Taming of the brew: Books & Brews set to open in Castleton
Writers love booze. They're drawn to it. Like a coonhound on the hunt, or a shark to a pint of fresh blood, the writer has long been associated with a strong affinity for bending an elbow. So it's only natural that Jason Wuerfel would decide to combine the two in the same space in a new business he's calling Books & Brews.
The 33-year-old University of Michigan graduate had always wondered what it'd be like to own a bookstore. An English major in school, Wuerfel got the itch to make his dream a reality a few years ago when a friend told him about The Spotty Dog Books & Ale shop in Hudson, N.Y. Wuerfel called up the owners of The Spotty Dog and picked their brains about their store's business model. He thought it was fantastic.
"The bookstore was always the dream," said Wuerfel. "And then, when the market collapsed, there was no viability in a bookstore. How do you make your margins in order to survive?"
His answer? Beer.
But he needed cash. So, like many of today's startups (more than $1 billion worth, in fact), Wuerfel turned to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. More than 150 backers pledged $17,264 to help get Books & Brews up and running. And to stretch the promised dough, Wuerfel decided that he would hand-make every table, chair, barstool, bookshelf, and even the 7-foot bar in the back half of the store.
"One of things that always puts me off about the big-box bookstores is that there's no sense of discovery," said Wuerfel. "In a place like this, it's so much smaller, so much more of a personal touch. We can direct people in much more specific ways than just, 'Oh, here's a horror section.'"
A personal touch isn't the only thing setting Books & Brews a part from the competition. All of the beer served in the bar section of the store is brewed on site by Wuerfel. The bookpub owner (yes, I just coined the term bookpub) also is channeling Willy Wonka by allowing folks who pledged $500 or more to the project's Kickstarter fund to help design a brew, name it, make it and put it on tap.
Contact Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelAdams317.
Books & Brews opening-night party
> WHEN: 5 to 10 p.m. March 21, Whiskey Verbena to perform at 8 p.m.
> WHERE: 9402 Uptown Drive, Suite 1400.
> COST: $2.
> INFO: www.facebook.com/booksnbrews.