Limited Releases for Maximal Enjoyment

“Bigger is better” is often how we think about measuring the success of a business, but that’s not the case for an increasing number of businesses in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region who are embracing a different business model—one that includes intentionally staying small, minimizing business hours, and offering limited release products, all in an effort to find a work-life balance that will keep them loving their work for years to come.

Dave Paul of Loveshack Libations is a perfect example of this “backwards” business model. He’s the proud owner of one of BC’s smallest breweries, where the tasting room is in the manufacturing area, and customers sit amongst the brewing equipment at live-edge tables. And it turns out, this vibe is very reminiscent of his humble beginnings as a hobbyist brewmaker.

A few years ago, he and his wife bought the land on Vancouver Island, where his wife was from—land without any buildings on it. They lived with their 9-month-old daughter at the time lived in a tent for six weeks while he constructed a 12x16 foot shack for them to live in. They moved in and fondly nicknamed “The Love Shack.” They lived there for 3.5 years while Dave built their home, and then Dave began brewing beer in the shack. Then in 2015, he “got carried away.”

“I had 200 litres of homebrew in my crawlspace, and then I started looking at buying bigger equipment,” Dave recalls. “So my wife said, ‘why don’t you just open a brewery? And I thought, wow, she’s really smart!’”

A few years ago, he and his wife bought the land on Vancouver Island, where his wife was from—land without any buildings on it. They lived with their 9-month-old daughter at the time lived in a tent for six weeks while he constructed a 12x16 foot shack for them to live in. They moved in and fondly nicknamed “The Love Shack.” They lived there for 3.5 years while Dave built their home, and then Dave began brewing beer in the shack. Then in 2015, he “got carried away.”

“I had 200 litres of homebrew in my crawlspace, and then I started looking at buying bigger equipment,” Dave recalls. “So my wife said, ‘why don’t you just open a brewery? And I thought, wow, she’s really smart!’”

After running the numbers, he decided to start it as a side project while continuing his career as a bartender and waiter. He opened his brewery in February 2017, naming it “Loveshack Libations” after the original little brewing shack. He hasn’t looked back since, quitting his serving and bartending career in fall of 2018 to focus on making beer for a living.

But you need to plan ahead to visit his little brewery, as it is only open 8 hours a week. And he doesn’t plan on changing that. “It’s great watching people try and wrap their heads around the fact that I don’t want to get any bigger.” Dave laughs. “Keeping it at 8 hours is the only way I can keep up. Any more than that I would have to hire people, I would have to get bigger equipment.” As it is, he works 40 to 50 hours a week in the shack.

His wife calls it the “degrowth model,” as he’s actually trying to sell less beer. “The main reason I don’t want to grow this business is I don’t want the business to change. I don’t get burnt out on it. I really look forward to my eight hours of opening,” he says. “I love doing it, and I want to keep loving doing it.” He likes that he has complete control over his products, and he takes real joy in being the one to pour the beer he makes for his customers. “The gratification of seeing peoples’ reaction is a super special feeling.”

And the community has really come alongside his little brewery to support his limited release beers and minimal hours. People plan their visits around his releases, as they often sell out within a couple of weeks. “It’s a neat thing to be able to have something people look forward to and is so special that they seek it out.”

This way of running a business also allows him a beautiful work-life balance. “I get to bike, ski, see my kid, my wife,” Dave explains. “In the winter I brew around my skiing schedule. If I got bigger or changed things, that would change my life and I do not want it to change.” He adds, “As soon as this stops being fun, I will be out.”

A sustainable work-life balance is also a main reason why Jean Wilson of Wild Culture Bakery has embraced a limited release, minimal opening hours business model. “We’re only open three days a week mostly because it’s a choice we’ve made for our lifestyle,” she explains. “Most of our staff are artists, and they work really hard for three days, and then they get to do other things.” After their three work days, they have the opportunity to rest and recover, “and then we have more capacity for creativity,” Jean says.

But the business didn’t start this way 25 years ago. It began as a completely wholesale bread business. They delivered bread throughout the island and into Vancouver, with much of their time consumed with packaging and driving. But a decade ago, they decided to buy a storefront, hiring a pastry chef (who still works for them) so they could add sweets to the roster.

They’ve also recently added sourdough pizza to the menu but have limited the offer to Friday nights. They do this because of the amount of prep work involved, and also because the community seems to enjoy the element of scarcity. “People know they have to order ahead, because they’re usually sold out by Thursday. It makes it more of an occasion,” Jean says. “It makes it a little bit more exciting.”

The limited hours and products also allow the business to feel more intimate. “We develop relationships with our customers, and that is kind of lost nowadays and I think people crave it,” Jean says. “They like that connection; they like to be remembered by name.” Their neighbourhood location also lends itself well to limited hours and community connection.

For Jean and Dave, this is a business model that works, and one that is growing in popularity in the region, with other culinary entrepreneurs also adopting limited releases and hours—such as Salt Pizzeria and BoMe Cheese. Jean isn’t surprised that many businesses in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region are adapting this “smaller is better” model. “I think that we as a culture are looking to experience things on a small scale,” she reflects. “It gives a different ambiance, and that balance as a business owner keeps you inspired, keeps us wanting to do the work that we do.”

So next time you’re in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region, plan ahead to make sure you don’t miss out on a pizza from Wild Culture Bakery or a limited release beer from Loveshack Libations, and know that you’re truly supporting the lives and passions of the people behind the business signs.