DeFalco’s home brew shop to close after 48 years

Scott Birdwell of Defalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies on Stella Link said he is closing shop after 48 years. (Julio Cortez / Houston Chronicle) Scott Birdwell of Defalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies on Stella Link said he is closing shop after 48 years. (Julio Cortez / Houston Chronicle) Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close DeFalco’s home brew shop to close after 48 years 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

DeFalco's Home Wine and Beer Supplies, Houston's oldest and largest home brew shop, is closing after 48 years.

The retailer, which sells supplies to make beer and wine, will shut its doors on Sept. 8. The shop, 9223 Stella Link Road, is holding a liquidation sale, offering a 20 percent discount on everything in stock, while supplies last.

"Thank you for your support for the past 48 years!," the retailer said in a Facebook post Saturday announcing the decision.

DeFalco's helped fuel the rise of Houston craft beer as many of the early craft brewers got their start as home brewers. Brock Wagner, the founder of Saint Arnold Brewing Co., formulated some of its first recipes at DeFalco's original Rice Village store in the mid-1980's, owner Scott Birdwell said.

"We were the AAA team for the big leagues," Birdwell said. "We probably had 70, maybe more brewers who came through our shop."

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However, DeFalco's became a victim of its own success. As the number of craft breweries grew to nearly 60 in the Houston area, fewer customers came through DeFalco's doors. The rise of e-commerce, low unemployment levels and changing consumer habits also contributed to DeFalco's demise, Birdwell said.

Houston three years ago used to have nine home brew shops. After DeFalco's closes, there will be five remaining in the metro area, Birdwell said.

"It used to be if you wanted good beer, you had to make it," Birdwell said. "Those who used to brew beer and drink it now go out."

Birdwell said he will miss his customers, many of them he has befriended over his 41 years at DeFalco's. He even met his wife, Alison, at a homebrewing class in 1996. They got married a couple of years later.

"This store has been good to me," Birdwell said. "Forty-eight years is a good run for a business."