Spotlight on… taking a risk
Before setting up Lamorbey Wine, Bob was a number cruncher, sitting at a desk working on spreadsheets in the City. He knew that redundancy was coming up so he started thinking about what he might do next.
“I enjoyed wine and realised that there was a gap in the market in Sidcup. By the time I took redundancy, I was ready to take a risk, so I set up Lamorbey Wine from scratch.”
Spotlight on… rolling up the sleeves
Bob told Glenn that the challenges he faced in setting up included finding the right location, fitting out the shop and sourcing appropriate stock. “Whilst my city role would’ve seen me assign areas outside of my expertise to others, I had to handle all of this myself.”
Spotlight on… tapping into heritage
The name “Lamorbey” refers to the name of the local village which was swallowed up by Sidcup and the area even featured a hop farm (until about 100 years ago) so you’ll find “wild” hops growing in the area, just like we have near the brewery.
Spotlight on… beer in a wine shop!
Bob’s favourite beer style is a good old fashioned bitter, although he also enjoys Belgian ales too (especially Saison Dupont). “Speaking of bitters, I have stocked Beerblefish’s take on this style, Edmonton Best Bitter.” Bob has also stocked Lady Mildmay, Hoppy Pale Ale No.6, 1820 Porter, 1853 ESB, 1892 IPA and Cashmere Brut IPA. “Cashmere Brut IPA in particular has been very popular and feedback from customers is that Beerblefish make beers (and gin) of very good quality.”
“I used to stock a range of Belgian ales, but my customers are more interested in beers from local microbreweries – which is great to see.” Bob encourages people to be adventurous so that they try a range of beers. “Hopefully one day Beerblefish will release a Lamorbey Lambic for my customers!” You never know, Bob, you never know!
Spotlight on… what the future holds
Bob told Glenn, “In terms of the coming year, I’ve shelved my plans for world domination until after the pandemic as (thankfully) I’ve been quite busy. Of course, government dictated rules and regulations can change at a moment’s notice so who knows what the future holds?”
Spotlight on… bottle shop romance
Glenn always likes to ask our stockists how many couples they know have met in their place – and Bob’s has to be the best answer yet: “Me and Jackie for starters!”
Spotlight on… the secrets of success
Bob says his shop is successful because, “Customers appreciate my personal service, quality products and fair prices.” Glenn asked Bob how a regular customer would describe his shop: “Essential!”
Glenn finished by asking Bob if there is anything else interesting that customers should know. Bob says, “Pop in and say hello, you might just be surprised!”
