This chapter started way back in 2018 when we finally got the keys to our croft house. For the previous four years the house had been unoccupied. The plumbing and electrics needed replacing, there were holes in the roof and the floorboards had rotted through. There was a lot of work to do ... but first we built the Brewshed and started the Brewery!
At the start of our journey we had no plans to open a shop or have visitors at the Brewery. Launching in 2020 at the start of the COVID pandemic it made sense for us to sell beer online only. Then came an opportunity to sell in person at the Flavour Food Festival and as demand increased we agreed to stock a few of our favourite local shops and restaurants. Over the last three years we have had so many customers ask if we have a shop or a tap room and if they can have a Brewery tour. Some people have gone out of their way to find us but without a space or the permissions in place, it hasn't been possible (or legal) for us to sell beer from the house. Last year, post pandemic it was increasingly obvious that people wanted to visit the Brewery but as the Brewery is also our home we had to think hard about how we could make it work. After lots of head scratching, form filling, finger crossing and hard work our plan is about to come to fruition.
In October last year, as soon as our second summer season was winding down, we applied for planning permission to turn the porch at the front of our house into a tiny shop. In December planning permission was granted and we applied for a variation to our alcohol premises license. The porch was once a draughty old space only fit for wellies and fishing rods but over the last few months we have been working hard to make it a welcoming place to buy a beer or two. We have insulated walls, tiled floors, built shelves, made signage and most importantly filled it with beer.
In a previous blog we shared some of the renovations we had completed in the house, and the shop has had a similar makeover using reclaimed and repurposed materials. We think that when you take on an older house you also take on an obligation to respect the building and the people who lived in, and loved the house before you. We are lucky because our croft house was built by, and lived in by several generations of the same family. Our nearest neighbour's grandfather was a lobster fisherman. He built the house himself and passed the house and croft (the land) down through his family. Our neighbours have shared the history of the house and stories of the people who called it home.
A pre-loved home
We have loved being part of a new chapter at N˚6 Borrisdale but whenever we make any changes we try to be conscious of the memories that live on in the fabric of the building . The porch roof was originally made of wriggly tin so we lined the inside of the roof in tin left over from when we built the Brewshed. We also built shelves from the v-lining [vertical planking] that was originally the finish on all of the downstairs walls. When we removed the planks from around the house we found the name of the original owner written on the back, so we saved them and they now have pride of place in the shop. Some time after the house was built the wooden walls were covered in newspapers to stop draughts. As we removed layers and layers of wallpaper we were able to save some of the old newspapers and we have used these scraps to cover some of the shop walls. We uncovered one particularly chilling headline from the Daily Mail in April 1935 about "Hitler's plans for Europe" but there are also many charming adverts and humorous stories. Our favourite, and possibly the most appropriate for its new setting, is an advert for Younger's Ale which (apparently) "is good for you." I've also indulged my love for interesting old things and decorated the shop with some of the treasures we have found in the house, vintage brewery bits and bobs and interesting Hebridean collectibles.
We have now removed the "Sorry we're busy Brewing" sign from the gate and we will be officially welcoming visitors to the shop on Monday the 8th of May. We will be open every day except Sunday between 10 am and 6pm selling beer and brewery merchandise and we plan to stay open all year round. With the shop now open and beer filling the shelves we hope you will be able to come and visit us, have a chat and see what we have been up to.
Opening a shop seemed impossible when we started the Brewery three years ago but just incase you thought we are about to stop dreaming, our Brewery Bucket List has several more equally ambitious items to tick off, so watch this space for more big announcements from the little brewery.
