Craft Brewers Find It’s Best to Do Business Outside of LA

LA’S BUSINESS - (Note: Co-Chair of the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates Committee, Jay Handal, says his committee MUST make improving the business climate in LA a priority.) Ten weeks after Tom Dunbabin and his business partner walked into Redondo Beach City Hall to discuss opening the community’s first craft brewery, they received the unanimous blessing of the Planning Commission. 

Construction began almost immediately at their brewery location. Coastline Brewing Co., hopes to have its first batch of brews available by Christmas. 

But even as a microbrew revolution is on the horizon, not all would-be brewers in Los Angeles have a success story. 

Take the Van Nuys craft brewery owners Alastair and Jennifer Boarse, who sold their house to finance their dream. The couple estimated they have spent $200,000 in a year of dickering over details included on their initial application for MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. with Los Angeles planners. 

Anticipating an uneventful road to regulatory approval they leased a building, hired a brewer and aimed to open the San Fernando Valley’s first craft brewery by July. 

But a morass of emails, telephone calls and meetings bogged the process down to the point Jennifer Boarse recently threatened to take their business investment to a more welcoming city. (Read the rest here) 

-cw

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 11 Issue 72

Pub: Sept 6, 2013