During the construction process, we mounted a small timelapse camera on the front wall of what would become our new store. The goal was to capture all of the work that goes into getting a space, that was formerly a diner, split in half and ready to open up as a craft beer store. We also let the camera keep rolling through the grand opening. So if you were here for opening day, you might just catch a glimpse of yourself, but don't blink, it goes by fast.
Festivus Celebration and Toys for Tots
Our brewery of the month for December is going to be the new kids on the block, Haw River Farmhouse Ales. They just opened up in Saxapahaw (between Chapel Hill and Greensboro), and are already cranking out some delicious brews. To ring in the holiday month, we decided that we needed to really do something special, so what better way than to revive the Festivus celebration!?!
New Hours
JUGs (Just Us Gals) Events
What lady wouldn't like a night out to try some great beers, learn new things & hang out with some awesome chicks? Well, we planned one. What is it?
We are planning monthly ladies-only events, and our first get together is Tuesday, October 21 at 6 pm. We're doing a flight of fall beers, so everyone can get a better idea of which styles and beers they like most!
Final Construction Update
Over the past few weeks, we've had all sorts of crews working in the space. We installed a walk-in cooler...then took it out and installed a bigger one (that's a story for another day). The bar has been built. Signs are up on the front of the building and inside. The lights are hung. The bathrooms are functional. The walls have been painted. The floors have been repaired and cleaned. The draft system is in place. Over the course of the long weekend, we've been putting some finishing touches on a few things and getting the store in ship shape for the grand opening. Then, once we pass all of our inspections early next week, we'll move in the bar stools, tables, chairs, and shelves, and start ordering some beer!
Keeping the Collaborations Coming!
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to brew with the good folks at Mystery Brewing Company in Hillsborough, where we brewed up a Triple Ginger Tripel that will be on tap when we open the doors. Yesterday, we continued with our collaboration series by heading out to Saxapahaw to what is (I believe) North Carolina's NEWEST craft brewery, Haw River Farmhouse Ales. The quaint little town of Saxapahaw has some fantastic attractions, including The Eddy Pub, the General Store, and now it's own 10-barrel brewery.
Why 16 beer taps?
In planning out the store, we knew we wanted to have a good selection of beer on draft and available to fill growlers via our counter-pressure filling system, but we had to make a decision as to how many different beers we wanted to offer at any given time. I would be lying to you if I said cost didn't play a factor in deciding on how many taps to install, but that is far from the only reason. We didn't want to open up with 40, 50, or 100 taps, even if we had the space and the money to do so. This may seem counter-intuitive to some, as our American mindset tells us that more is always better. But in this case, we didn't think so.
A Very Ginger Brew Day
Over the past few weeks, we've teased about the awesome beer line-up we're going to have for our opening week, but we haven't really told you much about it. So, let's pull back the curtain a bit and let you know what we've been up to. One of the things that is really important to us is supporting and promoting the fantastic beer that is being brewed right here in North Carolina. We have several events in the works that will help us do this over time. But we really wanted to do something special for the grand opening.
Focus
Given that the name of our store is "The Glass Jug," several people have asked us if we are focusing on growlers. Or, if we are only filling growlers. We are doing much more than filling growlers, but the idea of having a focus provokes some thought. Any specialty retail store needs to establish a niche. You need to give people a reason to walk into your store as opposed to the other specialty stores or the big box stores. Why go here as opposed to going there?
For beer bottle shops, it has always been about two things:
- Having a better selection of craft and local products than the big box stores
- Being located closer to your home/office than the other specialty bottle shops
That's it. Sure, there are some exceptions, but if you take a poll and ask people why they shop at the craft beer store they do, they will tell you these two things 90% of the time.
So, back to focus.
Why do we need to have a focus, if all we need to provide are the two items above? I can guarantee we will have a great selection of beer (and some wine and cider) that you can't find at Wal-Mart or Harris Teeter - our selection may not be as large as Total Wine, but it will be more unique. And our location is central to RTP, Durham, Cary, and Apex. This, in and of itself, should make us the beer store of choice for a lot of people in the area, right?
Right... for now.
But, as more breweries keep opening up (there are now over 3,000 breweries nationally, and over 100 in NC) and as more people become interested in craft beer, we are going to continue to see growth of independent craft beer stores opening up, along with existing shops opening up additional locations. So, 5 years down the road, that two-item list above will still be important, but there will likely be plenty of stores that fit that criteria. My guess is that we'll start to see new items added to that list of what people look for when choosing a bottle shop. Things like:
- Having all of the beer you need, and all of the different package types, in a single shop (so you can get beer for any occasion)
- Having an owner/manager who understands your specific taste and can recommend (or even hold) new beers for you to try
- Having an atmosphere that is generally welcoming and not overwhelming - a place where you genuinely enjoy spending time
So (for real this time), that brings us back to our focus.
Our focus, to put it as succinctly as possible, is to be your one-stop-shop for craft beverages. You can swing in for a pint on draft after work, while picking up a couple of six-packs for the weekend. While you're here, you may find something unique on tap that strikes your fancy, and you can fill a growler of it to share with some friends who are coming in town to visit in a couple weeks. You can also buy an affordable bottle of wine that you haven't seen at the grocery store, and snag a bottle of local craft cider for your gluten-sensitive neighbor. We want you to do all of this while building relationships with our team, while we work to provide you an atmosphere that makes you want to come back.
So yes, to do all of that, we have to focus on growlers, to some extent. We couldn't be your one-stop-shop if we didn't. Other beer stores aren't filling growlers. Or, if they are, they are being filled from the tap - often times not being properly purged with Co2 or filled under counter-pressure (here's more on why we think this is really important). Or, they don't provide the more limited and special-release beers for growler filling. Very few are offering the selection of beer in growlers that we will be offering, filled in a high-quality fashion. We will focus on growlers because we think that it is the missing piece from a lot of other stores in NC. And by having this focus, we can better do our job of making high-quality craft beverages available to you in your preferred package type, whether that be growlers, cans, bottles, or a freshly poured pint.
Construction Update
The big question that everyone has been asking us over the last few months has been "so, when is The Glass Jug going to open up?" That's a fair question, and I wish I could answer it better. The good news is that we are getting to a point where we'll be able to answer it soon with much more confidence (but not today, so don't get too excited)!
The big hurdle to the "when are you opening" question has been construction. Our little store is not a big construction project, and for each individual contractor, it's just a small portion of their schedule. Because of that, our project has been subject to shifts in schedule. Additionally, there are always some unforeseen setbacks, like accidentally cutting a water main that wasn't buried at the correct depth in the concrete slab floor. But that's a story for another day.
The good news is that we have turned a corner, and the rest of the process should go much faster from here on out. A lot of the work that has been done to this point has been the stuff you don't see or notice, things like electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. But our contractors began building the new wall today, and we'll be installing the bar, sinks, dishwasher, and the draft beer system in the coming weeks.
Above is a short photo gallery that shows you what's happened thus far (You can click on the images to see larger versions).
We're hoping to post another update in a few short weeks with the back wall finished, and the bar and equipment in place. And, since you read all the way to the end, I'll let you in on a little secret...we're currently aiming for a grand opening by mid-September. ;)
