Opening a Bottle Shop

Where will said shop be located?

 

Most beer geeks don't like it when you put the really good beer out on the shelf or advertise that your store even has it. My advice would be to limit your actual retail space and instead keep most of the quality offerings in the back. People can then come up to the counter and list beers they are looking for. You can just give them a yes/no as to whether or not you have it then go get them from the back. Once you bring the beer out to the counter it is then available for all in the store to bid on if they also want that beer.

This is the best practice business model.

 

Yes, the best way to go at retail is to hide product in the back room and make people ask for it. Marketing 101.

 

Variety, variety, variety. Everyone likes different brews so stock up on as many as possible. Also, be fair in how you allocate the limited releases. Find one way that works and stick to it. That way people will know what to expect.

Finally, drive to VT and bring back as many Heady's, HF's and Lawsons as possible......

 

Put all kinds of cool beer stuff all over the walls and give people something to look at. There are too many "industrial" yuppie-oriented places that are just girders and TVs and assholes.

 

Sell copies of BA.

 

open store,
carry Pliny,
?????
profit!

good luck tho variety is best and ofc easy to carry bmc

 

Since you also have a taproom, I recommend inviting brewery reps and having tap takeover events. Utilize social media and send out invites.

As for the bottle shop - good luck and don't expect a ton of profit.

 

I can see it now. A small store front is labeled "Bottle Shop." You walk in and it's just a counter with a locked door behind it and a bearded individual sitting in front of a service bell. A sign reads: 'please order by exact beer name and packaging size.'

Customer: "Can I get some Sclupin?"
Clerk: "What size?"
Customer: "Uh...six pack!"
Clerk: "Hang on." Walks into the back, only sees 22oz Sculpin; returns to the front. "Don't have that."
Customer: "Damn. Uh...you got a 22 back there?"
Clerk: "Of...?"
Customer: "Sculpin."
Clerk: Realizing he doesn't like the cut of this dude's jib, "Mmmm...nah."

 

Check out City Beer Store in SF and Trappist Provisions in Oakland and try to be like them. Only hire people who really know beer, not just like beer. The Trappist is the gold standard when it comes to knowledgeable beertenders. Good luck.

 

If you take no other suggestions, listen to that man.

 

Cold storage for all pales and IPAs. Stouts can sit warm.

 

That's good, but there shouldn't be a sign. The windows should probably also be soaped over so people can't see.

 

Lol thats so true. Like seriously. Yes a lot of ahops do that in cali because of pliney and others. You can also just put a sign that says one per person. Also if you hide the product then how else can new clients get exposed to craft beer or new styles. We were all there once and if we never had the chance to try something new then we would still be dronking crap. Give the people what they want. Good luck with your bottle shop

 

Im surprised nobody else has said this but i would advise not opening a bottle shop in the LA area. There is a lot of competition and getting allocations of the good stuff is going to be difficult. Seems like a trend is the special releases are flying out and the regular stuff is slowly moving. Maybe just undercut everyone and go for volume. Ask yourself do you want fast quarters or slow dollars. Have all the BMC and DEFINITELY get your liquor license. Beer and wine only just may not be enough. Over time you may be able to get in good with your distributors who will return the favor. You cant expect to open up and start getting things like russian river and special releases. Everyone wants the limited shit you gotta make your shop show that you shluld be getting that stuff. The shops that sell the most seem have people there SELLING the beer. Dont expect to just put your beer on the shelf and have it sell itself. YOU have to make sure you have the knowledge passion and effott to PUSH that beer out of there. If you think you can do that then maybe you can open up a shop and have it be successful.

 

Think hard about the neighborhood you open in. Not a remote area but an under-served one is ideal at this point in time. There are still a lot of people out there who haven't gotten in to beer that would if there was a good, knowledgeable, friendly place to do so in their neighborhood. At this point in the game trying to mainly attract hardcore beer nerds is a fool's errand.

 

Sell all beer, not just beer you like or you think is "worthy" of your fine establishment.