Gary Beadle doesn’t mince his words.

He’s spent the last 26 years blending cocktails, selecting wines and pouring beers in some of the best bars in the world.

But, the Londoner chose to open his own bar in Perth, his adopted city.

“The entire process took up two years of my life, and made me go grey,” he jokes.

“Opening a small bar is always going to be a risk, particularly in a place like Perth. People turn into pumpkins at midnight, ” he says.

“It is a really expensive thing to do, you have to be really committed to it. It’s not something to take lightly.”

Mr Beadle says the scene is beginning to take off.

“The best thing about Perth is that everyone does stuff their own way. That’s the thing I love about Perth, it takes a little while to get stuff done, but when you do, it’s done really well.

“Like the situation with micro-breweries. There were none here for a long time, and now the best in the country are here in WA.”

His bar, 399, is wedged between an Asian grocery store and a Chinese resaurant at the north end of William Street in the city.

It’s been open 10 months and in that time, a couple of dozen other bars have sprung up in Mount Lawley, Leederville, Subiaco, Wembley, Fremantle and various laneways in the city centre.

Red tape

The movement is the result of the former Government’s liquor reforms in 2007, opening the door for the establishment of ‘small bars’ in Perth.

The title reform might suggest a shift toward deregulation of the industry but the reality couldn’t be more different.

A small bar can host up to 120 patrons at any one time. Licensees must have some form of food for sale at their establishments, although patrons are not legally compelled to purchase it and music is only allowed as part of the background.

Jennifer Allan is a Client Liaison Officer for the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor and it’s her job to wade through the mountains of paperwork submitted as part of the approvals process.

“Firstly, you have to have permission from the Local Council to open a bar where you want it. We won’t even look at your application unless you have already gotten permission from the Council.”

New bar owners have to pay a one off $2750 licence fee to be able to trade and once granted, small bars can operate between 06:00 in the morning until midnight.

“It’s up to individual licensees as to what hours they open. They can apply for extended licenses to 1 am on Friday’s and Saturdays,” she says.

Everything considered, it can take anywhere from six months to six years to get approval for a small bar.

Gary Beadle says the process is agonising.

“You are dealing with about three different departments, at various levels of government.

“These departments don’t communicate between one another. You should be able to go to one person and get it all done. The bureaucracy is mind boggling.”

Barcode

The quickly changing scene has inspired three Perth men to create the ‘Barcode Project’, a book that will document the changes.

Michel Ludwig, Luke Carrangis and Anthony Princi have travelled extensively and say they’ve spent plenty of time ‘road testing’ bars at any opportunity.

Mr Princi says bar small bar owners typically go about creating bars that they themselves have always wanted to visit.

“Perth has this tradition of super clubs and beer barns where hundreds of punters are just stuffed into these massive venues.

“There is a movement going on. These small bars are emerging that show you don’t need to go out to a big place and get drunk and start a riot.”

Mr Ludwig says young Perth people often move to cities like Melbourne and Sydney where the nightlife is better.

“Perth people are sick of the creators and the young people moving away. Small bars are changing the way people socialise and the venues they do it in. It’s an important part of keeping them here in WA.”

He is quick to point out it’s a more discerning customer who prefers a small bar to a ‘beer barn’.

“As more small bars come onto the scene, it allows the public to dictate where they want to go. They are no longer forced to go one place.”

“You can access most of these places by foot if you live near the city centre as most young people do.”

“People can walk home and not end up standing in a taxi queue for 45 minutes, putting a dampener on the evening.”

Saturation?

Contrary to popular belief, there’s no limit to the number of new liquor licenses that can be granted annually.

Mr Beadle is well aware that eventually Perth will have its fair share of venues.

“One day it will reach saturation point, like they did in Melbourne, competition will be healthy and they will cut it off.”

He says it’s up to individual licensees to focus on keeping their businesses relevant and treating their patrons well.

That leaves the Barcode boys with plenty of fodder for their book.

“Quite literally, in the last few months since we decided to do the project, about a dozen new bars have popped up. It’s a really exciting time.”