Home Brew Supply Store

Have you actually ‘put pen to paper’ and constructed a business plan? That is the first step that I would encourage you to do.

Are you a member of the AHA? If not I would encourage you to join and solicit them for information on the homebrewing market and with that information update your business plan.

Also within your business plan you should factor in that shopping on-line is a ‘popular’ option. How would you compete against businesses like Northern Brewer, More Beer, etc.

My LHBS is Keystone Homebrew but since they are not truly local to me I infrequently purchase from them. I go once or twice a year when I have some other reason to be in the Montgomeryville area so I am combining errands.

I would suggest that the personal touch that you are mentioning in your post is a good business discriminator. If you could in some way associate yourself with a local homebrewing club that would be a positive as well.

Good luck with your venture.

Cheers!

 

^^^ this is VERY sound advise! I would also add that before you do a deep dive into the business plan, that you look at your cost structure. I have no idea of the financials of a LHBS. However, many start up business don't turn a profit for the first few years. Can you manage operating a business without drawing money or will you seek a greater amount of investment? If you're not comfortable with the cost structure, may not be worth development of a full blown business plan.

 

Which should be a part of the business plan.

Cheers!

 

Agreed, just pointing out to look at that first.

 

I'm trying to say this in the nicest way with no sarcasm or sounding like an A-Hole, but what are your credentials to be able to teach a class in home brewing? If you have professional training or hands-on experience from a professional teach away, but if not teaching should be left to professionals.

 

This.
Our hobby is unfortunately filled with half informed yet enthusiastic LHBS employees. It has become something of a running joke among many of us.
Q, "My LHBS says I should do this..."
BA,"Well, that is terrible advise because..."

OTOH if you have genuine experience and are a good sales person then go for it. If you can offer something the online retailers can not even better.

Remember too that running a HBS is not the same as homebrewing. It's a sales job above all else. Do you love to cook? Are you a great chef? That is not any reason you should open a restaurant. That kind of reasoning.

Good luck.

 

It's very important to have home brewing or brewery experience before anyone opens a supply store. The store owner i use has all the answers i need. Are you a home brewer?

 

That's great. I say go for it. Just have a good user friendly website and mill the grains for your customers. I say that because one owner who wasn't busy had me hand crank and mill my own and i wasn't happy.

 

Based on your avatar, did you start brewing in 2014? If so, you might want to honestly assess whether or not you have enough of that knowledge you want to share.

 

Speaking only based on personal observations as a non-LHBS owner, it looks like a hard business. By observation, it looks like 2/3 of the LBHS close after a year or two. I suspect that there is a reason that the DC metro area can only sustain 4 homebrew shops. At least two of them offer additional services, like association with a local brewery or brew-on-premises and wine-making.

 

Consider approaching a good beer store that is close to you which has excess floor space, and check with them to see if they would consider expanding their business into homebrew supplies with you as the manager.

 

It would take a broad minded beer store owner to agree to this since the folks who homebrew will be drinking less commercially brewed beer. Essentially you will be cannibalizing sales to some extent.

Cheers!

 

Your point, Jack, is valid, but I made my recommendation based upon the best beer/wine store here in Michigan, Siciliano's Market, as also being a very good homebrew supply store. Bell's Company Store is also a very good homebrew supply store, and Dark Horse Brewing and at least one other brewery that I can think of also sell supplies in addition to hats, t-shirts and beer to-go. I think they all embrace the entire culture of beer without having a concern that one part of the store's inventory may hurt the other.

 

I have no doubt that it is possible but you would need a broad minded owner to make it happen. I would suggest that the examples you provide above are examples of broad minded ownership.

Cheers!

 

BA @dwarvenspirits has not been around for years but he did try this at some point near Pittsburgh. I'm pretty sure he is no longer in business. Maybe someone knows more. It was called Ben's home few and my phone lists it as permanently closed. That anecdote aside, there apparently has been a downswing in AHA membership. The hobby is not growing like it did 5 yrs ago

 

With a name like that I am not surprised he went out of business!!

Cheers!

 

That's because all of the homebrewers went pro!