How to Open a Retail Wine Bar on a Cheap Budget
If you have a love of a wine and have always dreamed of opening your own wine bar, but were worried about funding, you can open a retail wine bar on a budget. You will need to have some money saved up or take out a small loan for start-up costs, but you can save quite a bit on most of these costs.
- Choose the right location for your bar. If an empty building already has bar amenities, this will save you a bundle of money. If a bar just went out of business, the liquor license would still be effective, so you would not have to purchase a new one.
- Establish a location if there are none that are abandoned in your area. You need a place that is about 1,000 square feet. You will need to hire someone to install all the furniture and equipment, but if you can do some of it yourself or employ the help of a friend, you will save yourself some money. The furniture and equipment can be purchased online or at a discount store to save you some money.
- Purchase a liquor license if you are starting an establishment from scratch. This can be obtained from your state’s liquor licensing authority. The license is good for one year and will let you to legally sell alcohol to its patrons. Of course, it is illegal to sell to anyone under the age of 21 (or legal drinking age). License fees vary by state.
- Know your target audience. Check out the other wine bars in your area and see who they target. Some bars choose to serve appetizers or food, but this becomes a greater expense. Consider what your target crowd expects out of a wine bar.
- Hire staff that is experienced in the field they are being hired for. For instance, if you are hiring a tasting room associate, they should have customer service skills, wine knowledge and wine experience. With any position you hire for, be sure they have wine knowledge and wine experience because having to train someone will cut into your profits.
- Understand that your major expense will be the wine. You should establish a good working relationship with suppliers in the industry so you have access to the best deals.