This interview was originally published in Porirua News
Can you tell us the story behind the founding of your business?
The Brewstore was started around seven years ago by a friend who also founded Little City Kombucha. A few years ago, I was a manager at the New Zealand Transport Agency when they made me redundant. My friend offered to sell me the shop since I am a very keen home brewer and distiller. The shop had become a little run down, and I believed I was the person to turn it around, so my wife, Jo, and I bought the shop almost two years ago and have been building it up since.
What sets your business apart from others in the community?
Having been into home brewing and distilling for years before buying the shop, I realised that going into a homebrew shop could be quite daunting for a newcomer. So we make a big effort to be friendly and welcoming to everyone who enters the shop. We offer as much help and guidance as we can. We are the only physical shop in the greater Wellington area selling grains to make homebrewed beer and have by far the largest range of products on display.
What challenges have you faced as a local business owner, and how have you overcome them?
In the last year, two other similar shops have closed, one in Wellington city and one in Petone, so staying upbeat has been challenging. On the upside, this has brought in new customers to the shop, which in turn brings the difficulty of keeping on top of stock control.
How do you engage with and give back to the local community?
We try and arrange events and competitions. Twice, we have done an evening with a global YouTube celebrity distiller, and right now, we have a competition running between the three greater Wellington homebrew clubs.