JuanKenobi
Well-Known Member
I'm wondering what the start-up costs for an LHBS might be. It's just a thought that's been stuck in the back of my head for a while. I work a seasonal job and have a lot of off time in the winter. Also, I live on an island (that you have to take a boat to get to) and pretty much everything operates through mail order around here. This is a VERY preliminary thought, but I figure there are a bunch of members here that are owners of shops of all sizes and I thought I might get some insight. Surprisingly, the cost of renting retail space in my area is quite modest. I'm not sure how big the demand is, but there is a fantastic brew pub in the area, 4 of the 6 towns on the island are dry towns and there is an organic hop farm about 3 miles from my house. So, I assume that there is a reasonable amount of local homebrewers who probably brew a ton in the winter when there's nothing much to do (I know I do). My next step would be making friends with the guys at the local brew pub (which I plan to do anyway)to get a real idea of the local demand. In the mean time, I'm wondering if I'm way off base in thinking that the start-up costs wouldn't be outrageous.