My Biz: Beer lover brews up business idea

MARION - Six years ago, Joseph Williams' fiancee got him a home-brew kit for Christmas.

Williams instantly became hooked on the hobby and has since made it a business - opening BIY Homebrew Supply.

After starting to brew his own beers, Williams began making YouTube videos that offered instructions and tips on home brewing. The videos quickly gained a following and Williams' brewing knowledge grew.

So when his fiancee mentioned he should consider opening his own supply store during a job transition, Williams said the idea seemed like it could have legs.

He opened the Marion location of BIY Homebrew Supply in May of last year just a month after moving to the area from Chicagoland.

'It has been a whirlwind trip since,” he said.

BIY Homebrew Supply is a one-stop-shop for all things wine making, beer brewing and cheese making. Williams noted it also recently started carrying Kombucha kits to make probiotic fermented tea.

'We carry everything for these hobbies - from fermenting, finishing and filtering batches - for everyone from absolutely novices all they way up to people who have their own picobreweries,” Williams said. 'I really try to keep up with customer requests and interests. And we develop our own brewing kits here as well.”

There's science as well as art to brewing, Williams said.

'We try to introduce folks to these hobbies without overwhelming them.”

Williams opened his second location in North Liberty in April of this year to reach customers on the south end of the Corridor. 'I noticed a fair number of customers making the drive up to the Marion location, and I figured for as many people that were doing that, there were even more who weren't making the drive.”

While both locations continue to grow, Williams said that like many small, niche retailers, BIY Homebrew Supply's biggest competition is online retailers. 'I've done a lot of work to make sure we have very competitive pricing. But those companies dwarf a store like this.”

Williams added that he works to carry as many products in stock as possible and makes special orders when necessary. 'Plus, we can special order anything people need. I can get it for customers very quickly, especially the high end equipment that we don't have the floor space for.”

With the opening of the North Liberty store, BIY Homebrew Supply also ramped up its own online offerings, thanks to moving to a cloud-based inventory tracking system.

A theater major with a varied work history - including box office work and writing for a pet magazine - Williams said he is enjoying his new venture, especially the independence of owning his own stores.

'I don't own a suit and prefer coming to work in jeans and a hoodie,” he said. He would love to eventually host classes and other events in store and truly appreciates talking with his customers. 'A smaller niche business allows you the opportunity to serve customers one-on-one,” he said. 'We talk with everyone and they ask questions. I spend a lot of time troubleshooting and I enjoy helping out customers in any way that I can.”

As owner, Williams divides his time between talking with customers and managing inventory and finances for the business. And because beer brewing is a seasonal hobby-think pumpkin ales, holiday beers, and summer shandies-Williams also spends a fair amount of his time forecasting. 'Fall is typically our busy season,” he said.

Of course, Williams has not lost interest in his own brewing. While he prefers English style beers, his move to Iowa has opened his eyes to more German styles. 'I don't brew as much as I did before,” said Williams. 'But clearly, I like the hobby. I've never brewed the same batch twice.”

l Company: BIY Homebrew Supply

l Name: Joseph Williams

l Address: 147 Marion Blvd., Marion and 7 Hawkeye Dr., North Liberty

l Phone: (319) 373-2337

l Website: www.biyhomebrewsupply.com

l Know a manager or company in business for more than a year that would be ideal for 'My Biz”? Contact Chelsea Keenan at Chelsea.keenan@thegazette.com.