Four Firkins

he has been grandfathered in

 

So is this the dog pile thread on Four Firkins?

If I think about how much money I've given Old Chicago for several seriously crappy t-shirts I really fail to see the problem. If you don't like kickstarter/indigogo don't fund anything. If you don't like Four Firkins, don't shop there.

I'm sure everyone here has intimate knowledge of Four Firkins, their business, and their intentions. And if not, why would anyone make such assumptions? Oh right, because this is BS, err BA.

 

Ah, so you're one of the $1000 donators. Which two beers are you going to reserve?

 

Yeah, but...you did get food and beer for the money you gave Old Chicago in order to earn that t-shirt, right?

 

i have had great food and brew at old chicago but they have never asked me for money to expand their chain of stores

 

Not really the same thing...you received goods and services for that money!
FF business is to sell beer, they want to sell more of it, and they want even more than the price of beer to make it happen!! This is no different (and no less sleazy) than seat licensing at the new (and future) stadiums in town. you can spend $25 on a 4 pack of BCS, plus $500 for the right to spend that $25....You can find any beer in this area if you really look, and if enough people buy into this you won't be able to find them at FF..seems like a ridiculous business model to me...They're scared of TW (as they should be) and want to expand before they should (according to their bottom line) otherwise they wouldn't be asking for a handout, they'd be selling stock!!!

 

Fair enough...just seemed odd that a Californian was commenting in the Midwest section, in a thread about a small bottle-shop.

 

So they haven't actually lost maximum12 as a customer?

 

Nobody ever moves to a different state...

 

Hence the question.

 

Some solid points here. I assume for most of us our friends and families ask us for beer advice and where to shop and what to drink. I have heard the same response over and over again. "That's just dumb" of them to do. Obivously my friends are no wordsmiths .

 

And he's an all-around great guy! Too bad he ditched us for an awesome job in Cali...

 

Yeah, your comparison is pretty bad. Old Chicago didn't ask you to give them more money then the normal price of the beer just so they can open another chain. I do like kickstarter/indigogo, but not for what seems to be a chance for them to get money from their customers while providing little in return. If Old Chicago asked you to pay $10 for a $5 beer so they could expand, your comparison would be slightly better. Why make the assumption? Because they did a poor job explaining why they are asking for money from their customers. Also, I don't really blame them for doing this. People clearly will hand over their money out of loyalty or whatever. Good for them. From my stand point, it's not really cool, and so while I still like the store, this tarnishes it some. Plus, I want to know how the hell they managed to get financing but somehow don't have the downpayment? What bank is going to do that?

 

I'm trying to figure out why people are so upset about this. I see a small business trying to raise money by using a crowd funding web site. A web site where everyday people listen to a businesses pitch and decide whether or not giving that business money is worth it to them. What's the fucking problem? Should they talk to a bank and get a loan and have to pay interest on it? Why? Why would they do that when that can raise capitol in a different, more equitable way? Seems like a no brainer. It's not like they are breaking the law. They aren't stealing from us. The whole process seems to be above boards. This is all so cornfusing.

 

Equitable way? Errrr, huh? No one has claimed they are breaking a law. No one is claiming they are stealing from anyone. No one is saying what they are doing is not above boards(?). Please put your strawman away.

Now, they are already going to a bank to get financing. So they will already have a loan and will be paying interest on it. They need to put up a down payment and that's what they are asking for. My argument against this is that if after 6 years of business, they don't have their own $50,000 to put up, then it doesn't seem like a good business model, and why would I think a second store will help them that much. If they do have the $50,000, which I'd guess they do, then they are just asking for money so they don't have to dig in their own pockets. Take the risk away from them. Which I've said, is smart business, getting cheap money is good for them, but as a customer, I'm not giving money for minimal return, zero investment in the company just so they can make more money. If one store does not have a sustainable business model, and yet has been open for 6 years, I'm curious on how this second store will change that.

 

This is the fourth page of the thread. I bet if you read the first three, you'll be able to figure it out.

 

They are probably seeking the 20% down as required by most lenders on a "commercial" loan. This way they minimize out-of-pocket expense. As far as creating "sustainability"... with a second store comes a second set of expenses relative to operations. Yes, there will be an additional revenue stream but at this point, how much opportunity is still out there? The Woodbury market (and south-east metro) is already saturated with retail and the addition of his store plus two others that are coming (including Total Wine) makes no sense. While time will tell, my guess is there isn't enough busine$$ to sustain additional competitors. And when you factor in how tight things have become in obtaining limited products, they may encounter challenges filling this store in a manner consistent with their other location. If "xyz" brand only ships 30 cases into the state of a given beer, they will not be able to double their allocation from the wholesaler because there isn't any more to give. This is the reality we all face and until the "bubble" we're in subsides, things won't be changing any time soon...

 

https://twitter.com/SchellsDan

 

I think I will have to buy me some Schmaltz's Alt tomorrow, so nice to find good beer all over the state.

And since Schells isn't "craft beer" does FF even sell it?

 

Just picked up a 12 pack of saga.