027, for more information about buying the business.