I want to open a home brew shop...

[kombat]

it appears the most common set of hours for homebrew shops is 10-6 Tuesday- Friday and 10-5 on Saturday. I think Sunday would be a big day as well so that may be something we'll look at too.

Just my $0.02, so take it for what it's worth, but as a homebrewer, I would prefer my LHBS be open earlier in the day on weekends, even if only for a shorter period. For example, I would prefer 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM instead of more "normal" hours. Personally, when I brew on the weekend, I want to start early, in case it takes longer than I predicted, and also so I still have the rest of the day to do other stuff. If I'm setting up my gear at 7:00 AM and realize I'm out of Irish Moss, I can wait until the LHBS opens at 8:00 and salvage the brew day. But if they don't open until 10:00, then I need to get creative.

If I haven't started brewing by 2:00 PM, then I'm not brewing that day, so I don't really have any need for the LHBS to be open later than that.

Of course, that's from the perspective of a homebrewer. Wine makers, or people shopping for gifts or whatever might prefer more "normal" hours. I'm just saying that for me, 8-2 on Saturday and Sunday would be my ideal hours for an LHBS. Maybe open on Friday too, but honestly, I have no need for it at all from Monday - Thursday.

 

[JordanThomas]

-Where do you buy most of your supplies, equipment, ingredients, etc?

--> My LHBS, they are awesome, and also sell a ton of craft beer

-How much do you spend on equipment annually?

--> First year brewing, so this year I'd say... $400

-What would convince you to buy from a local shop over ordering online?

--> Service, ease of use, better prices (seriously), physical stores are always fun

-Are you in a brewing club and does your club have any connection to a local brew shop?

--> No.

-What would you like to see in a home brew shop?

--> Everything. But minimally, all malt types that can be purchased by the oz and a free-to-use mill with free or cheap paper bags for grain. Hops, yeast, equipment, obviously.

-Anything else to advise?

--> Check your local competition. It seems you've already done it, but there are 2 homebrew shops within 10 miles of my house. 1 is at least 20% more expensive on EVERYTHING. Guaranteed way to lose business. And have bins with scales and sell by the oz. Immensely helpful.

 

[Darkness]

The ability to take your brew in and let others try it is great. Even if it is feed back on what you can change about it next time. Also my LHBS dose a anaversery gathering for costumers and whoever wants to come each year. Great for the home brewing community.

 

[Rapchizzle]

It seems that classes would be a hit. Not only would they draw in people lookign to see how it's done, it would establish a loyal customer base. I think the idea of having an extract class, partial mash class, and all grain class might be the way to go. That way we could go in depth in each of the classes and discuss the details of each technique.

Here's another idea I want opinions on. What about a beer swap fridge in the store?

Say, you bring in 6 bottles of your home brew labled with your name, contact info and the recipe and take 6 different bottles from other homebrewers with their contact info (to ask questions, give feedback, etc) and recipe. Would you participate in something like this?


Keep 'em coming guys. This is very helpful.

 

[grathan]

I think the free samples thing is a great idea. You could have a keg for each of the recipe kits that you sell.

Also become a beer judge and give people advice on beer they bring in for you to sample.

Swapping might be neat. Classes would definitely be neat if you had the space. Might as well start a brew club if you have that kind of space.

 

[Airborneguy]

Both of the homebrew shops in Brooklyn run classes that are pretty popular. One shop is BOP and does great with the corporate crowd.

Personally, if I ever decided to do something beer related it would be a LHBS or a bar. I'm not really interested in brewing or even having a brewpub. I really think LHBS is a great option and from what I can tell, the initial investment would be relatively small.

 

[Clonefan94]

It seems that classes would be a hit. Not only would they draw in people lookign to see how it's done, it would establish a loyal customer base. I think the idea of having an extract class, partial mash class, and all grain class might be the way to go. That way we could go in depth in each of the classes and discuss the details of each technique.

Here's another idea I want opinions on. What about a beer swap fridge in the store?

Say, you bring in 6 bottles of your home brew labled with your name, contact info and the recipe and take 6 different bottles from other homebrewers with their contact info (to ask questions, give feedback, etc) and recipe. Would you participate in something like this?


Keep 'em coming guys. This is very helpful.

I think the bottle swap would be a great idea, but you'd have to be careful and check with your local laws. It's not a big deal for individuals to do it, but since you are a retail location, there may be some issues with that.

 

[progmac]

no way can you legally do the beer swap. it would be fun though.

 

[ong]

no way can you legally do the beer swap. it would be fun though.

In Oregon you could, under our new homebrew laws.

 

[Schumed]

my two cents...Be an expert....understand hop and malt profiles. Always have things available....I'm more likely to add more items if you have that one item I'm looking for....I typically just buy yeast and specialty grains since buying bulk hops and malt.

Agree about getting out there with the local clubs goes a long way.....

 

[huhwha]

Not to beat a dead horse, but this is largely a service business. As such, you need to be available when your customers need you. For example, it's not terribly useful that my barber closes by 4:00 or 5:00 every day when I'm 20 miles away and work until 5:00. That means I get to sit and wait with everybody else on Saturday morning, when I would rather do other things.

I would think something like a noon to 8:00 schedule might be more friendly. Maybe include some early evening discussions/demonstrations. Involve the local brew clubs as well as any local breweries. Make broader contacts perhaps through AHA. Ask well-known people to give a short talk at your place when they are in the area. You would be surprised at how many of them are willing to do so.

Just some ideas. Best of luck!

 

[mistercameron]

One of my 2 LHBS sells commercial beer by the bottle and also by the keg with 5 on tap to sample or get growler fills.

The other does not have a license to sell beer, but they always have 3 homebrews on tap to sample while you are there. At a minimum it is pretty easy to have a mini-fridge kegerator and 2 homebrews on tap for free samples. A really nice touch.

Similar here, though the one with a tap room is a full-on brewery and terrible customer service and 50-100% markup. The tap room isn't enough to bring me in very often, but in a pinch it's the only place open on Sunday.

The other LHBS I like going to has a kegerater in the back that's probably serving the beer they make twice a month in brewing demo classes. It's not advertised, but they're more than happy to share if you ask nicely.

 

[logan3825]

Just my $0.02, so take it for what it's worth, but as a homebrewer, I would prefer my LHBS be open earlier in the day on weekends, even if only for a shorter period. For example, I would prefer 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM instead of more "normal" hours. Personally, when I brew on the weekend, I want to start early, in case it takes longer than I predicted, and also so I still have the rest of the day to do other stuff. If I'm setting up my gear at 7:00 AM and realize I'm out of Irish Moss, I can wait until the LHBS opens at 8:00 and salvage the brew day. But if they don't open until 10:00, then I need to get creative.

If I haven't started brewing by 2:00 PM, then I'm not brewing that day, so I don't really have any need for the LHBS to be open later than that.

Of course, that's from the perspective of a homebrewer. Wine makers, or people shopping for gifts or whatever might prefer more "normal" hours. I'm just saying that for me, 8-2 on Saturday and Sunday would be my ideal hours for an LHBS. Maybe open on Friday too, but honestly, I have no need for it at all from Monday - Thursday.

As a homebrewer I would agree but you probably want to be open later on weekends for people who are just starting out.

 

[kepo]

Charleston, SC?

That's what I thought!?!?

I am about to start my first batch in the next week or two and was wondering why we dont have one already?

 

[ryno1ryno]

What will be the profit margins?

Actually, what will your margins be period in order to cover your expenses?

Are you gonna rent a store?

 

[ryno1ryno]

I do wonder where a LHBS can buy in bulk at an even cheaper rate than online.

I have noticed mark-ups in equipment. For instance, the temp controller I bought was 20 dollars cheaper at Sears if you ordered online.

The gas burner is 150 at Midwest Supplies, 100 at my LHBS and yet 45 dollars online at Walmart.

I wonder where they make their money?

 

[ryno1ryno]

What you could do is get a beer license, a brewers license if needed and also be a LHBS all in one.

Make core brews and serve them.

Have a glass window that shows your brewing activities.

Offer to "house customer's shop made beers in the store's fermenting fridge' and have the customer return 2 weeks later to force carb or bottle. Make it a no mess process for your customers. They can literally return and pick up their homemade beer when its ready. Even let them sell it at a markup in your store... what the heck.

Have a live band on the weekends and let everyone drink the beer and wine on tap.

 

[ryno1ryno]

I've got a lot of questions and would love to get some opinions. The city I'm in has nowhere to buy equipment and only one brewery selling grains. There's a booming beer scene and three breweries have opened in the past 3 years. I think it could be a success but I'm trying to do some research first.

To the customers:

-Where do you buy most of your supplies, equipment, ingredients, etc?
-How much do you spend on equipment annually?
-What would convince you to buy from a local shop over ordering online?
-Are you in a brewing club and does your club have any connection to a local brew shop?
-What would you like to see in a home brew shop?
-Anything else to advise?

To the brewery and shop owners:

Please PM me your email address (or email me directly at [email protected]) and I'd love to send you some questions pertaining to the business side of things.




I just found HBT and this seems like a great forum. I can't wait to get more into it!

Any updates yet?

 

[Rapchizzle]

We're trying to figure out all of the legal stuff now. There are so many regulations for the manufacture and sale of alcohol so we're trying to sort it out.

Are there any business lawyers in SC that homebrew and could give us just a shred of advice?

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

That's what I thought!?!?

I am about to start my first batch in the next week or two and was wondering why we dont have one already?

We have had them in the past and they have gone under. Not trying to be negative, just throwing that out there.

 

[boscobeans]

I've been trying to convince my wife to let me open a homebrew shop for her to run. NYC only has 2 LHBSs. As crazy as that sounds, it's true. I can't justify it because of the job I have and where I'm at in my career, but she's not working right now and I think it's a good idea for us.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide. As far as your research, I'm not so sure that my input would matter. I would shop exclusively at my LHBS if I didn't have to pay a toll to get to it. As it stands, I can wait until I have a decent sized order, place it online, and with shipping it will cost me less than the trip to Brooklyn.

Yup. Sort of a PIA to pay that toll just to get to Brooklyn. I left in 1980

You certainly could say you have a captive audience on SI.

How about looking into a franchise with one of the bigger online suppliers, as this might be the way for you to go. It would solve a lot of problems that you would run into trying to stock a complete line of homebrewing and wine making supplies.

bosco

 

[ryno1ryno]

Find out your potential margins.

Estimate your best case throughput... it will never be that, but at least you would know your maximum potential.

In alot of business cases, there isnt much room for profits and therefore they won't make you much money... and in a lot of cases break you... and in some cases bankrupt you.

 

[boscobeans]

A brick and mortar LHBS can be a good business. Get all the studies you can on the demographics of your area.

Population
Age of population
Income of population
Home ownership and home turnover (stable numbers are best)

Think about similar businesses in the area. Distance must be balanced with the actual time and expense it takes to travel that distance. If you are in a more rural area 10-15 miles isn't that bad. In a city 10-15 miles might mean an hour drive time.

If you get some of these numbers and they look good contact an agency like SCORE they have lots of people who are willing to help in determining whether your idea is or isn't viable. They will help you formulate a well organized business plan, which is helpful in getting financing if you need it.

OMO

bosco

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

-Where do you buy most of your supplies, equipment, ingredients, etc?

I have grain, hops and yeast available locally. If I need something else I order online from Austin or if j need it quickly the alternative beverage. I buy some hops in bulk as it saves me money than buying from a lhbs.

-How much do you spend on equipment annually?

Over the last year I've spent maybe 300. I build a lot of my equipment.

-What would convince you to buy from a local shop over ordering online?

If you have fresh grains and hops. I have access to fresh supplies so if your grain is sitting around then I would buy elsewhere.

-Are you in a brewing club and does your club have any connection to a local brew shop?

I'm not, there is one here, but I don't know if they are tied to a lhbs since Charleston doesn't have one

-What would you like to see in a home brew shop?

Maybe some classes, or a membership type deal that if I spend a certain amount then the rest is say 10% off.

-Anything else to advise?

If your in Charleston and are looking for an employee.... lol

 

[evilpresence]

-Where do you buy most of your supplies, equipment, ingredients, etc?
-How much do you spend on equipment annually?
-What would convince you to buy from a local shop over ordering online?
-Are you in a brewing club and does your club have any connection to a local brew shop?
-What would you like to see in a home brew shop?
-Anything else to advise?

1. LHBS
2. Spent a few hundred this past year since I just started. Will mostly spend $$ on grain and hops in near future. Grain in the distant future.
3. I assume that the product at my LHBS is fresh as that's how they market it.
4. No.
5. The two near me have everything I need.
5. Holding classes would help out a lot. Also, respect your customers and they respect you.

 

[ryno1ryno]

We're trying to figure out all of the legal stuff now. There are so many regulations for the manufacture and sale of alcohol so we're trying to sort it out.

Are there any business lawyers in SC that homebrew and could give us just a shred of advice?

I am very curious what you learn with this process.

Like the license, equipment grades and inspections involved with brewing beer that you can legally sell to patrons.