How do LHBS survive without online sales?

The one I go to (homebrewparty.com) is actually an expansion of the other location across town, so I guess there's enough business to keep them going. I know I can't personally keep their business afloat with my purchases, but I am very loyal to my store nonetheless. Speaking of which, I need to order the stuff for an ESB (email your order, pick it up later!).

 

the one in wilmington i think stays afloat because the staff is so great, the owner is super friendly and helpful, prices are definitely decent.

 

our LHBS does just fine. it's not in direct competition with the big websites.
once you consider shipping, our LHBS is really competitive. I mean, I think yeast might be a dollar or two more a smack pack. hops maybe even, maybe a dollar more?

but on a $20 bill of goods, the difference can't be much more than a few dollars total. and zero dollars shipping. and it is there, in my hands, ready to become beer the same afternoon, when I want to brew.

selection is great, but no, not at all like NB or Midwest. that's ok. they'll have Pacific Jade or something else interesting to keep me occupied.

if I need a big ticket item, a grain mill or something Blichman maybe.. then sure. i'll shop around. otherwise I love my LHBS.

also, our second LHBS couldn't hack it in this town and just had a 50% off sale. wahoo.
Cheers.

edit, should note that the LHBS is small part of the larger craft coffee/beerstore/pastry shop/craft beer bar biz. so there is that. but it is a very brisk business.

 

Just like any other business, it takes good business sense to be successful. For a LHBS, the most important thing is knowledge. Knowledge to not only stock a big selection of the right variety of ingredients, but more importantly the knowledge to advise on substitute ingredients when something isn't available, to advise what flavors a certain strain of yeast will impart, etc. I know with absolute certainty that I can go to my LHBS and walk out of there with everything I need to brew the beer I want to make, even if they were out of a certain specialty grain or even the yeast I wanted. Once or twice a different specialty malt made a better beer.

I've been to homebrew stores that don't have this level of service available, and IMO, these ones are doomed to failure. If there is nothing to be gained by going into a store that can't be found somewhere online, the store will probably fail, and I think when it comes to hobby stores, this is pretty much a certainty.

 

I have a LHBS a block away from my house that I frequent, Great prices, awesome staff and always a freshly brewed beer or two for me in the fridge. They have good selection and fresh ingredients, lots of cheese making, honey, wine making and distilling supplies and equipment also. They match any price and usually beat it fo rme- been going there for over a decade.

It's the type of place you go into and if you are only getting a few last minute ingredients or supplies you forgot and needed last second- they refuse your money and send you off with a beer in hand for the walk home. Being a loyal customer for 10+ years who spends thousands of $$$ there each year doesn't hurt I guess...

The other LHBS I visit is about 10 miles away, but it has a brewery (Really great beer) attached and MUCH better pricing than online shops do without any shipping costs. I buy in bulk from this shop and take my smaller business to the LHBS in my back yard.

I'm in Colorado, where the home brew scene is HUGE. I would venture to guess we have more homebrew shops per capita than any other place in the world- easily!

I know of about (30) or so in the state off the top of my head.

Never been to a HB shop that didn't have their shit together. Always a good knowledge base and great selection everywhere I have personally been. With really good prices to boot.

I know of one shop that has a brewery, garden center and hop farm attached and they sell the freshest hops (Seasonal of course) I have found outside of my own garden.

As long as they have knowledge, fair prices and good selection, I can't see how the internet is going to kill them off. You can't really get the same level of service on the net as you can in real life, and the like minded brewers you meet in the stores is always a plus.

I've been known to bring kegs to the brew store and drink all day whilst brewing on their system and sharing my beers with other brewers asking for critiques and discussing EVERYTHING brewing.

Then again I don't really do the interwebz thing and rarely purchase HB stuff online (AlthoughI do price comparisons and both of LHB stores I frequent are equal or less expensive without shipping), so I might be missing something or in the dark...am I?

 

My LHBS does a great business. The staff, which is minimal is very nice, has great advice most of the time, and is willing to help out in any way. From making brewstands to offering to drill your pot for free and install things if you bring them in.

His prices are better than online for grain and hops and yeast. The other stuff is slightly above online, or in line with the price of online stores. It's worth it if I need something, or want something, because I don't want him to go away, so that extra .50 cents isn't shit to me. I don't make it rain with the money in there, but I normally drop atleast $100 every visit in there between grain and ingredients, and some random 'want' that I found in the store.

He also sells online, but I'm not sure what percentage that is, or how much he sells. I know I can call and he will mill up what I need so I can get in and out, and have it all ready for me. Normally it's a "help yourself" type store.

He also is lined with some local clubs, and offers discounts, and does brewdays and hauls out a big smoker and does some fun days.

 

There are literally just a handful of homebrew shops in Oklahoma and to answer the OP's question, yes it is possible to stay in business without online sales, but I can't see why anyone would want to try. The guys closest to me do an enormous amount of business online, even without a high dollar website. I believe most of the business comes to them via Amazon. Although they have a nice storefront (at both their locations) I'm still pretty sure that online sales are ~70% of their business. They are only two full time employees (one for each store) and a couple part time guys to fill in at busy times. The other local store is surviving without doing online sales but I'm afraid business is probably pretty slow for them. Apparently it's enough to pay the bills, perhaps that's all they care about?

fwiw we have some pretty archaic liquor laws here <shocker> and our homebrew shops can't serve homebrew, do growler fills, etc, that would be a great option if available! The shops also don't seem to mess around with soda, cheese or coffee making supplies either, I'm assuming they don't have the time/space to mess with it. I'm sure it would be a popular addition if/when it happens.

 

That's odd. My local shop sells all that stuff, and it's not a very large store, they just stack it high and dense. From what I see when I am in the store, there seems to be a fair amount of wine making business as well as beer. Not sure about cheese and distilling, but they have all that stuff too, so I assume they must move it or they wouldn't keep selling it. And there is usually something on tap, and always something fermenting right there is the store, usually both beer and wine, usually from one of their kits.

I think it makes sense to serve something from kits you sell, and not a one-off all grain recipe for homebrew shops. Even if you do all-grain in store, it's still probably good business sense to make the stuff that you're trying to sell, so people can see how delicious it is.

 

I often wonder that. I keep hoping one will open near the beach. so its too far away and the damn bridges are closed on the frigging weekends last few years. plus I like the fedex and ups lol
seriously better selection online I have found.

 

I've had lots of good experiences at hombrew stores all around California. I've never even bought ingredients online. The stores I've frequented always had good stuff and mostly friendly helpful people behind the counters. They always either had what I want or an appropriate substitute.

The two I've frequented most, one in Sacramento and one in LA, actually both moved to bigger locations, so it feels like they are doing pretty well. Neither have online ordering.

 

The LBHB store doesnt even take online sales and has been open since the early 1990s. They seem to be doing fine.

 

100% depends on the owner(s). Can give all the resources to an owner who lacks business sense and get nothing, or give a crumb of resource to a business savvy owner and get prosperity. Homebrew shop, brewery, anything really.

 

I think you would be surprised by how many people still prefer to shop in a physical store and especially how many homebrewers want to go into the store and probe the minds of the owner/employees before making a purchase. People often don't mind paying a premium for that expertise, even if the expertise really isn't expertise.

 

My town is too small to support an lhbs but there is a liquor store/convenient mart that carries some brewing stuff. Not a great shop, but I think it shows what a model for a lhbs could look like in a small town. Unfortunately, jack of all trades is usually master of none. My shop has limited selection and no customer service.