Brews N Birdies is going in next to Biker Jim’s in Ballpark. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
When his girlfriend returned home from work on Christmas Eve, Justin Brown surprised her with an unusual gift: a business plan.
“She read the first page and kinda chuckled,” he said.
Nine months later, that plan is slowly morphing into reality. Brown, 29, recently signed a lease for 2,000 square feet at 2156 Larimer St., and has been snaking his way through the city’s permitting process.
He hopes to open up his business — Brews N Birdies, a bar with three golf simulator bays — later this year.
Golf simulator bars have been popping up around the region in the last few years.
But Brown said that the quality of his simulators, the Uneekor Eye XO 2 with 4K projectors, will make the business stand out.
“Which is a huge draw for someone who is a little less casual,” he said.
Justin Brown is opening Brews N Birdies at 2156 Larimer St. (Courtesy Justin Brown)
Each bay costs between $40,000 and $50,000, which represents a majority of the total $200,000 buildout expenses for the spot. Brown has no investors and is funding his business with an SBA loan.
The machines track pretty much everything a golfer would want to know about their swing, from weight distribution at their feet to speed of the ball. Players use a specially designed mat that allows them to hit shots out of the bunker and the rough, and not just the fairway. To Brown’s knowledge, he will be the only place in town with this feature.
“You can play Pebble Beach one day and St. Andrews the next day … you don’t have to fly across the world,” said Brown, who has a 15-handicap.
An hour on the simulator costs $50 on weekdays and $60 on weekends. There will be membership options, leagues and lessons.
“To me, success is if we have leagues and members that we can rely on to come in on a daily basis and really form a community,” Brown said.
A Northern California native, Brown attended the University of Hawaii and, later, Arizona State University for his MBA, before coming to Denver two years ago. He first worked in sales, and then in the supply chain and logistics industry. He had always dreamed of starting his own business, and when it came time last Christmas to put pen to paper and draft a plan, he “decided to combine all the passions” he had into one company.
Since then, he’s picked up part-time work as a bartender at The Benson Hotel in Aurora to learn how to be behind a bar. That’s something he’s never done, but will have to pick up quickly, as he expects to spend long days and nights doing the same at a business of his own soon.
“I’ve never been more excited to be there for 80-hour work weeks,” he said.
Brews N Birdies is going in next to Biker Jim’s in Ballpark. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
When his girlfriend returned home from work on Christmas Eve, Justin Brown surprised her with an unusual gift: a business plan.
“She read the first page and kinda chuckled,” he said.
Nine months later, that plan is slowly morphing into reality. Brown, 29, recently signed a lease for 2,000 square feet at 2156 Larimer St., and has been snaking his way through the city’s permitting process.
He hopes to open up his business — Brews N Birdies, a bar with three golf simulator bays — later this year.
Golf simulator bars have been popping up around the region in the last few years.
But Brown said that the quality of his simulators, the Uneekor Eye XO 2 with 4K projectors, will make the business stand out.
“Which is a huge draw for someone who is a little less casual,” he said.
Justin Brown is opening Brews N Birdies at 2156 Larimer St. (Courtesy Justin Brown)
Each bay costs between $40,000 and $50,000, which represents a majority of the total $200,000 buildout expenses for the spot. Brown has no investors and is funding his business with an SBA loan.
The machines track pretty much everything a golfer would want to know about their swing, from weight distribution at their feet to speed of the ball. Players use a specially designed mat that allows them to hit shots out of the bunker and the rough, and not just the fairway. To Brown’s knowledge, he will be the only place in town with this feature.
“You can play Pebble Beach one day and St. Andrews the next day … you don’t have to fly across the world,” said Brown, who has a 15-handicap.
An hour on the simulator costs $50 on weekdays and $60 on weekends. There will be membership options, leagues and lessons.
“To me, success is if we have leagues and members that we can rely on to come in on a daily basis and really form a community,” Brown said.
A Northern California native, Brown attended the University of Hawaii and, later, Arizona State University for his MBA, before coming to Denver two years ago. He first worked in sales, and then in the supply chain and logistics industry. He had always dreamed of starting his own business, and when it came time last Christmas to put pen to paper and draft a plan, he “decided to combine all the passions” he had into one company.
Since then, he’s picked up part-time work as a bartender at The Benson Hotel in Aurora to learn how to be behind a bar. That’s something he’s never done, but will have to pick up quickly, as he expects to spend long days and nights doing the same at a business of his own soon.
“I’ve never been more excited to be there for 80-hour work weeks,” he said.
