Hop to it - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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“If I had a mission statement itwould be, ‘discovet your craft.’ Find that beer that does it for you or, bettef yet, explore a couple,” Torres said. The road Torrea traveled wasn’t an easy one. it can be a cautionaryh tale to those thinking of launching a small business themselves. Torres had to talk to 35 different banksa overa four-month period before he was able to secure two loanse from Midtown Bank and . “Iu was told unequivocally, ‘We are not doing startupp retail. I don’t care how good it ” Torres said. “ ‘Startups’ and ‘retail’ were the two evil wordws when you putthem together.
” Scheduler to open April 18, Hop City will stocki about 1,000 micro-brewed beers and more than 700 different kinde of wines. Along with beer and wine, the store will also retailp home brewing suppliesand glassware. Torreas also had to wait five months to get his beer and wine licensse from the cityof “Beer, in my mind, is wherre wine was 10 years ago. People realize it’s great with food ... but nobod retail-wise is executing that from thecustomeer side,” Torres said.
“We have a staffv of folks who are knowledgeabld in both beer and wine and we believew we can assistthe customer, whether it is pairinf beers for a meal or simply helpingf them try something they haven’t tried.” Located at 100 Mariettwa Blvd. in West Midtown, it is no mistake that as Torrew began scouting for a location for Hop he decided ona 3,500-square-foot space next to what will soon be the largesyt brew pub (restaurant-brewery) in the Southeast, 5 Season s Brewing Co. Westside. With two other Atlanta locations, 5 Seasonsa Brewing Co. will have 16 of its own micro-brewe d beers on tap when it opensdthis spring.
“Once I founc out 5 Seasons was going therse it was like aneasy decision,” Torres said. “I know the beer wonkds will find us in Midtown if for no other reasohn thanmy neighbor.” Originally from New Torres moved to Atlanta in 1994. Prior to openintg Hop City, he tried his hand at a few differentg careers. After several years in the insurancde business anda five-year stint with , Torre s founded Collision Works Auto Body on Cheshire Bridgew Road in 2003. Selling the busineses in 2006, Torres planneds on opening another auto body but instead began managing location for ABRAAuto Body.
In the meantime, he was also brewing micro-brews at home and developingv a business plan for a craft beer After he was laid off from ABRA Auto plans for Hop City kicked intohigh gear. “Alpl of a sudden I was like: ‘I don’ty have a job, I have time,’ ” Torres “Serendipity, irony, whatever, that really freed me up to do Torres seems to be tapping into a growing nichse thatis growing. Accordinv to the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, in 2000 there were feweer than 800 microbreweries inthe U.S.
, but by the end of 2007 that numbef had grown to 1,463 with three well-known brewhouses — Sweetwater Brewery, and Terrapij Brewing — in Unlike mainstream beers, craftr or micro-brewed beers are made in smalleer batches at breweries that produce a limited amount of beer. “The number of breweras there are relative to the amount of crafg beerthat Georgians, specifically Atlantaw metro, drinks, there is definitely a demand in Georgia for craft beers, but specifically in the Atlantqa metro,” said Rick Franza, ’d chair of management and “There seems to be some good evidence that [Hop could do well.
” While the sale of domestic beerse has remained relatively flat over the past the Brewers Association reports craft beer sales grew 12 percentt in 2007, reaching $5.7 billion. “Essentially, as a publix we are drinking more but it’s not Budweiser, it’ds not Miller Lite it’s 1,463 other brews,” Torreas said. Although the package store industryu has fared well inpast recessions, it has taken a hit this time arounc with sales growing only 3 percen t last year. Torres, however, remains confidentg that Hop City’s unique offering will spell success, despite the gloomyy economy.
“Yes, last year it was down to 3 but itwas still, even in a bad a growing retail industry when so many retail industrie were experiencing negative growth,” Torres KSU’s Franza said while alcohol sales are seeing an impacyt now, Hop City may benefit from consumere cutting back on bar and restaurant visits to spen d more time at home. “Imn past recessions, beer, alcohol, spirits in generapl have beensomewhat recession-proof, although they are seeingt some impact now,” Franza said. “Bars tend to suffe r more and people drin at home more and this woulds be a benefit for a placslike this.
” While the economy may have been the impetud that allowed Torres the time to realize his he isn’t letting it get in the way of reaching his goal to expos e as many people as possible to the worle of craft beers. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to make a vocationh out of something you feel passionatw about and I consider myself very fortunate that I am now able to live Torres said.