Two views on a local shop closing.

[akelman]

Davis Wheelworks, a very established shop in Davis, CA, is closing its doors. Here are two views on what happened that I thought might be of interest to people here, because we've talked about these sorts of issues many times through the years. Number one below is from Ken Bradford, who's the owner of another local shop in Davis that seems to be quite successful, and it's interesting because Ken believes Wheelworks closed due to what might be called structural reasons: a changing retail landscape. Number 2 below is from someone I don't know who ascribes the closure to idiosyncratic reasons: the shop changing its identity a few years ago.

1) TLDNR: Retail is tough these days. Davis lost three womens clothing stores last month, and our largest downtown store (>110 years old) downsized significantly. The best way to summarize the reason is to say that "the way people shop is changing."

LONG VERSION: There are some of us who still believe that going to a specialty store with knowledgeable staff, good selection, outstanding service and competitive prices is a better way to get the best product or service for your needs. But the number of people who believe that (as measured by their behavior) is shrinking. Hence the number of stores must shrink. There are too many other ways to get stuff... and if a store is just another way to get stuff [you've already decided to buy] then there soon won't be many physical stores at all. It's "get better - a lot better - or go home" in retail these days. Speaking as a store owner myself, we know we have to *earn* each client's business and not *expect* it.

And even then, there are those consumers who will use a store to get help to choose wisely, try products, etc then leave and purchase the item they learned about (or something that looks similar on a web page) from a low-wage, low-overhead online store. There's not much any store owner, including Duke [note: Duke was the new owner of Wheelworks] and all the previous owners of Wheelworks, could or can do about that behavior (sometimes called "showrooming" or "service theft"). And to be fair, there are other ways to get not just "stuff" but information and advice on what will work best for you. So we shouldn't be surprised that stores - from bikes to clothing to hardware to whatever - are closing. There will be a lot more of that in the next few years.

On the other hand, some people *like* shopping in specialty stores and find them (us) useful, so in larger markets there will always be a few. As cyclists, be glad you live in Davis where a lot of people ride, so there will probably be one or two quality bike stores around for quite a while. The same goes for many big cities, where cycling is actually growing.

Smaller towns and suburbs aren't so blessed - many of them have seen their one bike shop close (in the last 10 yrs) and then seen the number of bike riders plummet. Why? The most common hypothesis is that bike stores (like music stores, camera stores, etc) provide(d) a lot of visibility for the sport and provided the knowledge, events, products, service and support (from fixing a flat on Friday night, to individual encouragement) that beginners need(ed) to get "hooked" - but these are low-priced (or un-priced) products & services (which don't bring in sufficient $ per sq ft to pay the rent). In the new shopping paradigm, when riders 'graduate' to higher levels in the sport (and start wanting more expensive toys) many decide they will also 'graduate' from shopping in the local bike shop (except for small items). So the shop (who relied on continuing to sell those expensive toys) goes out of business. And then the beginners (or potential beginners) don't see bikes as often... And if they do get interested in "trying" cycling, maybe they buy something inexpensive from Target or Amazon... when it doesn't really fit or work properly, riding isn't as much fun as they thought and they go back to driving (for transportation) and bowling (for fun).

Whether this is the correct hypothesis or not, we don't really know - but we do have hard data on many communities where the bike shop(s) closed and ridership numbers tanked. I would be very surprised if that happens in Davis, if that's any comfort. But losing Wheelworks isn't really a good sign.

My .02,

Ken Bradford
Ken's Bike-Ski-Board

2) Wheelworks changed its focus after the ownership change a couple of years ago and in so doing lost most of its long-term clientele. After the ownership change it seemed to me that the store was trying to serve the same market as several already well established stores in town (and perhaps not as well). So old WW clientele had no reason to go to new WW, and happy customers of established bike stores had no reason to change to WW. Add this to the challenging market forces that Ken describes and my only surprise is that it took so long.

[roguedog]

I am saddened by their closing. It was part of the Davis landscape for so long. Haven't been around Davis is a long while so not sure of the factors and if opinion #2 might hold some truth to it.

[Ken Robb]

There MAY be a chance that retail stores can come back IF rents come down quite a bit.

I was a real estate broker for 36 years in La Jolla, CA. When I moved here in 1970 we had all kinds of shops in our little shopping area known as "The Village". We had small specialty grocer, hardware stores, nice clothing stores and even a "variety shop" where they sold ribbons, spools of thread, etc.

But as the leases of these shops came up for renewal landlords found new business owners willing to pay more than the long-time tenants could afford. Many of the new guys seemed to think "La Jollans are rich so they and the tourists will pay almost anything we ask for our goods/services".

It worked for a while and we got lots of rug merchants, glitzy jewelers, t-shirt shops and over-priced restaurants. Some of the better old places lived on. We still have Meanley's Hardware right in the middle of our best shopping street but that's surely because the family owns the property and the younger members LIKE being in the hardware business.

But now we have quite a few vacant storefronts where businesses failed due to unsustainable rent. Finally we may be running out of would-be business owners who think they can afford rent that killed 3 other businesses in the same location in the last 5 years.

I think we will go through a painful period for landlords who can't find tenants at their old rental rates. If they have owned the property for a long time they can probably accept lower rents and carry on. OTOH if the owners bought their properties at prices based on projections of ever-increasing rental rates they will either be saddled with negative cash flow while they try to keep their loans current or they may default on the loans and walk away.

A sad scenario in some ways but after a readjustment of rents to reflect reality in what a business can pay and stay in business I hope to see a resurgence of more of the kind shops we used to enjoy.

[parris]

I think Ken hit on a very solid point. I live in a depressed part of NYS and a friend of mine runs a martial arts school. When he was looking for a new location some of the rents quoted seemed out of touch with not only the current state of the area in general but also the locations considered.

[Gummee]

The last shop I worked for bought a building, remodeled the shop, and moved in.
I don't know what they spent on the remodel, but the building was $1mil

There are a pair of offices above the shop and an apartment (2?) above that, so the shop doesn't have to come up with the whole mortgage alone. If it did, I'm pretty sure that they would have gone out of business already.

On one hand, it was a smart move for the shop owner and the 2 other people involved in the purchase of the building. On the other... IDK if the math will work out long-term. Time will tell. They were busy (repair-wise) when I was in last, so...

They desperately *want* to be higher end, but the customer base is the $4-500 hybrid buyer. Takes selling a LOT of hybrids to pay the bills

M

[93KgBike]

Concepts like "show rooming", or "service theft" sound like calling shoppers tire-kickers.

If you are not a bike-nut, retail prices for road and mtbs should be shocking. And there's no in-shop financing going on for the most part, because you'd have to be within a few training hours of going, at least, "CAT3 pro" to be crazy enough to finance a bike, on top of your financed: education, car, housing, healthcare, and consumer credit.

How can b&m shops with high overhead do much more than tread water in a market where $3500-$5000+ bikes are normal?

As Gummee said, you gotta sell a LOT of $500-$700 bikes to make your nut these days. So why then even carry Cervelos?

[William]

And even then, there are those consumers who will use a store to get help to choose wisely, try products, etc then leave and purchase the item they learned about (or something that looks similar on a web page) from a low-wage, low-overhead online store. There's not much any store owner, including Duke [note: Duke was the new owner of Wheelworks] and all the previous owners of Wheelworks, could or can do about that behavior (sometimes called "showrooming" or "service theft").


I was just having a conversation recently about this type of activity in local stores (non cycling related) and how from the store owners perspective it's such a waste of time. I can see how it would be frustrating having a potential customer come in and essentially act like a shopper getting information, trying things on, and then leaving and buying cheaper somewhere online. Some don't tell them that's what they are doing, but some will when they are done.

Maybe they should charge for information or to try on clothing and make it go toward the purchase if they buy in store? What do you think?







Yeah, I didn't think so... :)






William

[velotel]

There's one action that could dramatically change the pricing dynamics for local stores, but which unfortunately will never happen in the states and probably not here in Europe either. Namely pass a law that dictates that the wholesale price is the same for all buyers regardless of volume. The pricing isn't dictated, only that all resellers have the same wholesale price. Obviously the big discount stores or whatever will have certain advantages anyway but at least the small shops won't be starting out way behind.

Long ago in ancient history I had a ski shop in Crested Butte and I remember seeing in late December the same skis and boots, etc. that I sold on sale in Denver for less than I paid for them, and the businesses there were still making 20% on those sales. An insane situation.

Make everyone equal out of the starting blocks and let them work out the rest for themselves. Stupidly simple but of course totally against modern ideas of business.

So my 2 cents, with a ton of inflation in those cents of course

[Mike V]

If I was to open a bike shop for the customers in Davis I would open it in Woodland or Dixon.

Davis is a place that shuns big business and makes it difficult for new small business.

[BobO]

I was just having a conversation recently about this type of activity in local stores (non cycling related) and how from the store owners perspective it's such a waste of time. I can see how it would be frustrating having a potential customer come in and essentially act like a shopper getting information, trying things on, and then leaving and buying cheaper somewhere online. Some don't tell them that's what they are doing, but some will when they are done.

Maybe they should charge for information or to try on clothing and make it go toward the purchase if they buy in store? What do you think?







Yeah, I didn't think so... :)






William

There is always going to be some of that. As a business owner I feel that it's important to build a sense of community within the customer base. Be friendly, helpful and honest with people, create opportunity for them to participate in what you're enthusiastic about. I've found that by doing that you'll get positive reviews and recommendations even from the people who spent money elsewhere.

FWIW, this is the main reason I purchased a BMC from my LBS rather than a Canyon direct, despite the Canyon potentially much better deal. That and the virtual lack of personal support in Tucson.

[Cloozoe]

"There are some of us who still believe that going to a specialty store with knowledgeable staff, good selection, outstanding service and competitive prices is a better way to get the best product or service for your needs. But the number of people who believe that (as measured by their behavior) is shrinking."

Then there's the situation in my area: ignorant staffs; god awfully limited and uninteresting selection; meh service; top dollar prices. I'd love to have a good local shop, but after driving 30 miles in every direction looking for one, I've given up.

[AngryScientist]

this is a very complex issue that i have a lot of thoughts about, the sum of which amount to very little, in the grand scheme of things....

a few thoughts:

- i think Ken is absolutely right in the notion that "the rent is too damn high". Here in my neighborhood in a busy NYC suburb, we have seen a lot of small businesses go belly up as well, simply because they cant afford the asking price in the spaces they occupy. non-bike related stuff. we had a FANTASTIC bagel/coffee shop i could walk to from home that was always busy. they made fresh, great bagels in house and sold decently priced, quality coffee. any morning you visited, they were busy and never had an empty store.

of course - you have to sell a whole lot of bagels and coffee, even at fair to highish prices to make a big number on rent, pay employees a livable wage and turn any profit. and if you dont turn a profit - why keep the doors open?

this is one example - but a common story in the local scene.

- it is unrealistic to expect the average consumer, in 2018 to pay a big premium to a local retailer of anything when it is easily available online. stuff that has little need for technical assistance. bike tires are probably one of the best examples here. i can buy a veloflex corsa online for under 40 bucks, any day of the week. getting that same tire locally is about double. a responsible middle class consumer just can not justify a 2x price increase, no way.

google makes it all too easy. if joe average needs a new component set for his bike, and he googles Ultegra R8000, and compares what he sees online to what the LBS quotes him for the exact same kit (before installation fees!), how does he pull the trigger at the local shop for a 40% increase?

- i do not understand the economics of LBS employees. how do you convince a talented young person to pursue a career as a bike mechanic, when the room for advancement beyond the entry level is dismal. what is the shop owners incentive to pay a good mechanic increasing wages for a relatively undynamic set of responsibilities? if your high school wrench takes 5 years to become a great mechanic though experience and basic training - how does he justify earning beyond a meager wage as the margins on the work he/she does do not increase with the their experience level?

i'm not downplaying the job, i just dont get how the economics could possibly work in any but the most affluent areas where people have lots of disposable income and little free time.






no good answers here, just some thoughts.

[yetitotheheady]

- i do not understand the economics of LBS employees. how do you convince a talented young person to pursue a career as a bike mechanic, when the room for advancement beyond the entry level is dismal. what is the shop owners incentive to pay a good mechanic increasing wages for a relatively undynamic set of responsibilities? if your high school wrench takes 5 years to become a great mechanic though experience and basic training - how does he justify earning beyond a meager wage as the margins on the work he/she does do not increase with the their experience level?


I could not agree more with this.

[fignon's barber]

The whole bike shop model is outdated. It's structured around bikes costing $50-$400, which, if those were today's bike prices, would still work splendidly.
If you built a strategy today from scratch, based on today's bike prices, bike shops would sell cycling goods and services related to bikes, but it would be illogical to inventory expensive bikes. It would be like auto repair shop or your local Tires Plus stocking Honda Accords.

[oldpotatoe]

There's one action that could dramatically change the pricing dynamics for local stores, but which unfortunately will never happen in the states and probably not here in Europe either. Namely pass a law that dictates that the wholesale price is the same for all buyers regardless of volume. The pricing isn't dictated, only that all resellers have the same wholesale price. Obviously the big discount stores or whatever will have certain advantages anyway but at least the small shops won't be starting out way behind.

Long ago in ancient history I had a ski shop in Crested Butte and I remember seeing in late December the same skis and boots, etc. that I sold on sale in Denver for less than I paid for them, and the businesses there were still making 20% on those sales. An insane situation.

Make everyone equal out of the starting blocks and let them work out the rest for themselves. Stupidly simple but of course totally against modern ideas of business.

So my 2 cents, with a ton of inflation in those cents of course

Think that's the definition of 'price fixing', methinks.

BUT (US)LBS' that buy from distributors already DO pay the same $ regardless of volume. Whether it be 3 front hubs or 30..some discounts in shipping $ and perhaps rebates at the end. The issue is companies buying from manufacturers, then selling to consumers AND bike shops. PLUS things like unrestricted OEM resale, and 'container filling', things that could be controlled by the manufacturer, but are not. Throw in 'alternative' distribution channels(black/grey market, selling seconds, selling out the back door) and you see goofy pricing...at all levels.

[oldpotatoe]

The whole bike shop model is outdated. It's structured around bikes costing $50-$400, which, if those were today's bike prices, would still work splendidly.
If you built a strategy today from scratch, based on today's bike prices, bike shops would sell cycling goods and services related to bikes, but it would be illogical to inventory expensive bikes. It would be like auto repair shop or your local Tires Plus stocking Honda Accords.

MY shop biz model...5-6 new car dealers in the republic but 35+ car repair places..Hoshi Motors(Honda), Swedish Motors(Volvo), East of Sweden(Saab..3 doors down from Swedish Motors), etc..let them buy the trekspecializedgiantcannondale down the street but since trek dealers see service as a net LIABILITY, be the new bike owner's 'guy'...Best margin by far..service.

Then not available on the interweb, 'things', shop branded stuff, high end frames(Moots, Waterford)....but can't be everything for everybody..economy of scale..bigger isn't 'better', 'better' is better.

But I feel for the 'standard' bike stores around here..pushing those $400 bikes out the door in this environment..I wouldn't do it.

[BobbyJones]

Every time this comes up I wonder: Why do some shops do well and others don't?

Is it market saturation?

Is it a changing retail landscape and a failure to adapt?

Do you just plain ol' suck at running a business?

Just because you open your doors doesn't guarantee success. There's obviously not a McDonalds-esque formula out there for owning a successful bike shop, but I'd imagine enthusiasm isn't enough.

[redir]

What I noticed right away is that apparently the one store that has remained open in Davis is Kens and it's called bike-ski-board.

Maybe bike shops just have to reach out a bit more. If you have other outdoorsey entertainment in your area then look into adding that.

[benb]

The LBS needs to get every last little thing right in this day and age.

Pretty much every one I've been 50% of the employees have toxic personalities.

- The mechanic who does stuff wrong and insists its right even with the manufacturer instructions right in front of him

- Mechanic/sales person who always tries to make all the customers feel like an idiot about everything cause they're the greatest rider/mechanic ever

- Surly owners/sales people/poor customer service who trash whatever bike gets brought in if it wasn't from them

- Not getting work done on time when they gave you a ticket with an expected completion time, or trying to tell you they did the work when they didn't do it

You add that into some shops now being tied into only carrying products from one/two brands which means they can never carry the best stuff, and then having to price it super high because of the silly distribution games and it just gets more and more annoying.

[ptourkin]

The LBS needs to get every last little thing right in this day and age.


- Surly owners/sales people/poor customer service who trash whatever bike gets brought in if it wasn't from them



Good thing I sold my Long Haul Trucker years ago.

[oldpotatoe]

Pretty much every one I've been 50% of the employees have toxic personalities.

Small retail in general and bike shop retail specifically, along with very low unemployment means the ‘best and brightest’ don’t go into retail. Even decent wrenches, with $ so close to bone, can’t be paid what they are ‘worth’. Look for a small shop where the owner is also the wrench.. best chance for decent customer service.

[wc1934]

I often wondered why landlords would raise rents, thus forcing the business out, and then allow that space sit unoccupied.

I then read somewhere - have no idea if it is accurate or not - that businesses can possibly deduct un-rented space as a tax deduction (you write off the full amount of the lost rent as a passive loss against your passive gain from other rental properties).

As a result (to counter this) some communities might consider imposing a vacancy fee - think countries like France are already doing it.

[akelman]

What I noticed right away is that apparently the one store that has remained open in Davis is Kens and it's called bike-ski-board.

Maybe bike shops just have to reach out a bit more. If you have other outdoorsey entertainment in your area then look into adding that.

Davis still has either four or five brick-and-mortar bike shops, depending on how you count such things, but I suspect it's definitely to Ken's advantage that his shop has year-round business (and also that he employs mechanics who have been there for many, many years).

[cmg]

- Mechanic/sales person who always tries to make all the customers feel like an idiot about everything cause they're the greatest rider/mechanic ever

Friend goes into bike shop where she bought her last bike 8 years ago, they serviced her bike through out it's history. She wants a new specialized something with dura ace electric shifting and disc brakes, road bike. her pinerello had dura ace everything. Shop sells her a tarmac with bouncy front shock, Ultegra mechanical, compact crank, pinerello had full crank, with hydro disc brakes, tells her she can upgrade to dura ace later. we look at the new one and ask if she plans to ride gravel. she says they told her this was popular. she trusts this shop and they sell her whatever they had on the floor. now in her mind she still wants dura ace and has to relearn the spin/cadence due to compact crank. not to happy.

[beeatnik]

I often wondered why landlords would raise rents, thus forcing the business out, and then allow that space sit unoccupied.

I then read somewhere - have no idea if it is accurate or not - that businesses can possibly deduct un-rented space as a tax deduction (you write off the full amount of the lost rent as a passive loss against your passive gain from other rental properties).

As a result (to counter this) some communities might consider imposing a vacancy fee - think countries like France are already doing it.

The local bike shop, which depended on the $400 model, closed two years ago as the owners were not able to renegotiate their lease. The location has been marketed at 3x the previous rent and remains empty. Apparently, the rent increase allowed the building's appraised value to increase and the landlords aren't losing money due to the vacancy. In fact they prefer to allow the space to remain vacant.

[Ken Robb]

Apparently, the rent increase allowed the building's appraised value to increase and the landlords aren't losing money due to the vacancy. In fact they prefer to allow the space to remain vacant.

36 years as a real estate broker but I can't understand what this means. Vacant buildings don't usually generate any income and the only rent increase that counts is one that is being paid. What am I missing here?

[beeatnik]

Building is in a HPOZ. Would that make a difference? Also, the landlords own the building and restaurant next door and use the former bike shop for storage.

[josephr]

There MAY be a chance that retail stores can come back IF rents come down quite a bit.

I was a real estate broker for 36 years in La Jolla, CA. When I moved here in 1970 we had all kinds of shops in our little shopping area known as "The Village". We had small specialty grocer, hardware stores, nice clothing stores and even a "variety shop" where they sold ribbons, spools of thread, etc.

But as the leases of these shops came up for renewal landlords found new business owners willing to pay more than the long-time tenants could afford. Many of the new guys seemed to think "La Jollans are rich so they and the tourists will pay almost anything we ask for our goods/services".

It worked for a while and we got lots of rug merchants, glitzy jewelers, t-shirt shops and over-priced restaurants. Some of the better old places lived on. We still have Meanley's Hardware right in the middle of our best shopping street but that's surely because the family owns the property and the younger members LIKE being in the hardware business.

But now we have quite a few vacant storefronts where businesses failed due to unsustainable rent. Finally we may be running out of would-be business owners who think they can afford rent that killed 3 other businesses in the same location in the last 5 years.

I think we will go through a painful period for landlords who can't find tenants at their old rental rates. If they have owned the property for a long time they can probably accept lower rents and carry on. OTOH if the owners bought their properties at prices based on projections of ever-increasing rental rates they will either be saddled with negative cash flow while they try to keep their loans current or they may default on the loans and walk away.

A sad scenario in some ways but after a readjustment of rents to reflect reality in what a business can pay and stay in business I hope to see a resurgence of more of the kind shops we used to enjoy.


I think your story of La Jolla is comparative to a lot of the U.S. right now.....retail real estate bubble is slowly deflating as retail property values aren't supported by a location's ability to drive retail sales. Here we have retail moving further out....we have malls and super-strip shopping centers that used to be 'the place' now have empty parking lots. Even though there's some rebound in the downtown/central areas, there's now a deadzone of retail b/t there and the new stuff 15 miles out.

The worst part about it is now real estate developers are looking for a way out and are luring local governments into the 'city development business' as cities see retail space as sales-tax generation. :confused:

[Ken Robb]

Was it "The Galleria" that was a hot spot 10-15 years ago in B'Ham?

[Ken Robb]

Still thinking about how a vacant building can better than a fully-rented building. A landlord can probably still charge some depreciation, loan costs, and maintenance expense on the empty building against income from other sources but it would still be better to have rental income from ALL owned buildings.

[BobbyJones]

Still thinking about how a vacant building can better than a fully-rented building. A landlord can probably still charge some depreciation, loan costs, and maintenance expense on the empty building against income from other sources but it would still be better to have rental income from ALL owned buildings.

I know very little about this kind of thing, but this made theoretical sense. It may be that a fully rented building at a certain amount is better than a vacant building.

Consider a building where actual yearly expenses are $100. It's vacant.

Landlord exaggerates (no third party involved, who's to check?) and claims $200 in expenses.

Tax deduction on the expenses, let's say 30%, would equal $60. (Assume landlord has sufficient other property to make full use of that deduction.)

So for landlord to come out ahead, he'd need to rent the building for more than $160.

Tax deductibility of easily gameable expenses doesn't turn an empty building into a gain, but it sure cushions the blow, and increases the rent a landlord will demand, which in turn reduces the number of possible tenants.

There are probably some other shenanigans going on as well, as well as some legitimate concerns

[19wisconsin64]

The costs of being in business have gone up for almost all businesses. Having a brick and mortar business is very difficult. The way in which people buy things has changed and will continue to change dramatically.

In all of the places where I cycle the small shops I used to frequent have closed. New ones, however, pop up as cycling is a big money making sport. Hats off to the old school shops and stores that have hung in there.

Must admit as much as I hate to change my way of doing business (housing/real estate), it's all changed 100%, and rolling with it is the best option.

[nate2351]

Making it as a brick and mortar bike shop these days is extremely hard. Even then "making it" is 1-3% profitable, thats even with buying into all the pre-season deals you can. Hell, a bad plumbing situation can wipe out your profit for the year in a week. Even successful bike shops are struggling, its all on a razors edge. Smart bike shops saved up during The Lance Years.

[joev]

Why I go to the LBS:

* There has always been one or two people on staff that have taken the time to ask how I've been, how the riding is going, or just what is going on.

* I get honest opinions on gear that I am thinking of buying. The staff uses the stuff. I'll pay the uptick in price for that advice.

* They stock a lot of stuff, both road and mountain. I usually can find what I need - in stock.

* The service is top notch. While the wrenches do change over time and the quality may not always be "pro" level, I get what I need done. In the rare chance something isn't quite right on the next ride, I can go back and they take care of it.

Nothing too earth shattering. i don't know the shop's profits, the owner isn't the wrench, but he runs a fine shop that I will continue to go back and support it and steer my friends to the shop as well.

Unfortunately, rent, changing tastes...does anyone golf much now?...and other circumstances can be the difference between success and boarding up the shop.

[quickfeet]

Nevermind

[bigbill]

I live in a town of 25K people in NE Texas. Up until last year, there was no LBS within about 90 minutes of here. Walmart sells 700c presta tubes so in a pinch, you could buy a few there. Not much else as far as decent road tires, chains, handlebar tape, etc that you'd need that you could otherwise run to the LBS and get. Definitely no service other than my garage and typically I'd have at least one bike up on the stand each week, usually doing stuff like cable replacement (lots of Dura Ace 9000 around here) and tune-ups. I'd just charge people for the parts which I'd keep in supply, usually ordered from Universal.

Now we have a shop which is a Specialized dealer, but the owner knows the market. He knows none of the local road riders is going to buy a high end road bike, but the Northeast Texas Trail passes around two blocks away so he stocks all kinds of upright hybrid bikes and a few low to mid MTB's. He only has a few bikes in his shop >$1000 and spends his day wrenching on older bikes. He has taken over from my garage and I gladly point people in his direction because I want him to succeed. He stocks stuff I need like Stan's, handlebar tape, and gels.

The locals buy their high end bikes from Richardson Bike Mart which is about 2 hours away. They'll even drive the four hour round trip to get service.

[19wisconsin64]

https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/retail-success-in-the-age-of-amazon.html?utm_campaign=thecut&utm_source=tw&utm_medium=s1