Do you shop at your local homebrew shop over shopping for your supplies online? Why or why not?
For the most part we all know that buying brewing supplies online can be a bit cheaper then buying them at your LHBS, especially now that many of the major established sites have flat rate shipping. So, what keeps you from saving a few extra bucks and going the online route, or do you do it sometimes when it's more convenient for you to do so?
I'm curious because where I live (Lexington, KY), there are no homebrew shops within an hour + drive. The greater Lexington area has a population exceeding a million people, so I figure a homebrew shop might do quite well here. There is a local brew club that has quite a few members (I believe its somewhere around 80 off and on) and i personally know at least 10 people who are not in the club but who dabble or do a lot of homebrewing. I've been tossing around the idea of starting one up, though I'm just curious what you all do in your areas when it comes to shopping for your homebrew supplies.
Also, if anyone has started up a shop that posts here, some bits of info about roughly how much start up money it cost (just for the stock to get started) and your experiences starting one up, would greatly be appreciated!
For the most part we all know that buying brewing supplies online can be a bit cheaper then buying them at your LHBS, especially now that many of the major established sites have flat rate shipping. So, what keeps you from saving a few extra bucks and going the online route, or do you do it sometimes when it's more convenient for you to do so?
I'm curious because where I live (Lexington, KY), there are no homebrew shops within an hour + drive. The greater Lexington area has a population exceeding a million people, so I figure a homebrew shop might do quite well here. There is a local brew club that has quite a few members (I believe its somewhere around 80 off and on) and i personally know at least 10 people who are not in the club but who dabble or do a lot of homebrewing. I've been tossing around the idea of starting one up, though I'm just curious what you all do in your areas when it comes to shopping for your homebrew supplies.
Also, if anyone has started up a shop that posts here, some bits of info about roughly how much start up money it cost (just for the stock to get started) and your experiences starting one up, would greatly be appreciated!