Freshbike (metro DC) closed

[zap]

I was up in the DC metro area last weekend and stopped by Freshbike (Arlington) Friday. When I lived in metro D.C. I purchased a number of Assos items from this shop and hoped to purchase more Friday.

Shop still had a lot of Assos (and other bikes/clothes) inventory but had nothing I wanted.

Plenty of unknowns but for me confirms what I've been hearing, road bicycle business is down.

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2018/01/30/dc-area-retail-chain-freshbikes-shuts-down#.WnHnK4KQyi4

[sales guy]

I was up in the DC metro area last weekend and stopped by Freshbike (Arlington) Friday. When I lived in metro D.C. I purchased a number of Assos items from this shop and hoped to purchase more Friday.

Shop still had a lot of Assos (and other bikes/clothes) inventory but had nothing I wanted.

Plenty of unknowns but for me confirms what I've been hearing, road bicycle business is down.

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2018/01/30/dc-area-retail-chain-freshbikes-shuts-down#.WnHnK4KQyi4

It's quite sad to see. Scott and his people were VERY good. And that Wilson Rd store was insane! All of that was wood! Looked like metal tho. I don't know what happened to them and I haven't talked to Scott yet. Just found out yesterday. But i wouldn't be surprised if there was something legal going on. He did have the harassment case a few years ago. And I think they were done with the case against that one store.

Sad tho.

[ultraman6970]

Wilson Boulevard :P

Went there a few times, they had good stuff, prices were ok, but that area is expensive, cant even imagine how much they were paying in rent for the shop, must had been a lot.

If you think the shop closed due to bad market, well the DC ones must be agaisnt the cords then, those crossing the k-bridge are just insane expensive and those have high end...

I do not believe that online sales is what is killing real shops, because at least one of my friends that has a shop in colorado (country pedaler) he expanded but he saw all the guys around him to close doors to the point that probably at this point he and another guy are the only shops in town, and he thinks that is a thing of client-shop relationship the issue, the other issue is that he thinks the owners pretty much ran the shops to the ground due to really bad management ideas.

He was telling me that the big 3 american manufacturers were way too tough in their rules and that this could be a problem if the shop owner agrees too all their requests, and that could be a big factor in seeing a shop to close doors, pretty much a bad deal with the manufacturer and the shop owner can crucify himself right there.

[Gummee]

Nothing legal going on. The nutshell that I've heard is that the Mosaic store hemorraged cash and some/all of the costs that were supposed to be covered weren't.

I don't know a lot more

M

[Gummee]

Wilson Boulevard :P

Went there a few times, they had good stuff, prices were ok, but that area is expensive, cant even imagine how much they were paying in rent for the shop, must had been a lot.

If you think the shop closed due to bad market, well the DC ones must be agaisnt the cords then, those crossing the k-bridge are just insane expensive and those have high end...

I do not believe that online sales is what is killing real shops, because at least one of my friends that has a shop in colorado (country pedaler) he expanded but he saw all the guys around him to close doors to the point that probably at this point he and another guy are the only shops in town, and he thinks that is a thing of client-shop relationship the issue, the other issue is that he thinks the owners pretty much ran the shops to the ground due to really bad management ideas.

He was telling me that the big 3 american manufacturers were way too tough in their rules and that this could be a problem if the shop owner agrees too all their requests, and that could be a big factor in seeing a shop to close doors, pretty much a bad deal with the manufacturer and the shop owner can crucify himself right there.

Online IS killing stores. Even Freshbikes was down.

Maybe not ALL stores, but the ones that don't seem to have a loyal (HAH!) customer base/community are suffering.

M

[echappist]

It has to be noted the Spokes is (or at least appears to be) doing well in the DC area, and it's been in existence fore at least 30 years

I never fully understood how the shops could survive operating in Georgetown along K Street and M Street. Difficult parking, small spaces and inventories, etc.

[sales guy]

Nothing legal going on. The nutshell that I've heard is that the Mosaic store hemorraged cash and some/all of the costs that were supposed to be covered weren't.

I don't know a lot more

M

That store/area was insanely expensive and they were still building that plaza out. Not surprised it had problems. Glad it's nothing legal.

[alancw3]

It has to be noted the Spokes is (or at least appears to be) doing well in the DC area, and it's been in existence fore at least 30 years

I never fully understood how the shops could survive operating in Georgetown along K Street and M Street. Difficult parking, small spaces and inventories, etc.

spokes actually closed their ashburn store a year ago. it was a nice store but the few times i went in there i was the only customer. i would have thought that was a great location because of the demographics of the area, proximity to the w o & d bike trail and apparent lack of competition. my only guess is that the families in ashburn are so totally into team competitive sports (soccer, baseball,basketball and football) that they are not inclined to spring for or need a bike store quality bike for their children. i know when around my two grandsons and their friends they all have department store quality bikes for the few times they actually use them. also i would think that the overhead in their location was probably expensive. at some point they must have made the decision to no longer dilute the profitability of their other stores.

yes i would think that owning and operating a full service bike store today is a challenging undertaking.

[ultraman6970]

Those are the shops i was talking about... I almost certain they have what I need but from thinking I have to drive and then deal with the parking... no way... well a lot of rich people in georgetown also. Probably that's what is keeping them doing ok? But yeah, wondering the same thing for years.

Well the US in general is a weird place, here you can put a shop in the worse location ever and probably wont be a problem, you pick location wrong in other countries and you are dooooooommmeeeedddd....



It has to be noted the Spokes is (or at least appears to be) doing well in the DC area, and it's been in existence fore at least 30 years

I never fully understood how the shops could survive operating in Georgetown along K Street and M Street. Difficult parking, small spaces and inventories, etc.

[NYCfixie]

I would be interested to know if some industry trade group did research on this topic.

Two of my brothers purchased bikes for all of their kids because we grew up cycling and it was a big thing 30+ years ago. You could just get on a bike and disappear for hours or go to your friends house down the street. These days, it appears parents do not want to let their kids out of the sights and/or the kids are so involved with school, team sports, and other activities that they literally do not have the opportunity to ride a bike.

If there is not demand for bikes than there is no need for the supply. And with everyone wanting the cheapest thing around, it does not make it easy for the LBS.

...my only guess is that the families in ashburn are so totally into team competitive sports (soccer, baseball,basketball and football) that they are not inclined to spring for or need a bike store quality bike for their children. i know when around my two grandsons and their friends they all have department store quality bikes for the few times they actually use them....

[robin3mj]

Can’t say anything about their overall operations (haven’t been in the Ballston store since it was a Conte’s), but the Moasic store had a good vibe and some helpful employees, but I was understandably not surprised when it closed. Seemed like a misfit location-wise.

I work near the Bethesda shop and have wandered in a handful of times- rarely did I encounter another customer. Just dead.
When I wanted to upgrade my CX bike from 10 speed mechanical discs to 11-speed hydros, I went into the Bethesda shop to see if they’d price out the parts I’d need and the labor to make the switch and was told, “we don’t really do that kind of thing here.” Didn’t offer any alternatives, nothing. Just a bike shop saying that they would rather not hassle with selling bike parts and services to a customer.

Conte’s in Falls Church on the other hand was extremely helpful in identifying and ordering the necessary parts, hanging them on my bike, and communicative through the entire process.

Good riddance.

[echappist]

Those are the shops i was talking about... I almost certain they have what I need but from thinking I have to drive and then deal with the parking... no way... well a lot of rich people in georgetown also. Probably that's what is keeping them doing ok? But yeah, wondering the same thing for years.

Well the US in general is a weird place, here you can put a shop in the worse location ever and probably wont be a problem, you pick location wrong in other countries and you are dooooooommmeeeedddd....
well, GS Cyclelife did shut its doors a few years back, so perhaps maybe things are tethered to reality after all?

and the other thing is that for at least for Big Wheel Bikes, one could just as easily drive to their location across the river on Spouts Run and not have to deal with the nightmare traffic and parking. Not sure why anyone would prefer the Georgetown location. That makes me think that you are onto something re: the demographics. I mean, if one isn't fazed about spending $20 just for the privilege to park...

spokes actually closed their ashburn store a year ago. it was a nice store but the few times i went in there i was the only customer. i would have thought that was a great location because of the demographics of the area, proximity to the w o & d bike trail and apparent lack of competition. my only guess is that the families in ashburn are so totally into team competitive sports (soccer, baseball,basketball and football) that they are not inclined to spring for or need a bike store quality bike for their children. i know when around my two grandsons and their friends they all have department store quality bikes for the few times they actually use them. also i would think that the overhead in their location was probably expensive. at some point they must have made the decision to no longer dilute the profitability of their other stores.

yes i would think that owning and operating a full service bike store today is a challenging undertaking.

I didn't know that (moved out of the area an year ago). But generally, I think Spokes locations are "reasonable." Their most expensive locations are probably Vienna and Quaker Lane in Alexandria, and neither are as ridiculous as Clarendon. Heck, I think they might possibly own some of the real estate...

[RedRider]

The "inside" story, as I hear it, is that Freshbike is just one business affected by the 400+ unfilled government positions. Many DC area businesses do well during administration turnovers with hundreds of new families moving around. These are middle and upper income jobs that become part, or are absent, of the communities.

[corky]

When I lived in Falls Church, Contes/Freshbikes were a great store to buy, look and talk bikes........ I remember Scott telling me how much they had rid up in inventory servicing all the stores, I can’t remember the figure but I remember being shocked at how much it was.

[makoti]

The "inside" story, as I hear it, is that Freshbike is just one business affected by the 400+ unfilled government positions. Many DC area businesses do well during administration turnovers with hundreds of new families moving around. These are middle and upper income jobs that become part, or are absent, of the communities.

Every 2-4 years we have big turnover here. I can't even blame the government for this one, and I blame them when I burn toast. The local economy appears to be doing fairly well.

[robin3mj]

The "inside" story, as I hear it, is that Freshbike is just one business affected by the 400+ unfilled government positions. Many DC area businesses do well during administration turnovers with hundreds of new families moving around. These are middle and upper income jobs that become part, or are absent, of the communities.

If those 400 people (and their families) were the difference between sink or swim in an MSA of 6 million people, then there were a whole lot of issues that pushed them to that point in the first place.

[ultraman6970]

Interesting theory of the 400 positions but if you work in DC doesnt mean you are going to live in arlington, besides to go to DC from arlington you pretty much are forced to use metro, even bus is a bad idea, car? no way, bicycle? maybe but the thing is, there's a lot of other places to live than arlington, specially in DC that could be closer to their jobs. IMO the 400 thing is just a myth because they needed to blame something?

[yashcha]

Any news on who will take over their Tuesday night rides and free tacos?

[peanutgallery]

DC specialty retail is getting killed by commercial rent, it's off the charts. For example, the market lost several ski shops in the last 2 seasons for just that reason. Yeah, the market is ripe but as a business owner it takes too much scratch to be the master of your own destiny in that area. You can't afford the rent and the folks that work for you can't afford to live there for what you can pay them. It's a tough place to be and the bike biz has even worse margins

Go 1.5 hours north and you can have 7000 square feet and a parking lot for a song. Plus, the DC crowd has to drive by your doorstep to get to a resort. If I had a place in DC I would close it, too

[cycle-spinner]

Freasbikes was a good shop but IMHO lacked the understanding of the current internet/retail marketplace. Prices were high (even with discounts) and their customer service, at times, lacked. The closing sound like more or a cash flow problem more then anything else. Here’s hoping they come back in a new, more nimble, format.

[redir]

It's definitely a new world out there in terms of retail and brick and mortar shops in general. My own personal business was in music stores and they are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Freshbikes was a high end shop and I believe that's the kind of place that takes the biggest hit unless they are savey enough to find a niche online. The one music store that was successful out of the many I did business with has gone entirely online and is now successful.

Freshbikes depended on a few very wealthy clients in the area. While they aged no one came in to replace them. I road my first E-Bike out of that shop and it was a trip, Doing 35MPH in a few seconds around the parking lot :) They had $15k bikes on the racks there, it was a kid in a candy store experience. Sad to see them close.

[ultraman6970]

Are they having a super sale due to the closing or they already did that?

[HenryA]

DC specialty retail is getting killed by commercial rent, it's off the charts. For example, the market lost several ski shops in the last 2 seasons for just that reason. Yeah, the market is ripe but as a business owner it takes too much scratch to be the master of your own destiny in that area. You can't afford the rent and the folks that work for you can't afford to live there for what you can pay them. It's a tough place to be and the bike biz has even worse margins

Go 1.5 hours north and you can have 7000 square feet and a parking lot for a song. Plus, the DC crowd has to drive by your doorstep to get to a resort. If I had a place in DC I would close it, too

^^^^ Lot of this. ^^^^

[jke.4132]

It was a nice store, a good source for some harder to find items. Conte's is back in the area and opened a store just down the street from FreshBike.

[jke.4132]

Spokes, Etc. has apparently taken over the old FreshBike space on Wilson Blvd. They're accepting applications now.

[ultraman6970]

That's interesting.

[levi]

Just learned about the closing. We always stopped by the store on our way to the south to see some really high-end bikes on display.

It is definitely hard to compete with online etailers. Businesses had to be creative to keep customers coming and buying 2-3 Cervelo RCA or Open Cycle framesets. Perhaps a steady stream of pro-builds and or maintenance services helps.

Sad to see them close.

[wgp]

Spokes, Etc. has apparently taken over the old FreshBike space on Wilson Blvd. They're accepting applications now.

Are they closing one of their other stores or just expanding to this new (for them) location? That’s a huge amount of space at that Wilson Blvd location.

As someone noted earlier in the thread, Spokes seems to be hanging steady ... good for them!