Breiana Bennetts and Gary Altenburg’s business My Little Pub is currently building pubs number 26 and 27. Photo / Charlie Rose Creative
Breiana Bennetts and Gary Altenburg’s business My Little Pub is currently building pubs number 26 and 27. Photo / Charlie Rose Creative
A business born in Covid lockdowns has become a national success for one Christchurch family.
Gary Altenburg began building garden shed-sized pubs for his backyard as a lockdown project – now the business is up to its 27th build.
Co-owner of My Little Pub (MLP) Breiana Bennetts hasbeen there since the first little pub was featured at the Christchurch Beer Festival back in 2021.
“[I] got to spend the day in the pub at the Beer Festival and just watched streams of people come in and out all day, just marvelling at the place, and there was so much excitement, and you could [see] there was a real energy and vibe around what people were seeing and experiencing,” Bennetts tells the Herald.
The first pub came to be in the 2020 lockdown when founder Gary Altenburg had no real pub to visit and a little extra time on his hands.
He designed the first little pub on the back of a cigarette packet and with a “let’s just do it” attitude, T. O’Loughlin was built.
The first little pub built, T. O’Loughlin. Photo / Charlie Rose Creative
Twenty-five little pubs later, the Kiwi start-up has now become a favourite with family, friends and even other little pub owners flocking to backyard pubs around the country.
“We’re growing quite a cool community, everyone that buys and puts a pub in their backyard, they’re really hospitable and welcoming people,” Bennetts says.
Whether it’s an Irish or English-themed pub or something completely custom, every little pub comes personalised to each customer’s wants.
The story behind each creation is what gives each little pub its uniqueness, Bennetts says.
“Every piece and corner and nook and cranny is an opportunity to tell a story, which is what we love so much, that they are so personal and so meaningful for people and really a legacy.”
For some people, these pubs have become more than just a place to share a couple drinks with mates, they stand as a memorial for loved ones.
After her husband died, a customer got “The Eagle, Al’s House” built as a place for her and her children to go and remember their dad.
Inside The Eagle, Al’s House, where the owner's memoriablia hangs. Photo / Charlie Rose Creative
“For people to trust us to help capture the spirit of their loved one is something we don’t take lightly,” Bennetts says.
“There have been some really special stories [which is] really heartwarming.”
It’s just not Irish pubs that have found new homes, MLP has had the chance to recreate iconic New Zealand landmark buildings.
With Central Otago’s Cardrona Hotel owners giving their full blessing, MLP recently recreated the famous South Island pub for a family in Waiuku (just tinier).
660 Castle St – the address where award-winning Kiwi band Six60 first met and lived - was also scaled down to help celebrate the release of their Castle Street album, with an exact replica even placed on Eden Park’s grounds.
Bennetts says recreating buildings that people have fond memories of is part of the reason why these little pubs are so meaningful to their owners.
“Those places tell a story. Six60 got their name from the flat. Being able to bring that on a miniature size and something that people know around the country is exciting.”
A miniature replica of Six60’s Dunedin flat was created to help celebrate their 2022 album. Photo / Matthew Clode
The smallest pub the company has made is 4.2m x 3m; the largest is 6m x 3m.
Bennetts says you can fit 12 to 40 people in the pub, depending on its size.
These little pubs don’t come with a little price tag, but they are fitted out with custom signage, memorabilia displayed on LED-lit shelving, matching stained tables and stools, and of course, a bar fridge.
The smallest pubs start around $89,000 and the price increases depending on size and specifications.
Bennetts says customer feedback often praises the quality of MLP’s craftsmanship and personalisation.
“They stand inside, and they take a moment to see, to look at the photos, to look at the memorabilia, and then it kind of sinks even deeper and it starts to really give that emotional feeling,” she says.
Although Bennetts doesn’t have a favourite little pub, she said each one is meaningful to her for different reasons.
“We have people that just have some awesome ideas of how they’re going to use their pub; it becomes a central party point.
“Like one pub we have in Papamoa, they’re consistently having parties and get-togethers so that’s a favourite for a different reason.”
Bennetts says the little pubs emulate what it means to come together as family and friends and that is at the core of the business.
