Unique custom bike shop

[guide623]

Hey all, I am in the process of opening a boutique bike shop and wanted some input on unique brands that stand out in your mind for quality, craftsmanship, durability and value? Thoughts.
Thanks!

[sandyrs]

There are as many brands fitting that description as there are members of this forum, but with that said, here's a really short list of standouts in my consistently under-informed opinion (filtered to try not to include the really obvious ones lots of forum members will post, though I'm sure a couple will be obvious to some):

Eleven Velo (could do a run of shop caps or something)
Cafe Du Cycliste
Wound Up
Butter Studio (chain holder tool)
Veloflex

I haven't included any frame brands because I think the bar for craftsmanship is often set by small or one-man custom shops that deal directly with customers.

[sandyrs]

Oh, and in terms of durability and value, Defeet warmers and base layers are pretty much unrivaled in my book. Made in USA too!

[MattTuck]

I can list a few brands that I think are cool.

Handlebra
Dill Pickle Gear

pretty much anything on Blue Skewer.

The problem that I think you'll find is that the really cool little brands produce in such limited quantities that they have to go direct to consumer in order to make any money. If you consider selling through the retail channel, that means another 40%-50% mark-up in most cases. And for many, the economics wouldn't work.

[Mikej]

Boy, if I were going to open a bike store, I guess I'd already have a pretty good idea of what to sell based on the area, and know that I could source needed products. We would have to know what your competition is selling, that way you could get the Spesh vs. Trek version. Id say RAPHA EVERYTHING - judging by the threads here, its seems epic. How many tats you got?

[oldpotatoe]

Hey all, I am in the process of opening a boutique bike shop and wanted some input on unique brands that stand out in your mind for quality, craftsmanship, durability and value? Thoughts.
Thanks!

Remember there are only 4 things to remember when opening any small (bicycle) retail store-

Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow and a sense of humor.

Campagnolo, Moots, Pegoretti, Rapha, IMHO.

Competitive locale for sure, make 'them' compete with you, not the other way around. Identify your market, aggressively pursue. Don't try to be everything to everybody.

I know you didn't ask for philosophy but....ya got some anyway.

[ceolwulf]

I really like http://22bicycles.com . Since they're a newish maker you'd be unlikely to have other dealers around.

[akmonkey]

I've been really impressed with all of my Revelate gear, especially the expandable seat bags. For next Fall when the snow comes again, you might look at Neos (overshoes) and Dogwood (pogies).

[jmoore]

What product lines are you talking about? Bikes, clothing, accessories, saddles, components, shoes, nutrition? LOTS of stuff out there.

[RedRider]

Location, location, location
You can carry all the best names but what's your local market like? Will you be a destination shop? Cater to the locals? Are you in an affluent area where high end sells or in a college town? What's your competition currently stocking? Lots of questions...

[dekindy]

How do you define the concept? I don't think anyone would even remotely agree on what that means; just too general a statement.

Where will it be located?

That would be a good place to start.

[JAGI410]

I've been really impressed with all of my Revelate gear, especially the expandable seat bags. For next Fall when the snow comes again, you might look at Neos (overshoes) and Dogwood (pogies).

Now distributed by QBP, so the competition/internet pricing might not make them worthwhile. Fantastic products though. It really depends on your target market and location.

[OldCrank]

Endura
Sidi
Giro

Unsolicited recommendations:
Sponsor rides, races, teams, BBQs, movie nights, simple maintenance clinics, trainer or roller "rides" and "races" in the winter... get social.

[bikingshearer]

. . . Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow and a sense of humor. . . .

Oh, and don't forget cash flow. :rolleyes: The one thing I know about running a small business (aside from the fact that I am supremely unqualified to do so) is that bad cash flow will kill you faster than bad profitability - witness Ford and GM for God knows how many years.

[Liv2RideHard]

Shouldn't your business plan already have this dialed? If not you need to do some serious homework. In your part of the country, some very discerning clients. If you stock a lot of the stuff we like, you may isolate a lot of folks. Folks around here tend to like goods a lot know nothing about or have ever heard of.

[buddybikes]

What do you want to accomplish for your "clients"? Define this then your portfolio will be easier to answer.

If you don't have that defined, good luck, hope you have enough cash to burn.

[krhea]

Hey all, I am in the process of opening a boutique bike shop and wanted some input on unique brands that stand out in your mind for quality, craftsmanship, durability and value? Thoughts.
Thanks!

In YOUR mind, what brands "stand out for quality, craftsmanship etc etc?" I think we'd all be curious and interested to hear what YOUR answer is, especially if you're truly in the process of opening a "boutique" shop, especially in Bend. And one more thing from a former small biz owner...cash flow, cash flow, cash flow. I;m sorry, did someone already say that.
I'll be in Bend this weekend, any chance of "drive by" while I'm in town?

[beeatnik]

Linus.

[Bruce K]

+1 on Endura clothing

It would be interesting if you could get together with a custom builder but I am not sure you could get a margin that would work and still sell the frames unless the margin on the fitting, parts, and build labor works

BK

[Kirk Pacenti]

I've always thought that Zac at CBS (http://cascadebicyclestudio.com/) had a great business model; one that I would strive to emulate if I were opening retail establishment. Seattle has the demographics to support a studio like his, I would assume Bend has a similar potential client pool. (?)

Cheers,
KP

[Birddog]

Just my opinion, but I've always thought the use of the word "studio" in the name or description of a bike shop is somewhat pretentious. I don't go to a studio to buy gears and gear, I go to a shop. I want to see a little grease in the repair area and smell a little of it too. I've always liked the look of Vechios and that's the image of the kind of shop that I would like to frequent. Studio suggests to me that I'm probably just going to pay more while in an "artsy" environment.

[sc53]

Whatever else you sell, stock some (relatively) local Hood River Coffee blends and roasts for your discerning customers. I order it all the way from Hood River to VA because I know something about the owners and LOVE the beans!

[Ti Designs]

And never forget the secret to making a small fortune in the bike industry...

[Veloo]

How about Keywin pedals? Had mine for 2 years now and really like them.

http://www.keywin.com/shop.php?ln=Pedal-Set-Carbon-Titanium-Axle_link00200005032091213095000067400000000

[93legendti]

Boy, if I were going to open a bike store, I guess I'd already have a pretty good idea of what to sell...
+1.

When I worked in a bike store, I sold lots of stuff I liked. If I was going to open a store, I'd sell stuff I used, knew, liked and believed in. My customers really liked when I would recommend great shirts, gloves, bikes, shirts, helmets, etc. that I actually owned-especially when they weren't the most expensive in the store.

Once a customer didn't believe that I owned a pair of LG winter gloves that I suggested. I happened to have commuted in that day and said "I'll show you!" and got mine from the back.

Know what you sell and sell what you know.

[oldpotatoe]

And never forget the secret to making a small fortune in the bike industry...

Yep, start with a large fortune........

And for the above....a bike shop could sell anything, but you do better selling what you believe in. You will turn off/away some but gotta have the courage if your convictions. Why I sold no SRAM anything, no Mavic or any other wheelsouttaboxes.

[Coluber42]

I don't know a thing about your area; in the Boston area, there are quite a lot of bike shops and some of them can afford to to be highly specialized. Some are more generalized and some aren't. But my sense is that the ones that have the most, I dunno, "curated" stock (the most boutique-ish ones) cater to extremely specific segments of the market. In particular I'm thinking of RideStudioCafe which sells only Rapha clothing and only Seven (and Honey, which is also Seven) bikes, and artisanal coffee; and Bicycle Belle, which sells only urban transportation bikes, many imported from the Netherlands, and lots of accessories from small or locally-owned companies. I suppose a sort of exception is Harris Cyclery, which is a fairly generalized bike shop in many ways and at first glance, but also focuses on high-end rando/touring/etc stuff like Brooks and Rivendell.

The difficult thing is that while highly specific gear made to high standards by small companies may be more functional for its intended use, higher quality, more durable, etc, it's expensive. Through the miracles of the internet, I don't have to worry about that part quite as much because I can sell to anyone in the world who wants to buy my stuff. But in a brick and mortar store, you have a much more limited customer base in some ways, and you have to fight the overall impression that customers get when they walk in, look at three items, decide that everything in your store is way expensive, and walk out. It's a fine line between conveying the idealistic image of artisanal products and looking like a pretentious snob. My better half does not like to go to one of the shops I mentioned because in his mind they come down on the wrong side of that line.

[RedRider]

This is a good read...
http://brickandmortarplaybook.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/the-seven-most-important-areas-of-focus-for-bike-retailers/

[oldpotatoe]

I don't know a thing about your area; in the Boston area, there are quite a lot of bike shops and some of them can afford to to be highly specialized. Some are more generalized and some aren't. But my sense is that the ones that have the most, I dunno, "curated" stock (the most boutique-ish ones) cater to extremely specific segments of the market. In particular I'm thinking of RideStudioCafe which sells only Rapha clothing and only Seven (and Honey, which is also Seven) bikes, and artisanal coffee; and Bicycle Belle, which sells only urban transportation bikes, many imported from the Netherlands, and lots of accessories from small or locally-owned companies. I suppose a sort of exception is Harris Cyclery, which is a fairly generalized bike shop in many ways and at first glance, but also focuses on high-end rando/touring/etc stuff like Brooks and Rivendell.

The difficult thing is that while highly specific gear made to high standards by small companies may be more functional for its intended use, higher quality, more durable, etc, it's expensive. Through the miracles of the internet, I don't have to worry about that part quite as much because I can sell to anyone in the world who wants to buy my stuff. But in a brick and mortar store, you have a much more limited customer base in some ways, and you have to fight the overall impression that customers get when they walk in, look at three items, decide that everything in your store is way expensive, and walk out. It's a fine line between conveying the idealistic image of artisanal products and looking like a pretentious snob. My better half does not like to go to one of the shops I mentioned because in his mind they come down on the wrong side of that line.

Can't make everybody happy. If one or even few get the wrong impression, whether it's the shop or a preconceived notion by the customer, that doesn't necessarily mean the shop is wrong or needs to change. Look at the Rapha stores, they make some people see red, oh well, I think they nail 'it'.

It's interesting that at the bottom of your posts you advert $120 seat bags.

[Coluber42]

Know what you sell and sell what you know.
+1 again.

Along similar lines, think through the whole picture of what you sell.

A major pet peeve of mine, having worked in bike shops and having heard complaints about this from MANY people, is racks and panniers. Lots of racks in the $40-60 range are perfectly good, and are built with the platform centered above the axle. This is basically a good idea, except that most average bikes that those racks get installed on don't have particularly long chainstays. So most panniers on those racks on most bikes will hit most riders' heels when they pedal. So riders hang the panniers as far back as they can, in which case the rack may not hold the hooks correctly and the pannier will sometimes end up in the spokes because the rack doesn't support it that far back.

Additionally, some panniers have ingenious and handy quick-lock hooks, but those take up additional space and some racks have struts or welds in exactly the wrong place for some panniers. So you end up with all these shops who carry perfectly good racks and perfectly good panniers and perfectly good average bikes, except that you can't actually use those particular panniers on those particular racks on those particular bikes (and the owner is a roadie or MTBer who doesn't ride with panniers anyway, so doesn't bother to think through this part).

And it's not like you really have to carry more expensive racks or panniers to solve this problem - there are lots of choices of both at lots of price points. You can still have this problem with expensive stuff, and you can still solve it with cheap stuff. You just have to pay a little bit of attention to the big picture of how the particular models you carry work with each other.

[charliedid]

I don't know a thing about your area; in the Boston area, there are quite a lot of bike shops and some of them can afford to to be highly specialized. Some are more generalized and some aren't. But my sense is that the ones that have the most, I dunno, "curated" stock (the most boutique-ish ones) cater to extremely specific segments of the market. In particular I'm thinking of RideStudioCafe which sells only Rapha clothing and only Seven (and Honey, which is also Seven) bikes, and artisanal coffee; and Bicycle Belle, which sells only urban transportation bikes, many imported from the Netherlands, and lots of accessories from small or locally-owned companies. I suppose a sort of exception is Harris Cyclery, which is a fairly generalized bike shop in many ways and at first glance, but also focuses on high-end rando/touring/etc stuff like Brooks and Rivendell.

The difficult thing is that while highly specific gear made to high standards by small companies may be more functional for its intended use, higher quality, more durable, etc, it's expensive. Through the miracles of the internet, I don't have to worry about that part quite as much because I can sell to anyone in the world who wants to buy my stuff. But in a brick and mortar store, you have a much more limited customer base in some ways, and you have to fight the overall impression that customers get when they walk in, look at three items, decide that everything in your store is way expensive, and walk out. It's a fine line between conveying the idealistic image of artisanal products and looking like a pretentious snob. My better half does not like to go to one of the shops I mentioned because in his mind they come down on the wrong side of that line.

Rob Vandermark owns Ride Studio Cafe.

[charliedid]

In YOUR mind, what brands "stand out for quality, craftsmanship etc etc?" I think we'd all be curious and interested to hear what YOUR answer is, especially if you're truly in the process of opening a "boutique" shop, especially in Bend. And one more thing from a former small biz owner...cash flow, cash flow, cash flow. I;m sorry, did someone already say that.
I'll be in Bend this weekend, any chance of "drive by" while I'm in town?

This ^

[Coluber42]

Ack, just re-read what I wrote... I did not mean to say that my better half doesn't like the shops I mentioned; I re-wrote a couple of times before posting, and took the one he doesn't like out of the list because I didn't want to go there... but then didn't take out the part where I said he didn't like it.

I don't want to cause trouble... :(