Blaine Bacher (above) is always innovating, weaving different industries together in creative ways. WagsPark Shell, his convenience store in Cincinnati, is situated on the edge of Bacher’s private dog park, drawing customers and marketing inspiration from the dog theme. Owners bring their dogs to the store’s dog wash and full-service groomer, but the canines aren’t the only growlers at WagsPark Shell. It’s also home to a one-of-a-kind foodservice station and a budding craft-beer growler franchise.
Bacher grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, a self-employed nightclub owner from the age of 20. At 24, he went to work for Pet Stop Pet Fence Systems, a large invisible-fencing company, and spent four years learning the industry before opening the private dog park WagsPark. The 3-acre park includes two lakes for dogs to swim in and a full-service bar with 20-foot TV screens to entertain their owners.
Bacher runs the business for property owner Bob Slattery. When they opened WagsPark, Slattery also purchased the adjacent corner property that held a gas station with eight pumps and a convenience store, and WagsPark Shell was born.
New Business
“This certainly was not a business that we had a lot of experience in, but the location made sense for a purchase, so we decided to take on the challenge,” Bacher says.
A simple way to connect the two businesses came via the on-site car wash. To carry the dog theme through to the gas station, Bacher and Slattery added four bays for self-service dog washing. A short time later, when the car-wash machinery needed upgrades, they decided to close the car wash and convert the entire space into an indoor self-service dog wash and full-service grooming facility.
“As you can see,” Bacher says, “we are always trying to think outside of the box.” Their next innovation came as Bacher brainstormed ways to provide better margins than standard convenience-store fare. In summer 2012, he opened a Hot Bretzel station inside the store, selling fresh-baked German pretzels plain or with Nathan’s Hot Dogs or Johnsonville Brats inside. The bretzels (the German word for pretzels), which come with three freshly made dip options, were recently voted one of Cincinnati’s Best Cheap Eats by Cincinnati magazine.
Going Growler
Bacher’s latest innovation is perhaps his biggest yet. As he continued to search for ways to develop the c-store, Slattery and his son, Bobby, opened a local brewery called 50 West Brewing. It seemed natural to Bacher to put Slattery’s new beer knowledge to use in the c-store by launching a craft-beer growler station at WagsPark, especially considering the success he had heard other convenience stores were having with growlers and the play on words that connected it to the “growl” of the dog-park patrons. But there were some concerns, such as staffing, loss and theft.
“Staffing is always a challenge,” Bacher says. “We already had to train, educate and trust staff to ring a cash register and serve Hot Bretzels. Now we’d have to train them to be bartenders, too.”
While most brewers fill growlers off a standard beer tap and connected hose, the significant product loss due to foam would be costly to the c-store. Bacher researched possible solutions until he found several systems to automate the process and control that loss by filling growlers under counter-pressure, similar to the way a bottling plant would fill a bottle or keg. He opted to work with Rack Draft Services of North Bend, Ohio, to implement one of the solutions, customizing the company’s Pegas CrafTap system to allow them to carry a variety of brands.
“While the fact that the beer we pour has a better shelf life than beer poured by others, the biggest advantage was that this system nearly allows us to eliminate all loss,” Bacher says.
With this inventory efficiency in place, Bacher and Slattery decided to move forward with the growler installations last August. By October, they were in business.
Up and Running
The growler filling station, branded as The Growler Stop, is located next to the Hot Bretzels, just inside the front doors next to the register. “We’ve made it impossible to miss,” Bacher says.
The site offers a 64-ounce growler and a 32-ounce howler (half-growler). The half makes it easier for customers to try out new brews or for first-timers to get familiar with the process.
“I have been thrilled with the number of customers that we have been able to get to try local beers for the first time,” Bacher says. “While the word of mouth through craft beer circles have been great, the conversions may be the most fun. Being able to educate them and move them from a standard low-margin Pilsner over to a higher-margin craft beer has been fun.”
As a pioneer c-store in the Cincinnati area in the growler business, The Growler Stop has to make its advantage over breweries, bars and grocery stores clear. It competes on price and variety with breweries, plus it offers something other vendors don’t: convenience.
“At The Growler Stop, we can fill your growler at the same time you are filling up your car,” Bacher says.
The Growler Stop focuses on local craft beers, an industry that’s exploded in Cincinnati in recent years, and Bacher and Slattery are looking for ways to attract higher-income clientele to the slightly blue-collar neighborhood around the store. The Bretzels help draw people in, but it’s been craft-beer blogs and Twitter feeds that allow them to get the word out in a big way.
Full Flow Ahead
Bacher plans to shrink the store’s selection of traditional slow-moving c-store items, replacing them with products more targeted to the craft-beer clientele. He recently added draft root beer, sold by the glass and by the growler, and plans to add more bottled craft beers and growler accessories. Bacher plans to continue to expand his beer knowledge, something he believes is key to success with growlers.
“This goes far beyond knowing the difference between Bud and Bud Light,” he says. “Some of our customers come in knowing exactly what they want, while others are looking for help. They want to know some details about what they are purchasing.” It’s especially important considering Bacher sells single-batch productions from local breweries, which even seasoned drinkers are unfamiliar with.
The growler station is already expanding, moving from a single draft box to a glycol chiller system out of a walk-in cooler and from 10 brands to 18, including Slattery’s 50 West brews. Bacher is also working on perfecting the name, logo, website and other marketing materials to leverage his expertise and franchise the growler business in 2014.
“We feel that greater Cincinnati could probably have 10 to 15 locations strategically placed throughout the city and suburbs without impacting business,” Bacher says.
As an independent retailer, Bacher feels limited by his lack of buying power for the gasoline and convenience store, but “we have some opportunities to try things others may not,” he says. His advice is to look for a unique selling proposition. “Location always comes first,” he says, “but you have to find a way to distinguish yourself from the rest.”
Dog washing, German pretzels, growlers of craft beer—Bacher has plenty to distinguish his store. But the thing that distinguishes him the most is his constant evolution. What venture will he take on next?
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